The Israeli occupation forces have escalated their aggression against the Gaza Strip with the extra judicial killings of two Palestinians.
Since the beginning of the Second Intifada on 28 September 2000 until now, Israeli forces have killed - extra judicially - 416 Palestinians including the targets and the civilian bystanders.
Al Mezan condemns the Israeli attacks and warns of Israeli violations escalating into a wide-scale operation on the Gaza Strip.
At approximately 12:05 am on Wednesday, 22 January 2014, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile targeting two young men who were setting in a white civilian Citroen car that was parked in a bystreet east of As-Sekka street in Beit Hanoun, in the north of Gaza.
Ahmed Mohammed Jum’a Khalil Az-Za’aneen, 21, and Mohammed Yousef Ahmed Az-Za’aneen, 22, were immediately killed, with their bodies left in shreds .
As a result of the attack, the car was completely destroyed and the house of Ahmed’s family was damaged.
The Israeli authorities took responsibility for the killings At approximately 9:15 am on Sunday, 19 January 2014, an Israeli drone fired a missile targeting a motorcycle that was travelling on As-Saftawi Street in Jabaliya, in the north of Gaza.
As a result, the motorcycle driver sustained shrapnel wounds and medical sources at Shiffa Hospital described his injury as critical.
Salah Fareed Al Ghaf, 11, also sustained shrapnel wounds in his right leg.
Medical sources at Kamal Odwan hospital described his injury as moderate.
The motorcycle was destroyed in the attack and a nearby house was damaged.
The Israeli authorities took responsibility for the attack stating that the target was Palestinian resistance fighters.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights strongly condemns the escalated Israeli attacks.
Al Mezan asserts that willful killings are a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention under Article 147 and therefore, a war crime, as reiterated in the International Criminal Court's Rome Statute, Article 8.
It also violates the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, which emphasize that extra-judicial executions are in no case permitted, even in situations of war.
Therefore, Al Mezan calls on the international community particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to promptly intervene to end Israeli aggression and to uphold its legal and moral responsibility to protect civilians and ensure the respect of international law.
Al Mezan asserts that the failure of the international community to implement international justice mechanisms has encouraged Israel to commit more crimes and violations.