THE PHRMG CALLS ON ISRAEL TO IMMEDIATELY HALT INCURSION IN GAZA STRIP; OVER 90 DEAD

In the last four days, over 90 Palestinians have died, including many civilians, women, and children, in Israel’s continued assault on the Gaza Strip.  The number of Palestinians killed by the IOF since January 1^st, 2008 has reached over 250.  Following an escalation in Qassam rockets and the consequent death of Israeli citizen Roni Yichia, age 47, near Sderot last Wednesday, Israel commenced a vicious series of attacks on the Gaza Strip. 

In response to mounting domestic pressure, Israel initiated retaliatory action against Hamas in attempts to halt the increasing number of rockets falling on Israeli border cities, including Sderot and Ashkelon.  The death of Yichia marked the first Israeli casualty from Gaza rocket attacks since May 2007, and the fourteenth casualty of rocket attacks since the beginning of the Second Intifada in September 2000.  According to B’tselem, a leading Israeli human right organization documenting violations committed in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, 2,679 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip by Israeli Forces during the same period of time, 1,259 of which were not involved in hostile activity.

On Wednesday, February 28^th, Israeli Forces began strong offensive attacks on the Gaza Strip, targeting rocket launching sites, Hamas headquarters, and Hamas and other radical Islamist party leaders.  On Wednesday night, Israeli Forces executed an air strike in Northern Gaza that killed three Palestinian children, Anas al-Mana'ma (age 10), Muhammad Khalil Hamada (age 12), and Bilal Hijazi (age 10). While Israeli media claimed that the victims were preparing to launch a rocket, Palestinian sources argue that the children were playing near an abandoned rocket launcher. The air strike injured an additional 17 people on a nearby sports field, eight of which were children. 

Attacks continued through the weekend, peaking on Saturday, when over 60 Gazans were killed, primarily civilians, in Israel’s attempts to destroy Qassam rocket launchers and Hamas military outposts in the Northern Gaza Strip city of Jabalya.  Houses were demolished, dozens of civilians murdered in crossfire between Israel and Palestinian forces, electricity and water cut off, and means of transport, including ambulances, deemed inoperable due to a severe lack of fuel in the territory (a result of increased Israeli sanctions).

On Friday, Israeli Deputy Defense Minister, Matan Vilnai, was quoted on Israeli radio claiming that, “The more Qassam fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we will use all our might to defend ourselves.”  Later statements were issued ensuring that the Minister used the word “shoah,” implying “catastrophe,” as opposed to “holocaust,” a more frequent connotation of the Hebrew word.  However, according to Ha’aretz, Vilnai’s brazen threat serves as a warning to Hamas and the Palestinian People about Israel’s upcoming on ground offensive.  Israeli defense officials announced that forces are now prepared to carry out a massive operation to shatter Hamas control over the Gaza Strip.  Additional attacks will certainly result in more death and destruction among the Palestinian civilian population.

The PHRMG calls on the international community’s support in urging the Israeli authorities to halt all aerial and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip before more innocent Palestinian lives are taken.  Olmert and his government must immediately cease action in the Gaza Strip and be held accountable for their flagrant violation of international law and the war crimes they have thus far committed.  Israeli leaders have admitted that their attacks will have no permanent effect on the launching of rockets into Israel.  The incursion has only created a more desperate humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and drastically impaired any potential progress towards peace with the Palestinians in 2008.