On October 20, 2023, Amnesty International released a damning report detailing severe human rights violations and potential war crimes committed during the intensifying Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. The report, based on survivor testimonies, eyewitness accounts, satellite imagery, and verified multimedia content, presents compelling evidence of indiscriminate Israeli attacks causing mass civilian casualties. These attacks, carried out between October 7 and 12, resulted in the obliteration of entire families, a stark violation of international humanitarian law.

Amnesty International's Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, expressed deep concern over the egregious disregard for civilian lives, emphasizing the shocking devastation inflicted on residential areas, essential infrastructure, and the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. The report highlights the Israeli forces' failure to take feasible precautions to spare civilians and their engagement in indiscriminate attacks that failed to differentiate between civilian and military targets. In some instances, attacks were directed at civilian objects, further exacerbating the potential war crimes.

The report focuses on five specific cases, each underscoring the severity of the situation. One such incident occurred on October 7 when Israeli forces struck a residential building in the al-Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, resulting in the tragic loss of 15 family members across three generations. The report provides harrowing accounts from survivors, like Mohammad al-Dos, whose recollection of the sudden and devastating two-bomb strike highlights the lack of warning and the subsequent difficulty in recovering bodies from the rubble.

Another incident on October 10 involved an Israeli airstrike on a family home, claiming the lives of 12 members of the Hijazi family and four neighbors. Amnesty International's research uncovered no evidence of military targets in the area, emphasizing the indiscriminate nature of the attack and the resultant civilian casualties.

In addition to the distressing loss of life, the report condemns the inadequate warnings issued by Israeli forces, citing instances where civilians were not warned at all or received unclear "evacuation" orders. These insufficient warnings left residents confused and often resulted in tragedy, as seen in the Nuseirat refugee camp airstrike on October 8, where a family was killed despite a prior warning.