Israeli Air Strikes against Gaza, a Palestinian Civilian and His Child Killed and Other Members of the Family Wounded While Sleeping at Home

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As a Result of Israeli Air Strikes against Gaza, a Palestinian Civilian and His Child Killed and Other Members of the Family Wounded While Sleeping at Home

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights strongly condemns the hideous crime committed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) this morning, in which a Palestinian civilian and his 10-year-old child were killed, and 17 persons, including the civilian’s three children, his wife and his mother, were wounded. IOF destroyed the family’s house in the early morning. This crimes is part of the latest wave of escalation by IOF in spite of the commitment of Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza to Tahdi’a (lull).

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 02:50 on Friday, 09 December 2011, Israeli warplanes fired 3 missiles at a training site of the ’Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) to the west of al-Maqqoussi buildings in the northwest of Gaza City. Two nearby houses were destroyed over their residents. As a result, Bahjat Ramadan Yousef al-Za’lan , 37, was killed, and his four children, his wife and his mother were wounded. At approximately 19:45, one of the wounded children, 10-year-old Ramadan, was pronounced dead. The other members of the family who were wounded are:

1. Sa’da Na’im ’Arrouq, 30, Bahajat’s al-Za’lan’s wife;
2. Halima Hassan al-Za’lan, 58, the mother;
3. Yousef Bahjat al-Za’lan, 8, his wound was described as serious;
4. Iman Bahjat al-Za’lan, 5; and
5. Ahmed Bahjat al-Za’lan, 6 months.

Additionally, another 6 civilians, including two children, were lightly wounded:

1. Marwan ’Adnan al-’Ashi, 57;
2. Tahreer Mohammed Dahlan, 22;
3. Halima Ahmed Abu al-’Amrain, 40;
4. Adham Mohammed Abu Hamda, 8;
5. Fahed ’Emad ’Afana, 21; and
6. ’Abdul Rahman Mohammed al-Khair, 5.

It should be noted that the two houses that were destroyed in the attack belong to one of the victims, Bahjat al-Za’lan, and his brother Tal’at. The two houses, the area of which is 100 square meter, were asbestos-roofed. Seven individuals used to live in each house. The targeted training site, which was empty, is adjacent to the two houses.

On Thursday afternoon, 08 December 2011, IOF extra-judicially executed two Palestinian resistance activists, and wounded 4 civilian bystanders, including a woman.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 12:50 on Thursday, 08 December 2011, an Israeli warplane fired a missile at a car (grey Peugeot 406) that was traveling in Omar al-Mukhtar Street near the Municipal Park in the center of Gaza City. As a result of the attack, ’Essam Subhi Isma’il al-Batash, 43, a member of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (an armed wing of Fatah movement), and his nephew, Subhi ’Alaa’ Subhi al-Batash, 20, a member of the ’Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades, who were traveling in the car, were killed. Additionally, 4 civilian bystanders, including a woman, were wounded:

1. Na’el Jamaeel al-Qishawi, 37, from Jabalya town, wounded by shrapnel to the neck and the left foot;
2. Waleed ’Abdul Ra’ouf Hammouda, 28, from Jabalya, wounded by shrapnel to the back;
3. Mo’tassem Darwish Abu al-Khair, 18, from Gaza City; and
4. Suhair ’Awadh Haroun, 25, who was with her husband in the Municipal Park in an attempt to ease the tragedy of her child’s death in a car accident a few days ago.

It should be noted that the Municipal Park was crowded by school trips. Palestinian civilians, especially children and women, who were in the vicinity of the attack, were extremely terrified.

PCHR strongly condemns these latest crimes, and:
1. Holds IOF responsible for the deterioration of the situation, and strongly condemns IOF’s disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians;
2. Believes that it is time, in response to Israel’s challenge for the Conventions, to convene a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention to take prompt action to protect Palestinian civilians and their property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

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