25 feb 2018
Ismail Saleh abu-Riyaleh 18
The Israeli occupation navy shot dead, on Sunday evening, a Palestinian fishermen and wounded two others while they were fishing off the Gaza coast, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.
Head of Syndicate of Palestinian Fishermen Nizar Ayyash said that the three fishermen were aboard a fishing boat, on their way back to the port, when the Israeli gunboats opened fire at them.
“All of them were directly targeted,” he said, noting that all of them, including the one who was killed, were abducted by the navy.
While he did not know the reason why the Israeli occupation navy had opened fire on the men, Ayyash stressed that they did not cross the fishing limit defined by the Israeli occupation.
Ayyash identified the three fishermen as Mahmoud Adel abu-Riyaleh, Ahed Hassan abu-Riyaleh and Ismail Saleh abu-Riyaleh.
Meanwhile, according to Days of Palestine, an Israeli source claimed that the Israeli navy opened fire at the boat of the three fishermen after “violating” the fishing limits.
“The Israeli navy opened fire at the body of the boat, but they were wounded and one of them suffered serious injuries and passed away later on,” the Israeli source said.
According to the source, the two wounded fishermen were turned over to prison authorities, in order to be investigated.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has said that all Israeli attacks on Palestinian fishermen have taken place within the distance of six nautical miles, which it said “proves that Israeli forces’ policies aim to tighten restrictions on the Gaza Strip’s fishermen and their livelihoods.”
Gaza fisherman killed, 2 injured in shooting attack by Israeli navy
A Palestinian fisherman was fatally shot and two others injured on Sunday after Israeli naval forces opened fire on a fishing boat despite sailing within the unilaterally designated fishing zone offshore al-Sudaniya area, north of Gaza city.
Israeli navy opened heavy fire on a Palestinian fishing boat carrying three fishermen, killing one of them and arresting the two others after critically injuring them, head of Gaza’s Fishermen Union, Nizar Ayyash, told the Palestinian Information Center.
Israeli army spokesperson claimed the boat exceeded the permitted area for fishing and came within the reach of the occupied Zikim coast, north of the blockaded Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military spokesman also denounced reports that two Israeli soldiers were injured in the incident.
He added that one fisherman was critically wounded and succumbed to his wounds shortly afterwards. The two other fishermen were transferred to hospitals for treatment before being dragged to detention centers for further questioning.
Israeli navy and troops routinely open fire on Palestinian fishermen sailing within the six-nautical-mile zone and farmers working in farmlands along the border, flagrantly violating the ceasefire deal that was struck following 2014’s offensive on the Gaza enclave.
The current six-nautical-mile fishing zone falls drastically short of the twenty nautical miles allocated to Palestinian fishermen in the 1993 Oslo Accords.
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), all Israeli attacks on Palestinian fishermen have taken place within the distance of six nautical miles, which it said “proves that Israeli forces' policies aim to tighten restrictions on the Gaza Strip's fishermen and their livelihoods.”
Hamas has strongly condemned the deadly shooting attack, which it said is another Israeli crime against the Palestinian people.
The Israeli occupation navy shot dead, on Sunday evening, a Palestinian fishermen and wounded two others while they were fishing off the Gaza coast, Palestinian and Israeli sources said.
Head of Syndicate of Palestinian Fishermen Nizar Ayyash said that the three fishermen were aboard a fishing boat, on their way back to the port, when the Israeli gunboats opened fire at them.
“All of them were directly targeted,” he said, noting that all of them, including the one who was killed, were abducted by the navy.
While he did not know the reason why the Israeli occupation navy had opened fire on the men, Ayyash stressed that they did not cross the fishing limit defined by the Israeli occupation.
Ayyash identified the three fishermen as Mahmoud Adel abu-Riyaleh, Ahed Hassan abu-Riyaleh and Ismail Saleh abu-Riyaleh.
Meanwhile, according to Days of Palestine, an Israeli source claimed that the Israeli navy opened fire at the boat of the three fishermen after “violating” the fishing limits.
