By Palestine Chronicle Staff
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights condemned in a statement Israel’s killing of a Palestinian teen and wounding another child to the south of the Gaza Strip today. The killing to place near the border fence with Israel in al-Shokah village, east of Rafah City.
PCHR noted that its investigations emphasized that “the shelling incident violates the principle of necessity and distinction during which the use of force was excessive, especially the victims were only civilians and unarmed.”
According to PCHR’s investigations and the testimony of an eyewitness, Israeli forces fired around 15 artillery shells at 3 Palestinian civilians, “who were only 300 meters away from the above-mentioned fence.”
Palestinian teen, Yousef Abu Atara, 18, was deliberately targeted & shot in the head by Israeli Occupation until his brain poured out.#Gaza pic.twitter.com/w8Z7b15IdE
— Abbs Winston (@AbbsWinston) March 22, 2017
According to the eyewitness, “those civilians intended to sneak into Israel for work. The artillery shells directly hit one of them namely Yousif Sha’ban Ahmed Abu ‘Azrah (16), from al-Shabourah refugee camp in Rafah City, to the upper part of his body.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Wahid ‘Atallah al-‘Akar (25), from Yibna refugee camp in Rafah, sustained shrapnel wounds to the chest and abdomen. The child died on the spot while al-‘Akar was transferred to the European Hospital in Khan Younis due to his serious wounds.”
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said: “the Palestinian Liaison told the PRCS they received information from the Israeli Liaison there is a dead body in the aforementioned area. The PRCS immediately headed to the scene to find the child’s dead body 300 meters away from the fence while they found al-‘Akar lying around 500 meters away from the fence.”
GAZA: Palestinian teenager killed by Israeli artillery fire in Gaza, according to health officials https://t.co/6fXpJFFavO – @AJEnglish
— Conflict News (@Conflicts) March 22, 2017
PCHR strongly condemned the crime, “which further proves the continued use of excessive force by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in disregard for their lives.”
PCHR called upon the international community “to take immediate and effective action”.
PCHR concluded by saying, “these grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions to guarantee the right to protection for Palestinians civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).”
(PalestineChronicle.com)
