Ref: 39/2010 

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly
condemns the attack carried out by a large number of masked gunmen on a summer
games camp organized by UNRWA at a beach in the west of Gaza City. The attackers set fire to parts of the camp
and damaged its contents in the early morning. PCHR calls upon the government in the Gaza Strip to seriously
investigate the attack, which constitutes part of the state of security
chaos and misuse of weapons plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT),
and bring the perpetrators to justice.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and the
testimony of the camp guard, Ibrahim Kamel ‘Eleiwa, at approximately 2:30 on
Sunday, 23 May 2010, a large number of masked gunmen broke into the UNRWA camp
designated for the summer games at the beach in the Sheikh ‘Ejleen area in the
west of Gaza City. They attacked the
guard with gun butts, handcuffed him and took his mobile phone. They then began damaging the contents of the
camp, tearing down the canvas walls and setting fire to the equipment used by
children. Before they left, one of
gunmen put a letter and three bullets in the pocket of the handcuffed
guard. The letter included a threat
against three UNRWA officials, including John Ging, Director UNRWA Operations in
Gaza. At approximately 5:00, the
supervisor of the camp arrived with an interrogator, who inspected the area and
took the guard to the police station for questioning.

It should be noted that UNRWA began holding summer games,
which target children aged 7-15 in the summer of 2008. The camps have been held at UNRWA schools and
at camps on the beach and included sport and art activities. The camp that was targeted this morning
consists of nine sites, each of which stands on a 2-donum[1]
area of land, forming a total area of 18 donums. Each site offers services to a total of 500
children during two separate morning and afternoon periods. The camp serves 4,500 children every two
weeks. It was decided that four camps
were going to be held this summer in order to serve 18,000 children in addition
to providing job opportunities for 540 persons. The first camp was scheduled to commence on 12 June 2010.

Last Wednesday, an unknown group named “Homeland
Freemen” issued a press release strongly criticizing UNRWA and its
administration, particularly with regard to the summer camps, which were
described as aiming at teaching girls “swimming, fitness and
dancing.” In the press release, the
group threatened that “the dignified and honored Gaza will resist such
corruption and stop it.” The group
further criticized the government in the Gaza Strip, asking: “You,
government of Gaza, what is your attitude towards these criminal acts?”

PCHR strongly condemns this attack, which constitutes part
of the state of security chaos and misuse of weapons plaguing the (OPT),
and:

1. Calls upon the government in
   the Gaza Strip to open prompt and effective investigations into the
   attack, prosecute the perpetrators, take the necessary legal action, and
   publish the results of the investigation;
2. Calls upon the government to
   take a clear position condemning the attack and expressing willingness to
   take necessary measures to ensure complete protection of UNRWA
   institutions and facilities, including the summer camps;
3. Emphasizes the important role
   played by UNRWA in supporting the Palestinian people through its different
   programs organized to serve Palestinian refugees, particularly in the Gaza
   Strip, where civilians face additional hardship due to the ongoing siege
   and Israeli practices;
4. Confirms its full support of
   UNRWA programs, including summer camps, which constitute a necessity for
   children at the educational, mental health, and social levels, especially
   due to the difficult experiences they have been exposed to, particularly
   the unprecedented violence practiced against them during the latest
   Israeli offensive;
5. Strongly condemns all attempts
   aiming at attacking and undermining these services; and
6. Emphasizes the importance of
   the rule of law and completely rejects the notion that any party can claim
   to be the guardian of morals and values of this people, and carries out
   whatever attacks it deems appropriate, as such actions constitute the
   epitome of security chaos and misuse of weapons.