3 mar 2008
B'Tselem: half of Gaza dead were unarmed civilians
At least half the Palestinians killed in Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip were unarmed civilians, the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem reported on Monday.
According to B'Tselem's figures, of 106 people killed between 27 February and the afternoon of 3 March, at least 54 did not take part in the fighting. Twenty-five were minors. In addition, at least forty-six minors were wounded.
The report contradicts the Israeli chief of staff's contention that 90% of those killed were armed fighters.
The Palestinian Health Ministry put the number of dead at 115 by Monday morning.
B'Tselem's preliminary investigation of the incursion, which only ended Monday morning, raises "the grave concern that the Israeli army used excessive and disproportionate force, and failed to distinguish between uninvolved civilians and Palestinians who took part in the fighting."
In response to an announcement that the Israeli military is mulling the legality of shelling civilian areas, B'Tselem admonished the government "that attacks on legitimate military targets are prohibited if they are likely to cause disproportionate harm to civilians, or to breach the duty to take caution not to harm civilians."
B'Tselem provided three cases to illustrate its contention:
". The killing of four children - 'Ali Dardona, age 8, Muhammad Hamudah, 9, Dardona Dardona, 12, and 'Omer Dardona - and wounding of two others while they played soccer in the street, east of the Jabalya refugee camp on 28 February. B'Tselem's investigation indicates that Qassam rockets may have been fired earlier about 100 meters from where the children were. However, no armed Palestinians were killed or injured in the incident.
". The killing of Iyad and Jacqueline Muhammad Abu-Shabak, brother and sister, 16 and 17 years old, when they were watching the fighting from the window of their house east of Jabalya. According to testimonies by family members, the two were shot in the head and chest.
". The killing of six-month-old Muhammad al-Bur'i, at the family's home in the Rimal section of Gaza on 27 February, and the wounding of others, in the shelling of the nearby Interior Ministry building. The building is a civilian office building, and not a legitimate military target."
At least half the Palestinians killed in Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip were unarmed civilians, the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem reported on Monday.
According to B'Tselem's figures, of 106 people killed between 27 February and the afternoon of 3 March, at least 54 did not take part in the fighting. Twenty-five were minors. In addition, at least forty-six minors were wounded.
The report contradicts the Israeli chief of staff's contention that 90% of those killed were armed fighters.
The Palestinian Health Ministry put the number of dead at 115 by Monday morning.
B'Tselem's preliminary investigation of the incursion, which only ended Monday morning, raises "the grave concern that the Israeli army used excessive and disproportionate force, and failed to distinguish between uninvolved civilians and Palestinians who took part in the fighting."
In response to an announcement that the Israeli military is mulling the legality of shelling civilian areas, B'Tselem admonished the government "that attacks on legitimate military targets are prohibited if they are likely to cause disproportionate harm to civilians, or to breach the duty to take caution not to harm civilians."
B'Tselem provided three cases to illustrate its contention:
". The killing of four children - 'Ali Dardona, age 8, Muhammad Hamudah, 9, Dardona Dardona, 12, and 'Omer Dardona - and wounding of two others while they played soccer in the street, east of the Jabalya refugee camp on 28 February. B'Tselem's investigation indicates that Qassam rockets may have been fired earlier about 100 meters from where the children were. However, no armed Palestinians were killed or injured in the incident.
". The killing of Iyad and Jacqueline Muhammad Abu-Shabak, brother and sister, 16 and 17 years old, when they were watching the fighting from the window of their house east of Jabalya. According to testimonies by family members, the two were shot in the head and chest.
". The killing of six-month-old Muhammad al-Bur'i, at the family's home in the Rimal section of Gaza on 27 February, and the wounding of others, in the shelling of the nearby Interior Ministry building. The building is a civilian office building, and not a legitimate military target."
Abbas ready for ceasefire with Israel
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is prepared to call a comprehensive ceasefire with Israel "in order to avoid more suffering and more victims amongst the Palestinian people."
In a statement published on the website of the official Palestinian news agency Abbas also said he would also work to reopen the Gaza Strip's border crossings and attempt "to avoid massacres in the West Bank as well as keeping the area stable and secure."
Abbas called on the Israeli government to consider on his initiative. He also applauded the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and welcomed support from Arab and other countries.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is prepared to call a comprehensive ceasefire with Israel "in order to avoid more suffering and more victims amongst the Palestinian people."
