[IPSM] GAZA INCURSION

Fri Oct 1 20:12:29 PDT 2004

Urgent Appeal from UHWC Gaza
Urgent Appeal, UHWC Gaza, 30 September 2004

For the last 48 hours, the Union of Health Work Committees (UHWC), medical
facilities are in state of top emergency in the northern governorate of Gaza
Strip.

The medical teams are working continuously to cope with the increasing
number of causalities, due to a massive incursion of Israeli forces to the
northern governorate, especially Jabalia.

Israeli tanks, helicopters, and other military forces are attacking the area
through four main sectors. Israeli forces are demolishing houses, destroying
infrastructure and bulldozing trees at the same time they snipe at every
moving target, disregarding whether it is a child, women, old man or a
youth.

The chicken farms and different animal farms had their share in destruction.
A chicken farm at Abed Rabuh Quarter in Jabalia has been completely
bulldozed at this morning.

Al-Awda Hospital received till this moment 42 injured people, 17 of them are
under 15 years old, 8 women, in addition to 8 martyrs (most of the injuries
are due to explosive bullets). Another governmental hospital in the same
area has received tens of causalities also.

UHWC, Al-Quds Medical Center in Beit Hanoun has been working 24 hours a day
to cover the expected increasing number of casualties and to offer other
medical emergencies because Beit Hanoun has been isolated from the rest of
Gaza Strip.

Al-Assria (Al-Luhiedan) Medical Center in Jabalia Refugee Camp is now in the
middle of battle with Israeli tanks and snipers just 50 meters away from the
center. All the other health and community activities of Al-Luhiedan
Community Health Center have been halted as it works as a first front
medical aid center.

The first aid medical teams and the ambulance service of the UHWC (138
volunteers, men and women) are working day and night to rescue and evacuate
the injured people and offer highly needed medical and food supplies.

UHWC teams call all international and human rights organizations, the Red
Cross, and United Nations, and all those who are seeking just peace in the
area to urgently interfere to stop this massacre against the Palestinian
people. At the same time we need pressure on the Israeli government to stop
its harassment of the medical teams and civilians.

For more information, please contact Dr. Sayed Ajadbah, Executive Director,
Union of Health Work Committees - Gaza.

Source: http://www.electronicintifada.com/
________________________________

Widescale Israeli military offensive on the Northern Gaza Strip
Press Release, PCHR, 30 September 2004

15 PALESTINIANS KILLED, AT LEAST 120 OTHERS INJURED AND CIVILIAN PROPERTIES
DESTROYED

Israeli occupying troops have continued their wide scale offensive on the
northern Gaza Strip for the 3rd consecutive day. At the time of going to
print, 15 Palestinians, including 3 children, have been killed and at least
120 others were injured, some of them are in a serious condition. Israeli
troops have also destroyed a number of houses and civilian facilities.
Israeli troops have used excessive force against unarmed Palestinian
civilians. According to Palestinian medical sources, most of the injured
were hit in the upper part of the body. PCHR expresses deep concern for this
intense presence of Israeli troops in the area, especially in Jabalya
refugee camp which is one of the most populated areas in the Gaza Strip.

PCHR is concerned as Israeli political and military officials stated that
the Israeli military operations in the northern Gaza Strip would be
expanded. This latest offensive on the northern Gaza Strip has been the
third of its kind against the same area in the second half of this year.
Previous offensives resulted in dozens of casualties among Palestinian
civilians and destroyed large areas of agricultural land and many civilian
facilities.

According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately
22:00 on Tuesday, 28 September 2004, Israeli occupying troops, reinforced by
heavy military vehicles and helicopters, launched a wide scale offensive on
the northern Gaza Strip. They moved into area through three directions
opening fire intensively.

At approximately 04:00 on Wednesday, 29 September 2004, Israeli troops
positioned at al-Sikka Street, east of Jabalya refugee camp, fired an
artillery shell at a number of members of the Palestinian resistance who
clashed with those troops. One member of the resistance, Tawfiq Mohammed
al-Sherafi, 24, was killed by shrapnel from the shell.

