Ref: 98/2021

Date: 23 July 2021

Time: 12:30 GMT

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the explosion that tore through a house in one of central Gaza City’s densely populated neighborhoods in al-Zawiyia Market area.  As a result, the 3-story house collapsed, a citizen was killed and 14 others were injured, including 6 children, causing partial damage to several nearby houses and shops.

According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 08:25 on Thursday, 22 July 2021, a huge explosion tore through a residential house in al-Zawiyia popular Market, in the center of Gaza City, where thousands of Palestinians usually flock into for buying different types of goods. As a result, parts of the 3-story house collapsed, a citizen namely ‘Atah Ahmed ‘Abed al-Rahman Saqallah (68), from al-Zawiyia Market area, was killed, and 14 other persons, including 6 children, were injured. Medical sources described the injuries of those wounded between minor, moderate and critical. Also, several nearby houses and shops sustained partial damage.

Field investigations indicate that the incident occurred due to the blast of large explosive devices stored inside the house. It should be noted that the area around the house is densely crowded with houses and shops amid the largest and most popular market in the Gaza Strip. Also, the explosion coincided with the 3rd day of Eid al-Adha, so if the explosion occured an hour later, the number of those killed and injured would have been more.

Following the incident, Dr ‘Issam al-Da’alees, Head of the Governmental Follow-up Committee in Gaza, issued a statement clarifying that the committee immediately gave instructions to the concerned authorities, including the Ministry of Interior and National Security Service, to follow up the incident, investigate its circumstances and identify the causes to stop the recurrence of such incidents and promptly deal with its field and social repercussions.

PCHR stresses that the use of civilian objects to save or manufacture explosives is a clear violation of the international humanitarian law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and Protocol (I) to the Geneva Conventions. PCHR points out that this incident is a violation of the right to life, as stipulated in article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right, which Palestine acceded to in April 2014. PCHR considers that the recurrence of such incidents is a threat to the right to life and puts civilians’ lives in unacceptable and unjustified danger.

PCHR regrets that this incident caused civilian casualties and expresses its solidarity and support with them and their families. PCHR reiterates that it has repeatedly warned against the danger of storing or saving explosive materials by armed groups in civilian and residential areas.

PCHR points out that this incident is not the first of its kind as it was preceded with many similar incidents over the past years that inflected dozens of causalities and destroyed many civilian houses and properties; the most prominent previous incident was when a huge explosion occurred in a house belonging to a military commander of an armed group in al-Bureij refugee camp in 2008.  As a result, the leader, his wife and 3 children were killed in addition to 3 civilians from the neighboring houses, including 2 children while 60 other citizens were injured, including 23 women and 20 children.  Moreover, a huge explosion occurred in the beginning of this year in Beit Hanoun on 23 January inside a house belonging to a member in one of the Palestinian armed groups; 2 families occupied the house, a total of 10 persons, including five children and three women. The explosion resulted in 47 injuries among the house’s residents and neighborhoods, including 19 children and 15 women.

PCHR calls upon the competent authorities to enforce stringent measures, including banning the storage of explosives in populated areas, in order to avoid the recurrence of similar tragedies and maintain civilians’ lives and their properties.  PCHR emphasizes that the constant disregard for such demands alerts to further civilian causalities and portends other tragedies as well as giving the Israeli occupation more excuses to target civilians and their properties.