Ref: 116/2014
Date: 03 August 2014
Time: 11:30 GMT
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the new crime committed by Israeli forces today in front of an UNRWA school that currently serves as a shelter for displaced civilians. As a result of the attack, 9 civilians, including 4 children, were killed and 45 others, including 25 children, were wounded. This is the 7th crime of its kind in a way reflecting Israel’s disregard for the civilians’ lives and for the international law, including the international humanitarian law and international human rights law. PCHR is shocked by the absence of any action by the international community, especially the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to put an end to this offensive and its consequences.
According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 10:50 on Sunday, 03 August 2014, an Israeli drone fired a missile at a motorbike that was less than 5 meters away from the eastern gate of the Rafah Preparatory School for boys (A) in al-Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah. This UNRWA school shelters about 3,000 displaced civilians. The attack coincided with the presence of a big number of displaced civilians, the majority of whom were children, inside and outside the school’s gate. As a result, 9 civilians, including 4 children, were killed and 45 others, including 25 children aged between 2-12, were wounded and taken to the Emirates’ and Kuwaiti hospitals, in the west of the city. An UNRWA staff member is believed to be amount those who were killed
The displaced families resorted to this school after Israeli forces had launched a ground incursion in the Gaza Strip on 17 July 2014. Israeli forces ordered civilians to leave their houses via phone calls and by leaflets by dropped bywarplanes along the border area.
This crime is considered the 7th of its kind where shelters have been targeted, the most prominent of which was on 24 July 2014, when Israeli artillery fired 5 shells at the UNRWA Beit Hanounelementary mixed school that served as a shelter for displaced families. This attack resulted in killing 11 civilians, including 7 children and 2 women, and wounding 110 persons, including 55 children and 31 women. On 30 July 2014, the Israeli artillery fired 6 shells, 3 of which landed inJabalyaelementaryschool “A” and “B” (Abu Hussein School) in Jabalya refugee camp. This school had served as a shelter for hundreds of families since the beginning of the Israeli offensive. Due to the attack, 15 civilians from the school, including 5 children, and 2 others from outside the school were killed.
It should be noted that from the beginning of this offensive, the number of civilians who left their houses has increased to about 520,000 displaced persons, including 240,000persons staying in the UNRWA schools throughout the Gaza Strip. The UNRWA schools are known for their certain type of facilities in white and blue and the blue UN flag clearly fixed on top of their buildings. In addition, the UNRWA had coordinated with the Israeli forces that had comprehensive geographical plans about the UNRWA facilities and their GPS coordinates to open the UNRWA schools as shelters for civilians.
The UNRWA facilities are clearly marked as they are colored in white and blue and the blue UN flag is clearly fixed on top of their buildings. Moreover, the UNRWAhad coordinated the establishment of humanitarian shelters with the Israeli forces and provided comprehensive geographical schemesof the UNRWA’s facilities and their GPS coordinates. UNRWA.
PCHR highlights that this crime is part of the series of war crimes that have not stopped because of the absence of accountability for the Israeli grave violations of the international law committed against civilians, and:
