Ref: 02/2009
Date: 03 January 2009
Time: 14:00 GMT
IOF Offensive on the Gaza Strip Continues for the 8th
Consecutive Day;
The Number of Palestinians Killed Rises to 372, Mostly Civilians,
Including 75 Children and 16 Women, and the Number of House Bombarded
Mounts to 73
IOF have continued
their offensive on the Gaza Strip for the 8th consecutive
day, causing more deaths and casualties among Palestinian civilians,
especially children. IOF warplanes have launched more strikes against
several civilian facilities in the context of the most aggressive war
against the Gaza Strip since it was occupied in 1967. Facts on the
ground indicate that all population of the Gaza Strip are targeted and
there is a clear intention to destroy all aspects of life and means of
subsistence through the use of the most destructive arsenal and the
psychological war through leaflets dropped from the air demanding
Palestinian civilians to leave their areas of residence. PCHR has
closely followed up the developments of the IOF offensive on the Gaza
Strip. Development in the past 24 hours have been:
Northern Gaza Strip
·
At approximately 14:00 on
Friday, 2 January 2009, medical sources in an Egyptian hospital declared
that Bilal Suhail Ghabayen, 19, died from a wound he had sustained on 29
December 2008, when IOF warplanes attacked a crowd of Palestinian
civilians near a workshop belonging to the Ghabayen family. Two
civilians were killed in the attack while they were trying to vacate the
workshop.
·
At approximately 19:25 on
the same day, an IOF warplane fired a missile at Sami Ibrahim Lubbad, a
member of the Palestinian resistance, near Sheikh Zayed housing project
in Beit Lahia town. He was instantly killed and a civilian bystander was
wounded.
·
At approximately 03:45 on
Saturday, 3 January 2009, an IOF warplane fired a missile at the
American School to the west of Beit Lahia town. The school was destroyed
and one of its guards, 25-year-old Salem Hamad Abu Qulaiq, was killed.
·
At approximately 04:10 also
on Saturday, IOF warplanes bombarded a 2-storey house belonging to Rezeq
Abu Ghubait in Tal al-Za'tar neighborhood in the north of Jabalya. The
house, which had been already evacuated, was destroyed and a number of
neighboring house were heavily damaged. No casualties were reported.
Gaza City
·
At approximately 09:10 on
Friday, 2 January 2008, an IOF warplane fired a missile at a bird farm
belonging to Zaki Mahmoud Ja'rour in al-Yarmouk area in the center of
Gaza City. As a result, 16-year-old Christine Wadee' al-Turk, whose
house is near the bird farm, died from a heart attack.
·
At approximately 13:20 also
on Friday, IOF tanks positioned to the east of al-Shoja'eya neighborhood
in the east of Gaza City, fired a number of shells at Palestinian houses
in the neighborhood. As a result, 10-year-old Hamada Ibrahim Musabbeh
was seriously wounded when he was near his house. His feet were
amputated. An hour later, he was pronounced dead.
·
At approximately 13:30, IOF
warplanes bombarded a house belonging to Hamdi Jom'a al-Dardassawi in
al-Tawahin Street in al-Shoja'eya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City.
As a result, the house was heavily damaged and the owner's daughter,
13-year-old Sojoud, was wounded.
·
At approximately 22:10 also
on Friday, IOF warplanes bombarded a 4-storey house belonging to Ya'qoub
Mohammed Dababesh, in which 20 people live, in Sheikh Radwan
neighborhood in the north of Gaza City. The house was destroyed, a
number of neighboring houses were damaged and 8 Palestinian civilians
were wounded, including a paramedic, 25-year-old 'Eid Ramadan Ahmed, who
was attempting to evacuate an old man from a house in the area.
·
At approximately 03:00 on
Saturday, 3 January 2009, an IOF warplane fired a missile at Mamdouh
'Omar al-Jammal, 25, a leader of the 'Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades of
Hamas, in Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in the south of Gaza City. He was
seriously wounded. He died from his wound later.
·
At approximately 03:30 also
on Saturday, an IOF warplane bombarded a training site of the 'Izziddin
al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas in SheikhRadwan neighborhood. No casualties
were reported.
Central Gaza Strip
·
At approximately 13:30 on
Friday, 2 January 2009, an IOF drone fired 2 missiles at a 5-storey
house belonging to the heirs of Mohammed 'Abdul Hadi 'Aaqel, in which 62
people lie, in al-Nussairat refugee camp. The house was damaged. At
approximately 16:00, IOF warplanes bombarded the house again. The upper
thee floors were destroyed and 12 neighboring houses were damaged.
·
At approximately 13:55 also
on Friday, an IOF warplane fired a missile at a house belonging to the
al-Khaldi family in al-Nussairat refugee camp. The house was
damaged. Two hours layer, IOF warplanes bombarded the house again. The
house was destroyed and a number of neighboring houses were damaged.
·
At approximately 16:30 also
on Friday, an IOF warplane fired 2 missiles at a spae area in Juhor al-Dik
area, southeast of Gaza City. As a result, Tahani Kamal 'Abdul 'Aziz Abu
'Aayesh, 23, was killed when she was near her house. Another 6
civilians, including a child, were also wounded. Additionally, 3 houses
were heavily damaged.
