Gaza:Al Mezan: International Community Must Act Now to Stop Violations of International Law and Aid Civilians in Gaza, 2,106 Killed; 500 Children and 287 Women since 7 July


 
12PM Gaza Time
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued its aggression on the Gaza Strip. Since noon yesterday, IOF attacked houses, cars and fired directly at civilians. the number of casualties continued to increase due to these attacks, but also as more wounded people died from IOF attacks in the past three days.

The surge of Palestinian civilians returning to shelters designated for internally displaced people; especially in UN schools continued, including people whose homes are not destroyed, but who live close to the borders. The humanitarian conditions for the general population, and especially for displaced people, are still difficult in Gaza under the prolonged blackouts and shortages in water supplies.

The joint verification by Al Mezan and sister human rights NGOs during the days of the ceasefire enabled better access to information and areas close to the border that had been under IOF control. It has been verified that as of 12 pm today, Friday 22 August 2014, 2,106 Palestinians have been killed by the IOF since 7 July 2014. Of them 500 are children and 287 women. Al Mezan also knows about seven casualties who were buried without being identified in Rafah. Those are not included in the above figures pending further verification. According to Al Mezan's investigations, which increased during the past nine days of ceasefire, 1,618 (i.e. 76.8%) of the victims are civilians. More deaths of combatants were confirmed and more combatants were recovered from under the rubble during these days. At least 968 people; including 314 children and 205 women, were killed inside their houses; and two other disabled women were killed in an attack on a rehabilitation NGO's office. Another 230 people were killed in the vicinity of their houses; including in situations where they were trying to flee from their homes as a result of IOF attacks.
Moreover, at least 10,440 people were injured during the same period according to the Ministry of Health; including 3,164 were children and 2,020 women. At least, 10,225 houses were destroyed or damaged during this period; of which 2,662 were destroyed completely. The IOF directly and deliberately attacked 983 of the total number of damaged houses. As of today, IOF attacks have destroyed or damaged 92 schools, 149 mosques, 8 hospitals; 6 of which are out of service, 39 NGO offices, 50 fishing boats, and 225 vehicles.
North Gaza district:
During the 24-hour reporting period between 12pm on Thursday 21 August 2014 and 12 pm today, Friday 22 August 2014, the IOF fired about 16 missiles on various areas across the North Gaza district. These airstrikes targeted open areas and fields and four houses. The houses belong to Fayiq Abu Sitta in Beit Lahiya, Lotfi Saleh Hamad in Beit Hanoun, Maher Odwan in Beit Hanoun, and Mohammed Tayeh in Jabalia. About 15 other houses were damaged and 18 people were injured, including seven children and two women, in these attacks.
Between 4:30 pm and 9 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, IOF artillery, which is positions north to the borderline, fired intermittent artillery shells at residential neighborhoods in eastern Jabalia, the Bedouin village, and the northern parts of the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. No casualties or injuries were reported in these areas.
Gaza City:
At approximately 12:30 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, Palestinian rescue teams recovered the body of a two-ear-old girl, Sara Mohammed Daif, who was killed in an IOF attack on the house of the Al Dalu family. Her mother and brother were also killed in the same attack on the house.
At approximately 12:40 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, an IOF aircraft fired a missile at a car that was driving on the Al Nasser Street, northwest of Gaza City, killing two men: Mohammed Ahmed Abbas, 45; and Issam Mohammed Al Hasani, 26. Both men are from the AL Sheikh Radwan in Gaza City.
At approximately 1 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, medical sources at the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City announced the death of 28-year-old Salim Ismail Abu Ghadyeen. Salim was a worker in digging graves and died from wounds he sustained when the IOF fired at a group of workers in the Shiekh Rdwan cemetery. Four of his colleagues were killed instantly, and he was referred to the hospital and died about an hour later.
At approximately 9 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, medical sources at the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City announced the death of a child, 5-year-old Raed Ahmed Khudair, who is a resident of the Al Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City. He was injured in an IOF attack in his neighborhood on 19 August 2014.
Middle Gaza district:
At approximately 1:30 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, medical sources at the Al Aqsa hospital in Deir Al Balah announced the death of a teenage girl, 17-year-old Iman Younis Al Louh, who is a resident of Deir Al Balah's neighborhood of AL Hikir. Iman died from wounds she had sustained in an airstrike on a house of her relatives at around 4:45 am on 20 August 2014.
At approximately 2:30 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, an IOF drone fired at least one missile at a man, Ibrahim Rashid Baraka, 45, as he walked near the Al Tawba mosque in the town of Deir Al Balah. He was killed and another two passersby, including a women, were wounded.
At approximately 10:55 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, an IOF drone fired at least one missile at the yard of the house of the Shreetih family, which is located in the AL Masha'la neighborhood in Deir Al Balah town. One man and a child were killed in this attack: Basheer Ahmed Abu Shreetih, 26, and his nephew Mahmoud Tal'at Abu Shreetih, 13. Mahmoud's father informed Al Mezan that his brother Basheer was in the house yard to fell w water pot when the missile hit them, and that Mahmoud was walking behind his uncle. They were killed instantly and Basheer's two brothers Salama and Mohammed, 24 and 29 respectively, were injured. The house was also damaged.
