[DEBATE] : 19 th Day of Continuous IOF Attacks Across the Gaza Strip
Salim Vally
Salim.Vally at wits.ac.za
Thu Jan 15 13:45:30 GMT 2009
________________________________
Ref: 13/2009
Date: 14 January 2009
Time: 12:40 GMT
19 th Day of Continuous IOF Attacks Across the Gaza Strip:
* 47 Palestinians killed during reporting period, including 40
civilians:
* Victims include 11 Children and 3 Women:
* Overall Gaza death toll mounts to 983, including 673
civilians, of whom 225 are children:
* IOF continue to fire incinerating bombs across the Gaza
Strip:
* IOF continue to destroy houses and raze agricultural land,
forcing families to flee their homes;
As the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue their indiscriminate
attacks across the Gaza Strip for the nineteenth consecutive day, the
number of Palestinian civilian deaths continues to rise. Civilians
constitute approximately 85% (or 673) of the total number of IOF victims
during this ongoing IOF military operation, and 35% (or 225) of the
civilian victims are estimated to be children. The current civilian
death toll also includes at least 69 women, 167 civil police officers
(who are classified as civilians), seven medical personnel, and three
Palestinian journalists.
In addition to the horrific scale of civilian deaths and injuries across
the Gaza Strip, IOF continue to destroy civilian objects, including
homes and community buildings, on a massive scale. IOF have deployed
their full military arsenal in order to bombard Palestinian residential
areas day and night. In addition, for the fourth consecutive day, IOF
have continued to use incinerating bombs against Palestinians in
residential areas. During the reporting period more houses were set
alight, and civilians continued to sustain serious burns and other
injuries. On the night of 13 January, IOF intensified air strikes
against the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in the north of Gaza City.
Several houses were destroyed, as was the neighborhood cemetery.
PCHR is gravely concerned about the increasing number of civilian deaths
and injuries, and the mass destruction of property, including civilian
objects, which has caused massive forced internal displacement of the
civilian population of the Gaza Strip. The Centre reiterates its call
for the international community to act immediately to end this IOF war
on the people of the Gaza Strip.
Below is a summary of the crimes committed by IOF in the Gaza Strip
during the last 24 hours.
Northern Gaza Strip
* At approximately 12:00 on Tuesday, 13 January 2009, IOF
troops shot dead Mustafa Mohammed Tawfiq al-'Ashi, 17, with a shot to
the chest, when he was on the rooftop of his house in 'Aamer housing
project.
* At approximately 12:45, IOF bombed a 3-storey house
belonging to Ameen Mohammed al-Zwaidi, 61, in al-Quds Street in the
center of Beit Hanoun town. The house was destroyed, and 10 neighboring
houses were damaged.
* At approximately 13:45, an IOF warplane bombarded a
3-storey house belonging to Zwaidi Mohammed Zwaidi, 45, in al-Quds
Street in Beit Hanoun town. The house was destroyed and a number of
neighboring houses were damaged.
* At approximately 15:10, an IOF drone fired a missile at a
number of Palestinian children in al-Sikka Street to the east of
Jabaliya refugee camp. Two children were killed:
1. 'Abdul Rahman Ibrahim Tawfiq Jaballah, 12;
2. Mahmoud Mohammed Jaballah, 13.
* At approximately 15:15, an IOF warplane fired a missile
that landed in an open area behind the building of the Palestinian
Telecommunication Company in al-Falouja area west of Jabaliya. Two
Palestinian civilians who were on a donkey cart in the area were killed:
1. Mohammed 'Aadel Matar al-Ashqar, 20;
2. 'Izziddin 'Ali Matar al-Ashqar, 35.
A number of houses in the area were also damaged.
* At approximately 15:30, an IOF warplane fired two missiles
at a number of Palestinians near Tal al-Za'tar Secondary School in Beit
Lahia. Five Palestinians were killed:
1. Ahmed Mohammed Ayoub Khilla, 21;
2. Rami Mahmoud Rajab al-Qedra, 30;
3. Amjad Fadel 'Abdullah Abu Rayan, 27;
4. Hani Mohammed 'Abdullah Abu Rayan, 24;
5. Murad Rezeq Jameel al-Banna, 27.
Ten Palestinians were also wounded.
* At approximately 16:20, an IOF drone fired a missile at a
number of Palestinian civilians who were walking near the Force 17 site
in al-Twam area, west of Jabaliya. Two civilians were wounded.
