President Condemns Qana Massacre
President Mahmoud Abbas strongly condemned the Israeli atrocious massacre on Qana town in South Lebanon on Sunday, which resulted in the killing of more than 58 citizens, including children.
President told reporters that "this new Israeli crime requires an immediate cease-fire to save the life of the innocent civilians."
Israel Kills More than 58 Lebanese, Most of them Children and Women in Qana
More than 58 Lebanese were killed today, more than half of them children, when Israeli missiles struck Qana village, south of Lebanese, flattening houses on top of sleeping residents.
Lebanese civil defense workers said up to 58 civilians who had sought refuge in a building that collapsed were killed.
The bodies of at least 27 children were found in the rubble, according to the civil defense. At least 10 children's bodies had been pulled out, placed in plastic bags and loaded in ambulances.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said the attack reinforced his calls for a ceasefire.
"There is no place at this sad moment for any discussions other than an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as well as international investigation of the Israeli massacres in Lebanon now," he said.
A three-storey building in the village took a direct hit. Hezbollah's al-Manar TV channel said over 50 people, including 21 children, had died.
The dead were old people, women and children from four families who residents said they gather to spend the night at a ground floor where they felt they were safe from the bombardment.
Rescuers aided by villagers were digging by hand to look for casualties. Others were evacuating shell-shocked old people from neighbouring housing.
In April 1996, more than 100 Lebanese civilians were killed at the same village in Israeli artillery shelling of a UN base. The civilians had sought refuge with the UN to escape Israeli bombardment.
PCHR: IOF Extra-Judicially Executes 2 Citizens in Nablus
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) said Sunday that the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) extra-judicially killed Saturday night two citizens in the West Bank City of Nablus.
In the meantime, IOF has continued its wide scale offensive on the Gaza Strip for the fifth consecutive week, committing more crimes against Palestinian civilian and property.
PCHR said in a press release it is deeply concerned over the IOF crimes against Palestinian civilians and property. "PCHR believes that these crimes constitute a form of retaliation and collective punishment against the Palestinian people, in violation of article 33 of the 1949 Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War."
The Center also believes that the failure of the international community and the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention to take effective steps to stop Israeli war crimes has served to encourage Israel to commit more war crimes against Palestinian civilians.
