[News] Widescale Israeli military offensive on the Northern Gaza Strip

[News at freedomarchives.org]

Widescale Israeli military offensive on the Northern Gaza Strip
Press Release, PCHR, 30 September 2004

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15 PALESTINIANS KILLED, AT LEAST 120 OTHERS INJURED AND CIVILIAN PROPERTIES 
DESTROYED

Israeli occupying troops have continued their wide scale offensive on the 
northern Gaza Strip for the 3rd consecutive day. At the time of going to 
print, 15 Palestinians, including 3 children, have been killed and at least 
120 others were injured, some of them are in a serious condition. Israeli 
troops have also destroyed a number of houses and civilian facilities. 
Israeli troops have used excessive force against unarmed Palestinian 
civilians. According to Palestinian medical sources, most of the injured 
were hit in the upper part of the body. PCHR expresses deep concern for 
this intense presence of Israeli troops in the area, especially in Jabalya 
refugee camp which is one of the most populated areas in the Gaza Strip.

PCHR is concerned as Israeli political and military officials stated that 
the Israeli military operations in the northern Gaza Strip would be 
expanded. This latest offensive on the northern Gaza Strip has been the 
third of its kind against the same area in the second half of this year. 
Previous offensives resulted in dozens of casualties among Palestinian 
civilians and destroyed large areas of agricultural land and many civilian 
facilities.

According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 
22:00 on Tuesday, 28 September 2004, Israeli occupying troops, reinforced 
by heavy military vehicles and helicopters, launched a wide scale offensive 
on the northern Gaza Strip. They moved into area through three directions 
opening fire intensively.

At approximately 04:00 on Wednesday, 29 September 2004, Israeli troops 
positioned at al-Sikka Street, east of Jabalya refugee camp, fired an 
artillery shell at a number of members of the Palestinian resistance who 
clashed with those troops. One member of the resistance, Tawfiq Mohammed 
al-Sherafi, 24, was killed by shrapnel from the shell.

At approximately 07:00 on the same day, 15 Israeli military vehicles moved 
from Erez crossing towards Qulaibu hill in Tal al-Za'tar area. Israeli 
troops opened fire at the area and isolated it from its surroundings.

At approximately 07:25 on the same day, Israeli troops opened fire at 
dozens of Palestinian schoolchildren who threw stones at Israeli tanks near 
the directorate of education in Beit Lahia. One of the children, Sa'ed 
Mohammed Hiddu Abu al-'Eish, 14, from Jabalya refugee camp, was killed by a 
live bullet in the chest.

At approximately 09:00 on the same day, while Israeli military bulldozers 
were demolishing the fence of the building of the Palestinian Preventive 
Security Service in Beit Lahia, an electricity tower fell on a number of 
Palestinian children who gathered in the area. One of the children, Ahmed 
Ibrahim 'Abdul Fattah Madi, 14, from Jabalya refugee camp, was instantly 
killed.

In the evening, Israeli troops continued to shell Palestinian residential 
areas, especially in Jabalya refugee camp. At approximately 20:30, an 
Israeli helicopter gunship fired a missile at a number of members of the 
Palestinian resistance in the east of Jabalya refugee camp. One member of 
the resistance, Sa'ad Mohammed al-Barad'ei, 21, from Gaza City, was killed, 
and 2 others were seriously injured.

At approximately 23:30, an Israeli helicopter gunship fired a missile at a 
number of members of the Palestinian resistance in Tal al-Za'tar area. Two 
members of the resistance were killed:

1. Fathi Ahmed al-Sawawin, 21; and
2. Khalil Khalil Naji, 31, both from Gaza City.

On Thursday morning, 30 September 2004, Israeli troops moved towards 
Jabalya refugee camp. They were positioned in Block 2. They seized a number 
of houses and transformed their roofs into military sites. Israeli troops 
partially demolished a number of houses and destroyed fences of a number of 
UNRWA schools. The Israeli military operation expanded to include Block 4 
in the camp. Israeli troops shelled the area intensively. Since the 
morning, clashes have erupted between Israeli troops and members of the 
Palestinian resistance. Six members of the resistance have been killed in 
these clashes:

1. Ra'fat Rafiq Jadallah, 25;
2. Sufian Shafiq Abu al-Jedian, 33;
3. Hamza Ahmed, 29;
4. Mohammed al-Masri, 29;
5. Mohammed 'Abdul Karim al-Ja'beer, 19; and
6. Hazem Hussein Farajallah, 24.

At approximately 11:50 on Thursday, Israeli troops positioned in Qulaibu 
hill opened fire at a number of Palestinian civilians in the east of Beit 
Lahia. One Palestinian civilian, Mohammed Yousef al-Habel, 65, was killed 
by a live bullet in the chest, when he was sitting in front of his shop. At 
noon, Israeli troops continued to shell Palestinian residential areas. A 
Palestinian child, who has not been so far identified, was killed by a live 
bullet in the heart. Another civilian, 'Aatef Jamal Rajab al-Ashqar, 27, 
from Beit Lahia, was killed by a live bullet in the head.

Also as result of the Israeli shelling during this latest continuous 
offensive, at least 120 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 20 
children, have been injured. Medical sources described the injuries of 10 
of these Palestinians as serious.

PCHR remains gravely concerned for the latest escalation of Israeli 
military operations in the occupied Palestinian Territory (OPTs), 
especially in the Gaza Strip, and warns of retaliatory acts against 
Palestinian civilians and their properties, in violation of international 
law and humanitarian law.

These Israeli military operations violate the Geneva Convention Relative to 
the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949 (Fourth Geneva 
Convention), particularly article 33 which prohibits collective punishment, 
and article 147, which classifies extensive destruction and appropriation 
of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully 
and wantonly as a grave breach of the Convention, an act which is 
considered a war crime under article 85(5) of the Protocol Additional to 
the Geneva Conventions, an Relative to the Protection of Victims of 
International Armed Conflicts.

PCHR reminds the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention 
of their legal obligations to ensure respect for the Convention and take 
concrete steps to stop grave breaches of the Convention perpetrated by 
Israeli occupying troops in the OPTs.

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
<http://www.pchrgaza.org>http://www.pchrgaza.org


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