* At approximately 17:00, an IOF drone fired a missile at a
number of Palestinian children who were near the rubble of a house that
belongs to the Saleh family, in the al-Falouja area west of Jabaliya
refugee camp. The IOF missile killed three civilians, including two
children.
1. Saddam Jameel Saleem 'Abdul Nabi, 18;
2. Bassem Tal'at Jameel 'Abdul Nabi, 11;
3. Qassem Tal'at Jameel 'Abdul Nabi, 4.
* At approximately 17:50, an IOF warplane fired a missile
within the vicinity of 'Omar Ben 'Abdul 'Aziz Mosque in Tal al-Za'tar
area north of Jabaliya. Two Palestinian civilians were wounded and a
number of neighboring houses were heavily damaged.
* At approximately 21:50, the IOF artillery fired
incinerating bombs at houses in the west of Beit Lahia town. Fire broke
out in a number of houses, and agricultural land in the area was also
set alight. No casualties were reported.
* At approximately 04:00 on Wednesday, 14 January 2009, the
IOF shelled 'Aamer housing project and al-Karama apartment buildings,
southwest of Jabaliya town. Three Palestinians were killed:
1. Haitham Abu al-Qumsan, 19;
2. Hamdi Fareed Abu Hamada, 27;
3. Eyad al-Maqqousi, 27.
* At approximately 06:00, IOF fired incinerating bombs at
houses in Block 2 in Jabaliya refugee camp.
* At approximately 07:30 on Wednesday, IOF fired incinerating
bombs at Be'r al-Na'ja area west of Beit Lahia. Fire broke out into a
number of houses and a number of Palestinian civilians suffered serious
breathing difficulties.
* At approximately 10:30, an IOF warplane bombarded a
2-storey house belonging to Fayez al-Masri in the west of Beit Lahia
town. The house was destroyed.
* At approximately 11:10, the IOF shelled houses in Gaza Old
Street in the south of Jabaliya. An artillery shell landed near a house
belonging to 'Emad Khader. As a result, Ahmed Sameer Khader, 14, was
seriously wounded and a number of houses were damaged.
* At approximately 11:25, the IOF shelled houses near
al-Sultan apartment building in Martyr Saleh Dardouna Street in Jabaliya
town. As a result two Palestinian women were killed:
1. Kifa Mohammed al-Mutawaq, 35;
2. Hanan Sha'ban al-Najjar, 40.
In addition, al-Najjar's one and a half year old infant, and another 6
civilians, including two children, were all wounded.
Gaza City
* At approximately 13:30 on Tuesday, 13 January 2009, an IOF
warplane fired a missile at a number of Palestinian civilians who were
near their houses in Wadi al-'Arayes area in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood
in the east of Gaza City. Four civilians, including 3 children, were
killed:
1. Yousef Mohammed Farahat, 15;
2. Ahmed Mohammed Farahat, 13;
3. Jihad Fadel Sa'ad, 25;
4. Majed Nahidh Saleem, 15.
* At approximately 16:00 on Tuesday, an IOF warplane fired a
missile at two Palestinian children who were near Mos'ab Ben 'Omair
Mosque in al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. The two
children were killed:
1. Nabeel Kamal Abu Samra, 17;
2. Firas Fayez Abu Samra, 17.
* At approximately 19:00, an IOF warplane fired a missile at
a Palestinian resistance activist in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the
east of Gaza City, killing him. He was identified as Ibrahim Rafeeq Abu
al-Khair, 25.
* At approximately 20:00, an IOF warplane fired a missile at
a Palestinian resistance activist in al-Sabra neighborhood, killing him.
He was identified as Ra'ed Ahmed al-Safadi, 20.
* At approximately 20:30, IOF warplanes bombarded a 3-storey
house belonging to Khader Mohammed Abu al-Qare', in which 30 people
live, in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in the north of Gaza City. The
house was destroyed and a number of neighboring homes were damaged.
* Also at approximately 20:30, IOF warplanes bombarded a
3-storey house belonging to Sa'id Shihada 'Amroun, in which 22 people
live, in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. The house was heavily damaged.
* At approximately 23:30, an IOF warplane bombarded a
4-storey house belonging to Ahmed Mohammed al-Sa'ati, in which 30 people
live, in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. The house was destroyed.
