Press Release

 The Israeli occupation continue to reinforce their presence and to impose restrictions on movement:

Israeli forces shell Khan Yunis and Hebron, wounding seven

Ref: 188/2000

Date: December 3, 2000 Time: 13:00 GMT            15:00 Palestine Time  

Despite a significant decrease in clashes between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Israeli occupation forces have continued to perpetrate serious abuses against Palestinian civilians.  Near Al-Mentar (Karni), to the east of Gaza, this morning, the Israeli occupation forces wounded a 15-year-old child seriously with a live bullet in the chest.  Yesterday evening, the Israeli occupation forces shelled Khan Yunis and Hebron, wounding a number of Palestinian civilians. Palestinian residential neighborhoods, adjacent to military posts of the Israeli occupation forces, are continuously threatened.  Shooting and shelling have come to be a part of their daily life.  In the past 24 hours, no change has taken place in the strict siege on the occupied Palestinian territories imposed by the Israeli occupation forces.  These forces have continued to reinforce their presence at the main junctions and at the entrances of cities, restricting the movement of Palestinian civilians.  The Israeli occupation forces have also continued to close the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip.  As a result, the suffering of Palestinian civilians has increased and their living conditions deteriorated with the ongoing violation of their economic, social and cultural rights.   This morning, at about 8:00 local time, the Israeli occupation forces shot at A’ssaf Suleiman Abu Hassan, 33 years old, from Wadi El-Salqa in the middle area of the Gaza Strip, wounding him with a live bullet in the left foot.  Abu Hassan was with his children crossing the alternative road to Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), which has been closed near Kfar Darom settlement.  When Abu Hassan and his children approached a roadblock of the Israeli occupation forces established on the alternative road, the Israeli occupation forces shot at him.    This morning, at about 9:30 local time, the Israeli occupation forces shot at about 20 children near Al-Mentar (Karni), to the east of Gaza City.  As a result, the child Alla’ A’adel Abu Hujeila, 15 years old, from Al-Shojae’ya, was wounded with a live bullet in the chest.  The child was evacuated to Shifa’ hospital in serious condition.  Yesterday evening, the Israeli occupation forces fired heavy and medium bullets and artillery shells at Palestinian civilians and their houses in the refugee camp of Khan Yunis.  PCHR’s field officer reported that at about 22:30 local time, the Israeli occupation forces fired heavy and medium bullets and six shells from their military posts in the vicinity of Al-Tuffah roadblock and Neve Dekalim settlement.  A shell fell near a number of Palestinian civilians who were approximately 300 meters away from the posts of these forces.  As a result, four Palestinian civilians were moderately to slightly wounded with shrapnel from the shell.  They are:        1)         Nedhal Mahmoud Abu Shammala, 30 years old, wounded with shrapnel throughout the body;        2)         Jamal Mohammed Khalifa, 45 years old, wounded with shrapnel in the chest – he was transferred from Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City this morning;        3)         Mohammed Darwish Meqdad, 28 years old, wounded with shrapnel throughout the body;        4)         Ibrahim Abdel-Rahman El-Trshawi, 28 years old, wounded with shrapnel throughout the body.    

Yesterday evening, at about 18:30 local time, the Israeli occupation forces fired shells and heavy and medium bullets at Palestinian residential neighborhoods in Hebron.  The shelling targeted the areas of Sinjar, Doberian, Al-Harayeq, Al-Zaytoon and Bab El-Zawia, and resulted in wounding:

       1)         Fayza Mustafa A’amer, 24 years old, with shrapnel in the head;

       2)         Mahmoud Mahel Fataftah, 17 years old, with a medium caliber bullet in the pelvis; and

       3)         the child Hani Mazen El-Joulani, 15 years old, wounded with a live bullet in the back.

The shelling affected 12 houses, causing severe damage to walls, furniture and windows.

Along the road connecting Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction, to the south of Gaza City, and Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, to the east of Gaza City, the Israeli occupation forces have continued to reinforce their presence.  Twelve tanks of these forces have been positioned in the area since yesterday morning.  These forces have continued to close the mentioned road, shooting at anyone attempting to cross.  PCHR’s field officer reported that at midday, the Israeli occupation forces shot at a farmer, but he was not wounded.  PCHR’s field officer added that the Israeli occupation forces have swept large areas of land in the past few days and that it is difficult to reach the area due to security dangers.

   ***   PCHR reiterates its call for the international community to immediately intervene to stop the killings and criminal acts perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians. PCHR calls in particular for:  

1. Establishing without delay an independent commission of inquiry, in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1322 (2000), to carry out a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the abuses and killings perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians.
2. Convening a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under the Convention.
3. Immediately providing international protection for Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories in the face of the killings and criminal acts perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces and groups of Jewish settlers who move under the protection of these forces.
4. Use by the EU of effective political and economic measures with reference to Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association Agreement, which calls for the respect of human rights.
5. Providing humanitarian and medical assistance for the Palestinian people whose living conditions are increasingly deteriorating because of the continued total siege imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the entire occupied Palestinian territories.
6. Use by the international community and relevant bodies, including ICRC, of necessary measures to ensure the access of medical supplies and equipment and other humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians. The Israeli occupation forces have continued to deny entry of this material through Rafah Border Crossing (into the Gaza Strip).

“End”