2 Bodies Found in Rubbles and 2 Palestinians Die of Previous Wounds

A Palestinian civilian was killed and 20 others, including 2 children, were wounded when Israeli Occupation Forces fired at hundreds of civilians who demonstrated near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Khan Yunis, this morning and yesterday.  In the meantime, bodies of 2 Palestinians, including a child, were found in rubbles, and 2 members of armed groups died of wounds they had sustained during the recent 8-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

At approximately 15:3 on Thursday, 22 November 2012, dozens of Palestinian civilians, mostly young men and boys, headed towards the border area in al-Farrahin area in Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis, and raised flags on the border fence.  Some of them also threw stones at Israeli forces positioned at the border, and a number of them attempted to go through the border.  Israeli forces fired live and rubber-coated metal bullets at them, wounding 6 in the lower limbs.

At approximately 07:30 on Friday, 23 November 2012, hundreds of Palestinian headed to the border area in the east of al-Qarara, Abassan and Khuzaa villages, east of Khan Yunis and raised flags on the border fence.  A few of them crossed the border, but they went back soon.  Israeli forces fired at these civilians.  as a result, Anwar Abdul Hadi Musallam Qudaih, 20, was killed by a bullet to the head, and 14 others were wounded.

Palestinian civilians headed to the border area following the truce deal, which stipulated for "abstention from restricting the movement of, or targeting the population in border area."  The truce deal between Israel and Palestinian armed groups, which was brokered by Egypt, entered into force at 21:00 on Wednesday, 21 November 2012.

In addition, civil defense and medical crews found the bodies of 2 civilians, including a child, in the rubbles of the al-Dalu family's house, while 2 members of armed groups died of wounds they had during the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday evening, 22 November 2012, civil defense crews found the bodies of Mohammed Jamal Mahmoud al-Dalu, 29, and his sister, 17-year-old Yara, in the rubble of their house which was bombarded by Israeli warplanes in Gaza City.

On Friday morning, medical sources declared that Jouda Suleiman Shamallakh, 27, a member of an armed group from Gaza City, died of wounds he had sustained by an Israeli airstrike on 18 November 2012.

At approximately 10:20 also on Friday, medical sources declared that Ahmed Ismail Abu Musameh, 30, a member of an armed group from al-Maghazi refugee camp, died of wounds he had sustained by an Israeli airstrike on Deir al-Balah on 16 November 2012. 

Thus, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces during the latest offensive has risen to 160, including 105 civilians, 34 of whom are children.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights strongly condemns the use of excessive force to disperse civilian demonstrators, and:

1) Renews its calls for the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to intervene to protect Palestinian civilians and to stop grave breaches of the Convention perpetrated against them by Israeli forces;

2) Calls for establishing an international fact-finding mission to investigate crimes committed by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in the course of the latest offensive on the Gaza Strip.    

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