The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) escalated its aggression against the Gaza Strip where it killed four Palestinians, including a minor who was crashed by bulldozer.
Seven Palestinians were also injured, 13 homes destroyed, and some 121 donums of cultivated lands razed by IOF over the past three days.
This escalation comes in the aftermath of the Israeli security cabinet's decisions, in which it declared the Gaza Strip as "hostile territory" and approved the expansion of the military operations against it.
According to field investigations by Al Mezan, at approximately 10am on Saturday, 22 September 2007, five IOF's armored bulldozers and tanks penetrated the eastern borderline in the outskirts of Al Montar (Karni) Crossing, east of Gaza City.
They opened fire and razed agricultural land.
The force withdrew at approximately 4pm on the same day without causing any human casualties.
Moreover, for the second time this week, ammunition that was left behind IOF in the former Israeli settlement of Dugit, northwest of Beit Lahia town, exploded and injured children.
According to information collected by the Al Mezan's fieldworkers, at approximately 11.
30am, on 21 September 2007, four children were injured from shrapnel to different parts of their bodies, as ammunition they found exploded.
They were identified as:
10-year-old Shadi Zayid Abu Halimeh;
14-year-old Muhammad Issam Abu Halimeh;
16-year-old Muhammad Ziyad Abu Halimeh; and
16-year-old Nasser Adil Abu Halimeh.
The latter sustained critical wounds and has been transferred to an Israeli hospital for treatment.
Earlier, at approximately 2.
30am on 20 September 2007, an IOF special unit penetrated the Gaza Valley village (also called Juhr Ad-Deek) south of Al Bureij Camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip.
It took positions nears the road that links the village with the camp under the cover of helicopters.
It then entered the Abu Hjayir farm, which is located west of the road.
IOF's tanks and armored bulldozers also entered the area and took positions near Al Ihsan Mosque.
Soldiers broke into several homes and took positions inside them.
They opened fire and killed 35-year-old Imad Rizeq Abu Hjayir and 24-year-old Younis Abdullah Abu Hjayir.
Two others were injured, according to medical sources at Al Aqsa Hospital in the nearby town of Dir Al Balah.
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli armored Caterpillar bulldozers razed agricultural lands and uprooted dozens of olive trees.
In addition, they demolished 13 homes; of which 8 were completely destroyed.
According to eyewitnesses, at approximately 6am children gathered at the scene of the Israeli bulldozers uprooting olive orchards.
Some of them threw stones at the force.
The IOF opened fire at them, killing 19-year-old Mahmoud Al Kafafi, who was shot in his neck before a bulldozer moved towards him and hit his head with its razor.
He was already dead when he arrived at Al Aqsa hospital.
Soldiers who took positions on the buildings' tops opened fire at civilians, injuring 22-year-old Muhammad Suleiman Abu Hujeir with bullet to his head.
The victim died of his wounds later at Al Aqsa Hospital.
IOF also arrested 20 people.
Those were taken for interrogation inside Israel.
All of them were released later, except 23-year-old Muhammad Rizq Abu Hjayir and 40-year-old Freih Ahmed An-Nabahin, who was injured in this operation.
The IOF withdrew at approximately 7.
30pm.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights strongly condemns the military escalation by the IOF in the Gaza Strip.
Noteworthy, this has followed the declaration of the Gaza Strip a "hostile territory" and the approval of employing measures of collective punishment against it by Israel.
The above-mentioned circumstances in which Al Kafafi was intentionally killed indicate that the IOF shows reckless disregard to civilian life, in a grave breach of Israel's obligations under International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
Such conducts, which have been routinely carried out by IOF, amount to crimes of war and crimes against humanity.
Al Mezan asserts that IOF's premeditated conducts represent flagrant violations of the IHL and human rights law.
Those acts have been committed under full silence from the part of the international community, which has failed to uphold its legal and moral obligations towards the civilian population in the OPT.
Al Mezan therefore renews its calls upon the international community to take effective action to bring to an end the Israeli violations of human rights and the IHL in OPT, and to initiate investigations into IOF's conducts; especially those involving killing of civilians such as Al Kafafi.
The Center calls for effective international protection for civilians in the OPT.
END