The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have continued its military operation; including a ground invasion into, the Gaza Strip. Direct attacks on civilians continued to harvest civilians' lives. Attacks on houses and apartment buildings continued as civilians were inside them; including an attack on an apartment building in the center of Khan Younis city. In the Al Zanna area, the IOF prevented emergency crews from reaching a group of injured civilians and let them bleed for hours to death. In several incidents the IOF directed attacks on civilians as they tried to flee from areas under IOF's attack; mostly women and children. Moreover, IOF warnings to hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes continued; although warnings lacked specificity or safe routes or areas civilians might resort to; especially as houses and buildings continued to be under attack. UNRWA has stated that its shelters can host up to 35,000 people; however, they have already received about 50,000 displaced persons. Thousands of other people took shelter in houses of relevant or friends.
Owing to military attacks and restrictions, civilians' access to basic services has been further undermined. Israel cut power lines that provide the Gaza Strip with electricity. The IOF attacked many electricity transformers around the Gaza Strip, causing long blackouts, which reached up to 22 hours per day. In the eastern and northern areas, where the Israeli ground invasion is focused, there has been full blackouts since 10pm on Friday. Power cuts cause serious problems for people because water supply depends on it, and as it impacts on the work of hospitals and waste water treatment plants .
According to the field investigations by Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, as of 1pm today, on Saturday 19 July 2014, 330 Palestinians have been verified as killed by the IOF; including 76 children and 36 women. According to Al Mezan's initial investigations 256 (i.e. 77.8%) of the victims are civilians. Many others were people known to be affiliated by Palestinian factions, but not taking part in any hostilities.
Moreover, at least 2,041 other people were injured during the same period; of whom at least 590 were children and 435 women. At least, 2,425 houses were destroyed or damaged during this period; of which 407 were destroyed completely as the IOF directly and deliberately attacked 383 of the total number of damaged houses. IOF attacks also damaged or destroyed 41 schools, 49 mosques, an ambulance centre, 16 NGO offices, 39 fishing boats and 4 hospitals. It should be noted that these figures represent the minimum, as verified by Al Mean, and they are expected to rise once full documentation of the damages to civilian structures is completed.
At around 4:00 pm on Friday, 18 July 2014, an IOF drone fired one missile at a group of Palestinian fighters in the southeast of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. Ra'fat Bahloul, 35, was killed, and 5 other fighters were injured. Their wounds ranged from moderate to critical.
At approximately 4:35 pm on Friday 18 July 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile targeting Mohammed Awad Mattar, 38, while he was near Beit Lahiya cemetery in the North Gaza district. As a result, Mohammed Mattar was killed. According to Al Mezan's field investigations, Mattar suffered mental disorders.
At around 7:40 on Friday, 18 July 2014, IOF artillery fired several shells at houses near the Ghassan Kanafani School in the Al Nasser village, north of Rafah town. Hamza Mohammed Abu Al Hsein, 27 was killed a result of the attack.
At around 8:15 pm on Friday, 18 July 2014, IOF fired two artillery shells at a house that belongs to the deceased Adnan Ibrahim Al Hayek, east of Gaza city. One missile hit the staircase and the other hit the third floor of the house, killing a one-and-half-year boy, Rezeq Ahmed Al Hayek while he was riding his bicycle in the living room. His sister, Malak, 14, was also injured. Three families of 17, including 11 children, live in the 3-story house.
At approximately 8:20 pm on Friday 18 July 2014, IOF attacked the house of Sa'eed Ali Issa, 30, which is located in Abu Issa area in the Wadi Gaza village. As a result, the owner of the house, Sa'eed Abu Issa, was killed. Medical crews reached him five hours after the attack occurred.
At around 8:30 pm on Friday, 18 July 2014, IOF artillery fired a shell at the house of Hamed Fayeq Ulwan, 40. The house is located east of Gaza city. The attack resulted in the killing of Hamed's two sons, Qasim Hamed Ulwan, 4, and his brother, Emad, 7. His other son, Abdullah, 14, was also injured in his left leg. Three families of 16 members, including 12 children, live in this 3-story house.
At around 8:30 pm on Friday, 18 July 2014, IOF artillery fired one shell at the house of Rebhi Atta Bostan, 64, which is located east of Gaza city. The attack killed one child, Sara Mohammed Bostan, 10, when she was at her grandfather's shop, located at the ground floor of the four-story house. The house is home to four families of 16 members, including 6 children.
