Ref: 141/2012
Date: 25 November 2012
Time: 12:30 GMT
In 1999, the UN designated 25th November of each year as the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This designation comes as part of the UN efforts to curb violence against women in the world.
This year, the international day for the elimination of violence against women comes at a time when numerous Palestinian women are suffering as a result of the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. This offensive resulted in killing 160 Palestinians, including 105 civilians, in addition to wounding over 1,000 Palestinians, including 971 civilians.
According to investigations and follow-up conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), 13 Palestinian women were killed and 162 others were wounded during this offensive (14-22 November 2012). According to PCHR’s investigations and information, the incidents that resulted in killing of women form an obvious model of the Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) disregard of the lives of civilians. Moreover, these incidents reflect as to what extent IOF had neglected two main principles of the international humanitarian law (IHL): the principle of proportionality and the principle of distinction, which aim at protecting civilians from the consequences of military operations.
The majority of women killed were either inside or around their houses that were targeted by the Israeli warplanes. On 17 November 2012, the Israeli warplanes launched a missile at a house yard belonging to the family of al-Deeb in al-Shuja’iya neighborhood, as a result, Sa’diya al-Deeb, 62, was killed when she was tending to her poultry in the yard. On the same day, IOF launched a missile at al-Tuffah Police Station that completely destroyed the police station and a neighbouring house belonging to the family of Abdel ‘Al. Due to this attack Nawal Abdel ‘Al, 53, was killed while she was home. On 18 November 2012, the al-Dalo family lost 10 of its members, including 6 women, due to the Israeli bombardment of the family’s 3-storey house. On the same day, the Abu Zour family lost 3 members, including 2 women, as a result of the Israeli bombardment of a neighboring house.
The suffering of Palestinian women were not only killed and wounded during the offensive, but they also witnessed other gruesome experiences of watching their family members and children being killed. Apart from this, they were left homeless after IOF destroyed their houses. Furthermore, thousands of families living in the border areas were forced to leave their houses, as the Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets ordering them to do so. These families fled to a number of UNRWA schools for their own safety and had to live under difficult conditions.
The Israeli offensive resulted in many consequences which will make life extremely challenging for thousands of Palestinian women. The most prominent challenges are their ability to handle the psychological stress and trauma caused to them and to their children as a result of the offensive, and in addition to this they are witnessing the deterioration of their living conditions as hundreds of families suffered due to the complete destruction or partial damage caused to their houses under hundreds of airstrikes launched by IOF targeting many houses and their surroundings.
PCHR stresses the importance of accountability and draws attention to the fact that many human rights violations carried out by IOF during this offensive were similar to those carried out in “Operation Cast Lead” four years ago. PCHR also highlights that the impunity given to the Israeli soldiers and the international community’s failure to prosecute them for crimes that left behind dozens of victims including children and women have resulted in encouraging these soldiers to commit more crimes in the context of impunity prevailing on the soldiers’ minds. IOF should never have committed such crimes, and now they should be held accountable for them.
PCHR stresses upon the protections offered by IHL to women who do not participate directly in the hostilities, besides, it offers them a special protection as vulnerable members in time of armed conflicts. PCHR also draws attention to the protection offered to women according to the international human rights law (IHRL), especially the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the two international covenants.
In light of the aggravation of the suffering of Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip, PCHR emphasizes that Gaza’s residents, mainly women and children, are in dire need of the international community’s support. This international community has to fulfill its obligations, the most important of which are offering protection to civilians and oblige the occupying power to respect human rights. In this context, PCHR:
