The Israeli occupation army has assassinated Mohamed Faraj al-Ghoul, a former Palestinian minister of justice and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, in a targeted airstrike on Gaza City on Tuesday, according to local sources.

Al-Ghoul, born in 1957 in Rafah, served in several high-ranking government roles under the administration of Ismail Haneyya, including Minister of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and Minister of Justice. He was also a sitting member of parliament representing Hamas and chaired the government committee overseeing implementation of UN fact-finding mission recommendations concerning previous Gaza wars.

In addition to his political career, al-Ghoul was a respected legal and human rights advocate, founder and head of the Dar al-Haq and Law Institution for Human Rights, and operated a legal office in Gaza where he defended prisoners and war victims. His assassination marks the elimination of one of Gaza’s leading legal minds and a key figure in defending Palestinian detainees and war survivors.

Al-Ghoul’s assassination is part of what observers describe as Israel’s ongoing campaign to systematically eliminate Palestinian political, legal, and civil society leaders. It comes amid the relentless Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip, now widely referred to as a genocidal war, which has killed over 58,000 Palestinians—including thousands of women, children, and elderly civilians—since October 7, 2023.

The Israeli military has repeatedly targeted academics, doctors, journalists, judges, and lawmakers, drawing widespread condemnation from human rights groups and legal experts around the world who accuse Tel Aviv of carrying out war crimes and a policy of decapitation against Palestinian civil infrastructure.

Al-Ghoul’s death has been met with shock and mourning across Gaza, particularly among legal circles and advocacy groups who viewed him as a pillar of resistance through law, and a voice for justice on international platforms. He was instrumental in documenting Israeli violations and pursuing international legal accountability.

“Mohamed al-Ghoul was not just a politician; he was the legal conscience of Gaza,” one Palestinian rights defender remarked. “His assassination is not only a crime, but an attempt to kill justice itself.”

The killing of MP al-Ghoul comes as Israeli airstrikes continue to level neighborhoods, schools, and hospitals across the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian situation remains catastrophic, with famine, mass displacement, and total collapse of healthcare services.

Human rights organizations and UN agencies have repeatedly warned that Israel’s actions amount to genocide and ethnic cleansing, urging the international community to act before more lives are lost and Palestinian institutions are wiped out.

As Gaza buries yet another national figure, the world watches a people systematically robbed of their leadership, heritage, and future. (ILKHA)