At approximately 9:25 pm on Friday 18 July 2014, IOF fired two artillery shells at the house of the sons of Khalil Abu Jarad, which is located in Abdel Dayim Street south to Ezbet Beit Hanoun, in the North Gaza district. As a result, eight residents of the house were killed. Al Mezan has identified their names as follows:
- Na'eem Mosa Abu Jarad, 24;
- Sameeh Na'eem Abu Jarad, 1.5; (His son)
- Ahlam Mosa Abu Jarad,17;
- Samar Moua Abu Jarad, 14;
- Abdel Rahman Mosa Abu Jarad, 32;
- Rajaa 'Iliyan Abu Jarad, 28; (His wife)
- Mosa Abdel Rahman Abu Jarad, 8 months; (Rajaa 's son) and
- Haniya Abdel Rahman Abu Jarad, 2 (Rajaa's daughter).
One woman and four children were also injured in the attack. Al Mezan identified their names as follows:
- Ne'ma Mosa Abu Jarad, 20;
- Nour Bassam Abu Jarad, 4;
- Mu'men Basim Abu Jarad, 2;
- Rateb Mosa Abu Jarad, 1.5; and
- Ilham Mosa Abu Jarad, 6 months.
Medical sources at the Kamal Odwan Hospital described the injuries of the first three people as critical. According to Al Mezan's field investigations, the family had gathered in the second floor of their four-story house. The Israeli shells hit the third floor and penetrated the roof of the second floor where the family was. The Abu Jarad family house is about 2.4 kilometers away from the Israeli controlled Erez crossing in the north of the Gaza Strip; from where the IOF fires artillery shells.
At approximately 9:45 pm on Friday, 18 July 2014, Israeli warplanes fired at least one missile at a house that belongs to Abdel Hakim Asfour. The house has three stories and is located in Abassan Al Jadida town, east of Kahn Younis district in the suth of the Gaza Strip. Medical and civil defense crews couldn't reach the targeted house because of the heavy and continuous bombardment of area. About eleven hours later, at around 8:30 am, on Saturday 19 July 2014, medical staff reached the area and collected the body of Ismael Abu Daqqa, 32. There was no verified information about the rest of the victims of this attack, but there has been coordination via the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Israeli army in order to search for the four other missing bodies, who are believed to be under the rubble of the house.
At approximately 9:55 pm on Friday, 18 July 2014, an Israeli drone fired one missile at a farm in the Al Nasser village, northern Rafah. The farm belongs to the Al Malalha family. The attack resulted in killing four civilians:
- Emad Feisal Abu Snaima, 20;
- Mostafa Odeh Abu Sneima, 32; (his uncle)
- Nizar Fayez Abu Sneima, 39; and
- Ismael Ramadan Al Lolahy, 21.
Faisal Owda Abu Sneima, 44, and Riyad Faisel Abu Sneima, 23, were also injured and transferred to the Al Najjar Hospital in Rafah where there injures were described as moderate.
At approximately 10:30 pm on Friday, 18 July 2014, Israeli warplanes fired two rockets at a group of civilians sitting near their houses in Al Manara area, south of Khan Younis. The attack resulted in the killing of 3 siblings and the injuring of 4 other civilians who were transferred to Nasser Hospital; Ahmad Salem Shaat, 22 and his brothers Mohammed, 20, and Amjad, 15. The injures of the 4 civilians were described as 'moderate' and 'critical'.
At around 1:50 am on Saturday, 19 July 2014, Israeli warplanes targeted a group of civilians sitting in front of their houses in Al Ladadwa Street in Khan Younis city. Nine people, including three children, were killed and another two were moderately injured. Three of those who were killed were brothers; Mohammed Reda Salhiyya, 22; Mustafa Reda Salhiyya, and 21, and Wasseem Reda Salhiyya, 15. Another two brothers were killed: Yahya Al Surry, 20, and his brother Mohammed, 17. The other four were residents of the area and were identified as: Mohammed Mostafa Salhiyya, 32; Ibrahim Jamal Nasser, 13; Mohammed Awad Nasser, 25, and Rushdy Nasser, 25.
At approximately 2:45 am on Saturday 19 July 2014, IOF fired several artillery shells at the An-Nada Towers in the north of Beit Lahiya town, north of the Gaza Strip. An apartment on the fourth floor of building number 15 was hit and its owner, Ahmed Mahmoud Aziz, 34, was killed. According to Al Mezan's field investigations, Aziz was alone in his apartment and he was in the balcony when he was killed.
At approximately 3:33 am, on Saturday, 19 July 2014, IOF drones attacked the house of Hussien Mansi Al Tartori with a missile. The 230-square-meter house has four floors and is inhabited by four families of 23 members. The house is located in the Al Amal neighborhood, west of Khan Younis. Around 20 minutes later, IOF drones fired a second missile at the house. Ten minutes afterwards, an Israeli fighter jet fired heavy one missile at the house and completely destroyed it. As a result, one civilian, Raed Waleed Leqan, 32, was killed while he was in his next door house, and one woman was moderately injured. Eight neighboring houses were also damaged.
