Israel's Airstrikes: Corralling Civilians Like Cattle in Deliberate Slaughter

If Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s description of Palestinians as ‘human animals’ was ever to be believed, then this week’s air strikes on Northern Gaza proved to be exactly that.

Pamphlets dropped by air, in an evacuation order, urging "all those in Gaza City" to take two "safe routes" south to the area around the central town of Deir al-Balah, came after a series of deadly strikes over two days in other parts of the region.

An air strike, on the entrance of a school-turned-shelter in southern Gaza, killed at least 31 people, including eight children, according to officials at the nearby Nasser hospital. Footage broadcast by Al Jazeera showed children playing football when a sudden boom shook the area, prompting shouts of "a strike, a strike!"

According to the IDF, the incident occurred when it struck with "precise munition" a Hamas fighter who had taken part in the 7 October military raid. Yet they never did.

The pamphlet drop, after devastating air strikes that took place over a couple of days, which killed and maimed hundreds of innocent men, women, and children, became an exercise in arse covering and optics by the IDF as it worked to enact its final stage to ethnically cleanse Gaza - be seen to give Palestinians advanced notice to evacuate, and then kill them.

The attack was just another reminder of how barbaric Israel’s leadership is and how the world’s most moral army, as Israel pedals, is instead the most evil and repulsive the world has ever seen. Nazi Germany would have learned much from Benjamin Netanyahu and the evil savagery that has been perpetrated on Palestinians.

Why this week’s bombing saw a devastating escalation of violence in Northern Gaza lies not only with the tragic loss of life but what the intent of the strike was. Israel says the objective of the airstrikes was to kill, or as Israelis like to say, eliminate Mohammed Deif, a senior leader of Hamas. But once again, Israel is caught out again in another lie.

Deif was never there, and the Hamas leadership has shown Israel is clueless about where they are located. The bombings again repeat the same pattern of excessive brutality, but everything about this attack had a purpose of not only killing innocence, but a process of corralling the Palestinians - to herd them like cattle to a part of Gaza that is already populated and slaughter them as livestock would be in a cattle yard slaughterhouse.

It would be there that Israel would look to stage its final act of barbarity, genocide, and ethnic cleansing.

Israel's stated objective it says was to eliminate Mohammed Deif. Deif has been a target of Israeli operations for years. However, the operation failed to achieve its aim, missing Deif and instead causing widespread destruction and loss of life.

On Saturday morning, the al-Mawasi camp near Khan Younis continues to raise significant concerns about the motives behind the attack – an operation part of a broader strategy to forcibly concentrate Palestinians into specific areas.

Following the strike, Palestinians were searching frantically through the rubble of tents and makeshift homes, desperately looking for survivors and the bodies of loved ones. Scores of Palestinians were left dead or injured, contradicting Israeli claims the attack was surgically aimed at militant leaders.

Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim, the strike targeted a compound within a demarcated humanitarian zone and primarily hit Hamas militants, however, on-the-ground reports tell a different story. Gaza officials denounced the attack as a massacre, highlighting the significant Palestinian toll and the destruction of shelters in the al-Mawasi area. Previously, the area had been designated by Israel as a safe zone for Palestinians fleeing conflict, adding a layer of betrayal to the tragedy.

The strikes serve a dual purpose: eliminating key Hamas figures while simultaneously displacing large numbers of Palestinians, effectively advancing a policy of forced segregation and collective punishment.

International response to the killings has been one of outrage and condemnation. Both Jordan and Egypt have criticised the strike, pointing out that it took place within a humanitarian area, thereby violating the principles of international law. Even as Israel continues to blame Hamas for embedding itself among civilians, the high death toll raises pressing questions about the proportionality and justification of such military actions.

The attack is likely to further complicate ongoing negotiations aimed at securing a temporary ceasefire and the release of hostages. Netanyahu's insistence on continuing military pressure to force Hamas into compliance starkly contrasts with the growing international calls for a more humanitarian approach to the conflict.

Israel’s operation has ignited a fierce debate over its military tactics and their legality under international law. A particularly contentious issue is the distribution of pamphlets by the IDF, advising Gazans to evacuate to designated safe zones. The ese pamphlets were not only ineffective but also part of a sinister plan to herd Palestinians into specific areas, making them easier targets for subsequent bombings.

Once again Israel’s barbarity underscores the deep ethical and legal controversies of how they behave and how the world allows them to.