28 june 2019
The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR): On Friday, 28 June 2019, in excessive use of force against peaceful protesters on the 64th Friday of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege, Israeli forces wounded 128 Palestinian civilians, including 38 children, 3 women, 7 paramedics, and a journalist. Four of those wounded sustained serious wounds.
According to observations by PCHR’s fieldworkers, the Israeli forces who stationed in prone positions and in military jeeps along the fence with Israel continued to use excessive force against the protesters by firing bullets and tear gas canisters at them.
As a result, dozens of the protesters were hit with bullets and teargas canisters without posing any imminent threat or danger to the life of soldiers.
On Friday, 28 June 2019, the incidents were as follows:
At approximately 16:30, thousands of civilians, including women, children and entire families, started swarming to the five encampments established by the Supreme National Authority of Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege adjacent to the border fence with Israel in eastern Gaza Strip cities.
Hundreds of protesters, including children and women, gathered adjacent to the border fence with Israel in front of each encampment and its vicinity tens and hundreds of meters away from the fence. The protesters chanted slogans, raised flags, and in very limited incidents attempted to approach the border fence and throw stones and Molotov Cocktails at the Israeli forces, who fired live and rubber bullets at them.
The Israeli shooting, which continued until 19:30, resulted in the injury of 128 Palestinian civilians, including 38 children, 3 women, 7 paramedics, and a journalist. Among those wounded, 41 were hit were hit with live bullets and shrapnel, 36 were hit with rubber bullets and 46 were directly hit with tear gas canisters. In addition, dozens of civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and seizures due to tear gas canisters that were fired by the Israeli forces from the military jeeps and riffles in the eastern Gaza Strip.
The following table shows the number of civilian casualties due to the Israeli forces’ suppression of the Great March of Return since its beginning on 30 March:
Killed Wounded
Total 207 12953
Children 44 2608
Women 2 392
Journalists 2 203
Medical personnel 4 217
Persons with disabilities 9 Undefined
Note: Among those wounded, 550 are in serious condition and 137 had their lower or upper limbs amputated; 123 lower-limb amputations, 14 upper-limb amputations, and 25 children had their limbs amputated according to the Ministry of Health. The number of those wounded only include those wounded with live bullets and directly hit with tear gas canisters, as there have been thousand others who suffered tear gas inhalation and sustained bruises.
PCHR reiterates Palestinians’ right to peaceful assembly to confront Israel and its forces’ denial of the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination, right to return and right to end the occupation of the Palestinian territory.
PCHR stresses that the Israeli forces should stop using excessive force and respond to the legitimate demands of the demonstrators, particularly lifting the closure which is the real solution to end the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
PCHR reiterates the reported published in February by the UN Commission of Inquiry which emphasizes what came by PCHR and other Palestinian and international human rights organizations. The report at the time concluded that the Israeli violations may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
PCHR emphasizes that continuously targeting civilians, who exercise their right to peaceful assembly or while carrying out their humanitarian duty, is a serious violation of the rules of international law, international humanitarian law, the ICC Rome Statute and Fourth Geneva Convention.
Thus, PCHR reiterates its call upon the ICC Prosecutor to open an official investigation in these crimes and to prosecute and hold accountable all those applying or involved in issuing orders within the Israeli Forces at the security and political echelons.
PCHR also emphasizes that the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention should fulfill their obligation under Article 1; i.e., to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
PCHR calls upon Switzerland, in its capacity as the Depository State for the Convention, to demand the High Contracting Parties to convene a meeting and ensure Israel’s respect for this Convention, noting that these grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions regarding the guarantee of Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in the occupied territories.
Public Document
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Follow PCHR on Facebook and Twitter
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12 , El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: [email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
Israeli forces injure 50 Palestinians in Gaza marches
Dozens of Palestinian citizens were injured by Israeli gunfire and tear gas bombs on the 64th Friday of the Great March of Return in the Gaza Strip.
The Ministry of Health said that 50 Palestinians were injured including 8 paramedics and a journalist.
Thousands of Palestinians took part in the Great March of Return along Gaza's eastern border in protest at the Bahrain conference.
The PIC reporters said that the Israeli forces heavily fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters at the peaceful protesters.
The Gaza Strip Palestinians on 30 March 2018 launched the Great March of Return to call for the return of refugees and demand an end to the 13-year-long blockade on the enclave.