At approximately 07:00 on the same day, 15 Israeli military vehicles moved
from Erez crossing towards Qulaibu hill in Tal al-Za'tar area. Israeli
troops opened fire at the area and isolated it from its surroundings.

At approximately 07:25 on the same day, Israeli troops opened fire at dozens
of Palestinian schoolchildren who threw stones at Israeli tanks near the
directorate of education in Beit Lahia. One of the children, Sa'ed Mohammed
Hiddu Abu al-'Eish, 14, from Jabalya refugee camp, was killed by a live
bullet in the chest.

At approximately 09:00 on the same day, while Israeli military bulldozers
were demolishing the fence of the building of the Palestinian Preventive
Security Service in Beit Lahia, an electricity tower fell on a number of
Palestinian children who gathered in the area. One of the children, Ahmed
Ibrahim 'Abdul Fattah Madi, 14, from Jabalya refugee camp, was instantly
killed.

In the evening, Israeli troops continued to shell Palestinian residential
areas, especially in Jabalya refugee camp. At approximately 20:30, an
Israeli helicopter gunship fired a missile at a number of members of the
Palestinian resistance in the east of Jabalya refugee camp. One member of
the resistance, Sa'ad Mohammed al-Barad'ei, 21, from Gaza City, was killed,
and 2 others were seriously injured.

At approximately 23:30, an Israeli helicopter gunship fired a missile at a
number of members of the Palestinian resistance in Tal al-Za'tar area. Two
members of the resistance were killed:

1. Fathi Ahmed al-Sawawin, 21; and
2. Khalil Khalil Naji, 31, both from Gaza City.

On Thursday morning, 30 September 2004, Israeli troops moved towards Jabalya
refugee camp. They were positioned in Block 2. They seized a number of
houses and transformed their roofs into military sites. Israeli troops
partially demolished a number of houses and destroyed fences of a number of
UNRWA schools. The Israeli military operation expanded to include Block 4 in
the camp. Israeli troops shelled the area intensively. Since the morning,
clashes have erupted between Israeli troops and members of the Palestinian
resistance. Six members of the resistance have been killed in these clashes:

1. Ra'fat Rafiq Jadallah, 25;
2. Sufian Shafiq Abu al-Jedian, 33;
3. Hamza Ahmed, 29;
4. Mohammed al-Masri, 29;
5. Mohammed 'Abdul Karim al-Ja'beer, 19; and
6. Hazem Hussein Farajallah, 24.

At approximately 11:50 on Thursday, Israeli troops positioned in Qulaibu
hill opened fire at a number of Palestinian civilians in the east of Beit
Lahia. One Palestinian civilian, Mohammed Yousef al-Habel, 65, was killed by
a live bullet in the chest, when he was sitting in front of his shop. At
noon, Israeli troops continued to shell Palestinian residential areas. A
Palestinian child, who has not been so far identified, was killed by a live
bullet in the heart. Another civilian, 'Aatef Jamal Rajab al-Ashqar, 27,
from Beit Lahia, was killed by a live bullet in the head.

Also as result of the Israeli shelling during this latest continuous
offensive, at least 120 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 20
children, have been injured. Medical sources described the injuries of 10 of
these Palestinians as serious.

PCHR remains gravely concerned for the latest escalation of Israeli military
operations in the occupied Palestinian Territory (OPTs), especially in the
Gaza Strip, and warns of retaliatory acts against Palestinian civilians and
their properties, in violation of international law and humanitarian law.

These Israeli military operations violate the Geneva Convention Relative to
the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949 (Fourth Geneva
Convention), particularly article 33 which prohibits collective punishment,
and article 147, which classifies extensive destruction and appropriation of
property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and
wantonly as a grave breach of the Convention, an act which is considered a
war crime under article 85(5) of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva
Conventions, an Relative to the Protection of Victims of International Armed
Conflicts.

PCHR reminds the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of
their legal obligations to ensure respect for the Convention and take
concrete steps to stop grave breaches of the Convention perpetrated by
Israeli occupying troops in the OPTs.

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
http://www.pchrgaza.org

Source: http://www.electronicintifada.com/

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