Ramallah: Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, condemns the Israeli aggression against Gaza Strip. The Occupation’s aggression resulted in killing thirteen Palestinians including women and children. Among the killed Palestinians: Released Prisoner Tareq Ibrahim Izzi- Dein (51 years old) who is originally from Arraba- Jenin in the West Bank and was deported to Gaza Strip, where he was killed alongside with his two kids Mayar (10 years girl and Ali- 8 years old boy). Martyr Khalil Saleh Al- Bahtiti (44 years old ) and his wife Laila Majdi Al- Bahtitii (42 years old) and his 4 years old daughter Hajar. Martyr Dania Alaa Atta Adas (19 years old girl) and her sister Iman (17 years old) who live in a house close to the house of Martyr Al- Bahiti Family. Martyr Jamal Saber Muhammad Khasswan (52 years old) who is a dentist and was killed alongside with his wife Mervat Saleh Muhammad Khasswan (44 years old) and their son Yousef (19 years old) where they were killed as a result to shelling their house while they were sleeping. In addition to those martyrs, many other citizens were injured due to the Israeli aggression. SHAMS Center emphasized that the crime of the occupation is categorized as war crime according to The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998), which is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court. The Rome Statute states in article 8 that: The Court shall have jurisdiction in respect of war crimes in particular when committed as part of a plan or policy or as part of a large-scale commission of such crimes”. Likewise, SHAMS Center emphasizes that the aggression represents violation of the UN Charter.
SHAMS Center stressed that the crime of the occupation is a profound violation of the International Humanitarian Law, especially Geneva Fourth Convention that protects civilians, mainly women and children, under armed conflicts. The reason behind the special mentioning of women and children (in the given conventions) lays in the fact that they are civilians and they do not participate in the military acts. Thus, targeting the civilians houses through the savage shelling by the occupation’s air forces, stands as clear violation of the international Human Rights Law.
SHAMS Center confirms that the practices of the Israeli authorities in the OPT, interpret the behavior of the current Israeli government, which is the most radical and fascist government in the history of the occupation’s state. It is clear that the Israeli government is trying to export its internal crises through committing more crimes and oppression of Palestinians. It is shameful for the world to remain silent in front of killing Palestinians and present the aggression on them as bribe from the government to the radical parties in Israel to sustain the government and ban dismantling it. At the moment the Religious Zionist Party, led by the racist settler minister Itamar Ben-Gvir decided to boycott the meetings of the Israeli government under the justification that the Israeli response against Gaza last week was weak, the Israeli prime minister replied by attacking civilians in Gaza Strip. The Israeli prime minister decided to initiate in killing civilians in Gaza Strip and destroying houses in order to satisfy his partners in the government.
SHAMS Center calls upon providing immediate international protection for Palestinian civilians including women and children and ensure that they are not subject to the attacks of the Israeli aggression army as well as the crimes of field murdering and other crimes. Palestinian children and women have the right to protection in accordance with Geneva Conventions, Convention on Child Rights, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the United Nations Covenant on Civic and Political Rights as well as the UN Covenant on Economic and Social Rights. SHAMS Center affirms that children have the right to safety and protection against all forms of violence and oppression according to the given international human rights law instruments.
SHAMS Center calls upon all the local and international legal and human rights organizations, mainly the UN agencies, International Red Cross Committee, and Amnesty International, to fulfill their legal and moral responsibilities and press on the Israeli government to end its systematic aggression and targeting of Palestinian civilians. The Center calls upon the popular federations and the CSOs as well as the Palestinian groups in the EU states members and in the USA, to arrange peaceful protesting activities in the public yards and fields and arrange popular marches and rallies to express rejection against the ongoing Israeli aggression against Palestinians and pick the attention of the world to these crimes.
Additionally, SHAMS Center calls upon the international and regional organizations that support the just question of Palestinians, especially Arab Countries League, Islamic Conference Group, China and the group of 77, and the countries members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), to perform their role to call for a session of the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations, to issue a resolution under section 7 of the United Nations Charter to condemn the Israeli aggression on Palestinians and obligate the occupation’s state to stop the aggression as well as imposing sanctions on Israel for violating the international law.