“The Israeli navy opened fire at the body of the boat, but they were wounded and one of them suffered serious injuries and passed away later on,” the Israeli source said.
According to the source, the two wounded fishermen were turned over to prison authorities, in order to be investigated.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has said that all Israeli attacks on Palestinian fishermen have taken place within the distance of six nautical miles, which it said “proves that Israeli forces’ policies aim to tighten restrictions on the Gaza Strip’s fishermen and their livelihoods.”
Gaza fisherman killed, 2 injured in shooting attack by Israeli navy
A Palestinian fisherman was fatally shot and two others injured on Sunday after Israeli naval forces opened fire on a fishing boat despite sailing within the unilaterally designated fishing zone offshore al-Sudaniya area, north of Gaza city.
Israeli navy opened heavy fire on a Palestinian fishing boat carrying three fishermen, killing one of them and arresting the two others after critically injuring them, head of Gaza’s Fishermen Union, Nizar Ayyash, told the Palestinian Information Center.
Israeli army spokesperson claimed the boat exceeded the permitted area for fishing and came within the reach of the occupied Zikim coast, north of the blockaded Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military spokesman also denounced reports that two Israeli soldiers were injured in the incident.
He added that one fisherman was critically wounded and succumbed to his wounds shortly afterwards. The two other fishermen were transferred to hospitals for treatment before being dragged to detention centers for further questioning.
Israeli navy and troops routinely open fire on Palestinian fishermen sailing within the six-nautical-mile zone and farmers working in farmlands along the border, flagrantly violating the ceasefire deal that was struck following 2014’s offensive on the Gaza enclave.
The current six-nautical-mile fishing zone falls drastically short of the twenty nautical miles allocated to Palestinian fishermen in the 1993 Oslo Accords.
According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), all Israeli attacks on Palestinian fishermen have taken place within the distance of six nautical miles, which it said “proves that Israeli forces' policies aim to tighten restrictions on the Gaza Strip's fishermen and their livelihoods.”
Hamas has strongly condemned the deadly shooting attack, which it said is another Israeli crime against the Palestinian people.
24 feb 2018
Preliminary autopsy results have showed that the Palestinian martyr Yasin al-Saradih was killed by a bullet down the abdomen shot from zero distance, Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission said in a statement on Friday.
Al-Saradih, 33, died on Thursday only hours after he was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) from his house in Jericho east of the West Bank.
The autopsy results revealed that al-Saradih also suffered fractures in the pelvis and different bruises in the head, chest, neck and shoulders as a result of being brutally beaten by the IOF soldiers, according to the statement.
Head of the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission Isa Qaraqe' said that the autopsy results refute the Israeli narrative that the martyr died of gas inhalation.
Qaraqe' stressed that al-Saradih was premeditatedly executed, adding that such heinous crimes have been increasingly witnessed since 2015.
The Palestinian official called for prosecuting Israel for these extra-judicial executions at the International Criminal Court.
Al-Saradih, 33, died on Thursday only hours after he was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) from his house in Jericho east of the West Bank.
The autopsy results revealed that al-Saradih also suffered fractures in the pelvis and different bruises in the head, chest, neck and shoulders as a result of being brutally beaten by the IOF soldiers, according to the statement.
Head of the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission Isa Qaraqe' said that the autopsy results refute the Israeli narrative that the martyr died of gas inhalation.
Qaraqe' stressed that al-Saradih was premeditatedly executed, adding that such heinous crimes have been increasingly witnessed since 2015.
The Palestinian official called for prosecuting Israel for these extra-judicial executions at the International Criminal Court.
22 feb 2018
Yassin Omar al-Saradeeh 33
A 33-year-old Palestinian young man breathed his last on Thursday morning shortly after he was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces from his family’s home in Jericho.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said the Israeli occupation authorities announced the death of Yassin Omar al-Saradeeh, aged 33, after he was detained by Israeli soldiers at the crack of dawn.
The casualty’s family said that their son had been subjected to heavy beating by the occupation soldiers prior to his abduction and that he did not suffer from any diseases.
