2PM Gaza Time
A humanitarian truce for 72 hours was announced, and honored, starting at 8 am today. the situation has since calmed down in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical and rescue teams have been working hard to locate and recover the dead bodies of people who had been killed and remained under the rubble of houses or other structures, or people who were killed in the streets without ambulances being able to access them. dozens of decomposed corpses were recovered today; some so badly that forensic officials allowed burying ten persons in Rafah without waiting for full identification as it was impossible to identify them.
Many of the almost half million displaced people were able to return to their homes; thousands of which were destroyed or located in areas where the basic infrastructure was destroyed. The general population has to cope with life under severe shortages in water, power and food, which is still limited under the lack of power for food preservation and lack of access to most farmed land during the past four weeks. Much of the livestock and plants have died in many areas in the Gaza Strip.
It will take months for the situation in Gaza to start to stabilize. For this t happen, a strong humanitarian response is needed urgently. Border must open for the materials and personnel as necessary. Attention must be paid especially for the injured, the displaced population, the most vulnerable groups; especially children, women and the elderly, the basic infrastructure, and to ensure that the school year, which starts in the beginning of September, will start on time.
This update covers the period between 2 pm on 4 August and 2 pm 5 August 2014. It is based on information collected and verified by Al Mezan Center for Human Rights during this period.
As of 2 pm today, Tuesday 5 August 2014, Al Mezan was able to verify that at least 1,884 Palestinians have been killed by the IOF since 7 July 2014. Of them 430 are children and 239 women. These figures are expected to rise as more dead bodies are recovered and identified. According to Al Mezan's initial investigations 1,538 (i.e. 81.6%) of the victims are civilians. At least 908; including 293 children and 195 women, were killed inside their houses; and two other disabled women were killed in an attack on a rehabilitation NGO's office. Another 210 people were killed in the vicinity of their houses; including in situations where they were trying to flee from their homes as a result of IOF attacks.
Moreover, at least 7,376 other people were injured during the same period; of whom at least 2,033 were children and 1,526 women. At least, 7,669 houses were destroyed or damaged during this period; of which 1,526 were destroyed completely as the IOF directly and deliberately attacked 871 of the total number of damaged houses. As of today, IOF attacks have destroyed or damaged 92 schools, 128 mosques, 8 hospitals; 6 of which are out of service, 37 NGO offices, 50 fishing boats, and 159 vehicles.
North Gaza district:
Palestinian rescue and medical teams were able to recover three dead bodies for persons who were killed from IOF fire during Operation Protective Edge. At approximately 10:45 am on Monday 4 August, two bodies were recovered in the As Syafa area, north to Beit Lahiya. They were identified as Amr Khader Mihjez, 22; and Waleed Tawfeeq Darabeeh, 25. At about 1:30 pm, the dead body of 50-year-old Mousa Hussein Mobarak from his neighborhood of Abu Safiyeh in Jabalia. The bodies were badly decomposed.
Medical and rescue teams were also able to recover the dead bodies of eight members of the Wahdan family from under the rubble of their house in the east of Beit Hanoun town. They were identified as:
Zaki Abdel Rahman Wahdan, 67;
Suad Ahmed Wahdan, 65;
Baghdad Ahmed Wahdan, 51;
Zeinab Hatim Wahdan, 22;
Ahmed Hatim Wahdan, 13;
Hussein Hatim Wahdan, 9;
Somoud Hatim Wahdan-Saqr, 22; and
Ghena Younis Saqr, 2 (Somoud's daughter).
Somoud and her daughter, who live in the Al Zawaydeh village in Middle Gaza district, were visiting Somoud's family when the attack occurred. The bodies of these victims were admitted the hospital after they were severely decomposed. A number of the family members were able to escape the area after this attack; however, four of the survivors were killed in an IOF attack on the house of their host family; the Abu Al Qomsan family, in Jabalia.
IOF artillery batteries fired shells on several areas around the North Gaza district during the reporting period. Shells fell sporadically on houses in Tel Az Za'tar neighborhood in eastern Jabalia, Beit Hanoun town and the Bedouin village. Between 9:30 pm on Monday and 4 am on Tuesday artillery shells hit several houses and injured three people, including a child and a women, the woman was injured moderately. Al Mezan identified them as Nahidh Hasan Al Attar, 6, from Beit Lahiya; Barakat Mohammed Abu Hasheesh, 25; and Odeh Abu Rashweh, 29, both from the Bedouin village.
Gaza City:
At approximately 2 pm on Monday 4 August 2014, an IOF drone fired a missile into a group of people in the Al Tuffah neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, killing 23-year-pld Anas Sa'd Sabouh.
At approximately 4 pm, also on Monday, Palestinian rescue teams recovered the dead bodies of a baby, a woman and two men from the Al Bakri family house in the Shati (Beach) refugee camp. Their houses was directly targeted by the IOF in an airstrike yesterday. One girl was recovered from under the rubble after the attack. Another child who was injured in the attack also died at hospital around 8am today, which raises the number of the victims of this attack to six; including 3 children and one women. In addition to Aseel Mohammed Al Bakri, 4, who was reported killed yesterday, the following victims were identified:
Ibtisam Ibrahim Al Bakri, 31;
Ibrahim Mohammed Al Masharwi, 32;
Ramadan Ahmed Al Bakri, 36;
Asmaa' Mohammed Al Bakri, 4 months; and
Kamal Ahmed Al Bakri, 4.
At approximately 4:30 pm on Monday 4 August 2014, Palestinian rescue teams recovered the dead bodies three men from under the rubble of their destroyed houses in the Al Shejai'ya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, which were destroyed from IOF shelling on 20 July 2014.
