Israel pursues attacks against Gaza as calls mount for international investigations into war crimes
Marian Houk
January 12, 2009
Almost 900 Palestinian deaths have been confirmed in Gaza -- and nearly 4,000 Palestinians have been wounded -- on the 17th day of Israel's Operation Cast Lead, which started on 27 December, and which is said to be aimed at changing the "security situation" in Israel's south.
The attacks are continuing.
The AP reported that "Early Monday, Israeli navy gunboats fired more than 25 shells at Gaza City, setting fires and shaking office buildings, including the local bureau of The Associated Press. The military said that in general, the targets are Hamas installations but had no immediate information about the shelling that began just after midnight".
Nevertheless, the Free Gaza movement has just sent an announcement out by email that its sixth expedition has set sail from Larnaca in Cyprus, headed toward Gaza. Its fifth expedition, which sailed just days after the start of Operation Cast Lead, was intercepted -- in international waters, according to the Free Gaza organization -- and then rammed by Israeli naval vessels before it got even half-way. The vessel managed to make it to a Lebanese port where it is now undergoing repair.
What is different this time is that Israel has formally declared a naval blockade -- extending to 20 nautical miles from the coast -- of Gaza's territorial waters. The announcement of the naval blockade was made just after the start of the ground invasion of Gaza on 3 January.
On the passenger list, there are a large number of journalists, including for Al-Jazeera, Sky TV, CNN, France 2 TV, BBC, AP, RTL Radio, Mega TV, Sunday Herald, El Mundo, and Ethnos.
Meanwhile, the IDF attacks on Gaza are continuing in full force. Yaakov Katz reported in the Jerusalem Post that "Israel dispatched reserve units to the Gaza Strip on Sunday as the IDF was said to be carving out a 'security zone' along the border, which it would retain even after an end to the fighting and use to conduct routine patrols aimed at halting rocket attacks against the South ... A senior [Israeli] military officer who is commanding forces fighting inside Gaza said on Sunday that Hamas terrorists were trying to cross the line the IDF had created separating northern Gaza from the south. Some attempts to cross the line, he said, were made by Hamas gunmen hiding inside Red Crescent ambulances ... On Saturday, flyers were dropped on Gaza City warning residents of a wider offensive. 'The IDF is not working against the people of Gaza but against Hamas and the terrorists only', the flyer said. 'Stay safe by following our orders'." This report can be seen here .
The Israeli military has spoken for some time of its desire to create "security zones" in the outer periphery of the small and already very over-populated Gaza Strip -- one of the most densely-populated places on the planet. It is about 25 miles long and 6 or so miles wide.
Amira Hass reported in Haaretz, after speaking to her contacts in Gaza, that "As of Sunday, the streets of Gaza are full of people fleeing - both from Sheikh Ajleen [to the south of Gaza City], an area with open fields and houses, where battles between Hamas gunmen and Israel Defense Forces soldiers are taking place, but also from nearby neighborhoods. Everyone is carrying his possessions ... A relatively small number - some 20,000 - have found refuge in UNRWA schools. Many more have moved in with relatives and friends: in Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Yunis, Beit Hanun and the Nuseirat refugee camp. The military is steadily forcing the areas known as 'population concentrations' to move inward, 'clearing' areas on the periphery - first the agricultural land, and now the neighborhoods bordering them - and pushing people into an increasingly smaller territory". This report is posted here.
The Jerusalem office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process reported that as of 17h00 on Sunday, "The number of displaced people staying with host families remains unknown, but reports indicate that it is likely to number in the tens of thousands. According to the Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, an estimated 80,000–90,000 people have been displaced, including up to 50,000 children. UNRWA opened four new shelters on 10 January in response to increased demand in Gaza City, Jabalia, and Deir al Balah. UNRWA is currently operating 31 shelters providing refuge to 25,696 people, an increase of over 4,000 from 9 January ... Access between northern Gaza and the rest of the territory remains possible only via the coastal road west of the former Israeli settlement of Netzarim and is restricted to humanitarian relief assistance (including ambulances) following coordination with the Israeli authorities".
The IDF announced this morning that today's three-hour lull for "humanitarian respite" would be from 10a.m. to 1p.m. -- and that a number of trucks would go in from Kerem Shalom and Karni carrying food and medical supplies (but no fuel, apparently)
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza reported on Sunday that the IDF ground operation had expanded over the previous 24 hours, and it accused the IDF of using "incinerating bombs in the areas into which they moved. According to residents of these areas, they have never been subjected to shelling by such kind of shells, which are like inflaming objects that explode and disperse shrapnel. They release white smoke that causes suffocation and fainting".
From the start of the Operation, which is now in its third week, there have been persistent reports that the IDF was detaining many males, and taking them away for questioning in an unknown location. These men are still under detention.