Since the start of the border protests, the Israeli occupation forces have killed 318 demonstrators and injured over 31,000.
According to observations by PCHR’s fieldworkers, the Israeli forces who stationed in prone positions and in military jeeps along the fence with Israel continued to use excessive force against the protesters by firing bullets and tear gas canisters at them.
As a result, dozens of the protesters were hit with bullets and teargas canisters without posing any imminent threat or danger to the life of soldiers.
On Friday, 28 June 2019, the incidents were as follows:
At approximately 16:30, thousands of civilians, including women, children and entire families, started swarming to the five encampments established by the Supreme National Authority of Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege adjacent to the border fence with Israel in eastern Gaza Strip cities.
Hundreds of protesters, including children and women, gathered adjacent to the border fence with Israel in front of each encampment and its vicinity tens and hundreds of meters away from the fence. The protesters chanted slogans, raised flags, and in very limited incidents attempted to approach the border fence and throw stones and Molotov Cocktails at the Israeli forces, who fired live and rubber bullets at them.
The Israeli shooting, which continued until 19:30, resulted in the injury of 128 Palestinian civilians, including 38 children, 3 women, 7 paramedics, and a journalist. Among those wounded, 41 were hit were hit with live bullets and shrapnel, 36 were hit with rubber bullets and 46 were directly hit with tear gas canisters. In addition, dozens of civilians suffered tear gas inhalation and seizures due to tear gas canisters that were fired by the Israeli forces from the military jeeps and riffles in the eastern Gaza Strip.
The following table shows the number of civilian casualties due to the Israeli forces’ suppression of the Great March of Return since its beginning on 30 March:
Killed Wounded
Total 207 12953
Children 44 2608
Women 2 392
Journalists 2 203
Medical personnel 4 217
Persons with disabilities 9 Undefined
Note: Among those wounded, 550 are in serious condition and 137 had their lower or upper limbs amputated; 123 lower-limb amputations, 14 upper-limb amputations, and 25 children had their limbs amputated according to the Ministry of Health. The number of those wounded only include those wounded with live bullets and directly hit with tear gas canisters, as there have been thousand others who suffered tear gas inhalation and sustained bruises.
PCHR reiterates Palestinians’ right to peaceful assembly to confront Israel and its forces’ denial of the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination, right to return and right to end the occupation of the Palestinian territory.
PCHR stresses that the Israeli forces should stop using excessive force and respond to the legitimate demands of the demonstrators, particularly lifting the closure which is the real solution to end the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
PCHR reiterates the reported published in February by the UN Commission of Inquiry which emphasizes what came by PCHR and other Palestinian and international human rights organizations. The report at the time concluded that the Israeli violations may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
PCHR emphasizes that continuously targeting civilians, who exercise their right to peaceful assembly or while carrying out their humanitarian duty, is a serious violation of the rules of international law, international humanitarian law, the ICC Rome Statute and Fourth Geneva Convention.
Thus, PCHR reiterates its call upon the ICC Prosecutor to open an official investigation in these crimes and to prosecute and hold accountable all those applying or involved in issuing orders within the Israeli Forces at the security and political echelons.
PCHR also emphasizes that the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention should fulfill their obligation under Article 1; i.e., to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
PCHR calls upon Switzerland, in its capacity as the Depository State for the Convention, to demand the High Contracting Parties to convene a meeting and ensure Israel’s respect for this Convention, noting that these grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions regarding the guarantee of Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in the occupied territories.
Public Document
**************************************
Follow PCHR on Facebook and Twitter
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12 , El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: [email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
Israeli forces injure 50 Palestinians in Gaza marches
Dozens of Palestinian citizens were injured by Israeli gunfire and tear gas bombs on the 64th Friday of the Great March of Return in the Gaza Strip.
The Ministry of Health said that 50 Palestinians were injured including 8 paramedics and a journalist.
Thousands of Palestinians took part in the Great March of Return along Gaza's eastern border in protest at the Bahrain conference.
The PIC reporters said that the Israeli forces heavily fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters at the peaceful protesters.
The Gaza Strip Palestinians on 30 March 2018 launched the Great March of Return to call for the return of refugees and demand an end to the 13-year-long blockade on the enclave.
