Israeli Assault on Humanitarian Infrastructure and Civilian Population Continues
The Palestine Monitor, April 1, 2002 – 8:45 PM
The Palestine Monitor,
A PNGO Information Clearinghouse
URGENT UPDATE
Israeli Assault on Humanitarian Infrastructure and Civilian Population
Continues
April 1, 2002 – 8:45 PM
Today the Israeli military attack on humanitarian infrastructure and civilian population continues.
In Ramallah the 4th day under complete 24 hour curfew
- Many houses without water, electricity, and telephones
- Food is becoming scarce
- Soldiers make house to house searches ransacking and looting
homes and shops
- 100’s of men and youths arrested and detained
- Tanks patrol the streets opening fire randomly and indiscriminately
- Many foreign reporters have left the area after pressure from
the Israeli government
- Buildings such as the Kassabe cinema/theatre have been destroyed,
Al Haq – a local Human Rights organization, HDIP a Health Research Institute
is currently being ransacked and destroyed.
The list of atrocities continues…
A peaceful demonstration from Bethlehem to Beit Jala, composed of foreigners and Palestinians came under live fire from the Israeli army in the vicinity of the Lutheran Church. Eight people were injured, seven of them foreigners. Keith Elizet, an Australian was shot in his abdomen. He is currently being operated on and is in serious condition. The seven other injured are Paul La Rodi, USA, Isako Iso, Japan, Jimmy Dad, UK, Lila Mond, France, Zeid Faisal Khalil, USA, Iyad Hamad, Bethlehem and Kelly Baiden, UK. They have all been released from hospital.
Attacks on the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees Building
- The UPMRC offices in Ramallah have been fired upon. Ms. Louisa
Morgantini, an Italian member of the European Parliament, and a delegation
of Italians who had been accompanying the ambulances all day in an attempt
to get medical treatment to the wounded were in the building at the time.
- The building was then evacuated; children, their mothers and
fathers forced at gunpoint onto the street, evicted from their homes. New
has just reached us that Israeli soldiers planred explosives in the building
and have detonated them.
- Dr. Muhammad Scafie, a 45-year-old UPMRC doctor who has diabetes
– the head of the First Aid section of Medical Relief was used as a human
shield when the building was evacuated.
- Dr. Scafie was then taken at gunpoint by the soldiers to all
the surrounding houses and forced, still at the end of the gun, to enter
the houses after the soldiers had exploded the doors open, to go into the
dark and smoky houses ahead of them as a shield, as the soldiers searched
them. Dr. Scafie has just now been released – after approximately 4 hours.
- Ms. Morgantini, who was detained at the same time as Dr. Scafie,
has also just been, released.
- An Israeli tank attempted to shell a UPMRC ambulance as it
was trying to access a patient, narrowly missing it.
- The local UPMRC clinic in Qalqiliya also come under attack,
and is currently being used as an interrogation center.
- Dr. Jihaad Mashal, a UPMRC Director, has been detained for
4 days in his house. 22 people are confined to one room – and despite the
medical crisis the doctor is not being released.
We demand that you intervene immediately to stop these crimes continuing in the Palestinian areas.
For more information contact Juliana at the Palestine Monitor
+972 (0)2 5834021 or +972 (0)2 5833510
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