Ref:
3/2011
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
strongly condemns the targeting of civilian establishments in the Gaza Strip by
aircraft of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) early this morning. Ten
Palestinians, including two women and a child, were wounded as a result of the
bombing. In addition, a factory was destroyed, a drug store belonging to the
Ministry of Health in Gaza was set on fire, and a school and wood warehouses
were partially damaged. PCHR calls upon the international community, including
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth 1949 Geneva Convention relative to
the protection of civilian persons in time of war, to exert pressure on IOF to
ensure respect for the provisions of the Convention, especially those relating
to the prohibition of the destruction of civilian property and objects and to
the special protection ensured by the Convention to medical facilities and
medical personnel.
According to PCHR investigations, at
approximately 00:05, an IOF warplane fired a missile at Hashem Hetto Sons
Plastic Company. The Company, which is owned by Mohammed Hashem Rabah Hetto,
23, and which is under construction is located on Salah Addin Street, east of
al-Tufah neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. It covers an area of 1,200 m2. The
bombing resulted in the total destruction of the company, the destruction of a
Renault model 1998 carrying registration plate no. 489591 which is owned by
Hetto, and in the destruction of a Del crane model 1995.
Further, heavy damages were caused to a drug
store belonging to the Ministry of Health, one of the main drug stores
belonging to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. The store, which covers an area of
700 m2
and which contains drugs and medical supplies, is leased from its owner Abdul
Karim Mohammed Abdul Karim Abu Ras, 26. The wall, gate and ceiling of the store
were heavily damaged, the store was set on fire, and drugs were damaged. It
should be noted that the store contained large quantities of drugs and medical
supplies, most notably medical aid supplied by foreign delegations that visited
Gaza during the few past months. Dr. Munir al-Barsh, Director General of the
Pharmacy Department at the Ministry of Health in Gaza, stated that the
destruction of the store would result in an exacerbation of the serious
shortage in drugs and medical supplies sustained by the health sector. He added
that 183 drugs and 190 items of medical supplied are currently in short supply.
This morning, a PCHR fieldworker visited the
store with members of the Committee for Supporting the Health Sector which is
made up of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) and human rights organizations
from the Gaza Strip. Smoke was still rising from drug and medical supplies
containers inside the store. The PCHR fieldworker observed the damages caused
to the walls, the main gate and the ceiling of the store. In view of the
shortage in drugs and medical supplies suffered by the health sector, the
Committee for Supporting the Health Sector had organized a field visit three
weeks earlier to the above-mentioned store and to other drug stores in the Gaza
Strip.
The same IOF strike also inflicted partial
damages on a factory belonging to the Oda Textile Company. The factory, which
is owned by Jawad Mohammed Ibrahim Oda, 48, covers an area of 1,200 m2. Some
machines and walls in the factory were damaged.
In addition, Nour al-Maaref Standard School, a
private school owned by Sami Alian Abu Eida, 47, was damaged. Windows, doors
and classrooms in the school were entirely destroyed. The ceiling and the
eastern walls of the school were partially damaged. The administration of the
school was forced to suspend classes from today, Wednesday, until next Sunday.
The school, which covers an area of 6,000 m2, provides
educational services to 625 students and employs 60 teachers.
Furthermore, partial damages were caused to
four wood warehouses. These warehouses are owned by Mjahed Mahmoud Rateb
al-Sousi, 44. They cover an area of 1,700 m2 in total. Walls and
furniture were damaged as shrapnel from the bombing and glass entered the
warehouses.
Eleven civilian locals, including four
children, were lightly wounded or suffered from shock due to the panic
experienced as a result of the bombing.
PCHR condemns the IOF’s indiscriminate attacks
in the Gaza Strip and expresses its surprise at the conspiracy of silence
practiced by the international community towards war crimes committed by IOF
against civilian establishments, including medical and educational
establishments and civilian property owned by Gaza’s civilian population. PCHR
is also astonished by the role played by the High Contracting Parties to the
Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which effectively encourages IOF to commit
serious violations and war crimes against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPT). PCHR poses the question whether these Parties
actually exert efforts to ensure States Parties’ respect of the Convention.
In view of the above, PCHR calls:
1. Upon the international community to promptly and urgently take
action in order to put an end to the serious violations committed by IOF
against Palestinian civilians. PCHR particularly calls for deterrent measures
against IOF in order to ensure respect for all the provisions of the Fourth
Geneva Convention.
2. For an immediate conference of the High Contracting Parties to the
Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949
in order to seriously discuss the application of the
Convention to the OPT, ensure its respect and promptly take action to activate
Articles 1, 2, 146 and 147 with the aim to ensure the State of the Israel’s respect
of the Convention by the.
3. For the application of the provisions of Chapter VII of the Charter
of the United Nations to the State of the Israel with the aim of ensuring
international security and peace and to ensure immediate international
protection to the Palestinian civilians in the OPT against flagrant violations
committed by IOF against the Fourth Geneva Convention.
4. Upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the Euro-Israeli
Association Agreement, which makes Israel’s respect for the International Human
Rights Law and the International Humanitarian Law as a condition for economic
cooperation.
5. For the urgent provision of humanitarian and medical aid. PCHR
points to the deterioration of economic and living conditions of the
Palestinian people in the OPT as a result of the ongoing closure and the
continued attacks against Palestinian property.
