In a Criminal Escalation, Israeli Occupation Forces Strikes on Gaza Kill and Injure over 900 People

by Mahmoud Abu Rahma


Global Research, December 28, 2008
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights - Gaza


In a Criminal Escalation, IOF Strikes on Gaza Kill and Injure over 900 People as the Siege Continues to Debilitate Health and Other Vital Services

In one of the bloodiest escalations of Israeli military operations, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) initiated a wide-scaled air strike operation against the Gaza Strip. Dozens of targets were attacked from the air simultaneously using heavy missiles and bombs. Mostly, the strikes targeted police and security installations across the densely populated Gaza Strip, which indicative of IOF's disregard of civilians' life and wellbeing. Over 900 people have been killed an injured, most of whom are non-combatants. The number of casualties was exacerbated by the timing of the strike, which coincided with the change in schools' shifts when tens of thousands of schoolchildren were on their way from or to school. Seven of UNRWA's Gaza Vocational Training Center students were also killed in one of the airstrikes in Gaza City.

According to Al Mezan's monitoring, at approximately 11:30am on Saturday 27 December 2008, Israeli military aircrafts launched a coordinated series of airstrikes targeting dozens of police, security and other premises across the Gaza Strip. The first wave of attacks lasted for less than five minutes, during which over 100 missiles and bombs were dropped on Gaza. One of the largest strikes targeted the Arafat Police Town, which is located near several UNRWA schools. Dozens of people were killed in this attack, including tens of young men who were undergoing training to join the police. Moreover, Colonel General Tawfik Jabir, who is the Police General Director in the Gaza Strip, and Captain Ahmed Al-Ja'bari, the Director of the Security and Protection Apparatus, were killed in the same attack.

The IOF's air strikes have been characterized by their unprecedented fierceness. Police stations located in densely populated neighborhoods were attacked, destroying them and causing severe damage to tens of schools and homes and killing dozens of civilians, including children and old people.

Air strikes have continued through the night, targeting houses and other civilian premises, including water-wells, workshops, CBO offices, mosques and communications facilities. A guard of a water-well and three employees of the Palestinian Telecommunications Company were killed in North Gaza. Another two men were killed in a strike that targeted the Al-Borno Mosque near the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The Hospital's building was damaged in this same strike. Moreover, IOF targeted prisons, including Gaza's main prison facility of As-Saraya at noon today. Initial reports indicate that many policemen and prisoners were killed and injured in this attack.

Additionally, dozens of homes were destroyed, along with tens of UNRWA and government schools and clinics. Local government offices and private vehicles were also destroyed.

Al Mezan's initial monitoring indicates that at least 257 people have been killed in the IOF's strikes in the last 24 hours. Of those, the vast majority are non-combatants and civilians; including 20 children, 9 women and 60 civilians. The majority of the rest of the casualties are members of the civilian police who were inside their stations or undertaking training. At least 597 people were also injured, including 35 children whose wounds were reportedly critical. Al Mezan's believes that the number of casualties is expected to increase as many cases have been buried by their families without being registered at hospitals. Besides, a high number of people lie at hospitals between death and life. Moreover, dozens of people who were lightly wounded and; therefore, not admitted at hospitals were not counted. As the airstrikes continue, more people fall victims of them. This makes this operation one of Israel's bloodiest, most criminal military actions in Gaza in the past few decades.

This escalation comes amidst unprecedented deterioration of the humanitarian conditions Gaza's 1.5 million people face owing to Israel's tight siege which prevents their access to food, medicine and power. Ordinary Gazans have particularly been suffering from shortages in water supplies, cooking gas and foodstuffs. The siege has also impacted on hospitals' capacity to function under severe shortages in medicines and equipment. Hospitals' ability to handle very high numbers of casualties in a short time since yesterday has been particularly problematic; and particularly during the first hour after the first wave of attacks yesterday.

With the strongest possible terms, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns the IOF's criminal military escalation in the Gaza Strip, which indiscriminately harms civilians and civilian property, and blatantly breaches the rules of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), qualifying as war crimes. Al Mezan particularly condemns the IOF attacks against civilian objects in which children and uninvolved civilians have been killed and maimed; despite the high technological capabilities that the IOF employs in their surveillance of the Gaza Strip.