In a statement published on the website of the official Palestinian news agency Abbas also said he would also work to reopen the Gaza Strip's border crossings and attempt "to avoid massacres in the West Bank as well as keeping the area stable and secure."
Abbas called on the Israeli government to consider on his initiative. He also applauded the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and welcomed support from Arab and other countries.
Dozens injured as Israeli soldiers fire on demonstrations around Bethlehem and Hebron
Dozens of Palestinians have been injured in towns across the southern West Bank after Israeli troops cracked down on demonstrations against the Israeli mass killings in Gaza.
In Bethlehem, students marched to the Israeli separation wall near Rachael's Tomb. Young Palestinians pelted Israeli military vehicles with stones and empty bottles. The soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas and sound grenades. Ten people were injured, witnesses said.
Israeli soldiers shot 16-year-old Nabil Nayif Al-'Eisawi in the chest. Sources at Beit Jala government hospital described his injury as "critical." The rest were injured moderately and slightly.
Hebron
In the Hebron district in the southern West Bank, about 20 Palestinians have been injured after Israeli soldiers opened fire in various place, reporters said on Monday.
Ma'an's reporter said that at least 10 people have been injured in Bani Na'im, east of Hebron and six others have been injured in Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.
Local sources said that 16-year-old Muhammad Khlayyil was was seriously injured during the confrontation in Beit Ummar. Eyewitnesses told Ma'an that clashes erupted in the morning and continued into the afternoon. Israeli forces overran the town firing live ammunition, tear gas and sound grenades, witnesses said.
Two people have also been injured in Al-Arrub refugee camp and several people in Hebron itself, including one seriously injured.
Eyewitnesses in Al-Arrub refugee camp stated that an Israeli settler was injured after his car was struck by stones. Palestinian young people set fire to car tires and threw stones at Israeli military vehicles. Israeli soldiers intervened to disperse the demonstration using live ammunition, rubber-coater metal bullets and tear gas canisters.
In the town of Surif, north of Hebron, eight Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers. Four others were detained.
Israeli sources said that a Jewish settler was hospitalized after being injured near Surif.
Dozens of Palestinians have been injured in towns across the southern West Bank after Israeli troops cracked down on demonstrations against the Israeli mass killings in Gaza.
In Bethlehem, students marched to the Israeli separation wall near Rachael's Tomb. Young Palestinians pelted Israeli military vehicles with stones and empty bottles. The soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas and sound grenades. Ten people were injured, witnesses said.
Israeli soldiers shot 16-year-old Nabil Nayif Al-'Eisawi in the chest. Sources at Beit Jala government hospital described his injury as "critical." The rest were injured moderately and slightly.
Hebron
In the Hebron district in the southern West Bank, about 20 Palestinians have been injured after Israeli soldiers opened fire in various place, reporters said on Monday.
Ma'an's reporter said that at least 10 people have been injured in Bani Na'im, east of Hebron and six others have been injured in Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.
Local sources said that 16-year-old Muhammad Khlayyil was was seriously injured during the confrontation in Beit Ummar. Eyewitnesses told Ma'an that clashes erupted in the morning and continued into the afternoon. Israeli forces overran the town firing live ammunition, tear gas and sound grenades, witnesses said.
Two people have also been injured in Al-Arrub refugee camp and several people in Hebron itself, including one seriously injured.
Eyewitnesses in Al-Arrub refugee camp stated that an Israeli settler was injured after his car was struck by stones. Palestinian young people set fire to car tires and threw stones at Israeli military vehicles. Israeli soldiers intervened to disperse the demonstration using live ammunition, rubber-coater metal bullets and tear gas canisters.
In the town of Surif, north of Hebron, eight Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers. Four others were detained.
Israeli sources said that a Jewish settler was hospitalized after being injured near Surif.
Bellicose Israeli politicians urge more mass killings of Palestinians
Israel must carpet bomb the Gaza Strip as the Russians did to the Chechen capital, Grozny, Israeli MK Yisrael Katz said on Monday.
"All the buildings near which projectiles have been launched should be destroyed to the ground since there is no solution for the projectiles' problem," said Katz, who is a member of the right-wing Likud party.
According to Katz, the Israeli air forces should drop leaflets from the air ordering the residents of Gaza Strip to leave their homes, and then the warplanes should destroy every building near where the projectiles are launched. "They could flee to the Sinai," he said, referring to Palestinians who would be displaced by his plan.
