The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza reported on Monday that the Israeli soldiers totally reoccupied and isolated Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
In a press release the PCHR said that troops killed three citizens and wounded eleven others, including two paramedics and two journalists, Kyoto Saki from Japan and Majdi Abdel Dayem Abdeen from Palestine. troops forced dozens of families in Rafah and Beit Hanoun out of their homes, the PCHR added.
The report quoted Dr. Fawwaz Abu Sitta, Economics Professor at Al Azhar University, who lives near the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as saying saying that "the recurrence of this terrible deed without any effort from anyone to stop it makes one feel bitter and hopeless. In addition, one feels the inability to act and avoid the bombardment, despite fully expecting it before hand", the Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, reported.
Dr. Abu Sitta said that the Israeli army is targeting civilian areas that has no military presence and described the Israeli attacks as an “act has transgressed the boundary of standard collective punishment and has become sadistic collective punishment as it entails punishing civilians in their homes”.
“These attacks are only meant to spread fear among the residents”, Dr. Abu Sitta added, “Their houses have been bombarded, the Israeli acts transgressed the boundary of standard collective punishment and has become sadistic collective punishment as it entails punishing civilians in their homes".
Dr. Abu Sitta also said the the Israeli military aggression and shelling left the Palestinian children, and residents in a state of school, a state of shock which is unique for this kind of calamity”.
Meanwhile, the PCHR reiterated its condemnation to the military assaults describing them as “willful killing of Palestinian civilians”, and considered the attack as “crimes that form collective punishment against the Palestinian people”.
This collective punishment is a direct violation of article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the PCHR added.
