IOF have intensified their offensive on the Gaza Strip by arbitrarily shelling a populated area, killing a Palestinian and injuring four others, among them one critically injured man and a baby.
At approximately 1.
30am on April 4th, according to Al Mezan investigations, Israeli field artillery shelled around 7 missiles on land owned by Omar Khalil Omar in Al Qawasma St.
close to Um Nasr Bedouin village in north Beit Lahia.
Adjacent houses were damaged; however, no casualties were reported.
The IOF resumed the shelling in the same area from approximately 3.
10pm until 4.
05pm, killing a citizen Abdullah Said Adaalsa, 46, while he was running from the shelling near his house.
Further, a missile was fired at a house owned by Youssef Ahmad Abu Shammas, injuring 4 of his relatives, his wife, 22, who suffered a shoulder injury, his baby Yasser, 6 months old, bruised in the face, and his brothers Mostafa, 30, injured in his leg, right hand, and body, and Khaled, 20, bruised in his skull and body, who remains in critical condition according to medical sources.
Abu Shammas' house was badly damaged as were other houses nearby owned by Abu Shammas and Salman families.
It is worth highlighting that the IOF continued shelling the populated area for another half hour which prevented the access of ambulances, although the Ministry of Health reported to the Liaison Department that the shelling had resulted in a number of dead and wounded that required evacuation.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns these recent Israeli crimes; it also confirms that by committing such crimes, the IOF is intensifying its offensive on civilians in the Gaza Strip through the shelling of roads, public facilities and imposition of siege and closure.
Further, Al Mezan confirms that arbitrary shelling, denial of access to ambulances and the imposition of total siege on the Gaza Strip are considered war crimes according to 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 duties, and to immediately intervene to halt IOF war crimes, in particular the ongoing arbitrary shelling on Gaza’s northeastern border.
Al Mezan emphasizes the importance of the initiative by the international community to compel the occupying power to respect international law whist dealing with civilians in the OPT as an introductory phase to ending the occupation of the OPT.
End