Since the start of the border protests, the Israeli occupation forces have killed 318 demonstrators and injured over 31,000.
The Israeli occupation authorities have decided to expand the fishing zone in Gaza waters to 15 nautical miles starting Friday.
On Friday morning the Israeli authorities allowed the entry of Qatari fuel supplies into Gaza after a ban imposed since Tuesday.
Israeli media on Thursday night announced that an Egypt mediated agreement had been reached between Israel and Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza Strip.
Based on the agreement, Israel is supposed to expand the permitted fishing area, return all seized fishing boats, allow fuel supplies into the enclave, and prevent its forces from opening fire at the Great March of Return protesters.
The Israeli occupation authorities last Tuesday imposed a ban on the entry of Qatari fuel into the besieged Gaza Strip in response to fire balloons launched from the coastal enclave over the eastern border fence.
On Friday morning the Israeli authorities allowed the entry of Qatari fuel supplies into Gaza after a ban imposed since Tuesday.
Israeli media on Thursday night announced that an Egypt mediated agreement had been reached between Israel and Palestinian resistance groups in the Gaza Strip.
Based on the agreement, Israel is supposed to expand the permitted fishing area, return all seized fishing boats, allow fuel supplies into the enclave, and prevent its forces from opening fire at the Great March of Return protesters.
The Israeli occupation authorities last Tuesday imposed a ban on the entry of Qatari fuel into the besieged Gaza Strip in response to fire balloons launched from the coastal enclave over the eastern border fence.
25 june 2019
British government continued to sign off on licences for weapons despite concerns raised by prime minister and MPs
The British government licensed arms deals worth over £14m ($17.8m) to Israel last year even as Israeli soldiers were accused of intentionally firing on Palestinian protesters at the Gaza border in what the UN says may be potential war crimes.
Weapons approved for sale included ammunition, components for assault rifles, and other types of arms which could be used for repression, according to newly released details from the Department of International Trade (DIT), compiled by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT).
Revelations of the sales to Israel come after a UK court ordered the British government last week to stop approving arms sales to Saudi Arabia because it failed to fully assess whether the equipment might be used in breach of international humanitarian law in the war in Yemen.
One sale for more than $125,000-worth of military training equipment was approved on 18 May last year, four days after 68 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops on the most deadly day in Gaza since the 2014 Israeli offensive.
The DIT declined to give MEE more details about the equipment and how it could be used.
The sale was approved the same week Prime Minister Theresa May called the Palestinian killings "extremely concerning," and said there was an urgent need to find out why Israeli forces had used live fire.
The British government licensed arms deals worth over £14m ($17.8m) to Israel last year even as Israeli soldiers were accused of intentionally firing on Palestinian protesters at the Gaza border in what the UN says may be potential war crimes.
Weapons approved for sale included ammunition, components for assault rifles, and other types of arms which could be used for repression, according to newly released details from the Department of International Trade (DIT), compiled by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT).
Revelations of the sales to Israel come after a UK court ordered the British government last week to stop approving arms sales to Saudi Arabia because it failed to fully assess whether the equipment might be used in breach of international humanitarian law in the war in Yemen.
One sale for more than $125,000-worth of military training equipment was approved on 18 May last year, four days after 68 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops on the most deadly day in Gaza since the 2014 Israeli offensive.
The DIT declined to give MEE more details about the equipment and how it could be used.
The sale was approved the same week Prime Minister Theresa May called the Palestinian killings "extremely concerning," and said there was an urgent need to find out why Israeli forces had used live fire.
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"While we do not question the right of Israel to defend its borders, the use of live fire and the resulting loss of life is deeply troubling," May said in a 15 May press conference. "We urge Israel to show restraint."
The violence at the border was debated in parliament on the same day, with seven MPs calling for greater scrutiny of arms sales to Israel and some calling for an outright ban. But the approval of licences continued, including military radar equipment, missile technology and night-vision gear, totalling about $18m between 30 March until the end of the year. That figure does not include sales that were approved through what are |
called open licences, whereby UK firms are not required to publicly disclose the values of arms or quantities sold.
Use of these opaque licences to sell arms to states in the Middle East and North Africa rose by 22 percent between 2013 and 2017, MEE has reported.
