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Press Release
More than 170 Palestinian civilians made homeless and dozens wounded when
Israeli forces invade the area near Salah El-Din Gate in Rafah
to destroy Palestinian-owned buildings;
Ref: 16/2001
Date: April 15, 2001
On Saturday, April 14, 2001, at approximately 15:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and bulldozers, invaded the area near Salah El-Din Gate on the border in Rafah. Without prior warning, these forces demolished 16 Palestinian-owned houses and their contents, making more than 170 Palestinian civilians homeless. Israeli forces also destroyed 21 Palestinian-owned stores, including their contents, and a Palestinian Military Intelligence Service site. The escalation was accompanied by the firing of artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses in Qeshta neighborhood and Block “O.” As a result, more than 40 Palestinian civilians were wounded.
This escalation came four days after a similar attack on the western area of Khan Yunis refugee camp. On April 10, 2001, Israeli forces demolished 30 houses, leaving more than 500 Palestinian civilians, mostly children, women and the elderly, homeless. Dozens were wounded with live bullets and artillery shell shrapnel. Like Khan Yunis refugee camp and other Palestinian residential areas, these Palestinian-owned houses and commercial stores in Rafah had been subjected to systematic and continuous Israeli shelling over the past six months. Yesterday, Israeli forces escalated these attacks by invading the area and demolishing houses, stores, and their contents without prior warning.
According to PCHR’s documentation, Israeli forces demolished 16 Palestinian houses and 21 stores–as well as their contents. Six houses and six stores were also partially destroyed. In addition, dozens of Palestinian houses were severely damaged. Indiscriminate shelling also affected houses more than 1,000m away from the border.
The wounded are:
1) Mohammed Suleiman Jarghoun, 16, who was wounded with shrapnel in the right shoulder;
2) Mahmoud ‘Abdel-‘Azziz Lafi, 16, who was wounded with shrapnel in the right shoulder;
3) ‘Alla’ Ahmed Zannoun, 18, who was wounded with a live bullet and shrapnel in both shoulders and in the chest and was evacuated to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis;
4) ‘Aref ‘Abdullah El-Qadhi, 28, who was wounded with shrapnel of an artillery shell in the right foot and was evacuated to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City. He was approximately 1,000m away from the border when he was wounded;
5) Rami Khaled ‘Abed, 17, who was wounded with shrapnel in the right hand;
6) Hassan Ibrahim El-Sattari, 19, who was wounded with shrapnel in the left thigh;
7) Anwar Mohammed Qeshta, 19, who was wounded with shrapnel in the left thigh;
8) ‘Adel Fayez Madhi, 19, who was wounded with shrapnel in the face;
9) Nidal Mohammed Meqdad, 19, who was wounded with shrapnel in the face;
10) Mahmoud Mohammed Abu Mo’ammar, 18, who was wounded with shrapnel in the neck;
11) Mahmoud Rasmi Abu Taha, 12, who was wounded with shrapnel in the head;
12) ‘Abdel-Halim Jom’a Joudeh, 34, who was wounded with shrapnel in the face;
13) Eyad Ossama El-Sha’er, 18, who was wounded with shrapnel in the right foot;
14) Mohammed Ahmed Abu Sweilem, 31, who was wounded with shrapnel in the head;
15) Nidal Mesbah Abu Toior, 21, who was wounded with shrapnel in the head;
16) Hazem Ishaq Abu Rezeq, 16, who was wounded with shrapnel in the right hand;
17) Sa’id Salim Abu Jalaleh, 21, who was wounded with shrapnel in the left eye;
18) Hala Ibrahim El-Sha’er, 30, who was wounded with shrapnel in the left hand;
19) ‘Atteya Mustafa El-Jazzar, 17, who was wounded with a live bullet in the right leg;
20) Thae’r Ghazi Abu Siam, 16,who was seriously wounded with shrapnel in the left foot;
21) Mohammed Ibrahim Zannoun, who was seriously wounded with a live bullet in the buttocks that entered the pelvis;
