Israeli military 'deliberately' denies civilians enough time to escape bombing areas: Euro-Med

An international human rights organization has raised the alarm over the Israeli military’s escalated attacks on civilians and residential neighborhoods in Lebanon, saying the regime intentionally leaves civilians both in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon with insufficient time to flee from bombed areas.

The Geneva-based Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said in a report that the Israeli military's intensified assaults on civilians and residential zones in Lebanon, coupled with evacuation orders, have sparked significant concern across the region.

Israel on Monday carried out over 330 raids in more than 117 Lebanese towns and cities, particularly in the south and Beqaa regions, killing at least 558 people, including 50 children, and wounding 1,800 others.

“In both the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, the Israeli army deliberately denies civilians enough time to escape the areas being bombed, offering them no real protection from the dangers arising from military operations. Instead, Israel randomly and directly targets civilian buildings, including the buildings of surrounding hospitals and schools,” the report said. 

The human rights group noted that the Israeli military is obligated under international humanitarian law to implement all feasible precautions before launching any military operations, in order to minimize harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure.

This includes, among other requirements, issuing timely warnings to the civilian population before an attack begins, granting them adequate time to evacuate, and, unless the situation dictates otherwise, facilitating their ability to take protective measures and move to safer locations.

However, the situation in the Gaza Strip and currently in Lebanon tells a different story. In particular, residents of Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, covering approximately 4,429 square kilometers, got only two hours to evacuate when the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, while it would take many citizens at least three hours to leave areas within the valley.

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Euro-Med added that the international humanitarian law states that civilians who are unable or unwilling to leave an area are still protected as civilians, which obliges Israel to safeguard them from harm simply due to their presence in the area.

The report further said that Israeli military actions have been identified as serious violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilians, the Fourth Hague Convention, and Article 48 of the First Additional Protocol.

These legal frameworks mandate that civilians and military personnel must be differentiated to ensure heightened protection for at-risk groups such as journalists, the elderly, women, and children.

Calls for immediate international intervention are mounting to prevent the ongoing massacres and atrocities perpetrated by Israel in the Gaza Strip over the past 11 months from spilling into Lebanon.

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