Ref:
135/2003

Israeli
occupying forces continued a wide-scale incursion into Rafah refugee camp, in
the southern Gaza Strip yesterday morning,10 October 2003.  Since Thursday
night, 7 Palestinian civilians have been killed and 57 wounded in Israeli
crimes against Palestinians and their property in Rafah.   The
wounded include 27 women and children residents of the refugee camp. 
Palestinian civilians in the camp are living in tragic conditions due to being
denied access to electricity electricity, water, and food supplies.  Milk
for infants is in especially high demand.  Israeli occupying forces have
imposed a curfew on the area since yesterday afternoon impeding the work of all
civilian facilities and abrogating the right of Palestinian civilians to free
movement.

 According
to PCHR’s findings, during the incursion
Israeli occupying forces confiscated 8 apartment buildings in
Rafah and have been using them as military posts.  One of these
confiscated building hosts al-Amal
rehabilitation institution.  Israeli snipers positioned on
the buildings have targeted and shot at anything moving on the streets below.  Meanwhile, Israeli occupying forces made a series
of incursions into Palestinian controlled areas. 
These incursions have been accompanied by indiscriminate
shelling while Israeli soldiers have raided Palestinian houses and
arrested Palestinian civilians.

 At
the time of release, more than 20 homes have been demolished in Rafah, and 40
donums of agricultural land razed by Israeli bulldozers.  PCHR’s
fieldworkers reported that Israeli occupying forces gave little warning and began
demolishing Palestinian houses while their residents were still inside. 
Israeli soldiers called through megaphones at the residents of houses to leave
their homes only moments before bulldozers demolished the structures and razed
the surrounding land.  Moreover, despite previous arrangements with the
International Red Cross Committee, ambulances are still unable to enter the
area in order to provide injured Palestinian civilians with necessary medical
attention.

 Also,
owing to intensified Israeli presence, education in all UNRWA schools in the
area was brought to a halt, while most government schools were also
closed.  As a result, more than 30,000 students in Rafah were denied their
right to education.  The Israeli occupying forces also destroyed an
electricity transmitter and a number of irrigation networks in ongoing attacks
against civilian property in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). 

 The
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) express concern
regarding the rapid deterioration of the situation in Rafah
refugee camp.  There is grave danger of an imminent health catastrophe
in light of actions by the Israeli occupying forces which continue to deny Palestinian civilians access to basic services. 
PCHR calls attention to the continuing war crimes
perpetrated against Palestinian civilians by the Israeli
occupying forces in Rafah and around the OPT. PCHR therefore calls upon the international community to break its silence and
immediately intervene to put an end to these
crimes. Furthermore, PCHR reminds the High Contracting Parties
to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 of their legal obligations, not only to respect the Convention, but also to ensure
respect for it, and consequently to take crucial steps
to stop the grave breaches of the Convention perpetrated by Israel.