Ref: 98/2014
Date: 23 July 2014
Time: 12:00 GMT
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) calls upon the international community, including the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, to intervene immediately to stop all Israeli military actions. PCHR also calls for providing protection to civilians against the consequences of the grave breaches of the international humanitarian law, including killing and the extensive destruction of civilian property. Moreover, PCHR calls upon the international community and all United Nations bodies to take all necessary measures to stop the massive forcible displacement of civilians in the Gaza Strip via the scorched earth policy applied by Israeli forces throughout the Gaza Strip since the first week of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. PCHR warns of the continuation of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions of homeless civilians who have no shelter or those who have resorted to the UNRWA schools, in which the humanitarian conditions have been aggravating in a manner that reminds the families of the Palestinian Nakbah (the uprooting of the Palestinian people from their lands in 1948).
According to PCHR’s follow-up, in light of the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Stripsince 08 July 2014, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced to leave their houses, especially following the Israeli declaration of launchinga ground operation in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, 17 July 2014. The Israeli hostile actions from the air, land and sea that have involved grave violations amount to the level of systematic war crimes, as they have caused extensive destruction to civilian facilities, including thousands of houses and vital facilities like water, electricity and sewage networks, in addition to healthcare facilities that are necessary for civilians.
According to information collected by PCHR, more 300,000 Palestinians have left their houses due to military operations that have resulted in extensive destruction of buildings in all neighborhoods, villages, refugee camps and cities of the Gaza Strip or for fear their houses would be destroyed due to attacks on neighboring houses or facilities.
According to UNRWA, the number of displaced civilians has amounted to 118,000 Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip and they are distributedinto 77 UNRWA schools although the maximum capacity of the UNRWA can absorb no more than 85,000 displaced persons. These displaced families, the majority of whom are women, children and elderly people,suffer poor humanitarian conditions that lack the minimal level of the persons’ right to adequate standard of
living that maintains their dignity. They suffer because of the lack of food, potable water and hygiene services. On the other hand, PCHR field workers throughout the Gaza Striphave documented displacement of dozens of thousands of Palestiniansfrom the border areas of the Gaza Strip and many other neighborhoods that have been attacked and houses that have been destroyed. These Palestinians have resorted to their relatives at centers of citiesas they had no other place to go to due to the aerial, land and sea attacks against them.
The Gaza Strip has been subjected to indiscriminate attacks from the air, land and sea, which constitute a violation of the civilians’ right to resort to a safe place, and thus amounts to the level of a war against humanity. According to information available to PCHR, about 1,000 persons only have been allowed to go out of the Gaza Strip via Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing or Rafah International Crossing Point since the beginning of military operations in the Gaza Strip. This number includes internationals and persons holding residencies abroad who were allowed to travel 10 days ago. Eachinch in the Gaza Strip is a potential target of the indiscriminate Israeli attacks, due to which there is no safe haven for the civilians.
In a serious development, Israeli forces targeted an UNRWA school that serves as a shelter for civilians. At approximately 16:55 on Monday, 21 July 2014, Israeli forces shelled al-Maghazi Preparatory School for girls in al-Maghazi refugee camp. The school was sheltering about 300 civilians, the majority of whom were children and women. As a result of the attack, a child was wounded. The UNRWA stated that the same schoolwas shelled on Tuesday morning, 22 July 2014, when the UNRWA staff members headed to the school to investigate the first attack. The UNRWA stated in an official statement that the second attack took place half an hour after coordination with the Israeli authorities to allow the free movement and work of the UNRWA staff.
The Israeli forces that had moved into Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at a shelter for civilians in the UNRWA mixed (A) and (D) school in the same town. As a result, MahdiyaNafezJarad (38) sustained a bullet wound to the right hand. Another attack on the same school recurred at approximately 15:00 on Tuesday, 22 July 2014, when Israeli forces fired a number of smoke shells around the school. As a result, hundreds of displaced civilians in that school panicked. Such attacks take place although Israeli forces know in advance all geographic locations and coordinates of the UNRWA facilities, which raises suspicion of a prior intention to terrify civilians in the UNRWA schools.
PCHR warns of the deteriorating humanitarian conditions of the Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, who have become homeless amidst deteriorating humanitarian conditions. PCHR is worried that the disastrous conditions experienced by Palestinians during the Palestinian Nakbah in 1948 will recur. Therefore, PCHR:
