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Ref: 148/2004

Date: 03 October  2004

Time: 11:00 GMT

2 Members of the Palestinian Resistance Extra-Judicially Executed by Israeli Occupation Forces in Gaza

On Saturday evening, 2 October 2004, Israeli occupying troop committed an extra-judicial execution in Gaza City, which left 2 members of the ‘Izziddin al-Qssam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas dead. The Israeli air force attacked the two activists in a densely populated area. Recently, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have increasingly practiced the policy of extra-judicial executions, which has been officially adopted by the Israeli political and military establishments. This is the implementation of statements by Israeli officials that IOF would continue such attacks against members of the Palestinian resistance, especially in the Gaza Strip.  Since the beginning of this year, 101 Palestinians, 25 of whom are civilians, including 5 children have been killed by the Israeli military in such attacks. This latest attack coincide with a serious escalation by Israeli occupying troops throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, especially the wide scale offensive launched on the northern Gaza Strip for the 6^th consecutive day, which has caused dozens of casualties among Palestinians. 

According to preliminary investigations, at approximately 18:00 on Saturday, 2 October 2004, an Israeli aircraft fired 2 missiles at a civilian car, a white Mitsubishi, in which 2 members of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, were traveling.  The car was traveling near Fattouh fuel station at Salah al-Din Street in the northeast of Gaza City, which is a densely populated area. One of the missiles struck the car directly and burnt it, killing the two passengers. The other missile hit a shop of car parts, totally destroying it and severely damaging a number of neighboring stores.  In addition, 4 civilian bystanders, including a 14-year-old child, were injured by shrapnel from the missiles.  The victims were later identified as:

                       1. Mahdi Jamal Mushtaha, 30, from al-Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City; and

                       2. Khaled Ramadan al-‘Amreeti, 28, from al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City.

PCHR remains gravely concerned about such escalation by the Israeli government and its occupying troops.  Israeli violations of human rights, including extra-judicial and indiscriminate killings, further indicate Israel’s disregard for international law and humanitarian law, which prohibit such acts that constitute a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), in particular article 147. PCHR asserts that the policy of extra-judicial executions officially adopted by the Israeli government serves to increase tension in the region and threatens the lives of Palestinian civilians.  PCHR reiterates its calls for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations to ensure protection for Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  

“End”

Public Document

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For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893

PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org