* On Tuesday evening, medical sources confirmed that Mohammed
Mo'in al-Katanani, 25, and Mohammed Na'im 'Ata, 25, had died of wounds
sustained on 27 December 2008, when IOF warplanes bombarded the Araft
(al-Jawazat) police compound.
* At approximately 01:00 on Wednesday, 14 January 2009, an
IOF warplane bombarded a 4-storey house belonging to the al-Nashar
family in al-Sabra neighborhood. The house was destroyed.
* At approximately 02:00, an IOF warplane bombarded a
3-storey house belonging to the 'Olayan family, in which 3 families
counting 20 people live, in al-Shifa Street. The house was destroyed.
* At approximately 03:00, an IOF warplane fired a missile at
two Palestinian resistance activists in al-Sabra neighborhood, killing
them:
1. Tawfiq Saleh al-Dairi, 27;
2. Mahmoud Bakr al-Za'mout, 20.
* At approximately 03:30, an IOF warplane bombarded a
4-storey house belonging to the family of Mahmoud 'Abdul Rahman
al-Kurdi, in which 50 people live. As a result, two Palestinian
civilians were killed: Ussama Kayed Abu Jayab, 45, and Ahmed Mustafa
Miqdad, 81. The house was also destroyed and a number of neighboring
houses were damaged.
* At approximately 07:00, IOF warplanes bombarded the Sheikh
Radwan cemetery in the north of Gaza City. A number of graves were
damaged.
* On Wednesday morning, medical sources confirmed that Hassan
Na'im Abu Hassira, 34, had died of wounded sustained by IOF shelling. He
had been receiving medical treatment at an Egyptian hospital.
Central Gaza Strip
* At approximately 13:30 on Tuesday, 13 January 2009, IOF
gunboats bombarded the al-Swarha area in the southwest of al-Nusseirat
refugee camp. Half an hour later, an IOF warplane bombarded agricultural
land in the same area. As a result, a number of water pumps were
destroyed and a number of greenhouses damaged.
* At approximately 14:00, IOF fired two Flechette shells in
the vicinity of al-Da'wa Mosque in the north of al-Nusseirat refugee
camp. As a result, 18 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, were
wounded.
* At approximately 17:30, IOF bombarded areas of agricultural
land belonging to the families of Abu Nasser and 'Aashour in Deir
al-Balah town. The bombardment continued until 21:00, during which time
a number of houses and greenhouses were destroyed.
* At approximately 11:00 on Wednesday, 14 January 2009, an
IOF drone fired a missile at a number of Palestinian resistance
activists in the vicinity of the Gaza Power Plant to the north of
al-Nusseirat refugee camp. Two resistance activists were seriously
wounded.
Khan Yunis:
* At approximately 13:00 on Tuesday, 13 January 2009, Mahmoud
Suleiman Mahmoud al-Najjar, 55, was killed by shrapnel, when IOF troops
that had moved into Khuza'a village, east of Khan Yunis, shelled the
area indiscriminately.
* At approximately 14:30, IOF warplanes bombarded a house
belonging to Khaled al-Najjar in Khuza'a village. The house was
destroyed.
* Also at approximately 14:30, IOF troops that had moved into
Khuza'a village, east of Khan Yunis, shelled houses in neighboring
'Abassan village. An artillery shell landed on a house belonging to the
Qabalan family. A number of Palestinian civilians rushed to the house to
rescue the family and extinguish a fire that broke out. IOF immediately
shelled the area again. As a result, Ahmed Zaki Abu Tair, 25, was killed
and another 10 civilians were wounded.
* Between 14:00 and 17:00 on 13 January, IOF warplanes fired
at least 15 missiles into Khuza'a village, while IOF tanks also shelled
the village. As a result, 6 Palestinians, including a child and a
resistance activist, were killed:
1. Mamdouh Mossa'ed Mohammed al-Najjar, 17;
2. 'Alaa' Mohammed 'Abdul Rahman Abu Raida, 25;
3. Suleiman Jom'a Ibrahim 'Amish, 19;
4. Ahmed Jom'a Mahmoud al-Najjar, 18;
5. Ghassan Ibrahim Mahmoud Abu Zir, 25;
6. Nidal Mohammed Abu Raida, 18, a resistance activist.
* At approximately 18:00, medical sources confirmed that
Alaa' Khaled Khalil al-Najjar, 15, died of wounded sustained when IOF
shelled her family home in Khuza'a village earlier that morning.