MEE understands that the DIT reviewed export licenses for Israel following the events at the border in May 2018 but found nothing to indicate that UK-supplied equipment had been used in a way that violated licensing criteria.
It would, however, revoke licences if that assessment changed.
A DIT spokesperson told MEE: "All export licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis against international criteria, including respect for human rights. We will revoke any licences found to be no longer consistent with these standards.
"We keep all defence exports under careful and continual review."
'The message it sends'But CAAT spokesperson Andrew Smith said that while it's not clear whether UK-made weapons were specifically used on protesters, it is the symbolism of the UK sales, which have continued through Israeli offensives on Gaza in 2008 and 2014, that matters.
"If shooting on the border didn't stop the arms sales, if the bombardment in 2014 and 2008 didn't stop them, what more will it take?" Smith said.
"The message it sends is that, no matter what atrocities are inflicted on the Palestinian people, arms sales will continue."
By continuing to arm and support the Israeli military, he added, the UK is "only making it more likely that UK-made weapons will play a devastating role in the future".
Asked about the figures, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot told MEE it is the sole responsibility of the British government to ensure that its arms sales are lawful, but he said there was a wider legal context to consider beyond the arms trade.
"The UK government can only say if it has done its due process. We are not aware of such a process to ensure that these weapons do not harm innocent Palestinians and they do not end up aiding Israel in its illegal occupation and colonisation of the land and people of Palestine," he said.
"It's not just about a direct specific incident only, but it's also about the overall macro picture of the entire illegal situation of a state that has been in control of another and in daily violations of basic UK and international law."
Shortly before the mass killing on 18 May, the UK parliament's Committee on Arms Export Controls, the government's arms export watchdog, wrote to Trade Secretary Liam Fox [pdf], asking whether he had any information about how sniper rifles and their components approved for sale to Israel in January 2017 had been used.
Fox responded that the company which exported the rifles and components used them to test ammunition in the company's own firing range.
"We were satisfied that there was not a clear risk that these items might be used for internal repression or in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law," he wrote.
Lloyd Russell-Moyle, an MP and member of the committee, said the answer had been "rather dissatisfactory" and called for end-use auditing that was more far-sighted.
"There is no good sending Israel arms in relative peace assuming the risk of it using them is low only to realise it is too late when it launches another disproportionate assault on their neighbours," he said.
According to Palestinian Ministry of Health figures released on Sunday, 306 people have been killed and 35,529 injured in what have been called the Great March of Return protests.
The ongoing initiative began in March 2018 after a call from local civil society actors urged Palestinians to engage in a mass march towards the Gaza fence in opposition to Israel's 11-year-old siege on Gaza.
A United Nations inquiry released earlier this year found that Israeli soldiers intentionally shot civilians and may have committed war crimes in their heavy-handed response to the protests.
Use of these opaque licences to sell arms to states in the Middle East and North Africa rose by 22 percent between 2013 and 2017, MEE has reported.
MEE understands that the DIT reviewed export licenses for Israel following the events at the border in May 2018 but found nothing to indicate that UK-supplied equipment had been used in a way that violated licensing criteria.
It would, however, revoke licences if that assessment changed.
A DIT spokesperson told MEE: "All export licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis against international criteria, including respect for human rights. We will revoke any licences found to be no longer consistent with these standards.
"We keep all defence exports under careful and continual review."
'The message it sends'But CAAT spokesperson Andrew Smith said that while it's not clear whether UK-made weapons were specifically used on protesters, it is the symbolism of the UK sales, which have continued through Israeli offensives on Gaza in 2008 and 2014, that matters.
"If shooting on the border didn't stop the arms sales, if the bombardment in 2014 and 2008 didn't stop them, what more will it take?" Smith said.
"The message it sends is that, no matter what atrocities are inflicted on the Palestinian people, arms sales will continue."
By continuing to arm and support the Israeli military, he added, the UK is "only making it more likely that UK-made weapons will play a devastating role in the future".
Asked about the figures, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK Husam Zomlot told MEE it is the sole responsibility of the British government to ensure that its arms sales are lawful, but he said there was a wider legal context to consider beyond the arms trade.
"The UK government can only say if it has done its due process. We are not aware of such a process to ensure that these weapons do not harm innocent Palestinians and they do not end up aiding Israel in its illegal occupation and colonisation of the land and people of Palestine," he said.
