Ramallah, 15-01-08: The killing of fifteen Palestinians by the Israeli military in a dawn attack on the Gaza Strip today has brought the total number of Gazans killed since the Annapolis peace meeting to 113, with 52 killed since the beginning of 2008 alone. A total of 121 Palestinians have been killed since Annapolis in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The men, including Husam Zahhar, Rami Farhat, Ahed Ashour, Mahmoud Abu Laban, Radwan Odeh, Taleb Al Mughani, Khalil Mudallal, Mustafa Salim and 67-year-old Asad Tafish, were killed by artillery shelling when the Israeli military launched a ground and air attack on the Sejaiyeh and Zaitoun neighbourhoods of Gaza City early this morning.
The attacks come just one day after three other Gazan men were assassinated when Israeli war planes launched a strike on the car in which they were travelling in Gaza City. Another two men were critically injured in the attack. Such killings are a form of extra-judicial execution and are illegal under Article 3 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Furthermore, assassinations are wilful killings and thus qualify as a war crime under Article 147 of the Convention.
PNI Secretary General, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP condemned the killings and lambasted Israel for its hypocrisy in talking peace whilst maintaining a blatant on-the-ground policy of killings and attacks against the Palestinian people.
"What Israel is doing to the people of Gaza is a crime. This siege is collective punishment in direct violation of international humanitarian law, yet it is met with complete silence by the international community. Furthermore, Israel has escalated its military attacks on the Strip since Annapolis, killing 113 Gazans and injuring 270. Israel continued to bomb Gaza even before, during and after the visit of US President George Bush," said Dr. Barghouthi.
"Israel cannot talk peace whilst waging war," he went on. "If Israel is serious about peace, then in terms of Gaza, there must be an immediate end to the siege, an end to Israeli aggression against the Gazan people, a retraction of the decision to declare Gaza a "hostile entity", and the implementation of a comprehensive, reciprocal ceasefire."
Israel‘s Policy of Killings, Injuries and Attacks in Figures
|
|
Since (28 November 2007- 15 January 2008) |
1-15 January 2008 |
|
# of Palestinians killed |
121 (WB: 8; GS: 113; Children: 0) |
52 (WB: 3; GS: 49; Children 0) |
|
# of Palestinians injured |
386 (WB: 116; GS: 270; Children: 5) |
209 (WB: 55; GS: 154; Children: 0) |
|
# of Palestinians arrested |
689 (WB: 623; GS: 66; Children: 4) |
185 (WB: 185; GS: 0; Children: 0) |
|
# of Israeli military attacks |
585 (WB: 231; GS: 354) |
171 (WB: 58; GS: 113) |
|
# of Israelis killed |
2 (2 soldiers) |
- |
|
Ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed |
59:1 |
48:0 |