Seven residents of the
northern Gaza Strip
town of Beit Hanoun
were killed in Israeli
shelling. The tank
shell directly hit a
home in the Azbat
Abed Rabbo quarter
of the town, taking the
lives of an entire family.
Khadra Abu Muteq was killed along with her four children:
one year old Musaab Abu Muteq, Hana’ Abu Muteq, 3,
Saleh Abu Muteq 4, and Rudeineh Abu Muteq, 6. One teen,
17-year old Ayoub Atallah was also killed by the shelling
and his friend Mutassem Sweilem injured as they were
walking to school. Nine others were injured in the attack,
several of them in serious condition.
An Al Quds Brigades activist, 23-year old Ibrahim Hajouh,
the apparent target of the attack, also died in the Israeli
shelling after Israeli forces invaded Beit Hanoun at dawn today.
Two Israeli soldiers were wounded in the violent clashes
that ensued.
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue
and Democracy MIFTAH is appalled by today’s events and by
Israel’s apparent disregard for the sanctity of human life.
MIFTAH not only strongly condemns the attack, which is a
flagrant violation of humanitarian law and human rights, but
demands that the international community intervene to
halt the killing of innocent Palestinian civilians. The silence
of the international community and the United Nations has
allowed Israel to believe it can act with impunity in the
name of its security even when this means the killing of
innocent women and children.
MIFTAH believes it is time that Israel is held accountable
in international courts and in the corridors of the Security
Council for the crimes it commits against Palestinians. Similar
to the crippling sanctions the UN imposes on other countries
that fail to comply with international law, Israel should not be
immune to such measures. If the international community
continues to turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed
against the Palestinians, such as the killing of mother and
children today, the Palestinians will continue to be targets of
indiscriminate Israeli military attacks, which far too often
claim the lives of innocent bystanders.
MIFTAH would also like to extend its deepest condolences
to the Abu Muteq family for their horrendous loss. On this
occasion, we also call on those Israelis of conscience to
pressure their government into changing its policies in the
Gaza Strip and working seriously towards a just and
comprehensive solution that would lead to an end to
Israel’s illegal occupation and the establishment of a viable
and independent Palestinian state.
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http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=16778&CategoryId=2
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