* During the IOF incursion into Khuza'a village, which
continued until 20:00 on 13 Tuesday, Palestinian civilians were trapped
in their houses, fearing for their lives as IOF continued to shell the
area heavily. IOF demolished and partially destroyed at least 50 houses,
and also razed large areas of agricultural land. In addition, IOF also
arrested 8 Palestinians. Marwan Abu Raida, an ambulance driver, stated
to PCHR that he headed to Khuza'a village to evacuate the body of
Rawhiya al-Najjar, and some of the injured civilians. When he stepped
down from his ambulance, IOF troops fired at him. He and a local
resident of the area, who was accompanying him to guide him to the body,
were forced to take shelter in a house belonging to Yousef Ibrahim
al-Najjar. The two men were forced to stay in the house until IOF
withdrew from the village. Marwan Abu Raida then evacuated the woman's
dead body, which had been lying in the street for more than 10 hours. A
PCHR field worker reported that Khuza'a village has witnessed mass
displacement of Palestinian civilians due to repeated IOF attacks.
* At approximately 15:30 on 13 January, the IOF artillery
shelled al-Zanna area, east of Khan Yunis. As a result, Rasha Ahmed
Khalil Abu Jame, 21, and her brother-in-law Mo'em Ahmed al-Sumairi, 22,
were killed, when they were on a donkey cart. Seven civilians were also
wounded.
* At approximately 20:00, IOF warplanes bombarded a civilian
car that was traveling in the al-Bayouk area in the south of Khan Yunis.
The car was destroyed. Mahmoud Sa'id al-Sha'er, 46, a trader, was killed
and his son, 12-year-old 'Abdul Rahman, was seriously wounded.
* At approximately 08:00 on Wednesday, 14 January 2009, IOF
warplanes bombed a motorcycle being ridden by Mohammed Shareef Abu
Daqqa, 50, in Bani Suhaila village. Abu Daqqa was seriously wounded.
*
Rafah
* From approximately 12:55 on Tuesday, 13 January 2009, until
midnight, IOF warplanes continuously bombarded the border strip between
the Gaza Strip and Egypt, in the vicinity of Rafah International
Crossing Point and Zo'rob Square to the south of Rafah city. Ten
Palestinian civilians were wounded and many houses were damaged.
* At approximately 19:00 on 13 January, an IOF drone fired a
missile at a number of activists of the Salah al-Din Brigades (the armed
wing of the Popular Resistance Committees) in al-Shouka village, east of
Rafah. Two activists were killed:
1. Mohammed 'Abdul Mo'ti Abu Sunaima, 28;
2. Muneer 'Abdul 'Aziz Abu Sunaima, 23.
* As a result of the IOF bombardment of the border area
between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, UNRWA was forced to shut down its
medical center, which is located to the north of the border, in order to
ensure the safety of staff and clients. UNRWA has opened more local
centers as shelters for internally displaced civilians in Rafah.
In light of the crimes committed by IOF against the Palestinian civilian
population and civilian objects in the Gaza Strip, PCHR:
1. Calls for an immediate end to the IOF offensive in the Gaza
Strip.
2. Demands IOF immediately end all collective punishment
measures imposed on the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza
Strip, especially the siege and closure of the Gaza Strip, and also
demands immediate free and safe movement for persons and goods into and
out of Gaza.
3. Reiterates that crimes committed by IOF are clear evidence
not only for the excessive and disproportionate use of force, but also
of acts of retaliation against Palestinian civilians.
4. Holds Israel responsible for the lives of Palestinian
civilians in all circumstances. Under international law, the existence
of armed resistance does not in any case justify the use of such
excessive force disproportionately and indiscriminately.
5. Warns that the lives of Palestinian civilians are in danger
in light of threats by Israeli political and military officials to
expand military operations against the population of the Gaza Strip.
6. 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, as well as 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).
7. Calls upon international and Israeli human rights
organizations to intensify their role and speak out against war crimes
being committed by IOF against the unarmed Palestinian civilian
population of the Gaza Strip.
8. Calls for the establishment of an independent enquiry
commission to investigate crimes committed by IOF against Palestinian
civilians, including IOF use of internationally prohibited weapons.
9. Calls for the prosecution of all political and military
officials who are found responsible for committing war crimes against
Palestinian civilians.
Public Document
**************************************
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on
+972 8 2824776 - 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.
E-mail: pchr at pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
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