Medical sources at the Al Quds Hospital in Gaza City announced the death of of the child Yamen Riyadh Al Hamedi, 4, from wounds that he had sustained indie his house when IOF aircrafts fired two missiles at Al Madakhat street in Az-Zawaida village on Sunday 13 July 2014 around 5:30 am.
At approximately 10:55 am on Saturday 19 July 2014, the IOF, which had invaded the agricultural area north to the town of Beit Hanoun, opened fire at the house of Mohammed Odeh Sa'adat which is located on the Khalil Al Wazeer Street opposite to UNRWA schools. The IOF then fired one shell at the house, killing Mohammed Attallah Sa'adat, 22, and injuring three residents of the house. Al Mezan has identified their names as follows:
- Mohammed Odeh Sa'adat, 60;
- Yusra Mohammed Sa'adat, 56; and
- Abdullah Abdel Aziz Sa'adat, 3.
Medical sources described their injury as minor. According to Al Mezan's filed investigations, the family was inside its home which is approximately 300 meters away from the Agricultural School when the IOF attacked them.
At approximately 11:15 am, on Saturday, 19 July 2014, IOF artillery batteries positioned beyond the separation fence between Gaza and Israel in the north of Gaza fired shells at Beit Lahiya Square. The shells landed opposite the Al Quds Bank and the Sa'ad Mosque and resulted in killing Mohammed Rezeq Hammouda, 18. Eleven people were also injured, including seven children and two women. Two of the injured sustained critical wounds. Medical sources at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City announced that one of the injured children, Omar Jamil Hammouda, 10, succumbed to his wounds and died around 12:30 pm.
At approximately 11:50 am on Saturday 19 July 2014, Israeli artillery fired several shells at houses in the Bouret Abu Ghzala neighborhood, west of Beit Hanoun town in the north of the Gaza Strip. One of the shells hit the third floor of the house of Khaled Jameel Al Zweedi, killing four of the family members, among whom two were children and a woman. Al Mezan identified their names as follows:
- Mahmoud Abdel Hameed Al Zweedi, 27,
- Nagham Mahmoud Al Zweedi, 12; (Mahmoud's daughter)
- Ro’ya Mahmoud Al Zweedi, 6; (Mahmoud's daughter) and
- Dalia Abdel Hameed Al Zweedi, 27.
A mentally disabled child, Abdel Hameed Khaled Al Zweedi, 10, and his brother Mohammed, 22, were also injured. Medical sources in Beit Hanoun hospital described their injuries as critical. According to Al Mezan’s field investigations, the Al Zweedi family were inside their house when the shells fell on and around the house.
At approximately 10:00 am on Saturday 19 July 2014, Israeli aircraft fired one missile at a farm for the Al Barawi family in the town of Beit Lahiya in the North Gaza district. The missile fell near houses from the Al Rahl and Al Barawi families, killing two children: Mohammed Ziyad Al Rahl, 5, and Mohammed Rafeeq Al Rahl, 17. Eighteen other persons; including eight children and 6 women, were injured moderately and lightly.
At approximately 11:15 am on Saturday 19 July 2014, Israeli artillery fired several shells at in Beit Lahiya Square, near the Habboub Crossroads, in the town of Beit Lahiya in North Gaza district. One of the shells fell on the Habboub family house, killing Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abu Hamad, 25, who was visiting the family.
At approximately 12:15 pm on Saturday 19 July 2014, Israeli aircraft targeted a house in the Al Zawayda town, in the Middle Gaza district. As a result, a woman, Ma’ali Abdel Rahman Abu Zayid, 24, was killed.
Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights expresses grave condemnation of the IOF's escalation of its attacks on Gaza, during which serious violations of international law were committed, particularly disproportionate attacks that fail to distinguish between civilian and military targets. Al Mezan strongly condemns the attacks on fleeing civilians, which has resulted with child and women casualties, and the denial of medical access for the injured. All deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian object are serious violations of international law that amount to war crimes.
Al Mezan highlights that it has been civilians bearing the brunt of IOF's unlawful attacks, which is exemplified by the killing of 20 children in one day. Therefore, Al Mezan calls on international community to act to stop such attacks without any further delay. International community must intervene to ensure that the attacks on houses, mosques, hospitals, police stations and NGO, are investigated and prosecuted as per the standards provided by international law. Al Mezan also urges international community; especially the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to act swiftly and resolutely to provide effective protection for the civilian population under Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip.
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