Ref:
173/2003
The
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights condemns in the strongest possible terms
the crime perpetrated by Israeli occupation forces yesterday evening, 25
December 2003, when Israeli helicopter gunships fired 2 missiles at a civilian
car in northern Gaza city. 5 Palestinians were killed in the attack and
15 others were injured. This new crime is part of a longstanding policy
of extrajudicial killings (assassinations) perpetrated by the Israeli occupying
forces against the indigenous Palestinian leadership and civilian
population. Three of the victims in yesterday’s attack were civilian
bystanders.
According
to PCHR investigations and eyewitness testimony, around 17:45 yesterday, 25
December 2003, Israeli helicopter gunships fired two missiles at a Palestinian
civilian vehicle. The vehicle, a white Subaru, was moving on Saftawi
Street in a busy part of Gaza city. The attack was also very close to the
headquarters of the General Federation of Trade Unions.
As
the car moved down the street, two missiles were fired from the Israeli
helicopter gunships. The missiles hit the car directly, killing two of
three passengers immediately. The third passenger sustained severe
injuries. One of those killed was identified as Moqlid Humaid, 36, from
Jabalya refugee camp. Humaid was a leading figure in the military wing of
the Islamic Jihad Movement and had survived a similar assassination attempt on
1 December 2002, when Israeli helicopters gunships also fired at the car he was
driving. On that occasion, he and other passengers were able to escape
with light injuries. Nabil Shuraihi, 31 from Nuseirat refugee camp, was
also killed while he was riding in the vehicle with Humaid. Three
civilian bystanders in the area were also killed. The civilians were all
from the northern Gaza city neighborhood where the attack occurred. Their
names are:
1)
Ashraf Hasan Radwan, 18 years old.
)
Wa’il Mohammed Daqran, 25 years old.
3)
Sa’id Awad Abu Rukab, 37 years old.
Projectiles
and shrapnel from the two missiles also resulted in the injury of 15 other
civilian bystanders. According to medical sources at Shifa Hospital,
where the injured were transferred, some civilians sustained serious injuries
from the attack. According to medical sources and PCHR investigations,
the missiles used in this crime were apparently similar to those used in the
assassination committed in Nuseirat refugee camp on 20 October 2003, which also
resulted in numerous casualties among civilian bystanders (see PCHR press
release of 20 October 2003). Unlike most previous
Israeli assassination carried out by helicopter gunships, which usually result in the total burning of the body, the bodies of
Humaid and Shuraihi were not burned. PCHR’s fieldworker who observed the
dead bodies explained the presence of dozens of small holes and
lacerations. The missiles used in these assassination attacks carry
hundreds of small cubic projectiles which are spread around the area upon
impact. The projectiles are approximately 0.5 centimeters in length and
can affect large distances around the targeted area. The missiles fired
in last night’s attack in northern Gaza indiscriminately spread projectiles
across the area, seriously injuring many civilian bystanders.
PCHR
expresses its deep concern over this new escalation by Israeli occupying
forces. Such aerial attacks in densely-populated civilian areas
demonstrate the Israeli occupying forces’ increasing disregard for the lives of
Palestinian civilians. This latest crime is new evidence of Israel’s
continued defiance of international law, including international humanitarian
law. PCHR demands an immediate halt to all willful killings and injuries
of Palestinian civilians and other grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva
Convention perpetrated by the Israeli military in the OPTs. Furthermore,
in light of the deteriorating humanitarian situation, PCHR repeats its calls to
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to take immediate
steps to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians in the OPTs.
