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IOF Grave Violations Continue to Kill and Mime Civilians in Gaza Al Mezan: 2,114 Killed; 502 Children and 289 Women since 7 July

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23 August 2014 |Reference 2014/87

  Date: 23 August 2014 12PM Gaza Time  The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued its aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The IOF attacks on houses and other civilian structures continued to occur and kill civilians, including inside their attacked homes.
The number of casualties continued to increase due to these attacks, but also as more wounded people died from IOF attacks in the past three days.
  The surge of Palestinian civilians returning to shelters designated for internally displaced people; especially in UN schools continued, including people whose homes are not destroyed, but who live close to the borders.
There is close to 450,000 IDPs in the Gaza Strip now.
The humanitarian conditions for the general population, and especially for displaced people, are still difficult in Gaza under the prolonged blackouts and shortages in water supplies.
  The joint verification by Al Mezan and sister human rights NGOs enabled better access to information; especially with access to areas close to the border during the several days of ceasefire.
  As of 12 pm today, Saturday 23 August 2014, it has been confirmed that at least 2,114 Palestinians have been killed by the IOF since 7 July 2014.
Of them 502 are children and 289 women.
These figures do include seven casualties who were buried without being identified in Rafah.
According to Al Mezan's investigations, which increased during the past nine days of ceasefire, 1,626 (i.
e.
76.
9%) of the victims are civilians.
At least 976 people; including 316 children and 207 women, were killed inside their houses; and two other disabled women were killed in an attack on a rehabilitation NGO's office.
Another 230 people were killed in the vicinity of their houses; including in situations where they were trying to flee from their homes as a result of IOF attacks.
  Moreover, at least 10,539 people were injured during the same period according to the Ministry of Health; including 3,193 were children and 2,037 women.
At least, 10,289 houses were destroyed or damaged during this period; of which 2,669 were destroyed completely.
The IOF directly and deliberately attacked 992 of the total number of damaged houses.
As of today, IOF attacks have destroyed or damaged 92 schools, 152 mosques, 8 hospitals; 6 of which are out of service, 41 NGO offices, 50 fishing boats, and 231 vehicles.
  North Gaza district: During the 24-hour reporting period between 12pm on Friday 22 August 2014 and 12 pm today, Saturday 23 August 2014, the IOF fired about 22 missiles on various areas across the North Gaza district.
These attacks targeted a poultry farm owned by Akram Abu Odeh in Beit Hanoun, open areas, one training site for Palestinian armed resistance groups, and two houses owned by Adnan Al Masri in Beit Lahiya town, and the Naji family in Jabalia.
The first house was hit with five missiles and was destroyed totally, while the second house was attacked by a drone missile and was severely damaged.
The bombardment of these targets damaged six other houses and injured 19 people, including three children and four women.
Three vehicles were also damaged.
  Between 5:30 pm and 11 pm on Friday 22 August 2014,  IOF artillery, which is positions north to the borderline, fired intermittent artillery shells at open areas and residential neighborhoods in eastern Jabalia, the Bedouin village, and the northern parts of the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya.
No casualties or injuries were reported in these areas.
  At approximately 10:40 am on Friday 22 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile at the Al Faluja cemetery, which is located in the southwest of Jabalia refugee camp.
About 15 minutes later, an IOF war jet fired a heavy missile at the northwestern part of the cemetery, which is near two of the main streets in the refugee camp.
As a result, graves in the cemetery were damaged and four passersby were injured.
  At approximately 11:15 am on Saturday 23 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired at least one missile at a farm owned by the Hamad family on the Al Qaraman Street in the town of Beit Hanoun.
Four people were injured in the attack, including two women.
A 22-year-old women, Iman Abdel Haleem Hamad, was injured critically and her leg was amputated.
  Gaza City: At approximately 12 pm on Friday 22 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired a missile at an apartment owned by Hammam Ibrahim Nasman, 33, which is located on the fourth floor of the Akkila apartment building in the Al Shati (Beach) refugee camp.
The attack destroyed the apartment completely.
At the same time, IOF aircraft fired a missile at the apartment of the Farhat family, which located on the roof of the same Akkila apartment building, destroying it completely.
  At approximately 10:30 pm on Friday 22 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired three missiles at the house of Abdel Kareem Saleh Abu Aqleen, 67, which is located in the Al Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City.
The five-story house was destroyed completely, injuring 35 people.
  At approximately 6:15 am on Saturday 23 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired six missiles at the house of Emad Aqel in the Al Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City.