At approximately 5:25 am on Friday 22 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile at the Al Ta'awon concrete factory, which is located on the Salah Addin Street in Al Nuseirat refugee camp. The factory's administration building was destroyed and a concrete truck was also destroyed. The roof of the factory and the concrete tanks were also damaged.
At approximately 7:30 am on Friday 22 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile at a sheep farm that belongs to Al Taweel family in the Al Nuseirat refugee camp. Two men were killed: Yaseen Hamid Abu Hamad, 23; and Mahmoud Nasser Qashlan, 24. Both men are from Al Nuseirat refugee camp.
At approximately 4:30 am on Friday 22 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired a missile at the house of Baroud family in the Al Nuseirat refugee camp and destroyed it. About two hours later, the house of AL Najjar family in Deir Al Balah town was also destroyed in an IOF airstrike. At around 10:10 am also on Friday, the IOF destroyed a third house that belongs to the Abu Hwishil family in the Al Bureij refugee camp. As a result, 22 people were displaced. The IOF had fired drone missiles at these houses prior to destroying them with heavy missiles.
Khan Younis district:
In Khan Younis district the IOF launched 14 air raids on various areas, mostly on fields and houses. These attacks killed one person and injured another three. Two houses were destroyed completely and another 13 houses were damaged from these attacks.
At approximately 12:15 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile at a motorcycle on the Salah Addin Street in Maan neighborhood in the southeast of Khan Younis city. Hamdan Salim Abu Hadayid, 44, was killed and his brother Abdel Rahman, 25, was moderately injured.
At approximately 2:10 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, IOF aircraft bombarded empty fields in Maan neighborhood three times. The attacks caused some damaged to houses close to the attacked fields. At 6:20 and 6:40 pm, IOF aircraft bombarded empty fields in Al Amal neighborhood and Bani Suheila town in Khan Younis districts. Two men were injured in these two attacks. Later, at approximately 1:55 am on Friday 22 August 2014, IOF aircraft bombarded a greenhouse located on the Al Seka Street in Khan Younis city, destroying it and a house that belongs to Hisham Al Astal.
Rafah district:
The IOF launched 18 air raid on Rafah district during the reporting period. IOF artillery also fired shells in the eastern parts of the town while naval vessels also fired on its western parts. IOF attacks targeted two buildings and empty fields. Four Palestinian civilians were killed in Rafah; including a girl who dier from earlier injuries, and nine people were injured, including three children.
At approximately 3 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, medical sources at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis announced the death of 4-year-old girl, Seba Rami Younis, who succumbed to wounds she had sustained in an IOF air attack on a house near her house on the same day. This attack killed ten other people; including Seba's grandfather and her step grandmother.
At approximately 6:30 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, IOF drones fired two missiles at a motorcycle, killing the two men who were on it: Ibrahim Issam Hammad, 23, and Marwan Mohammed Abu Shalouf, 22. The attack took place in one of Rafah's most crowded areas, near the taxi station on Othman Inb Affan Street in the town center. Nine other people were injured, too, including two children.
At approximately 6:40 pm on Thursday 21 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile at Abdel Rahman Sa'd Shalouf, 31, as he was walking near the Al Morabiteen mosque in the Al Salam neighborhood, south of Rafah town. He was killed instantly.
At approximately 2:30 am on Friday 22 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile at a one-story apartment building owned by Mohammed Salah Qishta, which is located on Omar Ibn Al Khattab Street opposite to the Municipality of Rafah. The IOF had fired a missile at the same building prior to this attack. The building, which hosts a pharmacy, an X-ray center, a restaurant, and a law practice, was damaged severely.
Also at approximately 2:30 am on Friday 22 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile at a one-story apartment building owned by the Al Ashi family, which is located on Omar Ibn Al Khattab Street opposite to the Municipality of Rafah. The IOF had fired a missile at the same building prior to this attack. The building, which is built on an area of 1,800 square meters and hosts commercial stores and one family, was damaged severely. The Rafah Municipality building was also damaged.
Al Mezan condemns IOF's attacks on civilians and civilian targets in the Gaza Strip. Attacks on protected civilians and civilian objects that fail to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law (IHL) represent grave breaches of IHL, which amount to war crimes. These violations must be credibly and promptly investigated and prosecuted. The international community has an obligation to condemn these violations and make swift, effective interventions to bring them to a halt.
Al Mezan deplores the failure of international community to ensure the protection of the civilian population and the civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, which have been devastated due to thousands of IOF unlawful military attacks that did not respect the basic principles of IHL. International community must provide the civilian population in the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid and ensure free and timely passage of materials and personnel needed to re-establish the basic needs for human life; including power, water, sanitation and the health sector.
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