Al-Saradeeh was kidnapped in a mass abduction sweep launched by the Israeli military at predawn Thursday across the occupied West Bank.
Cases of torture and heavy beating are routinely reported in Israeli raids throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. Sniffer dogs, rifle butts, combat boots, police matraques (batons), and thick metal truncheons are among the objects Israeli soldiers frequently use to nab Palestinians before dragging them to occupation dungeons.
Update: Man Violently Beaten by Israeli Soldiers Hours before His Death (VIDEO)
The Palestinian Prisoners Society, on Thursday morning, said that Israeli authorities informed the family of Yassim Al-Saradih (33) of his death, hours after he was taken form his home the same day.
The family assured that Yassin was violently beaten during the seizure, and that he did not suffer from any diseases. Later, CCTV cameras showed the violent beating of Saradih by Israeli soldiers during the arrest, adding that he inhaled teargas and suffered from cramps due to the pain.
Israeli occupation forces stormed Jericho at dawn today (2:30), where clashes broke out between the youths and soldiers.
PNN further reports that the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) called for immediate and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his death, expressing concerns that the Israeli forces might practice torture against him immediately upon his arrest and this would be the reason behind his death.
According to PCHR’s investigations and eyewitnesses’ accounts, at approximately 04:30 on Thursday, 22 February 2018, Israeli forces moved into Jericho. They raided and searched a house belonging to Khamis Hattab in the center of the city after breaking down the main house door in addition to damaging some of the house contents. His nephew, Yassin ‘Omer al-Saradih (33) headed to the house to figure out what was going on. However, immediately, a number of Israeli soldiers severely beat him up throughout his body and then fired a tear gas canister on the spot. They then pulled him on the ground to a military vehicle and later to an unknown destination.
At approximately 09:30 on the same day, the family received a phone call from the Palestinian Military Liaison telling then that the Israeli Liaison informed them of the death of their son due to suffering gas inhalation and seizures. A video captured by a surveillance camera showed 6 Israeli soldiers attacking the abovementioned civilian and brutally beating him up using their riffles’ butts and feet.
His family said to PCHR’s fieldworker that their son had not suffered from any disease before his arrest. It should be mentioned that the Israeli authorities detain the corpse and have not so far handed it to the family or the Palestinian competent authorities.
PCHR emphasizes that during their arrest, Palestinian civilians are subject to severe beating, physical and psychological torture, and inhuman and degrading treatment. Video
A 33-year-old Palestinian young man breathed his last on Thursday morning shortly after he was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces from his family’s home in Jericho.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said the Israeli occupation authorities announced the death of Yassin Omar al-Saradeeh, aged 33, after he was detained by Israeli soldiers at the crack of dawn.
The casualty’s family said that their son had been subjected to heavy beating by the occupation soldiers prior to his abduction and that he did not suffer from any diseases.
Al-Saradeeh was kidnapped in a mass abduction sweep launched by the Israeli military at predawn Thursday across the occupied West Bank.
Cases of torture and heavy beating are routinely reported in Israeli raids throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. Sniffer dogs, rifle butts, combat boots, police matraques (batons), and thick metal truncheons are among the objects Israeli soldiers frequently use to nab Palestinians before dragging them to occupation dungeons.
Update: Man Violently Beaten by Israeli Soldiers Hours before His Death (VIDEO)
The Palestinian Prisoners Society, on Thursday morning, said that Israeli authorities informed the family of Yassim Al-Saradih (33) of his death, hours after he was taken form his home the same day.
The family assured that Yassin was violently beaten during the seizure, and that he did not suffer from any diseases. Later, CCTV cameras showed the violent beating of Saradih by Israeli soldiers during the arrest, adding that he inhaled teargas and suffered from cramps due to the pain.
Israeli occupation forces stormed Jericho at dawn today (2:30), where clashes broke out between the youths and soldiers.
PNN further reports that the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) called for immediate and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his death, expressing concerns that the Israeli forces might practice torture against him immediately upon his arrest and this would be the reason behind his death.
