Ref: 135/2014
Date: 26 August 2014
Time: 12:00 GMT
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns attacks by Israeli forces against multi-storey houses and buildings in the Gaza Strip, which constitutes a serious escalation in the policy of collective punishment and retaliatory acts against civilians. These attacks have terrified the civilian population, as they have no safe place for them. Every place in the Gaza Strip has become a possible target for the Israeli forces and there has been no red lines when targeting civilian objects and civilians who have no idea where to go, especially as each and every grain of sand in the Gaza Strip has become a target for the Israeli forces.
Although targeting civilians and civilian property has been the most prominent feature since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip on 08 July, the last 4 days have witnessed a new pattern of Israeli attacks on civilians and civilian property by targeting multi-storey buildings. Israeli forces started this new pattern as a new form of collective punishment on Saturday night, 23 August 2014 as Israeli warplanes bombed and completely destroyed multi-storey buildings in coincidence with the demolition of entire neighborhoods by direct airstrikes. These acts reflect the Israeli forces’ premeditated intent to apply the policy of collective punishment and retaliatory acts without meeting the requirements of any military necessity according to the international humanitarian law, especially as they coincided with a number of threats publicly vowed by Israeli political and military officials to carry out more retaliatory and terror acts.
These retaliatory acts have resulted in the destruction of 4 multi-storey buildings and a number of multi-storey houses in the Gaza Strip. As a result, dozens of residential apartments have been destroyed and dozens of families and hundreds of civilians have been rendered homeless suffering an unprecedented state of terror and fear. Moreover, on Tuesday, 26 August 2014, hundreds of residents of multi-storey buildings and even residents of neighboring houses in Gaza City evacuated their houses after receiving phone calls ordering them to do so because the buildings and houses would be attacked. Residents of al-Sousi and Taibah (1) multi-storey buildings in Gaza City and residents of neighboring houses panicked due to the arbitrary attacks in the area. In addition, they had no idea where to go then.
On 23 August 2014, an Israeli warplane bombed and destroyed al-Zafer (4) multi-storey building in Gaza City, which contains 46 residential apartments. As a result, the entire building was turned into a pile of rubbles in less than a minute. Furthermore, 40 families comprised of 240 persons were left homeless. The attack resulted also in wounding 18 civilians from the building and other nearby buildings, while a number of buildings and houses in the area sustained extensive damage.
This policy continued in as a new development in the ongoing Israeli offensive as Israeli forces destroyed 2 other multi-storey buildings in Gaza City containing dozens of residential and commercial apartments. As a result, hundreds of civilians have become homeless. Moreover, thousands of civilians in other buildings and neighboring houses have left their houses due to the Israeli threats via phone calls yesterday evening and today morning and have been waiting what would happen to their houses and apartments.
On Monday, 25 August 2014, an Israeli warplane bombed the Italian Mall building in al-Nasser neighborhood in the north of Gaza City. The 15-storey building was comprised of 13 residential floors that contained 52 apartments and 2 floors as a commercial center. In addition, the head office of the Ministry of Works and Housing was in the building. The attack resulted in the full destruction of the building and serious damage to the neighboring houses. At approximately 04:15 on Tuesday, 26 August 2014, Israeli warplanes fired 6 missiles at the 13-storey al-Basha building near al-Tayaran crossroads in the center of Gaza City. The building contained offices, the most prominent of which were al-Sha’ab radio. The attack destroyed the building completely and caused serious damage in the area, including to neighboring houses and stores.
At approximately 14:00 on Sunday, 24 August 2014, Israeli warplanes destroyed Abu Ma’rouf neighborhood in Joret al-Lout area in Khan Yunis with more than 16 missiles. As a result, 7 houses were destroyed, 2 of which consisted of 3 floors each. In addition, 11 families including 69 persons became homeless. The past days have witnessed an unprecedented escalation in the policy of targeting houses, which reflects the premeditated intent to punish and avenge civilians.
PCHR has documented the destruction of 73 houses in the Gaza Strip within the past 4 days in addition to the destruction of the 4 multi-storey buildings. Consequently, over 1,000 persons have become homeless. On 24 August 2014, an Israeli warplane targeted with 2 missiles a 5-storey house belonging to the heirs of Faisal Mostafa Abdul Hadi in the northwest of Gaza City. The house was resided by 8 families, including 60 persons, 30 of whom are children. As a result, the house was destroyed completely and the neighboring houses sustained damage. Since the beginning of the current offensive, 948 houses have been destroyed completely, 165 of which have been destroyed over their residents. As a result, 883 persons have been killed, hundreds have been wounded and thousands of houses have been damaged.
PCHR strongly condemns this policy and believes it is a serious escalation in the context of collective punishment and retaliatory acts against civilians, and:
