Israel has always punitively killed the families of leaders and resistance figures as collective punishment. It is a sign of Israel’s inability to extract a military victory on the ground.
In an interview on Israeli television, former Mossad official Rami Igra said all Palestinians in Gaza over the age of 4 are “involved” and deserve to face Israel’s collective punishment policy of withholding food and humanitarian aid.
Why has Israel overwhelmingly targeted Palestinian civilians in its attack on Gaza? Israeli leaders have told us repeatedly collective punishment is Israel’s official policy, the current attack has just taken it to the next level.
The Israeli military has admitted its policy of punitive demolitions does not work as a deterrent measure, and human rights groups have declared the policy violates international law. So, why does Israel continue doing it?
The Israeli assault on Palestinians continues to intensify as Israel has arrested at least 42 people across the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the last three days and carried out a military invasion of Ramallah.
After a car-ramming operation in Jerusalem, Itamar Ben-Gvir is calling for the re-invasion of the West Bank, while Israel’s usual policy of collective punishment and retribution continues.
In the aftermath of the Jenin raid and the shooting operations in Jerusalem, Israeli government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have called for swift and sweeping policies of retribution across the occupied Palestinian territory – promising increased punitive home demolitions and other measures meant to target the families of Palestinians who carry out attacks against Israelis.
But despite the government’s moves towards more collective punishment, the tension on the ground continues to swell, and shows no signs of stopping.
The past three days have been some of the deadliest recorded in the occupied Palestinian West Bank and East Jerusalem in years. Here is a full breakdown of what has transpired.