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<b>PCHR<br>
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights<br><br>
Press Release<br><br>
</b><img src="cid:6.1.2.0.2.20041004091201.02bf8ec0@66.103.156.66.1" width=113 height=139 alt="e0f4de.jpg"></b><br><br>
Ref: 149/2004<br><br>
Date: 04 October 2004<br><br>
Time: 11:00 GMT <br><br>
<br><br>
</font><div align="center"><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=2><b>Israeli
Occupying Troops Expand Their Offensive on the Northern Gaza
Strip:<br><br>
Excessive and Disproportionate Use of Force Resulted in 60 Palestinian
Deaths and at Least 280 Injuries<br><br>
</b></div>
<br><br>
<br><br>
Israeli occupying troops have continued their wide scale offensive on the
northern Gaza Strip. In the last two days, 15 Palestinians were
killed by Israeli troops. Thus, the number of Palestinians killed
since the beginning of this latest offensive has mounted to 60, including
27 civilians, 18 of whom are children. In addition, at least 280
others, mostly civilians, including a number of children, have been
injured, and a number of them have been rendered permanently
handicapped. Israeli troops have also continued to destroy houses,
agricultural land, civilian facilities and historical sites. In the
meantime, Israeli troops have continued to impose a tightened siege on
the area, and electricity and water supplies have been cut. They have
continued to obstruct the work of medical crews. <br><br>
<br><br>
This latest offensive by Israeli occupying troops has been characterized
by excessive use of force against Palestinian civilians, as they have
attacked civilian communities with missiles and shells. Since the
beginning of this latest offensive, 27 Palestinian civilians, including
18 children, have been killed, which refutes the claims of Moshe Ya'lon,
the Israeli military chief of staff, that all of those who have been
killed are militants. Israeli troops have been positioned a few
meters away from Jabalya refugee camp, which is one of the most densely
populated areas in the world, where approximately 120,000 people live in
an area of less than 2 square kilometers. Consequently, most of the
casualties have been in the camp, and many houses have been
destroyed. Israeli troops have also used disproportionate and
indiscriminate force against members of the Palestinian resistance as
many of these were killed when they were not engaged in fighting.
<br><br>
<br><br>
Statements by Israeli political and military officials that this military
campaign could continue for weeks not a few days raise serious concerns
for the lives and properties of Palestinian civilians. Such
statements also provide further evidence of the policy of collective
punishment, which has been systematically practiced against the
Palestinian people. <br><br>
<br><br>
According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR on the latest
developments, at approximately 17:00 on Saturday, 2 October 2004, an
Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a number of the Palestinian
resistance near Sha'sha'a area in the east of Tal al-Za'tar. One
member of the resistance, Yasser Mohammed Abu Ghubait, 20, from Jabalya
refugee camp, was instantly killed. <br><br>
<br><br>
At approximately 00:30 on Sunday, 3 October 2004, at least 10 Israeli
heavy military vehicles moved into Tal al-Za'tar in Jabalya. They
demolished at least 2 houses completely and 10 others partially.
They also demolished a kindergarten in the area. <br><br>
<br><br>
At approximately 02:00, Israeli troops fired an artillery shell at a
number of members of the Palestinian resistance near UNRWA schools in the
southeast of Jabalya refugee camp. Two members of the resistance
were killed:<br><br>
1. Rani Akram Quddas, 22;
and<br><br>
2. Musbah Hussein al-Zinati,
20, both from Jabalya refugee camp. <br><br>
<br><br>
At approximately 06:00 on the same day, Israeli troops fired another
shell at the same area. One member of the Palestinian resistance,
Mohammed Ibrahim al-Sherafi, 22, from Jabalya refugee camp, was
killed. His body was discovered in the area 2 hours later.
