The IOF killed four Palestinians and injured a number of civilians during the incursion of a special undercover unit who name themselves "the Arabists".
This unit was accompanied by military helicopters that fired missiles at medical staff, ambulances, and journalists who were at the location to rescue the wounded and report on the incident.
In addition, the IOF resumed shelling in the northern Gaza Strip, killing a 7-year-old child.
According to Al Mezan field reports, a 7-year-old child, Rehab Abu Hashish was injured in the leg by shrapnel; she was transferred to Balsam Hospital.
The IOF intensified artillery shelling on the Bedouin area in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Al Mezan field investigations reported that on May 29th at approximately 11.
40 pm, a special IOF unit named "the Arabists" secretly entered the American School located in Al Atatra area in west Beit Lahia.
They opened fire at four young men, killing three of them while the fourth escaped.
The victims are: Mohammad Matar, 20, Yousef Al Meaza, 24, Abul Rahaman Abu Shanab, 27, all from Beach Camp in Gaza City.
All sustained gunshots to the body.
Medical staff and journalists immediately rushed to the location, however as they began searching for the bodies, IOF military helicopters which were providing air cover to the unit fired a missile, injuring four medical staff, a correspondent for Al Shabab Radio Station, and a journalist from Ramatan News Agency, as well as four other citizens.
Further, gunfire was exchanged between Palestinian activists and the IOF unit on 3.
30am on May 30th.
IOF military helicopters fired a missile at 1.
30am at a group of young men; no casualties were reported, at 2am a third missile was fired at young men who are residents of the area, killing Sabri Abu Qlaiq, 23, and Ashraf Dawas, 27, wounded in the head.
IOF gun ships were also supporting the special unit.
Such an escalation occurs simultaneously with the IOF- imposed siege on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), and the suspension of taxes that are owed to the PNA, which have deteriorated the humanitarian conditions in the OPT.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns the IOF incursion into the PNA territories and the intensification of shelling in the northern Gaza Strip; it confirms that the IOF use of excessive force and the targeting of medical staff, journalists and ordinary civilians constitute war crimes and grave violations of International Law, most notably the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.
Thus, Al Mezan calls upon the international community to undertake its legal and ethical duty and immediately intervene to provide protection to Palestinian civilians.
Al Mezan hereby emphasizes the role of the international community in compelling the occupying power to abide by international law when dealing with civilians.
Further, Al Mezan highlights the need to respect the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that confirms the fact that the Gaza Strip is still occupied and that the international community should exert pressure on the occupying power to remove the apartheid wall in the West Bank and respect its obligations.
End.