Ref: 87/2011
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have continued
their offensive on the Gaza Strip for the third consecutive day. They have escalated attacks against civilian
targets and have targeted a number of activists of the Palestinian
resistance. As a result of attacks by
IOF in the past 24 hours, 7 Palestinians, including a physician and a child,
have been killed, and 8 civilians, including two children and a woman, and a
resistance activist have been wounded. Thus, the number of Palestinians who have been killed by IOF since
Thursday evening, 18 August 2011, have mounted to 13, while 32 others,
including 8 women, 9 children and 3 police officers, have been wounded. Some civilian property and facilities have
been also heavily damaged.
According to investigations conducted by the
Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR):
At approximately 12:35 on Friday, 19 August 2011,
an Israeli helicopter gunship fired two missiles at a training site of the
‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas), known as Bader site, in
the northwest of Gaza City. No
casualties were reported. It fired a
third missile at the beach. It then
fired a fourth missile at a car in al-Shamali area in al-Shati refugee camp in
the west of Gaza City, but it went astray and the passenger were able to flee
out of the car. No casualties were
reported.
At approximately 15:50 on the same day, an
Israeli drone attacked two activists of Nasser Saladin Brigades (the armed wing
of the Popular Resistance Committee), who were traveling on a 3-wheel
motorcycle near Malaka intersection in the east of al-Zaytoun neighborhood in
the east of Gaza City. One of the
activists, Mohammed Fayez Mahmoud ‘Enaya, 22, from Gaza City, was killed by
shrapnel throughout the body, while the other one was seriously wounded.
At approximately 17:30, an Israeli drone fired a
missile at a number of activists of the Palestinian resistance near al-Wafa
Hospital in the east of Gaza City. As a
result, two children living in the area were seriously wounded by shrapnel
throughout their bodies: Ibrahim ‘Adnan al-Zaza, 14; and Mohammed ‘Aatef al-
Zaza.
Also at approximately 17:30, an Israeli
warplane fired a missile at a space area near Hassanain brick factory in
al-Sourani Mount area in al-Tuffah neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. No casualties were reported.
At approximately 18:00, an Israeli drone fired
a missile at an activist of the Palestinian resistance who was riding a
motorcycle in Quliabo Hill area to the east of Sheikh Zayed town in the
northern Gaza Strip. The activists was
instantly killed by shrapnel throughout the body. He was identified as Samed ‘Abdul Mo’ti
‘Aabed, 25, from the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya.
At approximately 19:00, an Israeli drone attacked
a number of Palestinians near Dr. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz al-Rantissi Hospital in
al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. No casualties were reported.
At approximately 19:10, IOF positioned at the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of Gaza City fired an
artillery shell at a number of Palestinians in al-Mansoura Street in
al-Shoja’iya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. No casualties were reported.
At approximately 20:30, an Israeli drone fired
a missile at a number of activists of the Palestinian resistance in the east of
‘Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis. No
casualties were reported.
At approximately 20:45, an Israeli warplane
fired two missiles at two activists of the Palestinian resistance who were
traveling on a motorcycle on the road linking between al-Boreij and al-Maghazi
refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip. The two activists were instantly killed. They were identified as: Anwar Hassan Saleem, 23; and ‘Emad Fareed Abu
‘Aabda, 23, both from al-Boreij refugee camp.
At approximately 21:55, Israeli tanks
positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Khan Yunis,
fired 4 shells at ‘Abassan village. The
shells landed on agricultural areas, but no casualties were reported.
At approximately 22:45, an Israeli warplane
bombarded a training site of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing
of Hamas) in al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. No casualties were reported.
At approximately 22:50, an Israeli drone
attacked 3 Palestinians, including a child, who were traveling on a motorcycle
in Jamal Abdul Nasser Street in the west of Gaza City. The three Palestinians were killed: Munther
Bassem Hamdan Quraiqe’, 32, a physician; Mo’taz Bassem Quraiqe’, 29, a leader
of al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad); and Islam, 2, the
latter’s child. The victims are all from
al-Shoja’iya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. They were on their way back home when they
were attacked. Additionally, 5
bystanders, including a woman, were wounded, and a car was damaged.
At approximately 23:00, Israeli warplanes
bombarded a 150-square-meter barrack belonging to Najia Mohammed Abu Zarifa at
‘Abassan road in the east of Khan Yunis. The barrack was destroyed and a nearby carwash shop belonging to ‘Ammar
‘Ali Abu Daqqa and a house were damaged,
At approximately 00:00 on Saturday, 20 August
2011, Hussein Mahmoud al-Najjar received a phone call from the Israeli
intelligence, in which he was ordered to vacate his 130-square-meter,
two-storey house in the east of Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis. Al-Najjar and his family immediately vacated
the house. Five minutes later, Israeli
warplanes fired a missile at the house. The missile hit the western part of the basement, but did not
explode. Ten minutes later, Israeli
warplanes fired another missile, which hit a nearby sheep farm belonging to
Suleiman Mohammed Shnainu and damaged a nearby house. It is worth noting that al-Najjar’s house was
attacked by an Israeli drone on 24 March 2011.
At approximately 00:20, an Israeli warplane
fired a missile at a space area in al-Shouka village, east of Rafah. As a result, Anwas Younis al-Sheikh ‘Eid, 26,
was wounded by shrapnel throughout the body.
At approximately 03:35, an Israeli drone fired
a missile at a number of activists of the Palestinian resistance in al-Qarara
village, northeast of Khan Yunis. No
casualties were reported.
PCHR strongly condemns these crimes, and:
1- Stresses that targeting houses,
densely-populated areas and civilian targets reflects IOF’s disregard for the
lives of Palestinian civilians, and warns of more escalation of crimes against
Palestinian civilians and their property in light of statements and threats
launched by Israeli political and military leaders, which will bring about more
victims in the Gaza Strip;
2- Points out that crimes committed
by IOF constitutes acts or reprisal and collective punishment in violation of
Article 33 of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of
Civilian Persons in Time of War; and
3- Believes that the failure of the
international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the
Fourth Geneva Convention, to effectively act to stop crimes committed by IOF
serves to encourage Israel and IOF to commit more crimes against Palestinian
civilians and their property. The legal
protection provided by the United States to Israel, and deliberate obstruction
of the application of international humanitarian law, in addition to the
conspiracy of silence practiced by European States towards crimes committed
against Palestinian civilians do not only place Israel above the international
humanitarian law, but also encourage it to unrestrictedly commit more crimes
against Palestinian civilians.
4- Repeats its call for the
Palestinian leadership to place the Goldstone Report on the top of its
priorities and to make efforts, in cooperation with other Arab and international
parties, to ensure placing the Report on the agenda of the meeting of the UN
General Assembly next September; the failure to push the Report ahead in the
United Nations, in order to be referred the UN Security Council and
subsequently, to the International Criminal Court, contributes to enhancing the
impunity granted to Israel and encouraging it to commit more crimes against
Palestinian civilians.
