The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have continued to escalate their aggression against the Gaza Strip.
It extrajudicially killed two Palestinians working at Palestinian Borders and Crossings Authority at the Gaza’s Ministry of Interior.
The IOF announced its responsibility for their killing.
This indicates that the IOF deliberately escalated its attacks in order to push the Palestinian resistance fighters to react against Israel.
According to the field investigations conducted by the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, at approximately 10:30 am on Wednesday 19 September 2012, an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a Toyota car that was travelling on Al Oroba street in As-Salam neighborhood in Rafah.
As a result, Ashraf Mahmoud Saleh, 33; and Anees Mohammed Mahmoud Abu Al ‘Ineen, 36, were killed and Nedal Ahmed Attiya Nasrallah, 36, was injured.
Medical sources at Euoropean Gaza Hospital described his injury as critical.
The three persons worked for Gaza’s government Borders and Crossings Authority.
The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights strongly condemns the new Israeli extrajudicial killing.
Al Mezan asserts that this conduct amounts to a serious escalation on Israel’s part.
Israel has officially adopted the attack and has followed it with mounting threats to conduct further extrajudicial killings and to expand its ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Al Mezan views this extrajudicial killing and other attacks, and Israel’s proclamation of its responsibility and threats to continue its attacks, as a demonstration of Israel’s disregard for its moral and legal obligations.
Al Mezan asserts that the current extrajudicial killing represents another flagrant breach of international law and is part of a series of serious Israeli violations committed against Palestinian citizens and their property in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
Extrajudicial killings are a gross and flagrant violation of international law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention.
International law bans extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary execution, whatever the reasons may be, and also bans the targeting of civilians and civilian objects as well as disregard for civilian lives.
In light of the above, the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights calls on the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, who are obliged under the Convention to respect it in all cases, to promptly intervene to end Israel’s continued violation of international law.
The international community is particularly called upon to provide protection for civilians in the oPt, as the IOF has escalated its attacks failing to observe the rules of IHL and is harming civilians.
Al Mezan views the intervention of the international community as a legal and moral obligation as well as an urgent demand, particularly in the current situation.
The IOF will abuse the silence of the international community to expand its ongoing aggression.
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