Yesterday, the PCHR reported that a number of houses in various areas of Gaza have been siezed, and their occupants detained inside, in poor conditions: "Palestinian civilians in these houses have been denied access to food and water, and they have been even used by IOF [Israeli Occupation Forces] as human shields during armed clashes with Palestinian resistance groups".
The PCHR warned that the lives of Palestinian civilians are endangered in light of threats vowed by Israeli political and military officials to expand military operations against the population of the Gaza Strip.
And the PCHR called again for immediate intervention from "the international community" to stop the Israeli attacks, and urged the States Parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to fulfill their obligations to ensure respect for its provisions -- and to search for and to prosecute those responsible for grave breeches of the convention, because such grave breeches constitute war crimes.
The Gaza-based organization also called for investigations into crimes committed by the UN and by the UN Human Rights Council into crimes committed during the on-going attacks, in particular into the reported use of internationally-prohibited weapons against the Palestinian civilian population.
Haaretz reported, meanwhile, that 700 protesters (of whom 237 were minors) -- all either Israeli Arab citizens or Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem -- have been arrested since the start of the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Dozens have been indicted, and 226 are still in custody, according to the Haaretz report. "Most of the protests that led to arrests took place in Jerusalem or the north. Palestinians and Israeli left-wing activists [this terminology ususally means Jewish rather than Arab] claim that in the wake of Operation Cast Lead, the IDF has reintroduced the use of a semiautomatic rifle that uses live ammunition to disperse crowds that was banned after the second Intifada. The Ruger .22 rifle was banned following the Al-Aqsa Intifada, in which it was used to break up protests and caused the deaths of a number of Palestinians, including youths and children". This story can be read in full here.
The Jerusalem Post, however, said Monday that the IDF has back-tracked from an earlier report that there had been a mistake in targetting that resulted in killing about 40 people sheltering in a UNRWA school in Jabalya last week. Later in the week, the JPost wrote, an AP story "reported that Israeli defense officials have said in private that at the time of the attack, the IDF was returning fire at Hamas men who had just fired a rocket at Israel. The army fired three mortar shells, two of which hit the target and one missed by about 30 meters, causing the casualties at the school, whose number the IDF believes was inflated by Hamas". But, upon following up, the JPost reported that it was told, by IDF Capt. Ishai David, that "We are still sticking by our official position that according to our initial inquiry, the whole thing started when terrorists fired mortar shells from the school compound [at soldiers]. The IDF returned fire to the source, and the unfortunate result was the death of innocent civilians". David said.
Capt. David also told the JPost that in another case as well, there has been no finding that the IDF shot and killed an UNRWA relief truck driver in last week near the Erez crossing. David said that "the initial inquiry indicates that it was not IDF fire that killed him." This story can be read in full here.
The attacks are continuing.
The AP reported that "Early Monday, Israeli navy gunboats fired more than 25 shells at Gaza City, setting fires and shaking office buildings, including the local bureau of The Associated Press. The military said that in general, the targets are Hamas installations but had no immediate information about the shelling that began just after midnight".
Nevertheless, the Free Gaza movement has just sent an announcement out by email that its sixth expedition has set sail from Larnaca in Cyprus, headed toward Gaza. Its fifth expedition, which sailed just days after the start of Operation Cast Lead, was intercepted -- in international waters, according to the Free Gaza organization -- and then rammed by Israeli naval vessels before it got even half-way. The vessel managed to make it to a Lebanese port where it is now undergoing repair.
What is different this time is that Israel has formally declared a naval blockade -- extending to 20 nautical miles from the coast -- of Gaza's territorial waters. The announcement of the naval blockade was made just after the start of the ground invasion of Gaza on 3 January.
On the passenger list, there are a large number of journalists, including for Al-Jazeera, Sky TV, CNN, France 2 TV, BBC, AP, RTL Radio, Mega TV, Sunday Herald, El Mundo, and Ethnos.
Meanwhile, the IDF attacks on Gaza are continuing in full force. Yaakov Katz reported in the Jerusalem Post that "Israel dispatched reserve units to the Gaza Strip on Sunday as the IDF was said to be carving out a 'security zone' along the border, which it would retain even after an end to the fighting and use to conduct routine patrols aimed at halting rocket attacks against the South ... A senior [Israeli] military officer who is commanding forces fighting inside Gaza said on Sunday that Hamas terrorists were trying to cross the line the IDF had created separating northern Gaza from the south. Some attempts to cross the line, he said, were made by Hamas gunmen hiding inside Red Crescent ambulances ... On Saturday, flyers were dropped on Gaza City warning residents of a wider offensive. 'The IDF is not working against the people of Gaza but against Hamas and the terrorists only', the flyer said. 'Stay safe by following our orders'." This report can be seen here .
The Israeli military has spoken for some time of its desire to create "security zones" in the outer periphery of the small and already very over-populated Gaza Strip -- one of the most densely-populated places on the planet. It is about 25 miles long and 6 or so miles wide.