According to PCHR’s investigations and eyewitnesses’ accounts, at approximately 04:30 on Thursday, 22 February 2018, Israeli forces moved into Jericho. They raided and searched a house belonging to Khamis Hattab in the center of the city after breaking down the main house door in addition to damaging some of the house contents. His nephew, Yassin ‘Omer al-Saradih (33) headed to the house to figure out what was going on. However, immediately, a number of Israeli soldiers severely beat him up throughout his body and then fired a tear gas canister on the spot. They then pulled him on the ground to a military vehicle and later to an unknown destination.
At approximately 09:30 on the same day, the family received a phone call from the Palestinian Military Liaison telling then that the Israeli Liaison informed them of the death of their son due to suffering gas inhalation and seizures. A video captured by a surveillance camera showed 6 Israeli soldiers attacking the abovementioned civilian and brutally beating him up using their riffles’ butts and feet.
His family said to PCHR’s fieldworker that their son had not suffered from any disease before his arrest. It should be mentioned that the Israeli authorities detain the corpse and have not so far handed it to the family or the Palestinian competent authorities.
PCHR emphasizes that during their arrest, Palestinian civilians are subject to severe beating, physical and psychological torture, and inhuman and degrading treatment. Video
21 feb 2018
Ahmad Mohammad Abed-Rabbo al-Hilo, 19
Medical sources have confirmed that a Palestinian teen, 19 years of age, died on Wednesday morning, from serious wounds he suffered last Friday, when Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinian protesters east of the al-Boreij refugee camp, in central Gaza.
The Palestinian, Ahmad Mohammad Abed-Rabbo al-Hilo, 19, from the al-Boreij refugee camp, was shot by Israeli soldiers last Friday, and remained in a critical condition until he succumbed to his injuries, on Wednesday morning.
After his injury, Palestinian medics moved him to the Al-Aqsa Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, and later transferred him to the Shifa Hospital, due to the seriousness of his condition.
On the same day, the soldiers shot twenty-three Palestinians, including some who were shot with live rounds, after the army, stationed across the border fence, attacked protesters, who marched in several parts of the Gaza Strip.
On February 17, the Israeli army fired missiles and artillery shells in al-Shokah Palestinian village, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and killed two Palestinian teens, identified as Salem Mohammad Sabbah, 17, and his friend, Abdullah Ayman Salim Irmeilat, 15.
Medical sources have confirmed that a Palestinian teen, 19 years of age, died on Wednesday morning, from serious wounds he suffered last Friday, when Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinian protesters east of the al-Boreij refugee camp, in central Gaza.
The Palestinian, Ahmad Mohammad Abed-Rabbo al-Hilo, 19, from the al-Boreij refugee camp, was shot by Israeli soldiers last Friday, and remained in a critical condition until he succumbed to his injuries, on Wednesday morning.
After his injury, Palestinian medics moved him to the Al-Aqsa Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, and later transferred him to the Shifa Hospital, due to the seriousness of his condition.
On the same day, the soldiers shot twenty-three Palestinians, including some who were shot with live rounds, after the army, stationed across the border fence, attacked protesters, who marched in several parts of the Gaza Strip.
On February 17, the Israeli army fired missiles and artillery shells in al-Shokah Palestinian village, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and killed two Palestinian teens, identified as Salem Mohammad Sabbah, 17, and his friend, Abdullah Ayman Salim Irmeilat, 15.
18 feb 2018
In a new war crime and without any justification or reason endangering soldiers’ life, on Saturday afternoon, 17 February 2018, Israeli forces killed two Palestinian children and wounded 2 others after the Israeli forces fired artillery shells at them near the border fence with Israel in al-Shokah village, east of Rafah City.
Investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) emphasize that the shelling violates the principle of distinction and military necessity, and use of force was unjustifiable, socially that the two killed children and the other wounded were only unarmed civilians who did not carry out any act that would endanger the life of Israeli soldiers.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 21:30 on Saturday, 17 February 2018, Israeli forces stationed along the border fence with Israeli near al-Shokah village, east of Rafah City, fired around 10 artillery shells and opened fire at 4 Palestinian children, who were 30 to 50 meters away from the fence intending to sneak into Israel to work there, according to the testimony of one of the two wounded children.