MK Uri Yehuda Ariel from the rightist Mafdal party, meanwhile, urged the Israeli government and Israeli settlers to react harshly towards demonstrators in the West Bank. "We must do that to avoid doubts that we have become dependent on Hamas' decisions," Ariel said, applauding the killing of a Palestinian student by an Israeli settler near Ramallah earlier on Monday.
Separately, an Israeli military intelligence commander told the Israeli security cabinet that the Israeli forces seized and destroyed a vast arsenal in the Gaza Strip during the five-day incursion that ended on Monday.
However, the official warned that Israel should not forget the possibility of major operations against Israeli target abroad after the assassination of Hezbullah's military leader Imad Mughniyya, for which Israel has been blamed.
Israel must carpet bomb the Gaza Strip as the Russians did to the Chechen capital, Grozny, Israeli MK Yisrael Katz said on Monday.
"All the buildings near which projectiles have been launched should be destroyed to the ground since there is no solution for the projectiles' problem," said Katz, who is a member of the right-wing Likud party.
According to Katz, the Israeli air forces should drop leaflets from the air ordering the residents of Gaza Strip to leave their homes, and then the warplanes should destroy every building near where the projectiles are launched. "They could flee to the Sinai," he said, referring to Palestinians who would be displaced by his plan.
MK Uri Yehuda Ariel from the rightist Mafdal party, meanwhile, urged the Israeli government and Israeli settlers to react harshly towards demonstrators in the West Bank. "We must do that to avoid doubts that we have become dependent on Hamas' decisions," Ariel said, applauding the killing of a Palestinian student by an Israeli settler near Ramallah earlier on Monday.
Separately, an Israeli military intelligence commander told the Israeli security cabinet that the Israeli forces seized and destroyed a vast arsenal in the Gaza Strip during the five-day incursion that ended on Monday.
However, the official warned that Israel should not forget the possibility of major operations against Israeli target abroad after the assassination of Hezbullah's military leader Imad Mughniyya, for which Israel has been blamed.
Oxfam warns of "dire consequences" of renewed Gaza invasion
The UK-based aid agency Oxfam International warned on Monday of the "dire humanitarian consequences" of a possible escalation of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
"Oxfam is deeply concerned about the high number of civilians killed in the current Israeli military incursion. A large scale military attack on the densely populated Gaza Strip will worsen already unacceptable levels of civilian casualties," said the agency.
Last week, the group said, an Oxfam funded mobile clinic, pharmacy and office of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) were destroyed by an Israeli airstrike.
"The destruction of this health facility comes at a time when humanitarian needs are rapidly increasing as the Gaza blockade continues and essential services, including water and sanitation, are close to break down," Oxfam said.
Adam Leach, Lead Manager of Oxfam International for the Middle East, said: "We have all the elements for a dramatic deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Gaza and innocent civilians will again be the ones to suffer most. We call on all parties to the conflict to end violence against civilians and to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.
"We appeal to the international community to take immediate action to stop the escalation of violence and insecurity and press for a truce in order to ensure protection of civilians. Sustaining and increasing human suffering is unlikely to lead to peace," he added.
"Oxfam is deeply concerned about the high number of civilians killed in the current Israeli military incursion. A large scale military attack on the densely populated Gaza Strip will worsen already unacceptable levels of civilian casualties," said the agency.
Last week, the group said, an Oxfam funded mobile clinic, pharmacy and office of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS) were destroyed by an Israeli airstrike.
"The destruction of this health facility comes at a time when humanitarian needs are rapidly increasing as the Gaza blockade continues and essential services, including water and sanitation, are close to break down," Oxfam said.
Adam Leach, Lead Manager of Oxfam International for the Middle East, said: "We have all the elements for a dramatic deterioration in the humanitarian situation in Gaza and innocent civilians will again be the ones to suffer most. We call on all parties to the conflict to end violence against civilians and to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.
"We appeal to the international community to take immediate action to stop the escalation of violence and insecurity and press for a truce in order to ensure protection of civilians. Sustaining and increasing human suffering is unlikely to lead to peace," he added.
Israeli army sources: Gaza incursions not finished
The Israeli military's withdrawal from Jabalia on Monday morning does not mean that the Israeli onslaught in Gaza has ended, Israeli army sources said on Monday.
Plans for another ground incursion are ready to proceed, the sources told Israeli media.
The Israeli forces will continue shelling targets in the Gaza Strip, and if Palestinian military groups continue to fire homemade projectiles towards Israeli towns, the Israeli forces will invade the Gaza Strip again.
