As Israel ‘s siege on the Gaza Strip passes the one month milestone Defence for Children International – Palestine Section (DCI/PS) would like to draw attention to the 31 Palestinian children whose deaths expose anew the degradation of the principles of international humanitarian law. The death of these children implicates both the parties to the conflict as well as those States not directly involved but who as third parties are legally bound to enforce these principles.
Recalling that the Gaza Strip has been under belligerent occupation by Israel since 1967 and that it remains under occupation despite the 12 September 2005 ‘disengagement’ of Israeli troops the attacks by both the Israeli army and Palestinian armed groups in the past month have been characterized by their lack of respect for the customary international law principle of distinction. This principle requires combatants at all times to distinguish between civilians and civilian objects and military objectives. The Israeli tactics in Gaza have also been condemned as disproportionate by the EU and the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator in that the incidental loss of Palestinian lives injury of Palestinians and damage to Palestinian civilian infrastructure has been excessive in relation to the military advantage understood to be gained by Israel . Israeli air sea and ground troops have opened fire in civilian areas in the dense population centers of Gaza cities and refugee camps including near hospitals schools and in crowded residential housing complexes on numerous occasions.
The following children have been killed by Israeli military actions in Gaza since 26 June 2006:
Anwar Isma’el Atallah 12 years old
Saleh Sleman Al Jemasi 16 years old
Ruwan Fareed Hajjaj 5 years old
Khalid Nidal Abed Al Karim Wahbeh 1 year old
Mahfouth Farid Nasseer 15 years old
Ahmad Ghaleb Abu Amshah 16 years old
Ahmed Fathi Odah Shabat 16 years old
Waleed Mahmoud Al Zinati 12 years old
Salah Adeen Hammad Abu Maktuma 17 years old
Ibrahim Ali Khatoush 15 years old
Mahmoud Muhammad Al Asar 15 years old
Ibrahim Ali Al Nabaheen 15 years old
Ahmad Abdil Mina’m Abu Hajaj 16 years old
Nasrallah Nabil Abu Selmieh 5 years old
Aya Nabil Abu Selmieh 7 years old
Iman Nabil Abu Selmieh 11 years old
Yahya Nabil Abu Selmieh 9 years old
Huda Nabil Abu Selmieh 13 years old
Basma Nabil Abu Selmieh 15 years old
Sumaia Nabil Abu Selmieh 16 years old
Raji Omar Deif Alla 16 years old
Muhanna Sa’ed Mesleh 16 years old
Ahmad Rawhee Abdo 13 years old
Ali Kamil Al Najar 13 years old
Fadwa Faisel al ‘Urouqi 13 years old
Mohammad Awad Muhra 17 years old
Khitam Muhammad Tayeh 11 years old
Nadee Habib Al Ataar 11 years old
Saleh Ibrahim Nasser 13 years old
Ashraf Abdullah Awad Abu Thaher 14 years old
Bara’ Naser Habib 2 years old
DCI/PS recalls that one of the predominant reasons for restrictions enshrined in the ius in bello (the law governing the conduct of warfare or international humanitarian law) is to regulate combatant behavior such that acts will not be taken which are so grave as to prevent the return to peace. At a time when international political actors are calling for a return to the logic of ‘durable solutions’ to stop the current escalation in violence DCI/PS asserts that nations at war remember no injuries as acutely as they remember the death of their children. Thus DCI/PS believes that any effective solutions to the current crisis and the crisis of the future must include a reiterated commitment to the principles of international humanitarian law and particularly those principles relating to the protection of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure.
Source: www.dci-pal.org
