Palestinian Information Minster and official spokesperson of the Palestinian Unity Government, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, stated on Monday that Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip are tantamount to war crimes and must halt immediately.He stated that the army attempted to assassinate the elected legislator and member of the Hamas movement Khalil Al Hayya by shelling his house in Gaza. Nine residents and two fighters were killed in the attack and 25 others were wounded.
Among the casualties of the shelling were Sameh Farawna, 27, Nimir Ismail Al Hayya, 60, Bakri Al Hayya, 26, Jihad Abdul-Hamid Al Hayya, 17, Abdul-Hamid Al Hayya, 50, Ibrahim Al Hayya, 23, Ala’ A; Hayya, 22 and Mohammad Khalid Al Hayya 16.
Barghouthi added that soldiers also shelled a civilian house in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, injuring a father and his four children.
The father was identified as Amin Al Masry, 41, while the children injured were Asma’, 12, Israe’, 11, Asia, 13 and Moath, 2.
Dr. Barghouthi stated that Al Hayya played an important role in bringing internal clashes to a halt and in achieving national unity, adding that Israel has bestowed upon itself the right to kill and target every Palestinian, no matter if this resident is a woman, a child or an elderly person.
He also slammed the Israeli military statement which claimed that the shelling “only” caused three civilian casualties, stating that any civilian casualty is one too many.
He finished with a call for the intervention of the international community to prevent these attacks and to lift the unjust siege that continues to punish the Palestinian people to this very day.