Shrapnel of artillery shells and live bullets hit the four children in various parts of their bodies. Two of them were immediately transferred to Abu Yousif Annajar Hospital in Rafah City as they ran to the west until the medical staffs evacuated them. The doctors described their condition as moderate while the medical crews could not reach the two other children as it was very late and increasingly dangerous.
At approximately 06:15 on Sunday, 18 February 2018, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance crews managed to access the area and transfer the bodies of the two children namely Salem Mohammed Soliman Sabbah (17) and ‘Abdullah Ayman Salim Irmeilat (15).
As it turned out, they bled to death after being hit with shrapnel throughout their bodies.
The PRCS crews said that they evacuated two wounded children yesterday afternoon and could not find the two other children. However, in the morning, they could evacuate their bodies that were 30 to 50 meters away from the border fence with Israel. They added that the two children died after being hit with shrapnel throughout their bodies.
PCHR condemns this crime which further proves that the Israeli forces continue to use lethal force against Palestinian civilians to intentionally kill them even without posing any threat to the soldiers’ life.
PCHR indicates that the deteriorating humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip has increasingly frustrated youth, making them think of sneaking into Israel to find jobs. A fact that requires all bear their responsibilities to end this situation resulting from increasingly tightening the Israeli closure for 11 years in addition to the sanctions on the Gaza Strip.
PCHR also reiterates its call upon the international community to act immediately to stop the Israeli crimes and upon the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions regarding the guarantee of Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in the oPt.
PCHR
Investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) emphasize that the shelling violates the principle of distinction and military necessity, and use of force was unjustifiable, socially that the two killed children and the other wounded were only unarmed civilians who did not carry out any act that would endanger the life of Israeli soldiers.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 21:30 on Saturday, 17 February 2018, Israeli forces stationed along the border fence with Israeli near al-Shokah village, east of Rafah City, fired around 10 artillery shells and opened fire at 4 Palestinian children, who were 30 to 50 meters away from the fence intending to sneak into Israel to work there, according to the testimony of one of the two wounded children.
Shrapnel of artillery shells and live bullets hit the four children in various parts of their bodies. Two of them were immediately transferred to Abu Yousif Annajar Hospital in Rafah City as they ran to the west until the medical staffs evacuated them. The doctors described their condition as moderate while the medical crews could not reach the two other children as it was very late and increasingly dangerous.
At approximately 06:15 on Sunday, 18 February 2018, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance crews managed to access the area and transfer the bodies of the two children namely Salem Mohammed Soliman Sabbah (17) and ‘Abdullah Ayman Salim Irmeilat (15).
As it turned out, they bled to death after being hit with shrapnel throughout their bodies.
The PRCS crews said that they evacuated two wounded children yesterday afternoon and could not find the two other children. However, in the morning, they could evacuate their bodies that were 30 to 50 meters away from the border fence with Israel. They added that the two children died after being hit with shrapnel throughout their bodies.
PCHR condemns this crime which further proves that the Israeli forces continue to use lethal force against Palestinian civilians to intentionally kill them even without posing any threat to the soldiers’ life.
PCHR indicates that the deteriorating humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip has increasingly frustrated youth, making them think of sneaking into Israel to find jobs. A fact that requires all bear their responsibilities to end this situation resulting from increasingly tightening the Israeli closure for 11 years in addition to the sanctions on the Gaza Strip.
PCHR also reiterates its call upon the international community to act immediately to stop the Israeli crimes and upon the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions regarding the guarantee of Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in the oPt.
PCHR
Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman has warned that Israeli aggression in Gaza while continue so long as ‘the score remains unsettled,’ according to a Sunday interview with Ynet.
Lieberman’s warning was issued in response to an explosion along the Israel-Gaza border that wounded 4 IOF soldiers, two of which were considered serious and rushed to the ICU at the Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva.
