THE Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip during July and August 2014 claimed the lives of 501 Palestinian children.
Defence for Children International – Palestine (DFI-Palestine) is calling for support for a UN inquiry into the Israeli slaughter constituting a war crime.
DFI-Palestine says: ‘Children were killed in their homes as they slept, with their parents as they fled for safety, and in UN shelters where they were told they would be safe.
‘Some, like three-year-old Ibrahim Omar, sought refuge and medical treatment only to be killed as Israeli forces targeted hospitals where they lay recovering.
‘Up to 1,000 children have been permanently disabled through the loss of limbs, blindness or burn injuries.
‘These deaths, injuries, and ruined lives were not collateral damage. They were preventable.
‘The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, stated there was a “strong possibility” that war crimes were being committed by Israel during the military offensive.
‘Pillay’s statement was prompted by the apparent targeting of several children playing on a Gaza beach that resulted in the deaths of four boys. Targeting children constitutes a war crime.
‘In August, a UN Commission of Inquiry was established to investigate war crimes during the conflict and hold war criminals accountable, but the US voted against it – it was the only country to do so – and the UK abstained from the vote.
‘We need your help to show our representatives that we support the investigation.
‘Both President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron are facing tough politics at home, and don’t want to be associated with the killing of children.
‘If we raise our voices together, right now, we can push their administrations to lend their support to the investigation.
‘Tell President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron to support a UN investigation into the deaths of 501 children in Gaza. Children in Gaza deserve justice.
‘A UN investigation, backed by President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron, will show Israeli authorities that they will be held accountable for the death and injury of Palestinian children and force them to take measures to prevent the deaths of children in the future.
‘Join us in showing your support for the UN inquiry. Tell your representatives that a vote against an independent investigation is a vote against justice for the children of Gaza. Thanks for all that you do.’
In an August 1, 2014 ‘update’, DCI-Palestine ‘confirmed a further 12 child deaths today, as the international community attempted again to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip.
‘An agreement for a 72-hour ceasefire collapsed within a matter of hours, leading to renewed fighting and further civilian deaths.
‘Since the beginning of the Israeli attack on Gaza, 166 children have been confirmed dead. DCI-Palestine is currently investigating a further 67 cases.
‘Nearly two weeks after a particularly violent day of the conflict, Sunday, July 20, DCI-Palestine sources were still confirming deaths.
‘Four children from one family died when Israeli forces shelled their relative’s house in the Shuja’iyya neighbourhood of Gaza City early in the morning.
‘The families sheltering there received no prior warning, and 11 members, including Karam and Karim Ahmad Hamed al-Helou, 6-month-old baby twins, and their siblings Maram, 2, and Najia, 4, died. The ongoing violence in the area left their bodies undiscovered for six days.
‘DCI-Palestine confirmed an additional death on July 23. Rabea Qasem Rabea Abu Ras, 9, accompanied his mother to salvage some belongings from their home in the Bedouin village in northern Gaza.
‘Once there, an Israeli artillery shell landed nearby and injured him in the back. Rabea rushed to a close hospital, but a drone missile killed him instantly at the entrance. Five deaths were confirmed from July 24.
‘In Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, Mohammad Jihad Salim Matar, 12, Amaneh Jihad Salim Matar, 10, and Duaa Raed Yousef Abu Odeh, 17, left Jabalia refugee camp with their uncle to salvage items from their home.
‘While there, an Israeli drone missile struck their house and killed them immediately. In Rafah in southern Gaza, a drone missile killed Mohammad Ahmad Harbi Siam, 6, and Amir Adel Khamis Siam, 12, as they stood outside their home.
‘Mohammad Abdul-Nasser Mohammad al-Ghandour, 15, and Ibrahim Moatasem Ibrahim Kloub, 4, died in separate incidents on July 29.
‘When an Israeli missile struck agricultural land in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia, shrapnel from the explosion punctured Mohammad’s neck and killed him instantly.
‘In Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Ibrahim died when a drone missile directly hit his family’s balcony as he played there. His mother sustained serious injuries and remains in critical condition.
‘These civilian casualties occurred as UN shelters, protected by international law, wound up as targets for the Israeli military.
‘In the latest attack, an UNRWA school in Jabalia, sheltering 3,300 internally displaced persons, came under Israeli artillery fire on July 30, which led to multiple civilian deaths, including children.
‘DCI-Palestine is still verifying the names and ages of those killed in the incident.’
A July 30 ‘update’ said: A further 19 deaths were confirmed by DCI-Palestine Wednesday, with an estimated 270,000 children in need of immediate psycho-social support.
‘This is the third large scale Israeli assault for the majority of children in Gaza, who likely have lasting trauma. The total number of confirmed child deaths now stands at 154, with an additional 67 cases under investigation.
‘After one week in critical condition, Yousef Jameel Subhi Hammouda, 15, succumbed on Saturday to injuries sustained from a drone strike in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza on July 19. As previously reported, the Israeli missile also killed his brother, Omar, 10, cousin, Mohammad, 18, and neighbour, Raed Nayfeh, 40, instantly.
‘Six children, including three from one family, died in the widely condemned Israeli attack on an UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza on July 24.
‘Immediately preceding the shelling, the Red Cross instructed those taking shelter to prepare to relocate due to the safety concerns.
‘Abed Rabo Jamal Ayyoub al-Shanbari, 17, Mohammad Akram Abdulaziz al-Kafarneh, 15, and Suha Abed Rabo Mohammad Mesleh, 2, were waiting for evacuation buses in the schoolyard when they were killed by Israeli artillery shells.
‘Abed Rabo Sheiboub Ahmad al-Shanbari, 16, died alongside his siblings, Miriam, 12, and Ali, 9, in a classroom.
‘DCI-Palestine confirmed an additional death on July 24. The impact of an Israeli F16 missile killed Adham Ahmad Ibrahim Abu ‘Eitah, 5, though its intended target was Adham’s neighbour.
‘Two explosions in Al-Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City Monday afternoon killed 11 people, including 10 children. Ahmad Hazem Mohammad Shbair, 8, Mahmoud Riad Hazem Mohammad Shbair, 11, Bara’ Akram Mohammad Miqdad, 6, Mohammad Nahed Mohammad Miqdad, 14, Yousef Abdulrahman Hassouna, 11, Mohammad Mahmoud Mohammad Abu Shaqfa, a child of unknown age, Mansour Rami Mansour Hajjaj, 9, Jamal Saleh Jamal Alyan, 8, Ahmad Jaber Ibrahim Washah, 12, and Mohammad Imad Mohammad Baroud, 12, died together while playing in Swaidi street and celebrating Eid al-Fitr holiday. DCI-Palestine is still investigating the source of the explosion.’