Al Mezan stresses that police members who do not take part in any hostilities do not qualify as legitimate military targets under IHL and must not be deliberately targeted. It further stresses that, regardless of the soundness of the Israeli justifications of this operation, Israel must respect the rules of international law at all times, particularly when the use of force is involved. A reaction to rocket attacks cannot justify the perpetration of grave breaches of IHL, i.e. war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Al Mezan warns about the continued silence of the international community in the face of Israel's escalation, which only encourages Israel to further escalate its attacks. Al Mezan calls on the international community to intervene urgently to protect the civilian population in harmony with its legal and ethical obligations under international law. International intervention is required urgently as the IOF's attacks on Gaza continue, and news about the falling of more casualties mounts while drafting this press release.

Mahmoud Abu Rahma is Communications & Int'l Relations Coordinator, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights - Gaza

Email: mahmoud@mezan.org

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=11513

who are the terrorists now?

i think israel has the right to defend itself, but it doesn't have the right to occupy land outside it's borders and fire missiles at civilian targets...their response to the hamas rocket attacks is totally out of proportion, and will end up creating more support for hamas and terrorist attacks on israel

the usa government defended israel's attack on gaza - no surprise there since they funded and supplied it, and they have the same approach to foreign policy

BBC Video on Dignity, Gaza-bound Humanitarian Ship Rammed by Israelis

http://www.infowars.com/?p=6879




Gaza relief boat carrying Cynthia McKinney rammed by Israelis

David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Raw Story
December 30, 2008

http://www.infowars.com/?p=6880

Canadica, just so you know the Israeli forces are called the Israeli Defense Forces or IDF not the Israeli occupation forces .
Also you may not know that Hamas has provoked this attack just like every attack before this by rocketing Israel. Its so simple even a kindergartner could figure it out "IF YOU ATTACK THE MORE POWERFUL FOE IT WILL ATTACK YOU BACK"
I think Izzy has shown alot of restraint, I would be inclined to put a serious smackdown on militant religious fuckheads if I was in their shoes

Does anyone know what amount the Isralis paid and to whom for the land they now occupy? I've never seen much of a discussion of their legitimate claim to ownership of that area. I'm really curious if anyone's got any true info.

Where is the jewish peoples ancestral homeland?
Israel

"Also you may not know that Hamas has provoked this attack just like every attack before this by rocketing Israel."


Yes, well, that was "provoked" by starving and medically neglecting the people of Gaza:



Israel says it is acting in "retaliation" for rockets fired with increasing intensity ever since a six-month truce expired on 19 December. But the bombs dropped on Gaza are only a variation in Israel's method of killing Palestinians. In recent months they died mostly silent deaths, the elderly and sick especially, deprived of food, cancer treatments and other medicines by an Israeli blockade that targeted 1.5 million people - mostly refugees and children - caged into the Gaza Strip. The orders of Ehud Barak, the Israeli defence minister, to hold back medicine were just as lethal and illegal as those to send in the warplanes.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/29/israel-gaza-attack-palestinian-reaction



I guess that's why the Israeli OCCUPATION Forces (for that is what they truly are, regardless of what they call themselves) rammed a boat full of medicine bound for Gaza in INTERNATIONAL WATERS.


If starving people to death is "restraint", then "a serious smackdown" must be positively Nazi-esque.

Israel can lay claim to 1967 borders, but not the whole area - according to the consensus of the world nations aside from Israel and Wall St.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0T3jMRNwV8

Gaza on Youtube

You must be confused DML, hamas is sworn to the destruction of Israel and the death of every jew. You seem to think that Israel should provide its enemy with the luxuries of life while faced with this,.......are you serious? lol
Ya I could see Churchill giving the nazis medicine during ww2 because some bleeding heart commies were whining lol

"hamas is sworn to the destruction of Israel and the death of every jew."

Where did you read that?


Hamas claims it will ceasefire with Israel in exchange for the 1967 border (the land occupied then)[23]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas

The pre-1967 border solution is endorsed by every country on earth except the USA and Israel. Perhaps that's the deal they should go for.



"You seem to think that Israel should provide its enemy with the luxuries of life..."

1) Food and medicine are not luxuries - they're necessities.

2) Perhaps Israel doesn't need to provide the people of Gaza with necessities - but they shouldn't ram the boats of people who ARE trying to supply those necessities.