Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
have continued air strikes on the Gaza Strip, especially on its north. They have
attacked a number of civilian facilities and agricultural areas. This escalation
has come in the context of a plan made by the Israeli Ministry of Defense to
respond to launching locally made rockets at Israeli towns located to the east
of the Gaza Strip. PCHR is concerned that such attacks may endanger the lives of
Palestinian civilians and destroy their property.
According to investigations
conducted by PCHR, at approximately 23:30 on Sunday, 18 December 2005, IOF
started to launch a series of air strikes, which continued until Monday morning.
IOF war planes launched at least 13 air strikes on a number of roads in the
northern Gaza Strip towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia. They attacked the
following targets:
- A number of missiles hit
al-Sikka Bridge in the south of Beit Hanoun, destroying it and making a
large crater into the main road that links the south with the north of the
Gaza Strip and leads to Erez crossing.
- Three missiles hit Salah
al-Din Street, making craters and destroying it partially.
- A missile hit the road
leading to a site of the Palestinian Naval Police in al-Sudaniya area in the
west of Beit Lahia.
- Three missiles hit the
main road in Sheikh Zayed town in Beit Lahia, partially destroying it and
damaging a number of houses;
- A missile destroyed the
road leading to Um al-Nasser village, nearly 100 meters away from Balsam
Hospital, whose windows were also destroyed.
As a result of these air
strikes, 6 Palestinian civilians, including a 3-month-old infant, were injured
by shrapnel. Palestinian civilians were extremely terrified.
On Sunday morning, 18 December
2005, IOF war planes launched 6 mock air raids on the same areas. They also
attacked agricultural areas to the east of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan
Yunis.
In light of
the above:
- PCHR reiterates its
condemnation for this latest escalation, which further proves that the
Israeli Disengagement Plan was a form of IOF redeployment rather than an end
of occupation as the Israeli occupation is still effective both physically
and legally.
- PCHR is concerned that
more casualties may occur among Palestinian civilians in light of the green
light given by the Israeli government to IOF to commit more extra-judicial
executions and attack Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip.
- PCHR 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.
- PCHR calls for campaigning
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.