At approximately 5:30 pm on Monday 4 August 2014, Palestinian medical resources confirmed the death of 7-year-old Mahmoud Ashraf Al Khalili, who had died in a hospital in Egypt from wounds he sustained when IOF bombarded his house in the Al Tuffah neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. His body reached the hospital in Gaza today.
Middle Gaza district:
The number of casualties and destroyed houses have increased as the level of destruction in the eastern and western parts of the district. Today morning medical sources announced the death of Abdel Hai Salameh Al Qreenawi, 48, from wound he had sustained when the IOF bombarded an apartment building in the Al Nusierat refugee camp on 29 July 2014.
At approximately 4:30 pm on Monday 4 August 2014 an IOF drone fire a missile into a group of people in the east of Dier Al Balah town, killing 22-year-old Ahmed Anwar Al Kord. His body was recovered ten hours after the attack.
At approximately 10:30 am on Tuesday 5 August 2014 medical and rescue teams recovered the dead bodies of two men who had been killed in an IOF attack on an orchard in the Wadi Gaza village. They were identified as Mohammed Jom'a Khaleefa, 33; and Mahmoud Ahmad Qaraman, 25.
Khan Younis district:
Medical and rescue teams recovered the dead bodies of at least four persons who had been killed from IOF fire in the eastern parts of Khan Younis district. Civil defence and medical teams continue to search for other people under the rubble in these areas. Moreover, medical sources announced the death of three persons; including a child, from wounds they had sustained in IOF attacks in this district. Al Mezan's visit to eastern Khan Younis revealed greater destruction and provided more evidence to IOF serious violations of international law; especially in the town of Khuza'a. in particular, Al Mezan has obtained testimonies from people that indicate the following serious violations:
- Use of civilians as human shields by Israeli soldiers during searching houses in Khuza'a;
- Excessive use of force against civilians; including firing at civilians carrying white flags and trying to evacuate the town;
- Preventing ambulances access to injured people, leaving them to bleed death;
- Wide-scale destruction of the civilian infrastructure; including water lines, water tanks, and power and communications networks.
At approximately 12:30 pm on Monday 4 August 2014, IOF fired tens of artillery shells at the towns of Khuza'a and Abassan Al Kabeera; both in the east of Khan Younis district. Similar bombing also occurred in the east of the Al Qarara town, starting at 1:15 pm. Dozens of people who had just returned to check on their homes were forced to flee again from the area.
At approximately 3 pm on Monday 4 August 2014, medical and rescue teams recovered the dead body of Mohammed Yehia Al Astal, 23, from under the rubble of a house in the town of Al Qarara, east to Khan Younis.
Yesterday morning, on Monday 4 August 2014, medical and rescue teams recovered the dead bodies of three men from under the rubble in the town of Khuza'a. they were identified as:
Helmi Mohammed Abu Rjeela, 70;
Abbas Hilmi Abu Rjeela, 20; and
Rasmi Saleem Abu Reedeh, 55.
At approximately1pm on Tuesday 5 August 2014, medical resources in Khan Younis announced the death of 33-year-old Fayiz Ismail Abu Hammad, 33. He succumbed to wounds from IOF shelling in the Az-Zanna neighborhood eastern Khan Younis district. Later, at around 8 am on the same day, the death of 19-year-old Hothaifa Ahmed Abu I'layan from wound he had sustained in the town of Abassan Al Kabeera on 27 July 2014. About 30 minutes later, the death of a child, 15-year-old Khalid Ziyad Al Hindi, was also announced. He was injured in an IOF attack on 29 July 2014.
Rafah district:
In Rafah district, the IOF continued its attacks, which intensified seriously since Friday 1 August 2014. At approximately 8:45 pm on Monday 4 August IOF aircraft bombarded the house of Mohammed Mahmoud Al Khawaja, which is located in the Al Tanour neighborhood east of Rafah. The house was destroyed completely and four cars were damaged. The IOF had called the house owner and ordered it evacuated prior to the attack.
At approximately 6:30 pm on Monday 4 August an IOF drone bombarded the house of Mahmoud Ibrahim Bahloul, which is located in the Al Salam neighborhood, southeast of Rafah, and destroyed it. Ten people were displaced. At the same time, IOF aircraft bombarded the house Wael Ahmed in the nearby neighborhood of Al Brazil and destroyed it completely.
Also around the same time at 6:30 pm on Monday, an IOF drone fired a missile at the house of Abdel Azeez Uwaida, which is located in the Al Brazil neighborhood in Rafah. Two children, who were on the roof of their house, were killed in the attack. They were identified as:
Mohammed Ahmed Uwaida, 13; and
Amal Amjad Uwaida, 5.
The house, which is home to 35 persons, was damaged.
At approximately 6:40 pm on Monday 4 August an IOF drone bombarded the house of Mahrous Dheer, which is located in the Msabeh neighborhood in the north of Rafah, killing Dheer's daughter, Karam Mahrous Dheer, 25, and injuring her sister, Kareema, 40. Karam was a nurse.
Al Mezan reiterates the strongest condemnation of IOF's serious violations of international law during this military operation in the Gaza Strip. Al Mezan deplores the failure of international community to take any effective, timely action to ensure protection for the civilian population and the civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, which have been devastated due to thousands of IOF unlawful military attacks that did not respect the basic principles of international law (IHL). These violations; many of which amount to war crimes, must be investigated and prosecuted as per the relevant standards of international law. International community must make it firmly clear that such actions and violations cannot be allowed to happen again.
Al Mezan further calls on international community to urgently come to the aid of the devastated civilian population in the Gaza Strip; including by providing urgent humanitarian aid and ensuring free passage of materials and personnel needed to re-establish the basic needs for human life; including power, water, sanitation and the health sector. Care must be provided urgently for the displaced population and support to the vulnerable groups without any delay.