IOF Continues Targeting Civilians; 18 Killed in Gaza, Including a Journalist and 8 Children

The IOF continues its escalation of aggression against the population in the Gaza Strip.
It killed 18 Palestinians in reckless attacks focused mostly in central Gaza Strip.
Evidence shows that IOF targeted civilians deliberately; killing a journalist and another 13 civilians, including 8 children, during its last wave of attacks in Gaza in the past two days.
The shelling of the car of Reuters photographer, Fadel Shan'a, by an Israeli tank, is only one example of IOF's deliberate attacks on civilians.
According to Al Mezan's field investigations, the IOF killed 40 Palestinians including 13 children in Gaza alone since the beginning of April 2008.
At approximately 6.
45am, on 16 April 2008, the IOF, backed by military vehicles, entered into Wadi Gaza village (Juher Ad-Dik village) from the borderline.
At approximately 8.
30am, the same day, one of the IOF military vehicles fired an artillery shell at a home in the village.
As a result, a 36-year-old woman, Hala Atiya Abu Saeed, and a 75-year-old, Salem Ali Abu Saeed, were injured.
Salem was injured from shrapnel to his right shoulder.
IOF's military vehicles, under drone and helicopter cover, set-up a post near Al Shuhda'a cemetery in the village.
Many children came from the nearby An Nuseirat and Al Buriej refugee camps and from Al Mughraqa village to the area out of curiosity.
Later that afternoon, at approximately 4.
25pm, IOF helicopters fired several missiles at a crowd of civilians near Al Ehsan mosque, in the north of the village.
As a result, nine people were killed and others were injured.
According to Al Mezan's investigations, all those killed and injured were civilians.
They were identified as: 41-year-old Sofiyan Ahmed Mohammed, from Al Buriej refugee camp; 45-year-old Mahmoud Ahmed Mohammed; 14-year-old Tarik Farid Abu Taqiya; 15-year-old Abdullah Maher Abu Khalil; 16-year-old Islam Hussam Al Essawi; 20-year-old Fadi Jammal Mosran; 13-year-old Talha Hani Abu Ali; 17-year-old Mohammed Al Assar; and, 17-year-old Bayan Samir Al Khaldi.
Another 24 people were injured in this attack; including 14 children.
They and referred to the Shuhda'a Al Aqsa Hospital.
Nine of the injured were reported to have sustained critical injuries and transferred to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Press crews who were covering the IOF incursion in Juhr Ad-Dik had stopped on the main street that runs through the village.
Reuters' photographer, Fadel Shan'a, who was accompanied by his assistant, 23-year-old Wafa'a Abu Meziyd, was targeted directly by IOF fire.
They had stopped at the entrance of the village and set-up their camera equipment to capture footage of the attacking IOF tanks.
Without warning, a missile landed directly on them, killing Shana's and another three civilians; two of whom were children who were passing by the Reuters car at the time.
They were identified as 17-year-old Ghassan Khaled Abu Atewi of Al Mughraqa village, 17-year-old Ahmed Aref Farajallah of An Nuseirat refugee camp, and 21-year-old Khalil Ismail Doghmush.
In another incident, at approximately 6.
20pm that evening, the IOF destroyed with explosives the home of 75-year-old Salem Ali Abu Said.
The IOF also bulldozed a nearby home that belongs to 60-year-old Shaban Dauod Al Rifi.
Five other homes were damaged partially.
The IOF also bulldozed approximately 100 dunams of agriculture land before it withdrew from the village around 9pm that day.
In a related context, the IOF withdrew from Wadi As Salqa village in north-east of Deir Al Balah after destroying four homes.
According to field investigations, a number of IOF military vehicles and bulldozers had entered one kilometer into the village at approximately 3am on 15 April 2008.
Later, at 11pm, the IOF opened fire injuring two Palestinian armed men.
The IOF also bulldozed four homes belonging to Ibrahim As Smeri, Mohammed As-Smeri, Mohammed Al Kord, and Mahboba Khalifa.
At approximately 1pm, on 16 April 2008, the IOF entered one kilometer into Abu Samra area in northern Biet Lahia town.
About one and a half hours later, IOF helicopters opened fire towards farmers and civilian homes in northern Beit Lahia.
Two missiles hit a civilian car in which two farmers were traveling.
As a result, one of them, 33-year-old Hani Salah Z'oroub, was killed; and the second, 43-year-old Abdul Rahman Abu Jarad, was critically injured.
Also, IOF's warplanes and infantry fire caused a moderate injury to 21-year-old Mohammed Abu Shaqfa.
IOF troops withdrew from this area at approximately 3.
30pm later that day.
At approximately 3.
50pm on 16 April 2008, the IOF opened fire from the eastern border line at farmers working in their farms near Al Shuhda'a cemetery in eastern Jabalia.
As a result, 57-year-old Abdul Hadi Al Batsh and Kayid Mohammed An Najjar were injured moderately.
At approximately 12.
30am on 16 April 2008 twelve IOF military vehicles stormed entered into the of Al Shija'ya and At Tuffah neighborhoods in eastern Gaza City.
Armed clashes erupted and continued for six hours.
As a result, four Palestinians armed men were killed.
They were identified as 35-year-old Abdul Kareem Al Khesi, 21-year-old Mahmoud Hillis, 22-year-old Mostafa At Tatar, and 22-year-old Karam Al Wadiya.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns strongly the escalating acts of murder committed by the IOF against civilians, especially children, in the Gaza Strip.
Data gathered by Al Mezan shows that the majority of those killed and injured were children.
The Center also condemns the deliberate targeting by IOF of a press crew performing its work in Strip.
The killing of Shan'a raises doubts that the IOF killed him deliberately, given the advanced capabilities available to the IOF that enables it to get precise vision of still targets, and the targeted crew was very well marked.
These acts, in addition to IOF's intentional destruction of homes and bulldozing of agriculture land, which is indispensible to the population's livelihood, constitute grave breaches of the rules of international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights standards.
Al Mezan calls for immediate international action to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and bring to an end IOF's human rights violations.
The siege affects people's lives and threatens to stop hospitals and medical crews, particularly ambulances, from operating.
In the light of the IOF's escalation of its acts of killing, Al Mezan reiterates its warning from graver human rights consequences if the international community remains silent in front of the IOF's crimes, especially given the Israeli Government's statements that threaten of severer attacks on Gaza.
Al Mezan calls on the international community to take urgent actions to stop IOF's war crimes and to provide international protection for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).
The international community is under a legal, and moral, obligation to take steps to stop the IOF's breaches of IHL, and the unyielding siege associated with them.
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