Ref: 71/2006
Date: 17 July 2006
Time: 09:00 GMT
IOF Occupy & Isolate Beit Hanoun, and Destroy the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
3 Killed and 11 Injured, incl. 2 Journalists & 2 Paramedics; Forced Exodus of Families in Rafah & Beit Hanoun; and the Gaza Strip is Isolated from the Outside World
Dr. Fawwaz Abu Sitta, Economics Professor at Al-Azhar University, who lives near the Palestinian Ministry for Foreign Affairs: “The recurrence of this terrible deed without any effort from anyone to stop it makes one feel bitter and hopeless. In addition, one feels the inability to act and avoid the bombardment, despite fully expecting it before hand. Repeating the bombardment of a target that has no military or material value makes this bombardment a form of sadistic collective punishment; because bombing a second time is only for spreading fear among civilians in the homes around the building; and their homes were damaged by the bombardment. This act has transgressed the boundary of standard collective punishment and has become sadistic collective punishment as it entails punishing civilians in their homes. This is what one feels directly after the bombardment when hearing the screams of children and women, and the state of shock and anxiety. It is very scary, and cannot be compared to a state of shock in any other calamity. It is a state of shock unique for this kind of calamity.”
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continued the aggression on the Gaza Strip for the 4th consecutive week, inflicting additional casualties among Palestinian civilians and destruction of civilian property. IOF continue to systematically target infrastructure and governmental institutions, to undermine the Palestinian political system. Further, IOF continue to hold nearly 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip hostages after closing all its borders, and prevent food and supplies from entering the Strip freely. The situation is the worst in years, and could escalate into a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe. As this press release is published, IOF continue to advance into the town of Beit Hanoun, and to isolate it from its surroundings. Most of the town is under direct IOF occupation. Many families were forced to flee their houses due to indiscriminate IOF shelling. IOF troops have taken over residential structures and converted them into military outposts, while detaining hundreds of civilians, including journalists, inside. IOF use these detained civilians as human shields during bulldozing and detention operations. IOF have prevented the Red Cross and some relief organizations from accessing the area. PCHR calls upon the international community, including the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention and international governmental and nongovernmental organizations, to work towards preventing a humanitarian catastrophe in Beit Hanoun and its surroundings. The Centre calls upon these parties to work towards ensuring that international humanitarian organizations and medical teams are allowed to fulfill their missions and provide food and medication to the civilian population.
The most notable IOF crimes during the past 24 hours are:
– At approximately 14:00 on Sunday, 16 July 2006, an IOF plane fired a rocket at a Palestinian car in El-Na’ayma Street in Beit Hanoun. The rocket hit the car after its occupants fled; and it was completely burned.
– At approximately 16:00 on the same day, 5 civilians were injured by indiscriminate shelling on Beit Hanoun. Among the victims are 2 journalists, Kyoto Saki from Japan and Majdi Abdel Dayem Abdeen from Palestine, and 2 paramedics, Zeyad Abdel Dayem and Yosri El-Masri. The paramedics were injured when their ambulance was hit. And shortly afterwards, another 5 civilians were injured by shelling.
– At approximately 17:20, an IOF plane fired a rocket at a group of resistance activists in Dumra Street in Beit Hanoun. Two of them were killed: Abdel Latif Othman Obeid (20) and Ali maher Atallah (20). Both are from Jabalia refugee camp.
– At approximately 00:20 on Monday, 17 July 2006, an IOF plane fired a rocket at a group of resistance activists in Beit Hanoun. Two were injured.
– At approximately 00:50 on Monday, IOF helicopters fired 3 rockets at the Interior Ministry Executive Force compound in El-Ajarma Street in Jabalia. One rocket hit the compound, causing damages. The second rocket hit the roof of the house belonging to Husseini Abu Salem, near Abu Rashid pond. It did not explode. The third rocket fell in an empty area.