An Israeli high-ranking officer in the elite Givati unit, "We have achieved success as we seized fighting equipment in the northern Gaza Strip, but the political echelon did not allow us to progress further."
After three homemade projectiles fired from Gaza landed in Israeli city of Ashkelon, an Israeli security source said, "The army forces are ready to return to the Gaza Strip, and we warn Hamas of launching more projectiles because if that continues, we will send more force and hit again."
Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri considered the Israeli withdrawal from the northern Gaza Strip to be a sign of Israeli failure in the ground battles.
Abu Zuhri also slammed the silence of the Arab countries in the face of Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military's withdrawal from Jabalia on Monday morning does not mean that the Israeli onslaught in Gaza has ended, Israeli army sources said on Monday.
Plans for another ground incursion are ready to proceed, the sources told Israeli media.
The Israeli forces will continue shelling targets in the Gaza Strip, and if Palestinian military groups continue to fire homemade projectiles towards Israeli towns, the Israeli forces will invade the Gaza Strip again.
An Israeli high-ranking officer in the elite Givati unit, "We have achieved success as we seized fighting equipment in the northern Gaza Strip, but the political echelon did not allow us to progress further."
After three homemade projectiles fired from Gaza landed in Israeli city of Ashkelon, an Israeli security source said, "The army forces are ready to return to the Gaza Strip, and we warn Hamas of launching more projectiles because if that continues, we will send more force and hit again."
Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri considered the Israeli withdrawal from the northern Gaza Strip to be a sign of Israeli failure in the ground battles.
Abu Zuhri also slammed the silence of the Arab countries in the face of Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian student killed as protesters confront Israeli troops near Ramallah
A Palestinian student was killed on Monday morning after Israeli forces opened fire on a peaceful demonstration in the West Bank against the Israeli mass killings in the Gaza Strip
19-year-old Muhammad Shreitih was killed at the student rally in the village of Al-Mazra'a Al-Qibliya, near the city of Ramallah.
Palestinians across the West Bank took to the streets for a second day on Monday, confronting Israeli troops and expressing solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Relatives of the deceased told Ma'an that students marched to the Israeli settlements near the village. Clashes erupted between the students and Israeli soldiers near the Talmon settlement. Shretih, a student in his third year of secondary school, was shot in the head and died on the way to Khalid Hospital in Ramallah.
A funeral procession for Shreitih is scheduled for Monday afternoon.
Israeli media reported that an Israeli settler named Moshe Benbenishti, a student in a Jewish school in the settlement opened fire at the Palestinians.
Israeli security sources commented on the incident, saying, "The settler felt he was endangered when 200 Palestinians were pelting his car with stones, so he fired at them."
Meanwhile, Israeli forces stormed the village of Ni'lin, also west of Ramallah, closing all entrances to the town as fierce clashes erupted between the invading forces and Palestinian youths.
A Palestinian student was killed on Monday morning after Israeli forces opened fire on a peaceful demonstration in the West Bank against the Israeli mass killings in the Gaza Strip
19-year-old Muhammad Shreitih was killed at the student rally in the village of Al-Mazra'a Al-Qibliya, near the city of Ramallah.
Palestinians across the West Bank took to the streets for a second day on Monday, confronting Israeli troops and expressing solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Relatives of the deceased told Ma'an that students marched to the Israeli settlements near the village. Clashes erupted between the students and Israeli soldiers near the Talmon settlement. Shretih, a student in his third year of secondary school, was shot in the head and died on the way to Khalid Hospital in Ramallah.
A funeral procession for Shreitih is scheduled for Monday afternoon.
Israeli media reported that an Israeli settler named Moshe Benbenishti, a student in a Jewish school in the settlement opened fire at the Palestinians.
Israeli security sources commented on the incident, saying, "The settler felt he was endangered when 200 Palestinians were pelting his car with stones, so he fired at them."
Meanwhile, Israeli forces stormed the village of Ni'lin, also west of Ramallah, closing all entrances to the town as fierce clashes erupted between the invading forces and Palestinian youths.
Israeli security chiefs to examine legality of firing on Palestinian civilians
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will preside over a high-level meeting on Monday to examine the legality of firing directly into Palestinian residential neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip in areas where Palestinian fighters launch homemade projectiles at Israeli targets.
A separate meeting was held last night that included the head of the Israeli internal security service, Yuval Diskin and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi as well as other security chiefs.