Amira Hass reported in Haaretz, after speaking to her contacts in Gaza, that "As of Sunday, the streets of Gaza are full of people fleeing - both from Sheikh Ajleen [to the south of Gaza City], an area with open fields and houses, where battles between Hamas gunmen and Israel Defense Forces soldiers are taking place, but also from nearby neighborhoods. Everyone is carrying his possessions ... A relatively small number - some 20,000 - have found refuge in UNRWA schools. Many more have moved in with relatives and friends: in Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Yunis, Beit Hanun and the Nuseirat refugee camp. The military is steadily forcing the areas known as 'population concentrations' to move inward, 'clearing' areas on the periphery - first the agricultural land, and now the neighborhoods bordering them - and pushing people into an increasingly smaller territory". This report is posted here.
The Jerusalem office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process reported that as of 17h00 on Sunday, "The number of displaced people staying with host families remains unknown, but reports indicate that it is likely to number in the tens of thousands. According to the Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, an estimated 80,000–90,000 people have been displaced, including up to 50,000 children. UNRWA opened four new shelters on 10 January in response to increased demand in Gaza City, Jabalia, and Deir al Balah. UNRWA is currently operating 31 shelters providing refuge to 25,696 people, an increase of over 4,000 from 9 January ... Access between northern Gaza and the rest of the territory remains possible only via the coastal road west of the former Israeli settlement of Netzarim and is restricted to humanitarian relief assistance (including ambulances) following coordination with the Israeli authorities".
The IDF announced this morning that today's three-hour lull for "humanitarian respite" would be from 10a.m. to 1p.m. -- and that a number of trucks would go in from Kerem Shalom and Karni carrying food and medical supplies (but no fuel, apparently)
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza reported on Sunday that the IDF ground operation had expanded over the previous 24 hours, and it accused the IDF of using "incinerating bombs in the areas into which they moved. According to residents of these areas, they have never been subjected to shelling by such kind of shells, which are like inflaming objects that explode and disperse shrapnel. They release white smoke that causes suffocation and fainting".
From the start of the Operation, which is now in its third week, there have been persistent reports that the IDF was detaining many males, and taking them away for questioning in an unknown location. These men are still under detention.
Yesterday, the PCHR reported that a number of houses in various areas of Gaza have been siezed, and their occupants detained inside, in poor conditions: "Palestinian civilians in these houses have been denied access to food and water, and they have been even used by IOF [Israeli Occupation Forces] as human shields during armed clashes with Palestinian resistance groups".
The PCHR warned that the lives of Palestinian civilians are endangered in light of threats vowed by Israeli political and military officials to expand military operations against the population of the Gaza Strip.
And the PCHR called again for immediate intervention from "the international community" to stop the Israeli attacks, and urged the States Parties to the 1949 Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War to fulfill their obligations to ensure respect for its provisions -- and to search for and to prosecute those responsible for grave breeches of the convention, because such grave breeches constitute war crimes.
The Gaza-based organization also called for investigations into crimes committed by the UN and by the UN Human Rights Council into crimes committed during the on-going attacks, in particular into the reported use of internationally-prohibited weapons against the Palestinian civilian population.
Haaretz reported, meanwhile, that 700 protesters (of whom 237 were minors) -- all either Israeli Arab citizens or Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem -- have been arrested since the start of the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Dozens have been indicted, and 226 are still in custody, according to the Haaretz report. "Most of the protests that led to arrests took place in Jerusalem or the north. Palestinians and Israeli left-wing activists [this terminology ususally means Jewish rather than Arab] claim that in the wake of Operation Cast Lead, the IDF has reintroduced the use of a semiautomatic rifle that uses live ammunition to disperse crowds that was banned after the second Intifada. The Ruger .22 rifle was banned following the Al-Aqsa Intifada, in which it was used to break up protests and caused the deaths of a number of Palestinians, including youths and children". This story can be read in full here.
The Jerusalem Post, however, said Monday that the IDF has back-tracked from an earlier report that there had been a mistake in targetting that resulted in killing about 40 people sheltering in a UNRWA school in Jabalya last week. Later in the week, the JPost wrote, an AP story "reported that Israeli defense officials have said in private that at the time of the attack, the IDF was returning fire at Hamas men who had just fired a rocket at Israel. The army fired three mortar shells, two of which hit the target and one missed by about 30 meters, causing the casualties at the school, whose number the IDF believes was inflated by Hamas". But, upon following up, the JPost reported that it was told, by IDF Capt. Ishai David, that "We are still sticking by our official position that according to our initial inquiry, the whole thing started when terrorists fired mortar shells from the school compound [at soldiers]. The IDF returned fire to the source, and the unfortunate result was the death of innocent civilians". David said.
Capt. David also told the JPost that in another case as well, there has been no finding that the IDF shot and killed an UNRWA relief truck driver in last week near the Erez crossing. David said that "the initial inquiry indicates that it was not IDF fire that killed him." This story can be read in full here.
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