– At approximately 01:15, an IOF plane dropped a bomb at the building of the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Government Buildings Complex in the Southern Rimal Quarter in Gaza City. The building was completely destroyed; and extensive damage was inflicted on a large number of nearby houses and civilian vehicles. Twelve civilians were injured by glass shrapnel, including 6 children and 2 women. It is noted that this is the second bombing raid against the building this week. And it has become clear that the aim of the bombardment is to terrorize the civilian population living in the area.
– At approximately 06:30, IOF troops deployed on the roofs of Palestinian houses in Beit Hanoun fired indiscriminately, killing Mohammad Mahmoud El-Kafarna (21) with a bullet to the chest. He was standing in front of his house at the time. In addition, IOF continued to move into the town, clamping its control over the center of the town, where the lone hospital, police station, and schools are located. IOF occupied more houses and transformed them into military outposts. As a result, the 30,000 residents of Beit Hanoun are under direct IOF occupation. IOF continue to bulldoze houses, and residents are forcibly fleeing their houses due to indiscriminate shelling. It is noted that all border areas in the Gaza Strip are under unprecedented, indiscriminate shelling. Families from El-Shoka community, east of Rafah, are forcibly fleeing their houses, and seeking refuge in temporary shelters provided by UNRWA.
PCHR reiterates its condemnation of IOF willful killing of Palestinian civilians. The Centre considers these crimes as a form of reprisal and collective punishment against Palestinians, which is a violation of article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. PCHR points to the fact that IOF do not respect the principles of necessity and proportionality when using its war machine against Palestinian resistance activists when they are in non-combat situations in civilian areas, which leads to casualties from among the civilian population and to damage of civilian property.
In the Center’s view, the complacency of the international community and the High Contracting Parties of the 4th Geneva Convention and their failure tot take effective steps to stop Israeli war crimes has been a supporting and encouraging element for Israel to continue perpetrating additional war crimes against Palestinian civilians. The legal cover provided to Israel by the US, which purposely hinders International Humanitarian Law, and the conspiracy of silence by Europe encourage Israeli to continue to perpetrate war crimes unchecked, placing it above international law.
The Centre reminds the High Contracting Parties of:
– Their obligations under article 1 of the convention to ensure respect of the convention under all circumstances;
– Their obligations in article 146 of the convention to pursue suspects of committing serious violations of the convention, noting that these violations are war crimes according to article 147, as specified in the first protocol additional to the convention
The Centre calls upon the Swiss Government to:
– to take a leading role in highlighting and acting to stop the grave breaches of international law that are currently taking place in the Gaza Strip, as is its obligation as the depository of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
– to make efforts to mobilise the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to intervene in this situation and meet their obligations to protect the rights of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip under International Humanitarian Law.
– to call on the Security Council to send an international protection force for the Palestinian civilian population of the Gaza Strip.
The Centre calls upon the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to:
– to issue a statement strongly condemning Israel’s grave breaches of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
– to make a visit to the OPT in order to see for yourself the long term damage that has already been and is currently being inflicted on the civilian population – a population who should be enjoying protection under International Humanitarian Law.
– to call a meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention in order to ensure that these states fulfil their obligation under international law to protect the civilian population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
-End-
P.S. Testimonies
Testimony No. (1)
Dr. Fawwaz Abu Sitta, 53
Economics Professor at Azhar University
Dr. Fawwaz Abu Sitta, Economics Professor at Al-Azhar University, who lives near the Palestinian Ministry for Foreign Affairs: “The recurrence of this terrible deed without any effort from anyone to stop it makes one feel bitter and hopeless. In addition, one feels the inability to act and avoid the bombardment, despite fully expecting it before hand. Repeating the bombardment of a target that has no military or material value makes this bombardment a form of sadistic collective punishment; because bombing for a second time is only for spreading fear among civilians at homes around the building; and their homes were damaged by the bombardment. This act has transgressed the boundary of standard collective punishment and has become sadistic as it entails punishing civilians at homes. This is what one feels directly after the bombardment when hearing the screams of children and women, and the state of shock and anxiety. It is very scary, and cannot be compared to a state of shock in any other calamity. It is a state of shock unique for this kind of calamity.”
