2PM Gaza Time The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip since 2 pm yesterday, Saturday 2 August 2014.
IOF's attacks were concentrated in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, where another Un shelter for displaced people was hit today morning leaving seven casualties.
There are reports about people whose dead bodies were not recovered in the eastern parts of the town due to continuous IOF attacks.
In the meantime, the Gaza Strip's population continued to suffer from severe humanitarian conditions, with hundreds of thousands displaced, almost full blackout, severe shortage of water and attacks on houses and shelters.
As of 2 pm today, Sunday 3 August 2014, Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights was able to verify that at least 1,764 Palestinians have been killed by the IOF.
Of them 399 are children and 226 women.
According to Al Mezan's initial investigations 1,455 (i.
e.
82.
5%) of the victims are civilians.
At least 856; including 275 children and 181 women, were killed inside their houses; and two other disabled women were killed in an attack on a rehabilitation NGO's office.
Another 181 people were killed in the vicinity of their houses; including in situations where they were trying to flee from their homes as a result of IOF attacks.
Al Mezan stresses that these figures do not include victims who fell due to IOF attacks, but have not been recovered or identified yet.
Moreover, at least 7,113 other people were injured during the same period; of whom at least 1,954 were children and 1,336 women.
At least, 6,525 houses were destroyed or damaged during this period; of which 1,146 were destroyed completely as the IOF directly and deliberately attacked 841 of the total number of damaged houses.
Dozens of other civilian facilities; including hospitals, NGO offices.
Schools, mosques and Gaza's only power plant were also destroyed or damaged.
North Gaza district: At approximately 12:30 am on Sunday 3 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired at least one missile at the house of Jameel Abu Al Qomsan, which is located in the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp.
The family had been hosting the family of Wahdan, which is the family of the house owner's sister.
Three persons from the Wahdan family were killed in the attack; a man and two women, and 12 others were injured; including four children and three women.
Medical sources informed Al Mezan that four of the wounded are in critical conditions.
The persons who were killed in this attack were: Hatim Zaki Wahdan, 52; Jamileh Jamal Wahdan, 28; and Sanioura Abdel Karim Wahdan, 22.
Around the same time at 12:30 am on Sunday, IOF aircraft fired a missile at the house of Abdel Rahman Al Shrafi in the Al Saftawi neighborhood in Jabalia.
The house owner's wife, son and nephew were killed in the attack.
He and another two of his sons were injured critically.
Al Mezan identified the three persons who were killed in this attack as: Najah Rajab Al Shrafi, 48; Rajab Abdel Rahman Al Shrafi, 9; and Mahmoud Abdallah Al Shrafi, 25.
At approximately 10:40 am on Sunday 3 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile at the house of Ahmed Mohammed Nseer, which is located in the town of Beit lahiya.
Minutes later, IOF fired a second missile at the house and injured 27-year old Khalil Mohammed Nseer critically as he was leaving the house.
As neighbors and ambulances approached the house to aid the injured, IOF aircraft fired a heavy missile at it, killing a young man, 'Ahed Sa'eed Badr, 20.
Another 15 people were injured in this attack, including two children and two women.
An ambulance was also damaged and its driver, medic Samir Morad, 29, was injured.
Six houses were damaged in this attack.
Since after the IOF announced that it was safe for people in several parts of this district to return to their homes, IOF continued to fire artillery shells on Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, and Jabalia's neighborhood of Tel Al Za'tar.
Several shells hit houses and injured ten people; including three children and five women.
Gaza City: At approximately 2 pm on Saturday 2 August 2014, IOF fired artillery shells at the house of Hamdi Mohammed Ayyad, 56, which is located in the eastern Gaza City neighborhood of Al Zeitoun.
The house owner and his son, Shadi Hamdi Ayyad, 24, were killed as a result.
At approximately 2:30 pm on Saturday 2 August 2014, medical sources at the Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City announced the death of Ahmed Mohammed Abu Heen, 32, who had been wounded when the IOF bombarded his house in the al Shejai'ya neighborhood, east of Gaza City on 23 July 2014.
At approximately 6 am on Sunday 3 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired a missile at Nasrallah Yousef Al Masri, 22, and killed him.
He was in his house's entrance in the Al Sheikh Radwan neighborhood northwest of Gaza City when the attack took place.
At approximately 6:40 am on Sunday 3 August 2014, IOF aircraft bombarded a branch office for the Al Moltazim Insurance Company, located in the west of Gaza City on the ground floor of Mishtaha apartment building.
The office was destroyed.
Three cars owned by the company and another three cars for a media company based in the same building were also destroyed.
At approximately 10 am on Sunday 3 August 2014, IOF aircraft bombarded the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th floors of the Al Zafer apartment building in Gaza City.
The attack caused severe damage in the building.
At approximately 10:50 am on Sunday 3 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired two missiles at the house of Adel Issam Abu Abdallah, 52.
The house is located in the Al Shiekh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, and was totally destroyed, displacing 13 people.
The IOF had called the family and ordered the house evacuated prior to the attack.
