Press Releases
23 August 2014 |Reference 2014/87
Short Link:
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
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