Ref: 06/2008

Date: 19 January  2008

Time: 12:30 GMT

Israeli Occupation Forces Escalate War Crimes in Gaza:

9 killed and 57 injured.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have intensified their war crimes in the Gaza Strip with total disregard for civilian lives. During the last three days, nine Palestinians, including four civilians, have been killed by the IOF. Three of the civilian victims were women. In addition, 57 other people were inured, the majority of whom were also civilians. On January 18^th shrapnel from a bomb fired from an Israeli fighter jet onto a governmental building hit a nearby wedding celebration, killing one woman and injuring dozens of others.  

According to preliminary investigations carried out by PCHR, at approximately 15:40 on Friday, January 18^th, an IOF fighter jet fired a bomb at a 5-story building near the Palestinian Governmental Complex in the densely populated Tal El-Hawa Quarter of Gaza City. The bomb hit and completely destroyed the building. Flying debris and shrapnel from the bombing killed 52 year old Haniya Hussein Abd El-Jawwad, who was on her way to her nephew’s wedding celebration, some 120 meters from the targeted building. In addition, fourty six civilians, including nineteen children and three women, were injured by the blast. A large number of houses and vehicles in the area also sustained damage. The targeted building was empty, and is no longer used by the Government in Gaza as it had previously been bombed twice.  

In addition to inflicting death and injuries at a civilian wedding on January 18th, the IOF also committed two extra-judicial executions on January 17^th.

At approximately 19:25 on Thursday, 17 January, the IOF fired a rocket at the Sheikh Zayed intersection in Beit Lahia. A vehicle was traveling in the targeted area, as well as a donkey cart with several passengers. The rocket exploded 3 meters away from the cart, killing 52 year old Mariam Mohammad Ahmad El-Rahel, and her 22 year old son, Mohammad Saleh El-Rahel. Her seventeen year son, Mansour, was seriously injured by the bomb. Another five civilian bystanders were also injured, including two children. The Israeli media stated that IOF sources claimed the bombing had targeted a group of resistance activists traveling in a vehicle in the target area.

The second extra-judicial execution also occurred on Thursday, 17 January. At approximately 13.20, an IOF plane fired two rockets at a civilian vehicle near Sheikh Zayed intersection in Beit Lahia. The vehicle sustained a direct hit, and its two occupants were killed immediately. They were identified as 30 year old Ra’ad Shehda Abu Fuol, an activist in Al-Quds Battalions, and his 35 year old female civilian neighbour, Fatheya Yusef El-Hassoumi.  

IOF air strikes also killed four resistance activists in separate incidents on January 18^th and 19^th.  

At approximately 7:30 on Friday, 18 January, an IOF plane fired a rocket at a group of resistance activists, east of Jabaliya city in the northern Gaza Strip. Two of the activists, 18 year old Mahmoud Ramadan El-Borsh, and 21 year old Ismail Mohammad Redwan were killed. Three civilian bystanders were also injured.  

At approximately 1:15 on Saturday, 19 January, an IOF plane fired a rocket at a group of resistance activists engaged against an IOF force east of Jabaliya city. One activist, 27 year old Ehab Ali El-Banna, was killed. Two civilians were also injured. Approximately two and half hours later, an IOF plane fired a rocket at a second group of activists, killing 26 year old Ali Jum’a Ahmad Jum’a. Three other activists were injured.  

These war crimes coincide with the closure of all border crossings to the Gaza Strip, which also threatens to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza at all levels.

PCHR condemns these latest crimes, and:

1.Affirms that these crimes are a continuation of Israeli war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) that totally disregard the lives of Palestinian civilians.

2.Calls upon the international community to act immediately to stop these crimes; and renews its call to the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their responsibility under Article 1 of the Convention, in order to ensure that it is respected under all circumstances, and their responsibility under Article 146 to pursue persons suspected of perpetrating serious violations of the convention. PCHR notes that IOF violations are considered war crimes under Article 147 of the Convention and under its first protocol.