‘It will take two days, a week, or two weeks. We’ll eliminate anyone behind the attack’s execution,’ Lieberman warned.
In retaliation, PNN further reports, Israel launched a series of 6 airstrikes against Hamas targets late Saturday evening, including an outpost close to the sight of the original explosion and a tunnel in the Zaytun neighbourhood.
The situation continued to escalate when 2 retaliatory rockets were fired towards Israel from the Gaza Strip, prompting Israeli forces to conduct a second air raid.
The second series of attacks raised the total number that evening to 18, according to Liebermann, as well as Palestinian news sources.
Lieberman lauded the attack as ‘perhaps the most significant and widespread strike we carried out since Operation Protective Edge.’
Any incident emanating from the Gaza Strip would be the responsibility of Hamas, that has ruled Gaza since disputed elections in 2007, said Lieberman, even if they were not conducted by Hamas or its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
‘Hamas is the ruler, and we consider Hamas to be responsible for everything that is done in the Gaza Strip and from the Gaza Strip,’ said Liberman.
Previous airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza have been in response to rocket launches conducted by the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad organization in Palestine, as well as other members of the Popular Resistance Committee.
In January, Israeli forces struck multiple Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after the al-Quds Brigade launched a series of mortars into Israeli territory.
Lieberman’s warning was issued in response to an explosion along the Israel-Gaza border that wounded 4 IOF soldiers, two of which were considered serious and rushed to the ICU at the Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva.
‘It will take two days, a week, or two weeks. We’ll eliminate anyone behind the attack’s execution,’ Lieberman warned.
In retaliation, PNN further reports, Israel launched a series of 6 airstrikes against Hamas targets late Saturday evening, including an outpost close to the sight of the original explosion and a tunnel in the Zaytun neighbourhood.
The situation continued to escalate when 2 retaliatory rockets were fired towards Israel from the Gaza Strip, prompting Israeli forces to conduct a second air raid.
The second series of attacks raised the total number that evening to 18, according to Liebermann, as well as Palestinian news sources.
Lieberman lauded the attack as ‘perhaps the most significant and widespread strike we carried out since Operation Protective Edge.’
Any incident emanating from the Gaza Strip would be the responsibility of Hamas, that has ruled Gaza since disputed elections in 2007, said Lieberman, even if they were not conducted by Hamas or its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
‘Hamas is the ruler, and we consider Hamas to be responsible for everything that is done in the Gaza Strip and from the Gaza Strip,’ said Liberman.
Previous airstrikes against Hamas targets in Gaza have been in response to rocket launches conducted by the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad organization in Palestine, as well as other members of the Popular Resistance Committee.
In January, Israeli forces struck multiple Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after the al-Quds Brigade launched a series of mortars into Israeli territory.
Abdullah Ayman Sheikha 15
Salem Mohamed Sabbah 17
The Palestinian health ministry said that two Palestinian teenagers were killed on Saturday night in an Israeli artillery attack on Rafah area, south of the Gaza Strip.
According to a spokesman for the health ministry, the victims are Salem Mohamed Sabbah and Abdullah Ayman Sheikha, both aged 17 and from al-Salam neighborhood in Rafah.
Israeli tanks last night fired several projectiles at a group of boys in Rafah, while the Israeli occupation army justified its crime by claiming that the kids were trying to cross the border security fence into Israel (the 1948 occupied lands).
The Israeli shelling of Rafah was part of a spate of overnight artillery and aerial attacks on different areas of Gaza on Saturday.
The Israeli army claimed its attacks were in response to the detonation of an explosive device at a group of its soldiers as they were patrolling a border area inside southern Gaza.
Salem Mohamed Sabbah 17
The Palestinian health ministry said that two Palestinian teenagers were killed on Saturday night in an Israeli artillery attack on Rafah area, south of the Gaza Strip.
According to a spokesman for the health ministry, the victims are Salem Mohamed Sabbah and Abdullah Ayman Sheikha, both aged 17 and from al-Salam neighborhood in Rafah.
