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<font size=7>PCHR<br>
</font><font size=5>Palestinian Centre for Human
Rights</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=5>PRESS RELEASE<br><br>
</font><img src="cid:6.1.0.6.2.20040531091424.0268ad80@66.103.156.66.0" width=118 height=145 alt="d1991a.jpg"><font size=3><br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=2>Ref: 87/2004 <br><br>
Date: 30 May 2004 <br><br>
Time: 10:00 GMT<br><br>
</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><div align="center"><font face="arial" size=5><b>25 Homes
Demolished in Rafah: 350 Palestinians Homeless <br><br>
</b></font></div>
<font face="arial" size=2> Last night, Israeli occupying forces
(IOF) demolished 25 houses in Rafah refugee camp, leaving more than 350
homeless and injuring two Palestinians. <br><br>
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. <br><br>
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. <br><br>
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.<br><br>
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.<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
</font><font size=3>Public Document<br><br>
</font><font size=2>**************************************<br><br>
</font><font size=3>For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza,
Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 - 2825893<br><br>
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.
E-mail: <a href="mailto:pchr@pchrgaza.org">pchr@pchrgaza.org</a>, Webpage
<a href="http://www.pchrgaza.org">http://www.pchrgaza.org</a> <br><br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
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San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
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