"It's not just about a direct specific incident only, but it's also about the overall macro picture of the entire illegal situation of a state that has been in control of another and in daily violations of basic UK and international law."
Shortly before the mass killing on 18 May, the UK parliament's Committee on Arms Export Controls, the government's arms export watchdog, wrote to Trade Secretary Liam Fox [pdf], asking whether he had any information about how sniper rifles and their components approved for sale to Israel in January 2017 had been used.
Fox responded that the company which exported the rifles and components used them to test ammunition in the company's own firing range.
"We were satisfied that there was not a clear risk that these items might be used for internal repression or in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law," he wrote.
Lloyd Russell-Moyle, an MP and member of the committee, said the answer had been "rather dissatisfactory" and called for end-use auditing that was more far-sighted.
"There is no good sending Israel arms in relative peace assuming the risk of it using them is low only to realise it is too late when it launches another disproportionate assault on their neighbours," he said.
According to Palestinian Ministry of Health figures released on Sunday, 306 people have been killed and 35,529 injured in what have been called the Great March of Return protests.
The ongoing initiative began in March 2018 after a call from local civil society actors urged Palestinians to engage in a mass march towards the Gaza fence in opposition to Israel's 11-year-old siege on Gaza.
A United Nations inquiry released earlier this year found that Israeli soldiers intentionally shot civilians and may have committed war crimes in their heavy-handed response to the protests.
23 june 2019
Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel demands Israel prohibit use of live ammunition against protesters; military retroactively invented ‘key instigator’ category to justify shootings of people who posed no immediate danger.
A document released by the Israeli military describes how snipers may open fire on Gaza protesters it calls “key instigators” or “key rioters” – even when they move away from the crowd or are resting.
Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel is demanding that Israeli troops immediately stop shooting live ammunition at unarmed protesters along the Gaza boundary fence.
Adalah sent a letter [pdf] on 16 June 2019 to Israeli Military Advocate General Sharon Afek and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit calling on them to immediately order a ban on the use of live ammunition and sniper fire as a means of dispersing demonstrations in Gaza. Israeli snipers, the military document released in February revealed [pdf], may open fire with live ammunition on “key instigators” or “key rioters” even when they are at no longer participating in the protest or are resting.
The details in this document were never presented during hearings before Israeli Supreme Court justices.
In May 2018, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected two petitions filed by human rights groups – including Adalah – and fully adopted the Israeli military’s position, giving a green light to its continued use of snipers and live fire against Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip.
In its decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the military is entitled to use live ammunition only when there is “immediate and imminent danger to Israeli forces or civilians” and that such shooting may only be employed “as a last resort in a proportionate and minimal manner“.
However, the Supreme Court also gave a green light to the use of lethal fire in accordance with the above terms against those defined as “key instigators” – despite the fact that this category is neither anchored in international law nor was it defined by Israeli authorities before the Supreme Court justices.
Adalah Attorney Suhad Bishara, who authored the letter to Israeli authorities, commented:
“The Israeli military – which has up until now kept secret its vague definition of the invented category of ‘key instigator’ – now openly reveals that this category was created retroactively in order to justify the shootings of people who posed no real and immediate danger to Israeli soldiers or civilians. The military’s document attempts to explain away the indiscriminate shooting of unarmed demonstrators which results from a total disregard for human life. This evidence was never brought before the Supreme Court by Israeli authorities”.
In the document it published after the Supreme Court’s May 2018 ruling, the military defined “key instigators” and “key rioters” and included some details relating to its rules of engagement governing the use of live ammunition. The document also makes it clear that “key instigators” and “key rioters” may:
A document released by the Israeli military describes how snipers may open fire on Gaza protesters it calls “key instigators” or “key rioters” – even when they move away from the crowd or are resting.
Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel is demanding that Israeli troops immediately stop shooting live ammunition at unarmed protesters along the Gaza boundary fence.
Adalah sent a letter [pdf] on 16 June 2019 to Israeli Military Advocate General Sharon Afek and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit calling on them to immediately order a ban on the use of live ammunition and sniper fire as a means of dispersing demonstrations in Gaza. Israeli snipers, the military document released in February revealed [pdf], may open fire with live ammunition on “key instigators” or “key rioters” even when they are at no longer participating in the protest or are resting.