Israeli tanks last night fired several projectiles at a group of boys in Rafah, while the Israeli occupation army justified its crime by claiming that the kids were trying to cross the border security fence into Israel (the 1948 occupied lands).
The Israeli shelling of Rafah was part of a spate of overnight artillery and aerial attacks on different areas of Gaza on Saturday.
The Israeli army claimed its attacks were in response to the detonation of an explosive device at a group of its soldiers as they were patrolling a border area inside southern Gaza.
14 feb 2018
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Cancer patients take part in a December 2016 protest in Gaza City demanding that they be allowed to travel for treatment. In 2017, 54 patients died in Gaza after Israel denied or delayed such permits, the majority of them cancer patients.
Mohammed Asad APA imagesFifty-four Palestinians died last year waiting for Israeli permits to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment. One of them was Faten Ahmed, a 26-year-old with a rare form of cancer. She died in August while awaiting an Israeli permit to travel for chemotherapy and radiotherapy not available in Gaza. She had previously missed eight hospital appointments after Israeli “security approval” was delayed or denied, according to the World Health Organization. Ahmed was one of five women [PDF] who died from cancer in that month alone waiting for Israeli permission that never came. Overall, 46 of those who died last year waiting for permits were cancer patients. Shocking number of deaths This staggering toll highlights the lethal impact of Israel’s ever-tightening siege on the two million people who live in Gaza. “We’re seeing Israel increasingly deny or delay access to potentially life-saving cancer and other treatment outside Gaza, with shockingly |
high numbers of Palestinian patients subsequently dying, while Gaza’s healthcare system – subjected to half a century of occupation and a decade of blockade – is decreasingly able to meet the needs of its population,” Aimee Shalan, CEO of Medical Aid for Palestinians, said on Tuesday.
Her charity, along with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, has issued an urgent call on Israel to “lift the unlawful sweeping restrictions on the freedom of movement of people from Gaza, most critically those with significant health problems.”
In 2017 Israeli occupation authorities approved just 54 percent of applications for permits to leave Gaza for medical appointments, the lowest rate [PDF] since the World Health Organization began collecting data in 2008.
Israel has dramatically tightened the deadly squeeze; its approval rate for permits fell from 92 percent in 2012 to 82 percent in 2014 and then 62 percent in 2016, before hitting its lowest point last year.
The health and human rights groups note that the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross have declared Israel’s land, sea and air blockade on Gaza, preventing the movement of its population, to be “collective punishment” – a war crime.
“Palestinians from Gaza missed at least 11,000 scheduled medical appointments in 2017 after Israeli authorities denied or failed to respond in time to applications for permits,” the groups state.
Egypt and Palestinian Authority complicit
The groups also note that Egypt and the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority played a role in worsening the situation: “Egypt has kept the Rafah crossing mostly closed for the population in Gaza since 2013, which contributed to restricting access to health care.”
“As a state bordering a territory with a protracted humanitarian crisis, Egypt should facilitate humanitarian access for the population,” they state. “Nevertheless, ultimate responsibility remains with Israel, the occupying power.”
The Palestinian Authority also sharply reduced its financial approvals for medical treatment outside Gaza as part of its sanctions aimed at forcing Hamas to hand over control of the governance of Gaza.
These PA restrictions resulted in at least one death, according to the groups. But medical authorities in Gaza have said that more than a dozen people, including a 3-year-old girl with a heart condition, died waiting for payment approval from Ramallah.
All of this comes amid the protracted siege-induced crisis which has brought the collapse of key parts of the health system.
“Amid widespread poverty and unemployment, at least 10 percent of young children are stunted by chronic malnutrition, up to half of all medicines and medical items in Gaza are completely depleted or below one month’s supply, and chronic electricity shortages have caused officials to cut health and other essential services,” the human rights and medical groups state.
End the siege
Earlier this month, hospitals in Gaza began shutting down as emergency generators ran out of fuel, forcing the postponement of hundreds of operations.