I am a professor of economics at al-Azhar University. I live with my wife, Anika Fagner, a German citizen, and my son, 18-year-old Suleiman, in a 3-storey villa. We live on the second floor of the building. My brother Nawaf, an engineer, lives with his wife and his two daughters, 13-year-old Nouran and 7-year-old Dana, on the third floor. Fortunately, my mother, 82, is in Cairo visiting her daughter.
For some reason, I expected that the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, located directly to the north of our villa, would be bombarded, as the building of the Ministry of Interior and the office of the Prime Minister were bombarded twice. So, my wife and I slept in the southern part of our house as the building of the Ministry is located to the north of the house. We also took some precautionary measures.
During the first bombardment of the Ministry on 13 July 2006, my son was on his way back home, and my wife and I were sleeping. We woke up hearing the blast.
I was astonished then not by the destruction incurred to the 7-storey building of the Ministry, rather by the destruction incurred to the garden, which my father and I had worked for years to make it such beautiful. The garden was destroyed and became a cemetery for debris.
A large cement block hit my mother’s balcony, where she used to sit. The villa was severely damaged, as windows and doors were destroyed. My wife, my son and I have been shocked by the bombardment and the damage incurred to the house and the garden during the first bombardment of the Ministry.
Last night, I was awake as I heard a drone flying over the area. My wife was sleeping. I opened the doors and prevented my son from moving to any other place in the house. I expected that bombardment would take place again, but I did not expect it last night and against the same building that was largely destroyed in the first attack.
When the bombardment took place, the house was severely damaged. Debris hit the rooms, including my office. I was shocked when I saw debris in the living room, which could have killed my wife, my son and me if we were there.
My wife got up hearing the blast. She was screaming and calling me and Suleiman, because we were outside the room trying to check the damage. Due to darkness, I was not able to check the damage until the sunshine.
Children were heard screaming in dozens or even hundreds of neighboring flats, especially in the apartment building located to the west. These flats were also damaged.
Testimony No. 2
On Targeting the Palestinian Ministry for Foreign Affairs
My name is Ghadir Ahmad El-Omari. I was born in 1976. I work at the Palestinian Centre Fro Human Rights. I am responsible for the Center’s monthly publication.
I live in the building opposite the Governmental Buildings Complex in Gaza City. I moved there with my husband, Ibrahim, in late February last year. Prior to that, we spent a year designing and furnishing our apartment in the building. We made out house just the way we wanted it to be. The 5-story building is separated from the complex by a street. I was forced to leave our apartment on the 5th floor of the building and go to my father’s house after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) bombed the Gaza power station on 27 June 2006. I moved to my father’s house because I’m expecting my first child. The doctor advised me not to climb stairs. I could not follow the doctor’s advice without leaving our apartment, since the power outage means that the elevator does not work.
It was about 1:40 when I woke up to the sound of an explosion. I rushed to the window and looked around the building where my father and sister live. I didn’t see anything to indicate that the explosion was near the building. I went back to the room and turned on the radio. I searched for a local radio station with news about the explosion, but to no avail.
I was very worried that the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was the target of the Israeli bombing. It was customary for them to repeat bombing a place that was targeted earlier. I knew that my husband Ibrahim was in our apartment. And he was awake since his work as a correspondent for the Associated Press required him to stay awake and follow the events on the ground.
A few minutes passed before my mobile phone rang. It was my husband Ibrahim. As soon as I recognized his voice, I knew that the explosion I heard a few minutes earlier was a new Israeli raid on the Government Buildings Complex, opposite the building where I’m supposed to be had it not been for the circumstances that forced me to leave due to the power outage.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs building that was bombed in the predawn hours of 17 July 2006 for the second time is the closest building to our apartment. That is why most of the apartments in our building sustained damages, especially since the bombardment was by fighter jets.