The details in this document were never presented during hearings before Israeli Supreme Court justices.
In May 2018, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected two petitions filed by human rights groups – including Adalah – and fully adopted the Israeli military’s position, giving a green light to its continued use of snipers and live fire against Palestinian protesters in the Gaza Strip.
In its decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the military is entitled to use live ammunition only when there is “immediate and imminent danger to Israeli forces or civilians” and that such shooting may only be employed “as a last resort in a proportionate and minimal manner“.
However, the Supreme Court also gave a green light to the use of lethal fire in accordance with the above terms against those defined as “key instigators” – despite the fact that this category is neither anchored in international law nor was it defined by Israeli authorities before the Supreme Court justices.
Adalah Attorney Suhad Bishara, who authored the letter to Israeli authorities, commented:
“The Israeli military – which has up until now kept secret its vague definition of the invented category of ‘key instigator’ – now openly reveals that this category was created retroactively in order to justify the shootings of people who posed no real and immediate danger to Israeli soldiers or civilians. The military’s document attempts to explain away the indiscriminate shooting of unarmed demonstrators which results from a total disregard for human life. This evidence was never brought before the Supreme Court by Israeli authorities”.
In the document it published after the Supreme Court’s May 2018 ruling, the military defined “key instigators” and “key rioters” and included some details relating to its rules of engagement governing the use of live ammunition. The document also makes it clear that “key instigators” and “key rioters” may:
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The document also clarifies “key instigators” are active for extended periods of time and snipers must choose the timing for shooting at them, so snipers can act “as a person temporarily moves away from the crowd or rests before continuing with his activity.” |
The United Nations Commission of Inquiry into the 2018 protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (COI), which issued its full report in March 2019, found that “the use of live ammunition by Israeli security forces against demonstrators was unlawful”, as the protestors did not pose any threat to the lives of Israeli soldiers or civilians or participate directly in hostilities.
Adalah demands the Israeli State Attorney’s Office and military advocate general respond within 30 days to its demand to cancel the rules of engagement targeting “key instigators” and refrain from continuing to use lethal gunfire against demonstrators in Gaza.
According to data collected by Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, since 30 March 2018, Israeli military forces have killed 310 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Of the total fatalities, 207 were killed during protests, including 44 children, two women, four paramedics, two journalists, and nine persons with disabilities. Another 16,831 persons have been wounded, including 3,905 children, 753 women, 198 paramedics, and 170 journalists. Of the wounded, 8,490 were wounded by live fire, including 1,692 children and 164 women.
CLICK HERE to read the letter [Hebrew] [pdf]
CLICK HERE to read the Israeli military’s Q&A document [English] [pdf]
Adalah demands the Israeli State Attorney’s Office and military advocate general respond within 30 days to its demand to cancel the rules of engagement targeting “key instigators” and refrain from continuing to use lethal gunfire against demonstrators in Gaza.
According to data collected by Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, since 30 March 2018, Israeli military forces have killed 310 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Of the total fatalities, 207 were killed during protests, including 44 children, two women, four paramedics, two journalists, and nine persons with disabilities. Another 16,831 persons have been wounded, including 3,905 children, 753 women, 198 paramedics, and 170 journalists. Of the wounded, 8,490 were wounded by live fire, including 1,692 children and 164 women.
CLICK HERE to read the letter [Hebrew] [pdf]
CLICK HERE to read the Israeli military’s Q&A document [English] [pdf]
21 june 2019
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Israeli forces have once again opened fire on Palestinians taking part in the 63rd Friday of the peaceful “Great March of Return” protests, along the separation fence between the besieged Gaza Strip and occupied territories, injuring at least 79 peaceful protesters.
According to Days of Palestine, the Ministry of Health reported that 79 citizens have been injured. It stated that, in the course of the year following the start of the protests, in March 2018, the Israeli army killed 277 Palestinians, including 52 children. The vast majority of these people were murdered in cold blood during the massive, unarmed popular protests that took place along the boundary line between Gaza and Israel. Almost without fail, the protesters have returned every week, time and again, since then, to protest against Israel’s crimes. |
What is more, the protests are for the Right of Return – the non-negotiable predicate of the Palestinian liberation struggle. And, they are more than merely symbolic; they are marching for a real return to their homelands, as is their legitimate right.
