‘320 Cases of Severe Burns in 48 Hours’ – Gaza Officials Condemn Israel’s Use of ‘Banned Weapons’
“These are unconventional and internationally prohibited weapons, (are) banned for use against humans, and mostly American-made.”
Over 48 hours, more than 320 dead and injured Palestinians were brought into hospitals in Gaza with severe burn wounds due to “internationally prohibited weapons” used by the Israeli army, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.
In a statement on Monday, the office said bodies were “severely burned due to the “Israeli occupation army’s use of internationally prohibited weapons”.
“According to medical estimates, the weapons used by the Israeli occupation army causing this type of third-degree burns are missiles and bombs known as thermal weapons or chemical weapons,” the statement said.
“These are unconventional and internationally prohibited weapons, (are) banned for use against humans, and mostly American-made,” it added.
‘Chemical Reaction’
The Office emphasized that these weapons “cause a chemical reaction with the skin, leading to chemical erosion of tissues” in the body, causing severe pain and deep physical damage, “resulting in deadly burns within 27 hours or less.”
“We strongly condemn the crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli occupation against civilians, children, and women,” the statement stressed.
The Government Office called on the international community “to condemn these burning crimes against civilians, to pursue the occupation, and to prosecute it before international courts.”
“We hold the American administration fully legally and morally responsible for supplying the Israeli occupation with these various types of internationally prohibited weapons,” it said and added that it held the Israeli occupation responsible for “the crimes, massacres, and slaughter” it commits against civilians and displaced persons.
Billions in Arms Sales
Since the start of its devastating war on Gaza on October 7, Washington has provided Tel Aviv with support across military, intelligence, and diplomatic levels.
The US is also set to supply Israel with weapons worth billions of dollars in the coming months.
On April 20, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration is preparing a new $1.3 billion arms sale to Israel, citing unnamed US officials, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The paper also noted that this deal would be one of the largest military supportpackages the US has provided to Israel since October 7.
It pointed out that this latest deal is separate from the $26 billion support package for Israel currently under consideration by the US Congress.
Staggering Death Toll
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 38,584 Palestinians have been killed, and 88,881 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, Anadolu)