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ISRAELI
TANK COLUMN IN GAZA:
Jewish
Crimes not news in
US
media
[Courtesy Al-Awda]
11 Palestinians killed, dozens wounded and 5
civilian facilities
destroyed in Gaza City after yet another Israeli
raid
Ref: 22/2003
Date: 19 February 2003
Israeli occupying forces last night killed 11
Palestinians, including
two brothers and their cousin whose bodies were
removed from the ruins
of a house. In addition, 5 civilian facilities
were destroyed and raided
and a school was damaged, when the Israeli
forces, reinforced with heavy
military vehicles and helicopters and covered by
intense shelling,
invaded areas of Gaza City. 15 Palestinians,
including a physician, were
injured by Israeli shelling.
Israeli crimes against Palestinian civilians and
civilian facilities
have been escalated in an unprecedented manner in
January and February
2003. According to PCHR's documentation, 1821
Palestinians in the West
bank or the Gaza Strip have been killed by the
Israeli military since
the outbreak of the
al-Aqsa
Intifada until the
end of 2002. This year, 97
Palestinians have been killed. From the beginning
of al-Aqsa
Intifada until the end of 2002, Israeli occupying
forces destroyed 150
Palestinian industrial workshops in the Gaza
Strip. This year, they have
already destroyed 125 workshops.
According to PCHR's investigation and
eyewitnesses' testimonies, at
approximately 22:00 on Tuesday, 18 February 2003,
a number of Israeli
heavy military vehicles, supported by helicopters
and covered by intense
shelling, moved from Nahal 'Ouz crossing, east of
Gaza City, towards
al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of the city.
They took position in
Baghdad Street. Approximately an hour later, an
Israeli helicopter
launched a missile at a car of the Palestinian
General Intelligence near
al-Je'el fuel station on the main road,
approximately 2km away from the
area of clashes. Three persons, who were
traveling in the car, were
killed. The three security men were chasing a
suspicious car when the
helicopter launched a missile at their car.
At approximately 00:30 on Wednesday, 19 February
2003, Israeli heavy
military vehicles moved from the eastern border
of the Gaza Strip, east
of Jablaya, towards Salah al-Din Street. Then,
they moved into
al-Tuffah neighborhood in the east of Gaza City.
They surrounded a
220-square-meter, 3-storey house in a densely
populated area, in which 2
families, numbering 17 people live. The house is
owned by Mohammed Mohye
al-Din al-Qattaa'. Israeli forces raided a
neighboring house, owned by
Nahedh al-Hilu, and forced its residents out.
They also used al-Hilu as
a human shield. They ordered him to knock on the
door of al-Qattaa's
house and tell its residents to get out as the
house would be
demolished. Israeli forces moved the residents of
the two houses to a
tract of agricultural land located approximately
50m away, and planted
explosives in a turnery workshop on the first
floor of al-Qattaa's
house. At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces
withdrew from the area
surrounding the house. Residents of the area
thought that Israeli
forces had completely withdrawn, so they moved
towards their homes.
Four men from the two families moved towards
al-Qattaa's house to check
what had happened. Immediately, Israeli forces
destroyed the workshop
by remote control, approximately 20 minutes after
their withdrawal.
Three of the men, including two brothers, were
killed and the fourth
sustained burns throughout the body. The house
and the workshop were
both destroyed. Al-Hilu's house was partially
destroyed and a number of
neighboring houses were damaged.
During their incursion into the neighborhood,
Israeli forces destroyed a
turnery workshop, a factory of plastic tools and
a washing facility. A
number of neighboring houses and workshops were
damaged.
Israeli forces also raided the Dar al-Arqam
private school. They
destroyed parts of the fence and doors of
classrooms, laboratories and
administration rooms. They also confiscated some
equipment.
As a result of Israeli indiscriminate shelling, 5
Palestinian civilians
were killed and 15 others, including a physician,
Ra''ed Marwan
al-Safadi, who was providing medical for the
wounded, were injured.
PCHR's field worker in Gaza city reported that
medical personnel faced
difficulties in reaching the area.
Those killed by Israeli forces during this
invasion were:
1. 'Ali Abu al-Khair, 25, from the al-Shojaeya
neighborhood in Gaza
City, a member of the Palestinian General
Intelligence;
2. Eyad 'Aabed, 27, from al-Shojaeya neighborhood
in Gaza City, a member
of the Palestinian General Intelligence;
3. 'Abdul Rahim Abu al-Naja, 28, from Rafah, a
member of the Palestinian
General Intelligence;
4. Tamer Darwish al-Qattaa', 23, from al-Tuffah
neighborhood, killed by
the destruction of a workshop;
5. 'Alaa' Nahedh al-Hilu, 20, from al-Tuffah
neighborhood, killed by the
destruction of a workshop;
6. Sa'id Nahedh al-Hilu, 19, from al-Tuffah
neighborhood, killed by the
destruction of a workshop;
7. 'Aamer Hammouda al-Daya, 23, from al-Shojaeya
neighborhood, shot by
several live bullets in the head;
8. 'Abdul Rahman Fawzi al-Qassas, 25, from
al-Shojaeya neighborhood,
shot by several live bullets in the head and the
chest;
9. 'Abdul Karim Sha'ban Bakroun, 23, from
al-Shojaeya neighborhood, shot
by several heavy caliber bullets in the head and
the chest;
10. Munther Marwan al-Safadi, 25, from al-Tuffah
neighborhood, shot by a
live bullet in the chest; and
11. Mohammed Salim Abu Sahloul, 28, from
al-Shojaeya neighborhood, hit
by shrapnel and several live bullets throughout
the body.
PCHR strongly condemns this escalation by the
Israeli occupying forces
against Palestinian civilians and their property,
which coincides with
statements delivered Israeli political and
military leaders, the last of
which was the statement of the Israeli Defense
Minister Shaul Mofaz on
17 February 2003. "It is time to act not to talk;
it is time to strike
in the full capacity of our power," Mofaz said.
PCHR believes that the
failure of the international community to take
action to prevent these
attacks encourages Israel and its occupying
forces to commit more
illegal military actions. PCHR calls upon the
international community
to put an end to their silence and immediately
intervene to stop the illegal
actions perpetuated by the Israeli occupying
forces. PCHR again
reminds the High Contracting Parties to the
Fourth Geneva Convention of
1949 of their obligation under the Convention not
only to respect the
Convention, but to ensure the respect for it in
all circumstances and to
take effective steps to stop ongoing flagrant
violations of the
Convention perpetrated by Israeli occupying
forces.
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2003-02-20 Thu 09:34ct