<br><br>
<br><br>
At noon, Israeli troops shot dead Ra'ed Suleiman Abu Wawi, 36, from Tal
al-Za'tar area, with a live bullet in the head, when he was on the roof
of his house. PCHR's field worker in the northern Gaza Strip
reported that the victim was deaf and dumb, and that his house is nearly
150 meters away from the source of fire. <br><br>
<br><br>
At approximately 13:40 on the same day, an Israeli aircraft fired a
missile at a number of members of the Palestinian resistance at Zimmu
Street in Beit Hanoun. One member of the resistance, Fadi Fareed
al-Za'aneen, 23, was killed, and another member was seriously
injured. <br><br>
<br><br>
At approximately 15:40 on the same day, an Israeli aircraft fired a
missile at a number of members of the Palestinian resistance in Block 4
in Jabalya refugee camp. One member of the resistance, Maher Jameel
Zaqqout, 26, was killed. <br><br>
<br><br>
At approximately 16:00 on the same day, Israeli troops fired at Saber
Ibrahim 'Asaliya, 14, from 'Abed Rabbu area in the east of Jabalya, as he
was trying to leave the area. The child was wounded by a live
bullet in the back. He was evacuated to Shifa Hospital in Gaza
City, but medical efforts to save his life failed and he was pronounced
dead one hour later. <br><br>
<br><br>
At approximately 17:00 on the same day, medical sources at Shifa Hospital
in Gaza City declared that 13-year-old Mohammed D'iab al-Najjar died from
a wound he had sustained by the Israeli shelling against Jabalya refugee
camp on 1 October 2004. He was hit by a live bullet to the
head. <br><br>
<br><br>
At approximately 18:00 on the same day, Israeli troops positioned to the
east of al-Sikka Street near Jabalya refugee camp opened fire at
Palestinian houses in Block 4 in the camp. A Palestinian child,
14-year-old Nidal Muhsen al-Madhoun, was seriously wounded by a live
bullet in the heart, when he was near his house. He died shortly
after he had been evacuated to the hospital. <br><br>
<br><br>
On Monday morning, 4 October 2004, Israeli occupying troops expanded
their incursion into the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia under the
cover of indiscriminate shelling.<br><br>
<br><br>
At approximately 03:00, Israeli troops fired 2 artillery shells at a
number of members of the Palestinian resistance in al-Manshiya area in
Beit Lahia. Four members of the resistance were killed:<br><br>
1. Fares 'Omar al-Habel,
21;<br><br>
2. Romel Mohammed al-Barrawi,
20; <br><br>
3. Isma'il Ibrahim Shihda, 21;
and<br><br>
4. Mohammed Saber al-Baba,
23. <br><br>
<br><br>
Ambulances were able to evacuate bodies of 3 of the victims, while the
fourth victim's body remained in the area until 07:30. <br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=2> <br><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=2>At approximately 06:00,
Israeli troops positioned to the east of al-Sikka Street near Jabalya
refugee camp fired at Mohammed Mousa al-Hissi, 27, when he was in a
street in the camp, wounding him with a live bullet in the chest.
Ambulances were able to reach him only 20 minutes later, but he was
dead. <br><br>
<br><br>
At approximately 11:30, Israeli troops positioned to the east of al-Sikka
Street near Jabalya refugee camp shot dead Ramzi Shihda Hasaballah, 21,
when he was in a street in the camp, with a live bullet in the
chest. <br><br>
<br><br>
According to information available to PCHR so far, Israeli troops have
totally destroyed at least 60 houses and seriously damaged dozens of
others since the beginning of this latest offensive on the northern Gaza
Strip. They have also razed at least 100
donums</font><a name="_ftnref1"></a><font face="arial" size=2>[1]</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=2>
of agricultural land, and destroyed a mosque and the fence of a Roman
historical site. <br><br>
<br><br>
PCHR's field worker in the northern Gaza Strip reported that he received
several phone calls from Palestinian civilians living at al-Sikka Street,
east of Jabalya, in Beit Hanoun’s agricultural areas and in al-Nada
housing project in Beit Lahia, during which they informed him about the
deterioration in the humanitarian situation in these areas, caused by the
lack of water, electricity and basic foodstuffs. In addition, there
are a number of patients in these areas who have not been able to reach
hospitals. PCHR's field workers reported also that a number of
families in Jabalya refugee camp have not been able to participate in the
funeral procession of members of these family who had been killed by
Israeli troops due to the tightened siege imposed by Israeli troops on
parts of the camp. Israeli troops have also fired at ambulances,
which try to offer medical aid to the wounded, and have continued to
prohibit the entry of medical and humanitarian aids into the areas they
had already seized, especially parts of Jabalya refugee camp.
<br><br>
<br><br>
PCHR strongly condemns such attacks by Israeli occupying troops, which
constitute collective punishment against Palestinian civilians, in
violation of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian
Persons in Time of War of 1949 (Fourth Geneva Convention), which prohibit
forcible migration and destruction of private properties. PCHR
remains concerned for the failure of the international community to
provide protection for Palestinian civilians and their properties.
PCHR calls upon:<br><br>
1. The international community
to immediately intervene to provide protection for the Palestinian
civilian population. <br><br>
2. The High Contracting Parties
to the Fourth Geneva Convention to take concrete steps to stop Israeli
attacks, which have recently escalated.<br><br>
3. The High Commissioner for
Human Rights to immediately visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories to
watch violations of human rights perpetrated by Israeli occupying troops
against Palestinian civilians.<br><br>
4. Humanitarian organizations
to provide immediate assistance for victims of violations of
international humanitarian law perpetrated by Israeli occupying troops
against Palestinian civilians.
<br><br>
<br><br>
<b><i>Note: For more details on this Israeli offensive on the northern
Gaza Strip, see press releases issued by PCHR between Thursday, 30
September, and Saturday, 2 October 2004, and photographs shown on PCHR's
web page.
<a href="http://www.pchrgaza.org/">www.pchrgaza.org</a><br><br>
<br><br>
</i></b></font><font face="arial" size=2> <br><br>
</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=2> <br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=2><b>Public Document<br><br>
</b>**************************************<br><br>
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>
<br>
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