The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the ongoing killings of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). The latest incident involved the killing of three Palestinian women, including a journalist and two girls, as demolitions and bombings continue across the Gaza Strip. These deliberate and ongoing violations of the ceasefire are carried out unilaterally amid the absence of any active combat.
According to information collected by PCHR’s field researchers, Israeli artillery positioned east of central Gaza Strip fired several shells between 00:00 and 00:05 on Monday, 9 March 2026. The shells landed in al-Sawahrah area, southwest of al-Nusseirat refugee camp, where the tents of displaced families are densely packed. As a result, Amal Hammad Ahmed Shamali (46), a journalist and Qatar Radio correspondent, was killed after a piece of shrapnel struck her head, causing a fatal laceration. Five other members of her family were also injured, including three in serious condition, when their tent was directly hit.
This attack also resulted in the killing of Salsabeel Anwar Mahmoud Farraj (11), who was asleep in her tent when a piece of shrapnel struck her head. Two other members of her family were injured, including one who sustained serious injuries.
Moreover, the attack killed Nour Saleh Mohammed al-Shalalfah (16) after she sustained a shrapnel wound to the head that caused a fatal laceration. Meanwhile, three other members of her family were injured, including two who sustained serious injuries.
The shelling also injured several other people inside their tents in Abu Shammas Displacement Camp, in addition to causing severe damage to tents in the same location.
Anwar Mahmoud Mohammed Farraj (36) told PCHR’s field researcher that he was sleeping with his wife and two children in their tent in Abu Shammas Displacement Camp, in the al-Sawahrah area, southwest of al-Nusseirat refugee camp, where they had been living for nearly two years. He stated that they heard two successive explosions in the area. As a result, his wife, Saloum ‘Abdel Rahman Mohammed Farraj (36), was injured by a piece of shrapnel in her hand, while their six-month-old child, Salamah, sustained a shrapnel wound to the head while sleeping in his mother’s arms. His 11-year-old daughter, Salsabeel, also sustained a severe laceration to the head caused by shrapnel.
He added that shrapnel scattered throughout the camp and struck many tents, prompting distress calls across the area. The shelling resulted in the killing and injury of several people. He further stated that approximately an hour later, ambulances arrived at the scene, and his daughter Salsabeel was evacuated to al-‘Awda Hospital in al-Nusseirat refugee camp. Doctors there announced that she had died from her injuries, while his wife and son are still receiving treatment.
Nesmah ‘Adnan Soliman Abu Shallouf (22) told PCHR’s field researcher that she heard about five successive explosions within five minutes, scattering shrapnel over the tents in the area. She added that seconds later she heard the screams of her 17-year-old brother, Mohammed, calling for help after his wife, Nour Saleh Mohammed al-Shalalfah (16), was wounded. The couple had been married for only about two months. A piece of shrapnel penetrated their tent and caused a severe laceration to her head, killing her.
Moreover, the family of journalist Amal Hammad Ahmed Shamali stated that she was sleeping with her three children inside their tent when one of the shells landed near it, striking her in the head with shrapnel. The shell also injured her three children and other members of her family who were staying in nearby tents, while the tent was completely destroyed by the explosion.
In a separate incident, at approximately 16:35 on Sunday, 8 March 2026, an Israeli drone targeted people gathered near al-Kateebah in western Gaza City. As a result, two people were killed: Mohammed Mustafa Shehadah Abu Shadaq (31) and ‘Abdel Rahman Husni Hamdonah (30), a paramedic volunteering with the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Several others were also injured, some of them seriously, noting that the area is heavily overcrowded with displaced people.
According to follow-up by our field researchers, since the ceasefire was declared on 10 October 2025, the IOF have continued air and artillery bombardments, gunfire, and recurrent demolitions within areas located along the so-called “yellow line,” aimed at destroying the remaining houses and buildings. According to the Ministry of Health, these attacks have so far killed 648 people and have wounded 1728 others.
These acts constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law, in particular the principles of distinction and proportionality, and amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. In their broader context, their repetition, and the targeting of protected groups, they also fall within the definition of genocide under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, through the deliberate killing and infliction of serious bodily harm to members of a national group with the intent to destroy it, in whole or in part.
PCHR calls on the international community to uphold its responsibilities and take immediate measures, including providing urgent protection for civilians, ending IOF’s military presence in the Gaza Strip, halting the targeting of civilian neighborhoods, and compelling Israel to cease its attacks and the ongoing siege on the Strip.
