Palestinians condemn new round of violence by Israel

11 Palestinians, Including a Man, His Two Children and Two paramedics, Killed and 30 Others Wounded in an IOF Air Strike on a Civilian Car inGaza

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

PRESS RELEASE
Ref: 51/2006
Date: 13 June 2006
Time: 13:00 GMT

11 Palestinians, Including a Man, His Two Children and Two paramedics, Killed and 30 Others Wounded in an IOF Air Strike on a Civilian Car inGaza

On Tuesday noon, 13 June 2006, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)committed a new extra-judicial execution in Gaza City, which killed 11Palestinians, including 9 civilian bystanders. A man, his twochildren and two paramedics were among the victims. The targetedperson in this attack was a member of the Islamic Jihad. Investigations conducted by PCHR indicate that IOF aircrafts launched amissile at dozens of civilians, including paramedics, who gathered neara civilian car shortly after IOF aircrafts attacked it, targeting amember of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad. Thus, the number of extra-judicial executions committed by IOF in thepast 4 days has mounted to 6, which have killed 18 Palestinians andhave wounded at least 40 others. This latest attack and other similarattacks have come as an implementation of a series of decisions takenby the Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz to escalate extra-judicialexecutions against Palestinian militants to stop launching locally maderockets at Israeli towns. Peretz has been also considering intensifyingmilitary operations in the Gaza Strip, whose victims are often unarmedcivilians.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 11:45on Tuesday, 13 June 2006, an IOF aircraft launched one missile at acivilian vehicle (Voks Wagen) that was traveling near Martyr Mohammedal-Durra Hospital in al-Tuffah neighborhood in the northeast of GazaCity. Two members of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of theIslamic Jihad, were traveling in the car. The missile directly hit thecar, killing the two members of the al-Quds Brigades: Hammoudaal-Wadiya; and Shawqi al-Saiqali. Palestinian civilians living in thearea gathered around the car and two paramedics from the nearbyhospital came to provide first medical aid.

Immediately, IOF aircraftslaunched another missile at the car, killing 10 civilians, including aman, his two children and the two paramedics:

1. Hussam Hamad, a paramedic;
2. ‘Adnan Daoud Taleb, 35;
3. Ashraf Farouq al-Mughrabi;
4. Hisham Ashraf al-Mughrabi, 7;
5. Maher Ashraf al-Mughrabi;
6. ‘Ali al-‘Omari;
7. Ibrahim al-Da’lees;
8. Rafeeq al-Mubayed; and
9. Mousa Nasrallah.

In addition, at least 30 other civilians, including a number ofchildren, were wounded; the wounds of 12 of them have been described bymedical sources as serious. PCHR strongly condemns this latest attack. PCHR is gravely concernedover the Israeli escalation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). PCHR asserts that such crimes serve to escalate tension in theregion and threaten the lives of Palestinians.

PCHR calls upon the international community to immediately intervene to stop such crimes,and reiterates its calls for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to meet their obligations to ensure protection for Palestinian civilians in the OPT.

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