۱۳۹۳ مرداد ۲۸, سه‌شنبه

Read all updates on the hostilities in Gaza and southern Israel - " Protective Edge", July 2014

Photo Blog: Ruins in Beit Hanoun, August 2014

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Read all updates on the hostilities in Gaza and southern Israel - " Protective Edge", July 2014

Last night (18 Aug.) the military demolished the homes of two of the suspects in the abduction and killing of the three yeshiva students, Gilad Shaar, Naftali Fraenkel and Eyal Yifrah, near Gush Etzion two months ago. The home of a third suspect was sealed. The homes were demolished after the HCJ denied three petitions filed by HaMoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual, leaving 23 innocent people, including 13 minors, without a roof over their heads. The HCJ's ruling is not surprising: for decades, the HCJ has denied the vast majority of the petitions filed against punitive house demolitions and refused to recognize the unlawfulness of this practice.

Airstrikes on homes were central to Israel's military policy from the start of its latest operation in Gaza. Holding Hamas responsible for the heavy toll this policy took on civilians in Gaza is a faulty premise, both legally and morally. Hamas does indeed fire at Israeli civilians, operate from within the civilian population and conceal weapons at civilian sites. Hamas must be held accountable these violations of the law. Yet this responsibility does not absolve the Israeli government and senior military officers of responsibility for the consequences of Israel's own policy and actions.

During the fighting in Gaza, dozens of residences were bombed while residents were at home. The following infographic lists members of families killed in their homes in 59 incidents of bombing or shelling. In these incidents, 458 people were killed, including 108 women under the age of 60, 214 minors, and 18 people over the age of 60. Roll the mouse over the houses for more details. The figures are based on B'Tselem's initial investigation. We will continue to investigate the incidents and update the figures accordingly.

According to B'Tselem's initial figures, at least 1,767 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip and Israel from the time fighting began through 10 Aug. 2014. The fatalities include: 431 minors (one minor participated in the hostilities), 200 women (under age 60), 85 persons aged 60 and over. During the same period two Israeli civilians, one foreign national and 64 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Israel and the Gaza Strip. The figures B’Tselem collected regarding the number of Palestinians killed in the course of the fighting in the Gaza Strip are very preliminary and incomplete. In the months ahead, B’Tselem plans to further investigate the incidents.

In a letter to B’Tselem and ACRI, Deputy Attorney General, Dina Zilber, has informed the organizations that the decision of the director of the National Civic Service Authority to stop allowing national civic volunteers to work with B’Tselem has been put on hold. Zilber said that the director would soon be summoned to the Justice Ministry to explain his decision and the circumstances under which it was made and that B’Tselem and ACRI would subsequently be informed of the final decision on this matter.

Photos of the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. Taken by Muhammad Sabah, B’Tselem field researcher in Gaza, on 5 August 2014, in the course of the ceasefire. Whole sections of Beit Hanoun have been demolished, making it one of the hardest hit communities in the recent offensive, along with Gaza City, Beit Lahiya, Khuza’ah and Rafah. In the course of the fighting B’Tselem collected several testimonies from Beit Hanoun residents. Click here to view photos and read testimonies.

Since the recent bout of fighting in Gaza began, the internet has been inundated with footage of the fighting and its results. It is often difficult to determine the reliability of this footage as well as the context in which the images were shot. Our blog will present footage we collected from various online sources. We do not have full information regarding most of the items, so we appended explanatory notes for context. We also provided links to related media reports and cited details of information still missing. Please note: Most of the clips contain graphic content.

Job Description: Writing fundraising material: grant proposals, activity reports Maintaining relationships with donors, Assisting in B'Tselem's international advocacy efforts by organizing briefings and tours, and preparing targeted materials. This is a full-time position based in Jerusalem. The job is offered for 7-8 months, starting 1 September, 2014. Click herefor more details.

We only took several steps when, suddenly, a missile was fired at us. It landed very close to me. It hit the photojournalist directly, killing killed him. A 25-year-old paramedic was hit in the back by shrapnel. [...] I started treating a little boy, about four years old, who had been hit in the leg by shrapnel. Then I treated another paramedic [...] When we got to the vehicles, we saw they'd been damaged by the bombing, too. [...] We were left with one ambulance and one civil defense vehicle. We got in with the injured child and Fares, the injured paramedic. We headed to the hospital in those two cars [...] Along the short distance I crossed, about 300 meters, I saw a woman and six or seven children lying dead. A few meters from there, I saw two dead men. Across the road, I saw a man, woman and two small children lying dead. They may have been from a single family.

"I drove the second ambulance, and there were two medics with me. The street is only about 200-300 meters from the call center, so we were there within minutes. When we reached the entrance to the street, we were surprised to see three tanks and a military bulldozer in the street, about 100 meters away. Suddenly, with no warning, they opened heavy machine-gun fire at us. The bullets penetrated the ambulance. I tried to turn the ambulance around to get out of there, but the steering wheel must have been hit. Suddenly, I felt sharp pain in my leg and realized I'd been hit by a bullet or shrapnel. Then the windshield shattered. Because I couldn't turn the ambulance around, I decided to try reversing. They kept firing as I backed up, until we got far enough away."

On 6 August 2014, Attorneys Hagai Kalai and Gilad Barnea submitted B'Tselem's response to the attorney general’s position as presented to Israel’s HCJ earlier this week as part of the state’s response to the organization’s petition. B’Tselem’s response emphasizes that the existing rule clearly establishes that it is permissible “to broadcast a political advertisement provided that it concentrate solely on a factual message.” B’Tselem’s proposed radio spot meets these conditions. The Attorney General’s recommendation to change rules as B’Tselem’s radio spot awaits approval raises concern of improper discrimination.

According to B'Tselem's initial figures, at least 1,510 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip and Israel in the time between early Tuesday, 8 July 2014, when Operation Protective Edge airstrikes on Gaza began, until 2 Aug. 2014.* The fatalities include: 366 minors (one minor participated in the hostilities), 174 women (under age 60), 75 senior citizens (aged 60 and over).

Since the operation began and until the evening of 3 Aug. 2014 two Israeli civilians, one foreign national and 64 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Israel and the Gaza Strip.

"We heard an explosion nearby. [...] Then suddenly, my brother Ahmad and his wife Suha came in. They were in a panic. Ahmad said that their roof had been hit. I saw that Suha was very frightened. She was trembling. Ahmad asked us to get out of the house immediately. [...] Before we managed to get out, my mother said she wanted to use the toilet. [...] All of a sudden, I felt something pulling me into the house and everything collapsing on top of me. There was black smoke mixed with white dust. I felt I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. I was buried in rubble."

"Our house is 200 meters from the northern border of the Gaza Strip. I don’t have young children but the situation on the moshav [farming community] is unbearable. The noise of the firing from both sides was horrendous. It was impossible to concentrate on anything. [...] My children last came to visit on Passover. While they were staying with us there was a Color Red alert. My grandchildren woke up while we were carrying them into the safe room, and ever since they won’t agree to come visit."

Millions of Israeli citizens, many of whom are children, have been living under the threat of rocket fire for almost a week. For hundreds of thousands of Israelis living in the south of the country, this terrible situation is part of an ongoing routine. The unrelenting attacks have disrupted their lives, denied their right to live in security and hurt their ability to make a living. Every venture outside – to work, school, or a recreational activity – is attended by a sense of danger. Some residents have even decided to relocate for fear they or their loved ones would get hurt.

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۱۳۹۳ مرداد ۲۸, سه‌شنبه