Human Rights Watch, an organization concerned with defending human rights, said today, Thursday, that the Israeli air strike on a residential building, the “Mohandiseen Building” in the middle of the Gaza Strip on October 31, constitutes a supposed war crime.

The organization added on the “X” platform that the attack on the six-story residential building housing hundreds of people, killing 106 civilians, including 54 children, is one of the bloodiest attacks since the start of the Israeli bombing and ground incursion into Gaza on October 7.

It indicated that the organization did not find any evidence of the presence of a military target in the vicinity of the building at the time of the Israeli attack, which makes the raid random and illegal under the laws of war. The Israeli authorities provided no justification for the attack, noting that the Israeli military's track record of failing to credibly investigate alleged war crimes highlights the importance of the ICC investigating serious crimes committed by all parties to the conflict.

For his part, co-director of the Crisis and Conflict Division at Human Rights Watch, Gerry Simpson, said: “Israel’s illegal air strike on a residential building on October 31 killed at least 106 civilians, including children playing soccer, and residents "They charge their phones in a shop on the ground floor, and displaced families search for safety. This raid caused heavy civilian casualties without an apparent military target - and is one of dozens of attacks that caused a massive massacre, underscoring the urgent need for an ICC investigation." .

The organization called on governments to suspend arming Israel, support the International Criminal Court's investigation into Palestine, and impose targeted sanctions against officials involved in violations of the laws of war.

The organization indicated that, between January and March 2024, it conducted telephone interviews with 16 people regarding the October 31 attack on the residential building known as the “Mohandiseen Building” and the killing of their relatives and others. It also analyzed satellite images, 35 photographs, and 45 videos of the effects of the attack, as well as photographs and videos on social media sites. While Human Rights Watch was unable to visit the site, because since October 7, the Israeli authorities have prevented entry into Gaza through its crossings, and Israel has repeatedly rejected Human Rights Watch’s requests to enter Gaza over the past 16 years.

The organization quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the Mohandessin Building, adjacent to the Nuseirat refugee camp, contained 350 or more people, including at least 150 displaced persons, who took refuge there, fleeing bombing in other places in Gaza.

They added that 4 bombs were dropped from the air on the building at around 2:30 pm without warning, hitting it and destroying everything within about 10 seconds.