Middle Gaza district: At approximately 2:30 pm on Saturday 2 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired at least one missile at the house of Yousef Dawoud Abu Madi, 68, in the Al Nuseirat refugee camp close to the Al Ahli sports club.
The three-story house, which is home to 21 people from the family, was totally destroyed and six of the family members were killed and another ten injured.
The attack was launched without any peior warning given to the family and they were inside their house when it took place.
Three of the dead were children.
Another three children and four women were among the injured; including a woman who was seven months pregnant who lost the baby.
Al Mezan identified those who were killed in this attack as: 'Hala Shadi Abu Madi, 10 days; Yousef Shadi abu Madi, 7; (her brother) Ameen Yousef Abu Madi, 10; Hassan Yousef Abu Madi; (Ameen's brother) Abdel Kareem Dawoud Abu Madi, 23; Yousef Dawoud Abu Madi, 68.
At approximately 6 am on Sunday 3 August 2014, IOF aircraft fired at least two missiles at the house of Atwa Suleiman Khattab, 64, which is located in the Al Hikir area, south of the town of Deir Al Balah.
The two-story house was home to four families of 25 persons from the Khattab extended family.
The attack destroyed the house and killed six people.
Another two people, a girl and a women, are still missing.
Another 35 people were injured.
The names of the persons who were killed and are still missing are: Atwa Suleiman Khattab, 64; Mohammed Atwa Khattab, 24; (his son) Suleiman Atwa Khattab, 25; Niveen Suleiman Khattab, 24; Rimas Salim Khattab, 55.
The two persons who are missing and feared killed under the rubble of the house are: Dalia Atwa Khattab, 10; and Safaa' Atwa Khattab, 23.
At approximately 8:30 am on Sunday 3 August 2014, an IOF drone fired at least one missile at a group of people who were near their houses in the same area of Al Hikir, killing a child, Tareq Eid Abu Mashi, 12, and injuring 14 other people.
At approximately 6:40 pm on Saturday 2 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile at the house of Abdel Majid Suleiman Fayyad, 56, which is located in the town of Deir Al Balah.
The house is made of two stories and is home to 11 people.
According to eyewitnesses, IOF warships then fired missiles at the house and caused damages to it, while its residents had managed to evacuate it prior to the second attack.
At approximately 8:20 pm on Saturday 2 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile at the house of Mohammed HAmed Al Houli, 45, in the town of Deir Al Balah.
The house was destroyed completely, displacing its 15 residents.
Khan Younis district: The IOF continued its attacks on Khan district during the reporting period.
Attacks on houses killed seven people and injured 43 others, including 8 children and 12 women during the reporting period.
Meanwhile, rescue teams were able to recover another 14 dead bodies who were killed from IOF attacks in the eastern parts of Khan Younis and remained under the rubble of houses.
Moreover, IOF continuous attacks on the district during the past days has prevented repairs of the basic infrastructure, causing prolonged blackout and severe water shortages in households.
Although the IOF has evacuated from some of the eastern parts, people no more have houses or fields to return to, and the infrastructure is devastated and cannot support human life.
People are also scared to return, as the IOF frequently attacked returning displaced people during the past days.
At approximately 3 pm on Saturday 2 August 2014 IOF aircraft bombarded the house of Saleem family, which is located in the Al Qarara town, east of the Khan Younis district.
The house was totally destroyed and two of its residents were killed: Jom'a Abdallah saleem, 34; and Tawfeeq Khalil Saleem, 21.
At approximately 8 pm on Saturday 2 August 2014 IOF aircraft bombarded a Tuk Tuk that was driving on the road between Bani Suheila and Abasaan, east of Khan Younis district.
A group of people were traveling on the Tuk Tuk.
A car that was passing by on the same road stopped to check on them, but the group were attacked again with a second missile from IOF, killing four persons: Kamal Ibrahim Abu Teer, 46; Ahmed Kamal Abu Teer, 19 (his son); Nabil Hussein Al Najjar, 18; and Hothaifa Nazmi Abu Teer, who is a male nurse at a hospital in Khan Younis.
Rafah district: The situation in Rafah remained grave for the fourth day.
IOF concerntrated its attacks on the district and continued to target houses with people inside them.
Today morning, the IOF bombarded a UN shelter which hosts thousands on internally displaced persons.
According to Al Mezan's initial investigation, at approximately 9:50 am on Sunday 3 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile that hit the UNRWA School A for Boys in near the center of Rafah refugee camp.
The school is a UN shelter that hosts people who had been forced to evacuate their homes.
There is suspicion that the IOF were targeting a motorcycle that was passing near the school; however, it has been confirmed that no fire was initiated from inside or near the school at the time of the attack.
Initial reports from Al Mezan's field team in Rafah confirm that at least six people from this shelter were killed in addition to a man who was on the motorcycle.
Another 28 people were injured in this attack.
