[News] On 54th Friday of Great March of Return and Breaking Siege, Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Child and Wound 93 Civilians, including 17 Children, 4 Women, 3 Paramedics, and Journalist

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://pchrgaza.org/en/?p=12310


  On 54th Friday of Great March of Return and Breaking Siege, Israeli
  Forces Kill Palestinian Child and Wound 93 Civilians, including 17
  Children, 4 Women, 3 Paramedics, and Journalist

April 12, 2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Friday evening, 12 April 2019, in excessive use of force against 
peaceful protesters on the 54^th  Friday of the March of Return and 
Breaking the Siege, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child and 
wounded 93 civilians, including 17 children, four women, three 
paramedics, and a journalist, in eastern Gaza Strip.

According to observations by PCHR’s fieldworkers, the Israeli forces who 
stationed in prone positions and in military jeeps along the fence with 
Israel continued to use excessive force against the demonstrators by 
opening fire and firing tear gas canisters at them.  As a result, dozens 
of the demonstrators were hit with bullets and teargas canisters without 
posing any imminent threat or danger to the life of soldiers.

On Friday, 14 April 2019, the incidents were as follows:

At approximately 16:00, thousands of civilians, including women, 
children and entire families, started swarming to the five encampments 
established by the Supreme National Authority of Great March of Return 
and Breaking the Siege adjacent to the border fence with Israel in 
eastern Gaza Strip cities. Hundreds, including children and women, 
approached the border fence with Israel in front of each encampment and 
gathered tens of meters away from the main border fence, attempting to 
throw stones at the Israeli forces and firing incendiary balloons along 
the border fence. Demonstrators chanted slogans, raised flags and, 
attempted to approach the border fence, set fire to tires and tried to 
throw stones at the Israeli forces. Although the demonstrators gathered 
in areas open to the Israeli snipers stationed on the top of the sand 
berms and military watchtowers and inside and behind the military jeeps, 
the Israeli forces fired live and rubber bullets in addition to a 
barrage of tear gas canisters. The Israeli shooting, which continued at 
around 19:00, resulted in the killing of Maysara Mousa Suliman Abu 
Shalouf (15), from ‘zbit Beit Hanoun. At approximately 17:00, Maysara 
sustained a live bullet wound that entered his left waist and settled in 
the pelvis while standing few meters away from the border fence in 
eastern Jabalia. He was left bleeding for 20 minutes because medical 
personnel were unable to access him. After that, he was taken to a 
medical point and then referred to the Indonesian Hospital, where his 
death was declared at approximately 17:55.

Moreover, 93 civilians, including 17 children, four women, three 
paramedics, and a journalist, were wounded. Forty-four of them were hit 
with live bullets and shrapnel, 46 were directly hit with tear gas 
canisters and three were hit with rubber bullets. In addition, dozens of 
civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and seizures due to tear gas 
canisters that were fired by the Israeli forces from the military jeeps 
and riffles in the eastern Gaza Strip.

The following table shows the number of civilian victims due to the 
Israeli forces’ suppression of the Great March of Return since its 
beginning on 30 March:

*Wounded* 	*Killed* 	
2319 	44 	Children
360 	2 	Women
194 	2 	Journalists
190 	3 	Medical Crews
– 	8 	Persons with Disabilities
12056 	203 	*Total*

Among those wounded, 543 are in serious condition and 136 had their 
lower or upper limbs amputated; 122 lower-limb amputations, 14 
upper-limb amputations, and 25 children had their limbs amputated 
according to the Ministry of Health.  The number of those wounded only 
include those wounded with live bullets and directly hit with tear gas 
canisters, as there have been thousand others who suffered tear gas 
inhalation and sustained bruises. 	*Notes*

PCHR reiterates Palestinians’ right to peaceful assembly to confront 
Israel and its forces’ denial of the legitimate and inalienable rights 
of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination, 
right to return and right to end the occupation of the Palestinian 
territory.

PCHR stresses that the Israeli forces should stop using excessive force 
and respond to the legitimate demands of the demonstrators, particularly 
lifting the closure which is the real solution to end the humanitarian 
crisis in the Gaza Strip.

PCHR emphasizes that continuously targeting civilians, who exercise 
their right to peaceful assembly or while carrying out their 
humanitarian duty, is a serious violation of the rules of international 
law, international humanitarian law, the ICC Rome Statute and Fourth 
Geneva Convention.

Thus, PCHR reiterates its call upon the ICC Prosecutor to open an 
official investigation in these crimes and to prosecute and hold 
accountable all those applying or involved in issuing orders within the 
Israeli Forces at the security and political echelons.

PCHR also emphasizes that the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 
Fourth Geneva Convention should fulfill their obligation under Article 
1; i.e., to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all 
circumstances and their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute 
persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

PCHR calls upon Switzerland, in its capacity as the Depository State for 
the Convention, to demand the High Contracting Parties to convene a 
meeting and ensure Israel’s respect for this Convention, noting that 
these grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same 
Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions 
regarding the guarantee of Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in 
the occupied territories.


-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 https://freedomarchives.org/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20190412/38cfedc6/attachment.htm>