[News] 25 Homes Demolished in Rafah: 350 Palestinians Homeless

[News at freedomarchives.org]

PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

PRESS RELEASE

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Ref: 87/2004

Date: 30 May 2004

Time: 10:00 GMT



25 Homes Demolished in Rafah: 350 Palestinians Homeless

  Last night, Israeli occupying forces (IOF) demolished 25 houses in Rafah 
refugee camp, leaving more than 350 homeless and injuring two Palestinians.

According to PCHR's preliminary investigations, at approximately 23:00 on 
Saturday, 29 May 2004, IOF heavy military vehicles, reinforced by 
helicopters, moved approximately 300 meters into Block J in Rafah refugee 
camp, adjacent to the Egyptian border.  Under cover of intense shelling, 
IOF began to demolish a number of Palestinian houses, without allowing 
residents to retrieve their possessions.  By 05:00 on Sunday, 30 May 2004, 
Israeli troops had demolished 23 houses completely and 2 others 
partially.  As a result, 352 people (60 families) have been rendered 
homeless.  During the IOF action, a 60-year-old woman and a doctor were 
injured.  The doctor was injured when he tried to offer medical help to 
residents in the area.

In the past two weeks, Israeli troops destroyed 360 houses in Rafah town 
and refugee camp, killed 57 Palestinians and injured at least 200 others, 
during a series of military incursions.  As a result of increased IOF 
actions in Rafah, at least 5000 Palestinians have become homeless in the 
short or long term.  Temporary shelters set up in the area have become 
overcrowded.

The extensive destruction of civilian property, carried out wantonly and 
unlawfully, and without military necessity constitutes a grave breach of 
the Fourth Geneva Convention (article 147) and a war crime as defined in 
article 85.5 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions.

  PCHR is extremely concerned at the recent escalation in violations of 
international human rights and humanitarian law, including grave breaches, 
perpetrated by IOF in the OPTs.  Rafah has been particularly targeted by 
the IOF in the last month. PCHR reiterates its calls to the High 
Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their legal 
obligations to ensure respect for the Convention in the OPTs, and the 
protection of the civilian population.





Public Document

**************************************

For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 
2824776 - 2825893

PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. 
E-mail: <mailto:pchr at pchrgaza.org>pchr at pchrgaza.org, Webpage 
<http://www.pchrgaza.org>http://www.pchrgaza.org


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