A separate meeting was held last night that included the head of the Israeli internal security service, Yuval Diskin and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi as well as other security chiefs.
Three Palestinian children injured by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza
Three Palestinian children have been injured after Israeli artillery fired on the northern Gaza Strip village of Beit Hanoun.
Muawiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli military launched a missile at an open area in Beit Hanoun. The children were evacuated to a hospital.
Three Palestinian children have been injured after Israeli artillery fired on the northern Gaza Strip village of Beit Hanoun.
Muawiya Hassanain, the director of ambulance and emergency services in the Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli military launched a missile at an open area in Beit Hanoun. The children were evacuated to a hospital.
Palestinian man critically injured by Israeli fire near Qalqilia
Israeli forces shot a young Palestinian man in the neck during an incursion near the northern West Bank town of Qalqilia on Sunday evening.
Palestinian medical sources said 20-year-old Khadir Masalha was critically injured in the town of Hajja..
Local sources in Hajja said that more than ten Israeli military vehicles invaded the town firing on Palestinian houses before imposing a curfew on both Hajja and neighboring Al-Fundoq.
Earlier, Israeli sources said that a Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Al-Fundoq, east of Qalqilia.
Also in the northern West Bank, the military wing of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, claimed responsibility for opening fire at the Israeli settlement of Al-Qarnain near the Palestinian town of Azzun as well as a military installation in the town.
Palestinian medical sources said 20-year-old Khadir Masalha was critically injured in the town of Hajja..
Local sources in Hajja said that more than ten Israeli military vehicles invaded the town firing on Palestinian houses before imposing a curfew on both Hajja and neighboring Al-Fundoq.
Earlier, Israeli sources said that a Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Al-Fundoq, east of Qalqilia.
Also in the northern West Bank, the military wing of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Brigades, claimed responsibility for opening fire at the Israeli settlement of Al-Qarnain near the Palestinian town of Azzun as well as a military installation in the town.
Israeli forces kill seven more Palestinians before withdrawing from Jabalia camp; 115 killed since Wednesday
Israeli forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip on Monday morning after a five-day incursion that left 115 Palestinians dead.
Before withdrawing the Israeli military killed seven more Palestinians in Jabalia refugee camp during four separate raids on Monday. The attacks also left dozens dead and massive destruction of Palestinian houses.
Ma'an's reporter said that Israeli warplanes and naval squadrons killed seven activists, six of whom were affiliated to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades and one affiliated to the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades.
Palestinian medical sources confirmed the deaths of three Hamas fighters in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip.
The sources named two of the victims as 20-year-old Ibrahim Al-Masri, from Ash-Shati refugee camp, and Darweesh Miqdad, from Nusairat refugee camp, whose age was not given.
The Israeli army also attacked the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) headquarters in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, injuring five people.
At midnight on Sunday, two members of Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades were killed when Israeli warplanes fired on a group of fighters in Jabalia. Medical sources named the killed fighters as Ra'id Junaid and Na'im Abu Husni.
The Israeli air force also targeted a blacksmith shop in Gaza City, causing material damage. No casualties have been reported in that airstrike.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip since Wednesday has risen to 115 according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. One third of the victims were children. 320 people were injured.
Israeli forces withdrew from the Gaza Strip on Monday morning after a five-day incursion that left 115 Palestinians dead.
Before withdrawing the Israeli military killed seven more Palestinians in Jabalia refugee camp during four separate raids on Monday. The attacks also left dozens dead and massive destruction of Palestinian houses.
Ma'an's reporter said that Israeli warplanes and naval squadrons killed seven activists, six of whom were affiliated to Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades and one affiliated to the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, the An-Nasser Salah Addin Brigades.
Palestinian medical sources confirmed the deaths of three Hamas fighters in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip.
The sources named two of the victims as 20-year-old Ibrahim Al-Masri, from Ash-Shati refugee camp, and Darweesh Miqdad, from Nusairat refugee camp, whose age was not given.
The Israeli army also attacked the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) headquarters in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, injuring five people.
At midnight on Sunday, two members of Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades were killed when Israeli warplanes fired on a group of fighters in Jabalia. Medical sources named the killed fighters as Ra'id Junaid and Na'im Abu Husni.
The Israeli air force also targeted a blacksmith shop in Gaza City, causing material damage. No casualties have been reported in that airstrike.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip since Wednesday has risen to 115 according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. One third of the victims were children. 320 people were injured.
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