·
At approximately 16:40 also
on Friday, an IOF warplane bombarded al-Zahraa' Bridge, which links al-Zahraa'
town with al-Nussairat refugee camp. Majed Khalil al-Bardawil, 30, who
was traveling in a civilian car in the area, was seriously wounded. He
was later pronounced dead.
·
At approximately 17:00 also
on Friday, an IOF warplane bombarded the building of Public Works
Department to the southwest of Gaza City. The building was destroyed.
·
At approximately 18:00 also
on Friday, an IOF drone fired a missile at a civilian car in the west of
al-Nussairat refugee camp. The driver and a passing civilian were
wounded.
·
At approximately 19:50, IOF
gunboats bombarded Palestinian houses in al-Sawarha area in the west of
al-Nussairat refugee camp. Three greenhouses belonging to the Shallat
clan were destroyed. The area has been repeatedly bombarded.
·
At approximately 20:00 also
on Friday, an IOF warplane bombarded an agricultural store on a tract of
land belonging to 'Aabed Abu Mahadi in the west of al-Nussairat refugee
camp. The store was destroyed.
·
At approximately 09:00 on
Saturday, 3 January 2009, IOF gunboats bombarded Palestinian houses in
al-Sawarha area in the west of al-Nussairat refugee camp. A Palestinian
civilian was wounded and 2 houses were damaged.
Khan Yunis
·
At approximately 13:50 on
Friday, 2 January 2009, an IOF warplane fired a missile at 3 Palestinian
children (2 brothers and their cousin), who were playing on a branch
road in al-Qarara village, east of Khan Yunis. The three children were
killed:
1.
Mohammed Eyad 'Abed Rabbu
al-Astal, 12;
2.
'Abed Rabbu Eyad 'Abed
Rabbu al-Astal, 8; and
3.
'Abdul Sattar Waleed al-Astal,
10.
According to a relative of
the children, no gunmen were present in the area, which is nearly 4
kilometers away from the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, when
the IOF warplane attacked the children.
·
At approximately 14:10 also
on Friday, IOF warplanes bombarded a house belonging to he Abu Mousa
family in Khan Yunis refugee camp. The house was damaged and 5 of its
residents, including 2 women, were wounded.
·
On Friday evening, medical
sources at an Egyptian hospital declared that Hammad 'Ouda Abu al-Fita,
34, a member of the civil defense, died from a previous wound. Abu al-Fita,
his brother and a relative of him were wounded when they attempted to
rescue 14-year-old Sami Tarraf al-Astal, as IOF warplanes bombarded a
space area near their houses. Al-Astal and another civilian were killed,
and the three civilians who attempted to rescue the child were wounded.
·
At approximately 13:40 also
on Friday, IOF warplanes bombarded a police station at Bani Suhila
intersection in the east of Khan Yunis. A passing Palestinian civilian
was wounded and a secondary school in the area was damaged.
·
At approximately 00:10 on
Saturday, 3 January 2009, IOF warplanes attacked a number of activists
of the Palestinian resistance in the east of Khan Yunis. No casualties
were reported.
·
At approximately 07:00 also
on Saturday, IOF warplanes dropped a box of leaflets ordering
Palestinian civilians to evacuate their houses. The leaflets state:
"To residents of the
area: Due to terrorist actions launched by terrorists from your area of
residence against the State of Israel, the Israeli military has been
forced to immediately respond and act in your area of residence. For
your safety, you are required to leave the area immediately."
Rafah
·
At approximately 13:30 on
Friday, 2 January 2009, IOF warplanes bombarded a site of the 'Izziddin
al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas in Tal al-Sultan neighborhood in the west of
Rafah. No casualties were reported.
·
At approximately 13:40 also
on Friday, IOF warplanes bombarded a civil defense station at the beach.
The station was destroyed, but no casualties were reported.
·
At approximately 14:20 also
on Friday, IOF warplanes dropped leaflets throughout Rafah, demanding
the population to cooperate with them to get rid of Hamas.
·
At approximately 16:20 also
on Friday, IOF warplanes started to bombard the remainders of Gaza
International Airport in the east of Rafah. The bombardment continued
sporadically until 00:45 on Saturday, 3 January 2009.
In light of crimes
committed by IOF against the Palestinian civilian population and
property in the Gaza Strip, PCHR:
1)
Condemns these crimes,
which are part of a series of continuous crimes committed by IOF in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) with total disregard for the lives
of Palestinian civilians, considering them a form of collective
punishment against the Palestinian civilian population in violation of
article 33 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of
Civilian Persons in Time of War.
2)
Holds Israel responsible
for the lives of Palestinian civilians in all circumstances. Under the
international law, the existence of armed resistance does not in any
case justify the use of such excessive force disproportionately and
indiscriminately.
3)
Warns that the lives of
Palestinian civilians are endangered in light of threats vowed by
Israeli political and military officials to expand military operations
against the population of the Gaza Strip.
4)
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).
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