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<div class="header reader-header reader-show-element"> <font
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href="https://pchrgaza.org/en/?p=12359">https://pchrgaza.org/en/?p=12359</a></font>
<h1 class="reader-title">On 55th Friday of Great March of Return
and Breaking Siege, Israeli Forces Wound 100 Civilians,
including 23 Children, 5 Women, 4 Paramedics, and 4
Journalists</h1>
April 19, 2019</div>
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<div>On Friday, 19 April 2019, in excessive use of force
against peaceful protesters on the 55<sup>th</sup> Friday
of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege,
Israeli forces wounded 100 civilians, including 23
children, 5 women, 4 paramedics, and 4 journalists, in the
eastern Gaza Strip. Two of those wounded sustained
serious wounds.
<p>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 protesters by firing
bullets and tear gas canisters at them. As a result,
dozens of the protesters were hit with bullets and
teargas canisters without posing any imminent threat or
danger to the life of soldiers.</p>
<p>During this week, Israeli forces have escalated their
attacks against the medical personnel in the field,
wounding 4 members of them and targeting an ambulance
belonging to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS)
in eastern Khan Younis with a teargas canister directly
while in field and evacuating those wounded. This
indicates that there is an Israeli systematic policy to
target the medical personnel and obstruct their
humanitarian work that is guaranteed under the rules of
the international humanitarian law.</p>
<p>On Friday, 19 April 2019, the incidents were as
follows:</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Hundreds of protesters, including children and women,
gathered adjacent to the border fence with Israel in
front of each encampment and its vicinity tens and
hundreds of meters away from the fence. The protesters
chanted slogans, raised flags, and in very limited
incidents attempted to approach the border fence and
throw stones at the Israeli forces.</p>
<p>Although the protesters 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 injury of 100 civilians, including 23
children, 5 women, 4 paramedics, and 4 journalists.
Thirty-three of those wounded were hit with live bullets
and shrapnel, 42 were directly hit with tear gas
canisters and 13 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.</p>
<p>The following table shows the number of civilian
casualties due to the Israeli forces’ suppression of the
Great March of Return since its beginning on 30 March:</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td>Killed</td>
<td>Wounded</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Total</strong></td>
<td>203</td>
<td>12161</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Children</strong></td>
<td>44</td>
<td>2351</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Women</strong></td>
<td>2</td>
<td>367</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Journalists</strong></td>
<td>2</td>
<td>198</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Medical personnel</strong></td>
<td>3</td>
<td>194</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>Persons with disabilities</strong></td>
<td>8</td>
<td>Undefined</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><strong><u>Note:</u></strong>
<p>Among those wounded, 543 are in serious
condition and 137 had their lower or upper limbs
amputated; 123 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.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>PCHR reiterates the reported published in February by
the UN Commission of Inquiry which emphasizes what came
by PCHR and other Palestinian and international human
rights organizations. The report at the time concluded
that the Israeli violations may amount to war crimes and
crimes against humanity.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
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<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
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