The anxiety and longing to know what damages were inflicted on my apartment was a scenario repeating itself for the second time in less than 4 days. The first time, when the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was targeted on 13 July 2006, we were suffering in my father’s house from a power outage that prevented us from following the news through Palestine Television. This time we had power and we turned to the television to find out what happened.
In the early morning and before going to work, I went to my apartment to see the damage. The door between my bedroom and balcony was destroyed. The door step was destroyed. Some floor tiles from the balcony were ripped out by the explosion. Debris covered everything in the bedroom and balcony. The room next to the bedroom was also extensively damaged. Its door was destroyed, and walls covered in black smoke. The furniture was greatly damaged due to the shrapnel that hit the room. My neighbors in the same building had similar damages. Thank God we did not sustain any human losses. Most of the building’s residents left after the first strike at the Ministry. Those that remained took precautions to stay away from rooms overlooking the street.
You may have noticed that I didn’t mention the windows when listing damages. The simple reason is that these windows were completely destroyed in the first bombardment. Our car also sustained heavy damages due to the debris and shrapnel.
The room in which the furniture was extensively damaged was the room that my husband and I planned to have for our first child, whom we’re expecting this month. We spent long hours talking about the details of the room: where we’ll put the bed, closet, and toys, the color of the wall paint, covering the floor with a protective layer in case the child falls down, and other details that occupy parents awaiting their first child. Of course, these plans are now put off indefinitely.
After bombing the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for the second time and in light of the expectation of having the remaining ministries in the complex targeted, our apartment faces an unknown future. And we haven’t even finished paying its installments. The same destiny that has led to damaging the apartment, rendering it uninhabitable, awaits us and our first child.
17 July 2006
Testimony No. (3)
Ibrahim Barzak, 30
Associated Press correspondent in the Gaza Strip since 1992.
GAZA CITY (AP) _ It was hot, there was no electricity. I was waiting for a phone call and slouching toward my balcony when something hit me from behind.
I thought it was a door as I hit the ground.
Before dusting myself off or assessing the damage, I hit the speed dial on my phone to report to the world that Israeli planes had bombed the Palestinian Foreign Affairs building across the street from my apartment _ part of Israel’s two-week old offensive that followed the capture of an Israeli soldier by Hamas-linked militants.
The 1:30 a.m. blast threw an entire neighborhood into the middle of the war zone. My neighbors and I were living in the collateral damage.
The smell of dust and explosives, the shattering of glass and sound of bombs are nothing new to a journalist who’s covered this conflict for well over a decade. Neither are they new to the people stuck in the middle of this unending battle between Palestinian militants and the Israeli army.
Women and children were screaming in the streets. Also nothing new.
But this time, the women and children were my neighbors.
Thirteen people were wounded in the bombing.
Cars were destroyed. Mine, with giant stickers that said “AP” on front and back, had a door blown off.
As residents of my building streamed into the hallways, some of us coordinated as best we could in the darkness and the panic and fear.
Two of us met up in the stairway with a flashlight _ an AP reporter and a Fatah spokesman.
“Have you knocked down that door yet?” someone yelled, checking neighbors to make sure everyone was OK. No need, came the answer _ “He’s away tonight, working the night shift.” And so we worked our way down.
On the third floor we found an elderly man. Trying to escape Gaza’s heat, he’d wandered out to his balcony to fall sleep. He was unconscious now, and we carried him inside, where an emergency team met us and took him to the hospital.
We learned later that he was fine, knocked out by the sound and the concussion of the blast.
On the street, one of my neighbors was carrying his daughters, aged 7 months and 6 years.
The younger one was covered with dust.
So was my bed when I returned to it later that morning. All of my windows were blown out, and shrapnel stuck into the walls. A teddy bear I’ve owned since I was a child was buried under glass.
Today, I’ll try to clean up. I’ll talk with my wife, who is expected to give birth any day now _ the hospital where we want to have our baby demanded 25 liters (6.6 gallons) of gasoline for their generator, because electricity supply can’t be guaranteed. I’ll see if I can find a new door for my car.
But I won’t put up new windows. Not until the offensive is over.
