The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) army has systematically targeted dozens of programmers, information technology experts, and workers in computer engineering, in addition to destroying the headquarters of their companies, as part of the ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip ongoing since Oct. 7, 2023 – a recent report by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said on Sunday.
The IOF has killed hundreds of people with intellects and expertise – skilled in information technology, programming, and computer engineering, the Monitor added.
The Monitor compiled a list of technology specialists, including those with expertise in programming and artificial intelligence, who have been deliberately killed by the IOF.
Programming engineer Haitham Muhammad Al-Nabahin, known as the most accomplished computer engineering specialist in the Gaza Strip was among those targeted.
He, along with his wife, Nasma Zuhair Sadiq, were killed in an “Israeli” air strike that targeted their home in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza on March 14, 2024.
A relative of Nabahin told the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor that he and his family had fled to a house in Rafah. However, Nabahin’s two children, Layan and Muhammad were killed, and his wife was wounded in an “Israeli” attack that forced them to flee once more, this time to a house in the Bureij camp, where the “Israeli” army killed them approximately two weeks later.
According to his relative, Nabahin had paid a hefty price to have his and his wife’s names included in the coordination lists for individuals seeking to leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Border with Egypt in order to treat his wife abroad, before they were both killed in the “Israeli” attack, according to the Euro-Med Monitor.
Tariq Thabet, a graduate of the American Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, was also killed on Oct. 31, 2023 in an “Israeli” air strike that also claimed the lives of his wife, children, parents, and other family members. Thabet was the director of the UCAS Technology Incubator Programs at the University College in Gaza.
Baraa Abdullah al-Saqqa, the founder of DITS and a software engineer specializing in website and smartphone application programming (senior and lead developer), was also killed in a similar “Israeli” air strike on Nov. 21, 2023.
He held positions with numerous industry-specific businesses. Additionally, he was active in providing programming courses and specialized workshops.
In addition to being a student in a master’s program in computer engineering with a focus on artificial intelligence, Saqqa was regarded as one of the leading young programmers in Gaza. He was recognized for his efforts in training numerous new employees in the technical fields and was awarded numerous certificates and awards- he was later killed in an “Israeli” air strike on his family home in Gaza City, along with his pregnant wife and his in -laws.
The list compiled by the Monitor also includes Muhammad al-Athal, who was killed on Oct. 26, 2023, Hamza al-Shami on Nov. 2, 2023, Obaida Khater on Dec. 20, 2023, Anas al-Sheikh on Dec. 9, 2023, and Abdel Rahman Hamada on March 15, 2024,
In addition to another group of young programmers, including Rami al-Sousi, Abdel Hamid Al-Fayoumi, Bilal Zaqout, Ahmed Nidal Qaddoura, engineer Muhammad Hassouna, and others.
As part of the widespread destruction inflicted on the technological sector and the depletion of its related infrastructure, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor documented that the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) army carried out direct attacks that targeted the headquarters of startups specializing in information technology and partnership companies in the Gaza Strip.
The technology sector in the Strip was severely damaged, with the headquarters of communications companies and other infrastructure being destroyed. Many technical workers were also killed, severely disrupting efforts to continue working and innovating in this vital sector, which is seen as the backbone of all other economic sectors as well as the digital transformation.
About 65 businesses engaged in a variety of technological fields, including software, technical equipment, consulting, technical training, communications, and other subfields, operated in the Gaza Strip prior to the aggression carried out by “Israel” – These businesses employed thousands of young people and recent graduates.
Based on Euro-Med Monitor’s preliminary estimates, programming and IT company headquarters have been almost completely destroyed, while six business incubators in the Strip were damaged, and all technology centers, including those affiliated with Gaza Strip universities, were closed.
The Israeli crimes of targeting and killing Palestinian competencies and elites, as well as the widespread and intentional destruction of businesses and infrastructure, will not only undermine the scientific, educational, and economic system of the Gaza Strip but also impede the development of Palestinian society in general and deprive its vital sectors of highly qualified individuals who will be difficult to replace. These crimes will incite fear and coercion among those who remain, forcing them to emigrate – the report added.
These crimes appear to be part of “Israel’s” public policies aimed at making the Gaza Strip uninhabitable by destroying fundamental life structures and eliminating talent. The Euro-Med Monitor warned that this will lead to a paralyzed society unable to quickly recover from the deleterious fallout left behind by the aggression.
Killing civilians, planning attacks against civilian targets, and causing extensive property damage while ignoring international humanitarian law are all considered war crimes and grave violations under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
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