The PRCS Calls for International Protection of Civilians

(Al-Bireh- 21/7/2014): For more than twelve days, civilians of the Gaza Strip and their property have been subjected to severe indiscriminate shelling by the Israeli occupation forces, which led to the death of more than 450 people and hundreds of injured, mostly civilians, and causing massive damage to their property and homes. The indiscriminate shelling of the Shijaia neighborhood east of Gaza City, early Sunday morning, July 20, 2014, added more than 60 people killed to the number of victims of this Israeli attack

PRCS emphasizes that the indiscriminate and deliberate shelling of civilians and their homes in Shijaia and the consequent killing of civilians, forced displacement and destruction of property is a full-on war crime according to the provisions of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which stresses the exclusion of civilians and civilian property from the effects of military operations and their protection from indiscriminate attacks.

The Society also condemns the targeting of its teams and ambulances carrying the Crescent emblem, protected under international humanitarian law; these came under fire while trying to reach the Shijaia neighborhood in the first hours of the shelling, which hindered their humanitarian work and the offer of their first aid and relief services to the victims of the Israeli attack. Despite the two-hour humanitarian truce accorded to medical teams, the occupation authorities prevented PRCS teams from reaching the outskirts of Shijaia, where citizens appealed to bring them relief.

Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, President of PRCS, reiterated that whenever teams and ambulances tried to respond to the distress of citizens in the northern and eastern areas of the Gaza Strip, they could not reach their destination. They are being directly targeted by the occupation forces, in spite of the access granted to them by the occupation authorities, in many cases through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

PRCS calls upon the international community, represented by the UN Security Council, the General Assembly and the Contracting States to the Geneva Conventions, to shoulder its responsibility and take the necessary measures to compel the occupation authorities to comply with the provisions of international humanitarian law and stop targeting civilians and their property. PRCS also demands these parties ensure the occupation authorities abide by the provisions of international humanitarian law relating to medical personnel and respect the emblem they carry. It is the responsibility of the occupation authorities to protect workers in the field of first aid and relief and facilitate their safer access to the injured and the victims without jeopardy to their person or life.

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