The Israeli Air force launched air strikes on civil establishments although many of them are located in residential areas in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, these forces carried out daily incursions into the West Bank towns and villages.
The tight military siege imposed on the OPTs continued.
At approximately 9:30 P.
M Wednesday 19 June 2002, the Israeli Air force bombarded two metal shops owned by Ali Ramadan al-Haj Abid and Abdul Rahman Yihia Abu Shamala.
The two workshops are located under apartment buildings in Jalal Street in Khan Yunis.
Many of the apartments and the near by houses were damaged whereas the workshops were destroyed.
At the same time, Israeli helicopters shelled a spare-parts store in Safad Street in Gaza City.
The store is located under a residential building and owned by Saeed Muhammad Yasin, according to Al Mezan fieldwork unit.
In addition to the destruction of the store, two civil cars were destroyed and five neighboring buildings were damaged.
The windows’ panes of Safad Primary School were shattered due to the explosions.
In addition, four persons were wounded from shrapnel and shock.
About five minutes later, the Israeli Air force attacked a metal shop in al-Hawaja Street in the middle of Jabalia Refugee Camp.
The workshop, owned by Mishaal Abu Dayir, and another workshop were completely destroyed and nine civilians were wounded in this attack.
Additionally, ten houses and two stores were damaged.
Earlier, around 1:30 P.
M the same day, Israeli bulldozers razed 51 dunams[1] of agricultural land in the north of Beit Lahia, near the settlement of Ilai Sinai.
Al Mezan knew that five persons own the land and that ten families live off it.
Meanwhile, the Israeli forces incursions into the West Bank towns continued.
At approximately 6 P.
M Wednesday 19 June 2002, these forces penetrated the town of Qalqilia, killed Mazin Sulamian, a commander in the Palestinian security forces, and arrested his wounded assistant, who was wounded.
At around 10 P.
M.
the same day, numerous Israeli tanks invaded the town of Hebron and the near by village of Yatta.
They burned the house of Nadir Abu al-Turky in the middle of the town.
Additionally, the Israeli forces have imposed a tight military siege around the town of Bethleham.
These forces continued to confiscate and demolish cultivated land in order to build security walls and fences, which serve to separate the West Bank from Israel.
These procedures resemble those of the former apartheid regime in South Africa.
Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights is highly concerned with the continuous Israeli aggression against Palestinian civilians and their property, especially because the occupation forces willfully target civil premises and cause damage to residences and private property.
The Center asserts that these procedures come in the context of Israeli systematic policy of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians, which aims at causing as much loss in souls and property as possible.
As such, the Center calls upon the international community to intervention immediately to stop the Israeli occupation forces violations the Israeli violations of Palestinians’ human rights and protect Palestinian civilians in the OPTs.
The International community is obliged to guarantee the implementation of the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Al Mezan questions the international community silence in the face of such crimes, which only serve to prompt the Israeli aggression against the civilian population of the OPTs.
[1] One dunam equals 1,000 square meters.
END