Day: 12 May 2021

THE HAGUE, Wednesday, May 12, 2021 (WAFA) – International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said today that the escalation of violence in the Palestinian territories could constitute crimes under the Rome Statute.
“I note with great concern the escalation of violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as in and around Gaza, and the possible commission of crimes under the Rome Statute,” said Bensouda in a tweet.
The ICC has decided earlier this year to open an investigation into Israeli war crimes against the Palestinians with specific attention to the 2014 Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)

NEW YORK, Wednesday, May 12, 2021 (WAFA) – The situation in the State of Palestine and Israel is at a dangerous tipping point, today said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, expressing deep concern over the impact of this situation on children on both sides of the border.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said out of 56 Palestinians killed in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza since Monday, 14 were children, while another 95 children were injured in Gaza and the West Bank – including East Jerusalem.
“The situation is at a dangerous tipping point. The level of violence and its impact on children is devastating. We are on the brink of a full-scale war. In any war, children – all children – suffer first and suffer most,” said the UNICEF Executive Director.
“I call on all sides to end all violence and de-escalate tensions. I urge all sides to protect all civilians, especially children, to spare essential civilian infrastructure from attacks, and to end violations against children. I remind all sides of their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law.”

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)

GENEVA, Wednesday, May 12, 2021 (WAFA) – Israel’s escalation of violence and widespread bombardment, including civilian objects without respecting the principle of proportionality, in the Gaza Strip is utterly appalling, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said today in a statement.
Since the Israeli army has launched military operation “Op Guardians of Walls”, concerns are rising that Israel intends to continue its attack and escalate and expand its targeting range, according to the Israeli Chief of the General Staff’s recommendations General Aviv Kochavi.
Israeli warplanes have been bombing dozens of sites in the Gaza Strip since Monday evening after Palestinian armed factions fired several rockets at Israel and the occupied territories in response to the Israeli forces’ attacks on Palestinians in Jerusalem, especially those in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
However, the Israeli forces expanded their response to include targeting dozens of civilian objects, women and children and bombing densely populated gatherings, which may amount to a war crime under the Rome Statute.
Israel has been targeting civilian objects in the Gaza Strip in a manner that exceeds military necessities. In one of the targeted houses, an older woman, Amira Abdel Fattah Subuh, 58, was killed. Her son, Abd al-Rahman Yusef Subuh, 19, a disabled young man who suffers from cerebral palsy since birth, was killed as well.
Later, the Israeli army announced that it had targeted the home of a battalion commander. But, field investigations confirm that no one was in the targeted apartment at the time of the bombing, which caused the lower flat ceiling to fall and killed the two citizens and wounded some others.
This incident is an example of Israel’s bombing policy that does not consider the principle of proportionality. Israel targets civilian objects deliberately to leave victims and inflict damage and material losses as a form of revenge and collective punishment, which is prohibited by the rules of international humanitarian law, said Euro-Med Monitor.
Israel might return to this policy by deliberately targeting civilian homes, as happened in previous attacks, when hundreds of homes were destroyed, including entire residential towers. The vast majority of them were targeted during the presence of the civilian population.
Israel expanded its bombardment range yesterday and targeted economic facilities such as an ice cream factory in the east of Gaza and educational institutions such as the al-Salah school in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the airstrikes killed 43 Palestinians by noon today, including 13 children and three women, and injured around 300 others, some of them are critical.
This attack requires urgent action from the international community to bind Israel to the rules of international humanitarian law. At the same time, the International Criminal Court should include these violations in its investigation of possible crimes in the Palestinian territories, urged Euro-Med.
Article 25 of the Hague Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land says: “The attack or bombardment, by whatever means, of towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings which are undefended is prohibited.” Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention stipulates that “Any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property [ ] is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations”.
Destruction of property for no clear military justifications is a grave breach of Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and a war crime under the Statute of the International Criminal Court Article 8 (2) (b) (2).
Anas Aljarjawi, Euro-Med Monitor’s Chief Operations Officer, said that “even if there was a military necessity, it is the occupying power’s responsibility to comply with the other provisions stipulated by international humanitarian law.” He added: “International humanitarian law provides for the prohibition of property damage as a ‘preventive measure’ – that is, in cases where the danger has not yet been verified. It also prohibits the destruction of property to achieve deterrence, spread terror among civilians, or take revenge.
“Israel’s targeting and demolishing of civilian homes is merely a form of collective punishment of the residents of the Gaza Strip, which is a violation of international humanitarian law, especially Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which states that ‘Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or terrorism are prohibited. Pillage is prohibited. Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited’.”

Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA)

جددت المقاومة الفلسطينية، فجر اليوم الأربعاء، قصفها لمدينة “تل أبيب” وعسقلان ومستوطنات غلاف غزة.

وأعلنت “سرايا القدس”، في بيان مقتضب، أنها وجهت ضربة صاروخية كبيرة، بـ100 صاروخ صوب “تل أبيب” وعسقلان وبئر السبع و”سديروت”، رداً على استهداف الأبراج السكنية.

وقال مراسل “قدس برس” في غزة، إن عدة رشقات صاروخية من المدى البعيد، أطلقت فجر اليوم من قطاع غزة.

وقالت مصادر عبرية، إن صفارات الإنذار دوت قرب مدينة الرملة المحتلة، وفي محيط مدينة “تل أبيب”.

Source: Quds Press International News Agency

قصفت طائرات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، في الساعات الأولى من صباح اليوم الأربعاء مدينة غزة، بصورة عنيفة، مستهدفة جميع مواقع الشرطة الفلسطينية.

وقال مراسل “قدس برس” إن أكثر من 20 صاروخا ارتجاجيا، اطلقت في دقيقة واحدة على مدينة غزة، متسببة بأصوات انفجارات هائلة.

وأضاف انه تم استهداف مدينة عرفات للشرطة، مقر قيادة شرطة غزة، ومواقع اخرى جنوبي مدينة غزة.

وقال الناطق باسم وزارة الداخلية إياد البزم ان طائرات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي قامت بشن غارات متتالية أسفرت عن تدمير جميع مباني مقر قيادة الشرطة (الجوازات) في قطاع غزة.

Source: Quds Press International News Agency