On Wednesday, RT posted this report from Gaza about the plight of cancer patients. Correspondent Anya Parampil spoke to Zakia Tafish whose husband Jamil died after he was repeatedly blocked from traveling to Jerusalem for surgery.
The channel also aired a report about the worsening situation in the territory’s hospitals.
Following UN warnings of looming catastrophe, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates last week pledged $11 million in short-term funding to stave off an even worse catastrophe for another few months.
However, as the human rights groups note, there is no long-term solution but to end the siege.
“The Israeli government’s restrictions on movement are directly connected to patient deaths and compounded suffering as ill patients seek permits,” Al Mezan director Issam Younis said.
“These practices form part of the closure and permit regime that prevents patients from a life of dignity, and violates the right to life.”
The UK-based Medical Aid for Palestinians is calling on the public to contact lawmakers in the British parliament and “ask them to urge the UK government to take action and save lives in Gaza.”
Her charity, along with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, has issued an urgent call on Israel to “lift the unlawful sweeping restrictions on the freedom of movement of people from Gaza, most critically those with significant health problems.”
In 2017 Israeli occupation authorities approved just 54 percent of applications for permits to leave Gaza for medical appointments, the lowest rate [PDF] since the World Health Organization began collecting data in 2008.
Israel has dramatically tightened the deadly squeeze; its approval rate for permits fell from 92 percent in 2012 to 82 percent in 2014 and then 62 percent in 2016, before hitting its lowest point last year.
The health and human rights groups note that the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross have declared Israel’s land, sea and air blockade on Gaza, preventing the movement of its population, to be “collective punishment” – a war crime.
“Palestinians from Gaza missed at least 11,000 scheduled medical appointments in 2017 after Israeli authorities denied or failed to respond in time to applications for permits,” the groups state.
Egypt and Palestinian Authority complicit
The groups also note that Egypt and the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority played a role in worsening the situation: “Egypt has kept the Rafah crossing mostly closed for the population in Gaza since 2013, which contributed to restricting access to health care.”
“As a state bordering a territory with a protracted humanitarian crisis, Egypt should facilitate humanitarian access for the population,” they state. “Nevertheless, ultimate responsibility remains with Israel, the occupying power.”
The Palestinian Authority also sharply reduced its financial approvals for medical treatment outside Gaza as part of its sanctions aimed at forcing Hamas to hand over control of the governance of Gaza.
These PA restrictions resulted in at least one death, according to the groups. But medical authorities in Gaza have said that more than a dozen people, including a 3-year-old girl with a heart condition, died waiting for payment approval from Ramallah.
All of this comes amid the protracted siege-induced crisis which has brought the collapse of key parts of the health system.
“Amid widespread poverty and unemployment, at least 10 percent of young children are stunted by chronic malnutrition, up to half of all medicines and medical items in Gaza are completely depleted or below one month’s supply, and chronic electricity shortages have caused officials to cut health and other essential services,” the human rights and medical groups state.
End the siege
Earlier this month, hospitals in Gaza began shutting down as emergency generators ran out of fuel, forcing the postponement of hundreds of operations.
On Wednesday, RT posted this report from Gaza about the plight of cancer patients. Correspondent Anya Parampil spoke to Zakia Tafish whose husband Jamil died after he was repeatedly blocked from traveling to Jerusalem for surgery.
The channel also aired a report about the worsening situation in the territory’s hospitals.
Following UN warnings of looming catastrophe, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates last week pledged $11 million in short-term funding to stave off an even worse catastrophe for another few months.
However, as the human rights groups note, there is no long-term solution but to end the siege.
“The Israeli government’s restrictions on movement are directly connected to patient deaths and compounded suffering as ill patients seek permits,” Al Mezan director Issam Younis said.
“These practices form part of the closure and permit regime that prevents patients from a life of dignity, and violates the right to life.”
The UK-based Medical Aid for Palestinians is calling on the public to contact lawmakers in the British parliament and “ask them to urge the UK government to take action and save lives in Gaza.”