They were identified as: Ahmed Khalid Abu Harba, 14; Yousef Akram AL Iskafi, 16; Amr Tareq Abu Al Roos, 16; Monthir Mohammed Abu Rijil, 7; Hazim Abdel Basit Abu Hilal, 25; (a volunteer at the shelter) and Ahmed Kamal Al Nahal, 23 (who was on the motorcycle).
At approximately 3:05 pm on Saturday 2 August 2014 IOF aircraft bombarded the house of Mohammed Ayyad Abu Taha, which is located in the Al Shabora refugee camp in Rafah.
The house was tpdally destroyed and four of the its residents were killed; including two children and a women.
Another three of the family were injured.
The house was completely destroyed and several neighboring houses were damaged.
Those who were killed were identified as: Sa'diyeh Riziq Abu Taha, 45; Riziq Ismail Abu Taham 1; (her grandson) Mohammed Mahmoud Abu Taha, 24; and Yousef Mahmoud Abu Taha, 16.
At approximately 5 pm on Saturday 2 August 2014 IOF aircraft fired a missile at a group of people in the Al Salam neighborhood in the southwest of Rafah town, killing five of them.
Al Mezan was able to identify four of them as: Mohammed Hasan Qishta, 20; Ahmad Ishtiwi Qishta, 20; Mohammed Msa'id Qishta, 37; and Abdallah Na'eem Qishta, 18.
At approximately 6 pm on Saturday 2 August 2014 IOF aircraft fired a missile near the Al Najjar hospital in Rafah, killing four people; including a child.
They were identified as: Mohammed Nidal Al Nims, 17; Hazim Mohammed Al Nims, 23; Hosam Anwar Abu Nqeera, 26; and Yehya Yousef Al Nims, 30.
Four other people were also injured in the same attack.
At approximately 7 am on Sunday 3 August 2014 IOF aircraft bombarded the house of the Al Ghoul family, which is located in the dense Yebna refugee camp in central Rafah.
The house was destroyed totally when the family were inside it, killing eight people, including three children.
They were identified as: Ismail Mohammed Al Ghoul, 63; Khadra Khaled Al Ghoul, 65; (Ismail's wife) Mohammed Ismail Al Ghoul, 42; (Ismail's son) Wael Mohammed Al Ghoul, 13; (Mohammed's son) Malak Wael Al Ghoul, 6; Mustafa Wael Al Ghoul, 1 month; Hanadi Ismail Al Ghoul, 25; and Asmaa' Ismail Al Ghoul, 23.
At approximately 9 am on Sunday 3 August 2014 IOF aircraft bombarded the vicinity of the AL Sabireen mosque in the north of Rafah, killing four people, including two women and a child.
They were identified as: Turkiyeh Mahmoud 'Okal, 70; Elham Mohammed 'Okal, 32; Mahmoud Mohammedn 'Okal, 9; and Mohammed As'ad 'Okal, 18.
At approximately 1:45 pm on Saturday 3\2 August 2014 IOF aircraft bombarded the house of Ahmed Sweelim Al Roumi, 53, which is located in the Al Hashsh neighborhood in the northwest of Rafah.
The house was destroyed total and three of its owner's sons and daughter were killed.
His wife and two other sons were injured.
The victims were identified as: Abdel Rahman Ahmed Al Roumi, 18; Ameen Ahmed Al Roumi, 15; and Somoud Ahmed Al Roumi, 5.
Al Mezan strongly condemns the IOF's continued violations of the rules of international law (IHL).
Attacks on civilians and/or civilian objects constitute war crimes under international law.
In hundreds of incidents, the IOF has shown flagrant disregard to IHL rules the prohibit directing attacks at civilians and civilian objects, and a chronic failure to make the obligatory effort to spare civilians; especially with wanton, targeted attacks on inhabited homes, hospitals, UN shelters and ambulances.
The latest attack on a UN shelter; the seventh of its kind, represents the consistent trend of IOF's disregard of the most basic rules of international law.
Moreover, the IOF directed attacks on facilities and resources that are indispensible for the life of the civilian population and humanitarian workers, such as ambulance crews and personnel dealing with water and sanitation facilities.
These attacks are not an exception or accidental, but represent a continuous pattern and make up the bulk of its attacks.
The indiscriminate shelling and bombardment of civilians; most of who returning IDPs in Rafah and other areas cannot be justified, as these people were visibly civilians and who were subject to intense shelling when they were trying to flee from IOF fire.
Al Mezan condemns the continued failure of international community to provide the due protection for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, and its failure to clearly condemn IOF's flagrant violations of international law.
This failure has encouraged serious violations of international law, which is reflected in human lives, to continue.
Al Mezan therefore calls on the international community to: Condemn with the strongest terms Israel's grave breaches of IHL in the context of Operation Protective Edge; Take immediate, effective action to provide the due protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip from military attacks and persecution; Express unequivocal support and play a positive role in ensuring that credible, independent investigations into the suspected violations of human rights and IHL in the context of the operation Protective Edge to ensure accountability for those who committed them, and redress for their victims; and Press for an immediate end of Israel's unlawful closure and blockade of the Gaza Strip.
END