Press Releases

IOF kill children inside houses and continue their offensive on the Gaza Strip

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11 April 2006 |Reference 33/2006

IOF resumed their aggressive offensive on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and the Gaza Strip in particular, by targeting houses, public facilities and agricultural lands.
Civilians, including children, are being killed amidst international silence that encourages continuation of IOF crimes.
At approximately 5.
40pm on April 10th, according to Al Mezan investigations, Israeli field artillery on the northern borders fired 20 missiles at north Beit Lahia near Al Amal neighborhood, injuring Mohammad Ghaben and members of his family: his pregnant wife Safia, 35, Rawan, a baby of 18 months, Rana, 3, Amna 9, Ghassan, 11, Bassam, 15, Tahreer, 17 and Munir, 8, whose twin sister Hadeel was killed.
Neighbors were also injured: Jaclyn Maarouf, 15, Mariam Al Assi, 15, and Tala Zorob, 52, who all suffered wounds to the body.
Al Mezan reported that a missile entered the house where the family had been gathering, and ambulance only managed to reach the house 20 minutes later due to ongoing shelling.
According to Al Mezan investigations, IOF resumed the shelling on populated areas and disregarding peoples' lives on April 2nd at approximately 6.
20pm, continuing until April 11th, killing three civilians, among them a child, and injuring 52 civilians, among them 8 young girls of a total of 20 children.
A number of houses were damaged in addition to two industrial and two public facilities.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns these ongoing crimes committed against civilians in the OPT, and the Gaza Strip in particular; it confirms that crimes such as arbitrary shelling and targeting of civilians and properties constitute serious violations of International Law, most notably the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.
Further, Al Mezan considers the IOF crimes against civilians and properties a clear disregard of agreements under International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law, in addition to terrifying people and mainly children by killing and injuring, and destroying houses and public facilities.
Al Mezan expresses its condemnation of the international silence with regards to such crimes, which encourages further war crimes by the IOT.
Thus, Al Mezan Center calls upon international community, most notably the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to immediately intervene to halt IOF war crimes against Palestinians in the OPT.
End.