April 2, 2001
Israeli occupation forces commit a new assassination in Rafah
Israeli occupation forces commit a new assassination in Rafah

 

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Press Release

 

The Israeli occupation forces commit a new assassination in Rafah

  

Ref: 13/2001

Date: April 2, 2001

 In a serious form of escalation against Palestinian civilians and their properties, this afternoon, the Israeli occupation forces committed a new assassination, in which Mohammed ‘Atwa ‘Abdel-‘Al, 26, from Al-Salam neighborhood in Rafah, was killed.  This crime is the latest in a growing record of assassinations and extra-judicial killings committed on a large scale by the Israeli occupation forces during the past six months.  The Israeli government declared it openly as an adopted policy against Palestinians.

 Today, Sunday, April 2, 2001, at approximately 12:40 local time, Israeli combat helicopters flew over Rafah and fired three rockets at a Palestinian civilian car,  a white civilian Peugeot Thunder, at Khaled Ben Al-Walid Street in Al-Barazil neighborhood, adjacent to the border in the south of Rafah.  Two rockets directly hit the civilian car, killing its driver Mohammed ‘Atwa ‘Abdel-‘Al.  PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that the car was completely destroyed and that ‘Abdel-‘Al’s body completely burnt.  ‘Abdel-‘Al’s body was removed from the scorched vehicle to Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah.  Furthermore, a passing taxi behind ‘Abdel-‘Al’s car was destroyed.  Its driver ‘Omar Sahqfeh miraculously survived, as he and other travelers in the taxi fled as soon as they heard the first explosion.  Additionally, two passing civilians, including an 11-year-old child who was on her way back from school, were evacuated to Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah after they suffered a nervous breakdown.

 PCHR strongly condemns the policy of assassination and extra-judicial killing carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians.  Such policy resulted in killing 17 Palestinians in the past six months, including six civilians who were not direct targets for the Israeli occupation forces during carrying out such assassinations.  PCHR calls upon the international community and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to meet their obligations under the Convention, and to undertake measures to provide immediate protection for Palestinian civilians in the face of killings and war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

  

 

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