For the third consecutive day, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have continued to shell Palestinian civilian targets in the Gaza Strip using warplanes, gunboats as well as tanks positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Israeli warplanes carried out mock air raids and conducted sonic booms over the Gaza Strip. IOF have also closed all border crossings of the Gaza Strip, including commercial ones. This Israeli escalation came in a response to launching a number of locally made rockets by Palestinian gunmen at the Israeli town of Sedorot to the north of the Gaza Strip. This latest wave of attacks on the Gaza Strip has been the second of its kind since the middle of last September, when IOF evacuated Israeli settlements and redeployed around the Gaza Strip.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 20:30 on Monday, 24 October 2005, an Israeli F-16 fighter jet launched a missile at an uninhabited area to the north of al-Nada housing project. No casualties were reported, but the missile made a large crater into the ground.

At approximately 22:30 on the same day, IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast of Beit Hanoun fired a number of artillery shells and gunshots at Palestinian areas located to the west of the border. No casualties were reported, but Palestinian civilians were extremely terrified.

At approximately 23:30 on the same day, Israeli gunboats launched a number of missiles at a number of sites of the Palestinian National Security Forces in al-Sudaniya area in the northern Gaza Strip. No casualties or damage were reported.

At approximately 01:00 on Tuesday, 25 October 2005, Israeli warplanes launched a missile at the office of Fatah movement in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanound. The office was severely damaged, but no casualties were reported.

At approximately 01:30 on the same day, an Israeli helicopter gunship launched a missile at al-Ihsan Cultural Centre on the second floor of a building belonging to the Solidarity Society for Community Development in al-Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah. The missile hit a concrete pillar in the building and shrapnel from it hit two neighboring houses. The centre, a clinic on the first floor of the building and the two houses were severely damaged. A third house was lightly damaged. In addition, 5 Palestinian civilians, including an old woman and two children, in one of these houses, and the guard of the centre were injured by shrapnel.

At approximately 06:25 on the same day, an Israeli F-16 fighter jet launched a missile at an uninhabited area in the south of Beit Hanoun. No casualties or damage were reported.

At approximately 01:00 on Wednesday, 26 October 2005, IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Beit Hanoun, fired 12 artillery shells at uninhabited areas located nearly 1000 meters to the west of the border. No casualties were reported. This Israeli shelling continued sporadically for two hours. IOF also declared the targeted area known as al-Masriyeen area a closed military zone and prevented Palestinian civilians from leaving their houses. This Israeli declaration remained effective until 06:00, when Palestinian civilians started to move normally, but nearly 1500 meters away from the border.

In light of the above:

1. PCHR strongly condemns this serious escalation in attacks by IOF, which proves that IOF continue to occupy the Gaza Strip, despite the recent evacuation of Israeli settlements. PCHR reiterates its position declared on 13 October 2004 that IOF did not end their occupation of the Gaza Strip rather they redeployed around it, while the occupation has remained effective in its legal and materialistic forms.
2. PCHR is gravely concerned that a green light given to IOF by the Israeli government, allowing them to launch wide scale attacks, including extra-judicial killings and incursions, in the Gaza Strip, may result in more casualties among Palestinian civilians.
3. PCHR remains also gravely concerned at repeated mistakes in firing those rockets hitting civilian areas and endangering civilians. PCHR also reminds the Palestinian resistance groups of their responsibilities with regard to protection of civilians in keeping with international law, and calls on them to abstain from launching any military activities from inside or near civilian areas or which target civilians or civilian areas. Attacks against civilians are in clear violation of international humanitarian law.
4. PCHR calls for continuing efforts to press for the complete implementation of international humanitarian law and that the perpetrators of attacks against civilians must be dealt with in accordance with international humanitarian law.