The two-story house was completely destroyed.
  At approximately 10 am on Saturday 23 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired six missiles at the house of the Al Wadiya family, located in the Al Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City.
The two-story house was completely destroyed.
  Middle Gaza district:                         At approximately 12 pm on Friday 22 August 2014, IOF fired several artillery shells at empty areas and fields in various areas in the Middle Gaza district.
The shelling concentrated on the Al Maghazi refugee camp, the Wadi Gaza village (Juhr Al Deek), Al Moghraqa village, and the Al Nusierat refugee camp.
No casualties r injuries were reported.
  At approximately 12:15 am on Saturday 23 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired a missile at the house of Shehda Abed-Rabbo Abu Dahrouj, 68, which is located in the Al Zawaydeh village.
The house was destroyed completely when its residents were inside it, killing five of them, including two children and two women, and injuring three, including two children.
Those who were killed in this attack are: -          Hayel Shehda Abu Dahrouj, 28; -          Hoda Mohammed Abu Dahrouj, 25; (Hayel's wife) -          Abdallah Hayel Abu Dahrouj, 3; (Hayel and Hoda's son) -          Abdel Hadi Hayel Abu Dahrouj, 2; (Hayel and Hoda's son); -          Hayat Abed-Rabbo Abu Dahrouj, 50 (Hayel's aunt).
  Those injured were the house owner and two children: Mohammed Suleiman Abu Dahrouj, 10; and his brother Abdel Hameed, 8.
Mohammed sustained critical injuries.
Several houses in the vicinity of the attacked house were damaged.
The house owner informed Al Mezan that the IOF had bombarded the house at around 5:30 pm on Wednesday 16 July 2014.
The family were unable to find a house to rent, so they stayed in the ground floor, which was still standing, to live in.
This attack destroyed the house completely when they were inside it.
He added that when neighbors and rescue teams were trying to recover his family members from under the rubble, the IOF fired a missile at en empty land near them.
  At approximately 4 pm on Friday 22 August 2014, an IOF drone fired at least one missile at a cottage located near the house of Ismail Abu Ibtihan, 69, in the AL Zawaydeh village.
The house owner, who was lying in the cottage, as he is used to, when the attack occurred.
He was killed in the attack.
  At approximately 11 am on Saturday 23 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired a missile at the house of Omar Mohammed Al Sayid, 60, which is located in Block 3 in the A Bureij refugee camp.
The three-story house, which hosted seven families, was completely destroyed.
The IOF had fired a drone missile at the house about three minutes before this attack.
  Khan Younis district: In Khan Younis district the IOF launched 24 airstrikes on various areas, mostly on fields and houses.
These attacks killed two persons and injured one child.
The IOF also bombarded a cultural center operated by the Al Qarara Municipality and the Khalil Al Rahman mosque in Abassan Al Kabeera town.
The cultural center was severely damaged and the mosque was completely destroyed.
  At approximately 11am on Friday 22 August 2014, IOF aircraft bombarded the house of Ahmed Qasim Al Abadla, which is located in the Al Qarara town, east to Khan Younis district.
The house owner, 59, and his son, Mousa, 23, were killed.
A child, Omar Ahmed Al Abadla, 10, was injured moderately.
  At approximately 6 am on Saturday 23 August 2014, medical sources in announced the death of Salim Mohammed Abu Hadayid, 25, who was injured two days earlier in an IOF attack on a motorcycle on which he was with his brother.
  Rafah district: The IOF launched 11 airstrikes on Rafah district during the reporting period.
IOF artillery also fired shells in the eastern parts of the town.
These attacks targeted empty areas and fields, and one training site for Palestinian armed resistance groups.
No casualties or injuries were reported.
  Al Mezan condemns IOF's attacks on civilians and civilian targets in the Gaza Strip.
Attacks on protected civilians and civilian objects that fail to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law (IHL) represent grave breaches of IHL, which amount to war crimes.
These violations must be credibly and promptly investigated and prosecuted.
The international community has an obligation to condemn these violations and make swift, effective interventions to bring them to a halt.
  Al Mezan deplores the failure of international community to ensure the protection of the civilian population and the civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, which have been devastated due to thousands of IOF unlawful military attacks that did not respect the basic principles of IHL.
International community must provide the civilian population in the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and ensure free and timely passage of materials and personnel needed to re-establish the basic needs for human life; including power, water, sanitation and the health sector.
  END