Ref: 153/2007
Date: 04 November 2007
Time: 11:00 GMT
PCHR Field Worker and Volunteer Survived the Attack;
4 Palestinian civilians Killed by IOF Shelling in Northern Gaza
On Sunday morning, 4 November 2007, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed 4 Palestinian civilians and wounded 2others, including a child, when they shelled twice a guardroom at the entrance of a factory of concrete in the northern Gaza Strip. A field worker and volunteer working at PCHR survived the second attack, which took place only 30 seconds after they had left the place. PCHR strongly condemns such escalation and increasing targeting of Palestinian civilians by IOF in the Gaza Strip. PCHR stresses that attacking Palestinian civilians with missiles and artillery shells aims at causing maximum casualties among them. PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community to take effective measures to stop such crimes and to provide protection for Palestinian civilians.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 07:15 on Sunday, 4 November 2007, an IOF aircraft fired a missile at a guardroom at the entrance of al-Nasser Factory of Concrete in the east of Jabalya town in the northern Gaza Strip. As a result, the guard, his son and a worker were killed:
1) Zaher Salman Salim al-‘Err, 38, the guard;
2) AAAshraf Zaher Salman al-‘Err, 18, his son; and
3) Mohammed Suleiman Abu Harbeed, 28, a worker.
Additionally, a passing civilian, 23-year-old Wajdi Ibrahim Abu Ehmaidan, was lightly wounded to the right leg and arm.
At approximately 08:35, IOF fired a surface-to-surface missile at the same place as people gathered to check the outcome of the first attacks. As a result, Hashem ‘Eid Khaddoura, 20, was killed, and Muhannad Mahmoud ‘Aabed, 15, was seriously wounded by shrapnel throughout the body.
PCHR’s field worker in the northern Gaza Strip reported that the targeted guardroom is located nearly 50 meters away from a place from where home-made rockets are launched. The second attack came only half a minute after PCHR’s field worker and a volunteer has left the place. Khaddoura and ‘Aabed were seen near rocket launchers and did not respond to warnings by PCHR’s field worker and other people in the area.
At approximately 09:30, an IOF aircraft fired a missile at the same area. The missile targeted a home-made rocket launcher. A heavy explosion occurred, but no casualties were reported.
PCHR expresses deep concern over such escalation, and:
1) Condemns such crimes that are a continuation of a series of crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory that reflect disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians, and views IOF operations as acts of reprisal and collective punishment that violate Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949).
2) Calls upon the international community to immediately intervene to stop such crimes, and calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to fulfill their obligation under article 1 of the Convention to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under article 146 to search for and prosecute those who are responsible for perpetrating grave breaches of the Convention, as such breaches constitute war crimes according to article 147 of the Convention and the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and Relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I).
