Israel kills over 81 Palestinians, injures more than 250 and cause severe suffering to hundreds of thousands in the Gaza Strip

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Palestine.

Al Mezan strongly condemns the Israeli violations of human rights and the rights of the children in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and especially in the north of the Gaza Strip. The Center calls upon the international community to take effective action to put an end to these violations. The Center also calls human rights organizations and children NGOs, coalitions and individuals to take whatever steps within their power to mobilize a more effective intervention to prevent such violations of the International Humanitarian Law and human rights standards.

Brief Description

Since the night of Tuesday 28 September 2004, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) carried out a wide-scaled incursion into the area of North Gaza[1]. IOF spokespersons announced that the Israeli Army carried out the incursion to stop the launch of Qassam and other hand-made rockets on the Israeli territory and Jewish settlements inside the Gaza Strip. The incursion is still underway for the eighth day. To date, eighty-one Palestinians; among whom are 25 children, have been killed and 270; including 90 children, were injured. Numerous homes and private property have also been destroyed as IOF utilize excessive, disproportionate force, including air force and heavy tanks in this military operation.

At about 3 pm on Thursday 30 October, an Israeli tank fired artillery into a group of Palestinians in the center of Jebalia refugee camp killing 10, of them at least 8 were Palestinian under-18s. Some 30 other people were injured; including 10 children.

In addition, as the incursion continues, a major proportion of the civilian population of the area suffer shortage in food and water supply due to the destruction of water and electricity facilities, or denying access of technical teams to operate them by IOF.

In the south of the Strip, there has been a serious shortage of food and fuel as IOF ban human and goods movement and, thus, the supplied from Gaza City. Moreover, hundreds of people, including numerous children are not able to access medical care due to the closure of checkpoints.

Background information:

Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem in the aftermath of the June 1967 war. The international community considered this occupation as illegal and has a consensus on the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the OPT. During this period, Palestinians have been striving to achieve their own independent state. In September 2000, Palestinians took to the streets in reaction to Ariel Sharon's visit to Al Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem in what is called the Al Aqsa Intifada, which had a more passive nature in the beginning. The IOF perpetrated numerous violations of IHL during this Intifada, including the murder of over 2,500 Palestinians, including 700 children, and used children as collaborators and informants. IOF also destroyed more than 5,000 homes in the Gaza Strip and impose daily strict closures restricting human and goods movement.

There are some 3.5 million Palestinians living in the OPT, 1.4 of them in the Gaza Strip. The area of the Strip is about 360 square kilometers. Israel controls 40% of this area for settlement and military purposes. There are 19 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.

International Law

The above mentioned practices represent a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949). The Convention prohibits the perpetration of grave breaches by the occupying power, such as excessive and disproportionate force, reprisals against civilians and destruction of civilian properties, collective punishment and targeting civilians (articles 146, 147, 33, 53, 49, and 47).

Israel is in breach of its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989, which Israel ratified in 1991. These practices violate Palestinian children "inherent right to life" and their right to adequate housing, among other rights (articles 6 and 27).

The practices reported also violate the basic right to adequate housing; i.e., the right of all women, men and children to gain and sustain a secure place to live in peace and dignity.

Action requested:

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights requests the solidarity of human rights organizations, groups and individuals. Please read this release and endorse it by sending a message to the Center at the below email address. Endorsements will be updated daily starting from Wednesday 7 October 2004, and will appear at the Center's website www.mezan.org.

Please also send the attached sample letter or a letter of your own demanding respect for human rights law and restraint from reprisals against civilians and children in the OPT to international, Israeli and National officials. Some of the important contact information is enclosed in the letter.