Israeli forces have killed 203 Palestinians and injured 800 others since the start of their operations in the Gaza Strip, dubbed "Operation Summer Rains", launched June 25, according to a recent report by the Palestinian National Information Center (PNIC).
The report asserted that since June 25, Israeli forces have amassed a large number of military vehicles around the Gaza Strip, while closing all border crossings including the Rafah border terminal, in addition to laying siege to the Strip’s one-and-a-half million residents.
It also referred to the series of incursions and brief re-occupation of several areas in Gaza, such as North Gaza, Shejaeya Neighborhood in Gaza City, Al Maghazi Refugee Camp in Central Gaza Strip, and the Shoka farming community in the southern Gaza province of Rafah.
In addition to the ongoing incursions, Israeli artillery positioned on the borders of the Gaza Strip pounded Palestinian population centers with nearly 12 thousand shells. Israeli warplanes also launched several air raids at low altitude above densely-populated areas in the Strip, causing massive material damages and endangering the lives of civilians, especially those with chronic diseases and weak hearts.
Furthermore, the PNIC report also mentioned that the number of Palestinians killed so far by the Israeli military operation reached 203, 188 of them in the Gaza Strip and 15 in the West Bank. The number of children among those killed was 42 in addition to 24 female victims.
The report also noted that some of the dead civilians were killed en masse, as entire families were killed during Israeli incursions or air strikes, such as the Hajaj, Abu Selmiyeh and Okal families.
As for the injured, the report explained that 800 Palestinians were reported injured due to the Israeli aggressions, including 100 with severed limbs due to the new and lethal type of missiles and shells used by the Israeli tanks, artillery, combat helicopters and unmanned drones.
With regards to prisoners, the PNIC stated in its report that Israeli forces launched dozens of invasions of Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps with the aim of seizing Palestinians they have listed as "wanted". In the West Bank, 649 Palestinians have been taken prisoner since June 25th, including Palestinian members of parliament and members of the current government – the most recent of whom was the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Dr. Aziz Dweik, and Ramallah PLC member Sheikh Fadl Hamdan, both seized from their homes on August 6th.
Nearly all of those taken prisoner in the current context have not been charged, and are being held indefinitely in Israeli prison camps. Over 10,000 Palestinians are being held as prisoners inside Israel, with over 1,500 of them being held in ‘administrative detention’, having never been charged with any crime.
*this article was sourced from the Palestinian International Press Center
