Published: 12:00 Gaza Time (+2 GMT)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) expanded its aggression on the sixth day of its military campaign on Gaza.
On 19 November 2012, the IOF attacked more houses and police stations around Gaza.
Deliberate attacks on houses and civilian objects and disproportionate attacks on combatants represent grave breaches of international law and must be condemned and stopped by international community without any further delay.

According to Al Mezan’s monitoring, since the start of this round of aggression on 14 November 2012, by the time this press release was issued at 12 pm on 19 November 2012, at least 89 Palestinians have been killed by IOF attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Of the people killed, 18 were children and 12 women.
Another 679 people were injured, including 215 children and 122 women.
At least 581 houses have also been damaged or destroyed, including 46 that were destroyed completely; including 31 houses that were directly attacks by the IOF.
Of those 31 houses, 20 were deliberately targeted by direct IOF attacks using the roof-knocking tactic.

Dozens of other civilian objects were also destroyed or damaged.
This includes 25 school buildings, one university building, 9 NGOs offices, 14 mosques, 8 media offices, 2 industrial plants, 25 commercial stores, 1 UNRWA food distribution centre, and two ministries’ buildings.
Another 11 police/security offices and two sites for training of Palestinian armed factions were attacked by the IOF.

At approximately 7:30 am, IOF bombarded a small truck that was carrying vegetables to the market, killing its driver, Tamer Basheer, 31, Ameen Basheer, 41, and Rasheed Abu Amra, 51.
Al Mezan’s field worker visited the location of this attack, which occurred in Deir Al-Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip.
The initial investigation of the location indicated that the truck’s front part was destroyed and that it was transporting tomatoes boxes and heading a nearby field to bring tomatoes and transport then to the local market.

At 5:50 am on 19 November 2012, an IOF drone fired a missile that hit a farmer, Abdul-Rahman Al-Attar, 51, as he was standing in front of his house in the As-Salateen neighborhood in the town of Beit Lahiya.
The farmer was killed instantly.
Al Mezan’s initial investigation indicated that the farmer was about to leave to his field to collect potatoes to carry on his donkey-laden cart to sell it in the Jabalia market.

At approximately 9 am yesterday, 18 November 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at two men as they were on their way to visit a cousin in the Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood in the west of Gaza city.
The two men were killed.
They were identified as Ahmed Abu Amra, 40, and nabil Abu Amra, 28.

In another direct attack on a house, at approximately 9:35 am on 19 November 2012, IOF warplanes bombarded a house in Maan neighborhood in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, injuring three people; including a child.
Two of the injured died at the hospital later: Mahmoud Abu Khatir, 34, and Abdulla Abu Khatir, 21.
The child, Anas Abu Khatir, 2, sustained moderate injuries in the attack.

At approximately 2 am on 19 November, IOF warplanes fired three missiles on the house of Mohammed Azzam, 55, which is located in Az-Zeitoun neighborhood in the east of Gaza city.
The missiles were understood to be for warning, and were followed by an attack with a heavy missile that occurred one minute later.
This house was an empty house.
The neighbors of the house did not have a chance to evacuate the area.
The neighboring house, owned by Abu Zoor family, was destroyed in the attack while its residents still inside; therefore killing three of its residents; including a child and a woman.
Another young man was killed in another adjacent house.
The victims of this attack were:
- Ashid Al-Qotati, 38;
- Sahar Abu Zoor, 21;
- Mohammed Abu Zoor, 5.

28 people were injured in this attack; including 15 children and 4 women; all from the Abu Zoor family.
About 20 houses in the areas were damaged.

At approximately 1:17 am on 19 November 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at the house of Fuad Al-Askari in Tel Az-Zaatar neighborhood in Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip.
This attack followed an attack with four smaller missiles from IOF drones on the 5-story house, which prompted the residents and neighbors to leave their houses.
The house was completely destroyed in the attack and 15 houses were damaged, 5 seriously.
At least 15 people were also injured; including 4 children and 2 women.
This house was inhabited by 6 families with 40 people; including 30 children.
The residents of the house informed Al Mezan that they had received a call on their mobile phone informing them that the house would be attacked.

At 12:15 am on 19 November, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a man, Mohammed Jendiyeh, 31, and killed him immediately.
Al Mezan’s initial investigation revealed that the man was mentally challenged.

Al Mezan strongly condemns the IOF attacks which represent grave breaches of international law.
Al Mezan warns that more IOF attacks violating human rights and international humanitarian law will occur in Gaza, given the past experience, the tactics that are being used by IOF, but also the silence of international community in the face of these breaches.

Al Mezan condemns with the strongest terms the deliberate targeting of houses and other civilians objects in Gaza.
These violations, along with other disproportionate attacks and extra-judicial executions, may amount to acts of war crimes and must be investigated and punished without delay.
Attacks on homes and the murder of whole families call for immediate international intervention to stop IOF’s aggression and provide effective protection for civilians in Gaza.

Al Mezan highlights that the prevalent culture of impunity, which is the result of decades of failure to bring any perpetrators of war crimes to account, has encouraged such crimes to occur, and, as feared, it is children, women, and the elderly who are bearing the brunt of it.

END