22) Ibrahim Fathi Abu Jazar, 15, who was wounded with shrapnel in the face;
23) Fadi Sha’ban Abu ‘Obeid, 13, who was wounded with shrapnel in the left thigh;
24) Hani Jamal Abu ‘Anzeh, 22, who was wounded with shrapnel in the chest;
25) Rae’d Hassan Abu Jazar, 25, who was wounded with shrapnel in the head;
26) Hani Jamal Abu Helal, 17, who was wounded with shrapnel in the head;
27) Mahmoud Sami Joudeh, 23, who was wounded with shrapnel in the neck;
28) Fadwa Ibrahim Shekh El-‘Eid, 19, who was wounded with a live bullet in the left thigh when he was approximately 500m away from the border;
29) Ibrahim ‘Abdel-Karim Abu ‘Anzeh, 44, who was wounded with a live bullet in the left shoulder;
30) Tayseer ‘Ali ‘Ashour, who was wounded with shrapnel in the face;
31) Amjad ‘Abdel-Rahman El-Nawajha, 25, who was wounded with shrapnel in the abdomen;
32) Jamal ‘Ali Abu Helal, 15, who was wounded with shrapnel in the right knee;
33) Hatem Mohammed El-Sattari; 34, who was wounded with shrapnel in the face;
34) Ismail Brak Erjeilat, 15, who was wounded with shrapnel in the right foot;
35) Tal’at Ahmed El-Bouji, 25,who was wounded with shrapnel in the right forearm;
36) Kamal Jamal Abu Tayem, 18, who was wounded with a live bullet in the left thigh;
37) Anwar Hussein El-Sedoudi, 23, who was wounded with shrapnel in the abdomen;
38) Ahmed ‘Abdel-Hamid Abu Hasna, 33, who was wounded with a live bullet in the right thigh;
39) Khaled Jamal El-Moghayer, 14, who was wounded with shrapnel in the neck;
40) Salah Hassan Dwei’e, 18, who was wounded with shrapnel in the head;
41) Thiab Mohammed Abu Zeid, 16, who was wounded with shrapnel in the left hand;
42) Mohammed Mousa El-Sattari, 6, who was wounded with shrapnel in the mouth; and
43) Mahmoud Mohammed Lafi, 16, who was wounded with shrapnel in the right foot.
Yesterday, the Israeli occupation forces also demolished the following houses in Rafah:
1) a 120-square-meter house, in which 6 people used to live, owned by Tal’at Mahmoud Mohammed El-‘Okur;
2) a 200-square-meter house, in which 8 people used to live, owned by Samir Helmi El-Shae’r;
3) a 700-square-meter house, in which 3 families totalling 14 persons used to live, owned by Mahmoud Ibrahim El-Shae’r;
4) a 100-square-meter uninhibited house, owned by Mohammed Jamil Qeshta;
5) a 400-square-meter house, in which 9 people used to live, owned by Mohammed Mahmoud El-Shae’r;
6) a 250-square-meter house, in which 8 people used to live, owned by Eshteiwi Salim Qeshta;
7) a 400-square-meter house, in which 12 people used to live, owned by Mahmoud Hamad Qeshta;
8) a 400-square-meter house, in which 9 people used to live, owned by Bassam Fawzi Qeshta;
9) a 200-square-meter house, in which two families totalling 25 persons used to live, owned by Mohammed Suleiman Qeshta;
10) a 250-square-meter house, in which 14 people used to live, owned by ‘Atteya Salim Qeshta;
11) a 120-square-meter house, in which 6 people used to live, owned by ‘Essam Hassan Qeshta;
12) a 130-square-meter house, in which 14 people used to live, owned by Hassan Hamdan Qeshta;
13) a 160-square-meter house, in which 11 people used to live, owned by Hamdan Hamdan Qeshta;
14) a 120-square-meter house, in which 15 people used to live, owned by Ahmed Hamad Qeshta;
15) a 300-square-meter house, in which 12 people used to live, owned by Mahmoud Hamad Qeshta; and
16) a 300-square-meter house, in which 30 people used to live, owned by Mahmoud Hassan Qeshta.
In addition, the Israeli occupation forces demolished fences and parts of another six Palestinian houses. They also completely demolished 21 stores and partially demolished another six. These commercial stores are owned by the families of Qeshta, El-Shae’r, Abu Hamra, Daoud, Abu Nahla and ‘Abdel-‘Al.
PCHR condemns the continuous and systematic Israeli escalation. PCHR calls upon the international community and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to provide immediate protection for Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
