Doc. Nr. P/ME/601/09/E

Comparing it with the rogue Serbian militia during the war in Bosnia and confirmed the demolition of 27 mosques

Friends of Humanity Organization issues an extensive report regarding the violation of the occupation forces to houses of worship in Gaza Strip

Friends of Humanity International issues an extensive report of the violation of the occupation forces to houses of worship in Gaza Strip, It said in the report that “During the Israeli attack that struck many of the civilian population and civilian sites, the occupation forces – as admitted, by Israeli officials - has deliberately bombed houses of worship in Gaza Strip with rockets and heavy bombs, on those of worshipers in some cases, under the Israeli comprehensive war against Gaza Strip”.

The organization provided a statistics in which it documented the names and the locations of 27 mosques that have been demolished by Israeli occupation forces since the starting of the war against Gaza on the 27^th of December 2008, and was as follows (we mention the names as they are recognized by the Palestinians):

1. The mosque of the “martyr Imad Aqel”: is located in Jabaliya camp for Palestinian refugees in the governate of north of Gaza, the bombing of the mosque by the Israeli warplanes on 28/12/2008 has resulted in the collapse of an adjacent house, causing the death of 5 sisters from one family and injuries of number of citizens who are living nearby.

2. “Al-Saraya” Mosque: has been completely destroyed on 28/12/2008 through the air bombing of Al-Saraya governmental compound in the center of Gaza city.

3. The Israeli warplanes have targeted “Al-Abbas” mosque and the neighboring Al-Abbas police station in Gaza city on 28/12/2008 that resulted in substantial damage.

4. “Al-Shifaa” Mosque: has been air bombed on 28/12/2008, inside the mosque were a lot of a relatives of ill persons and four of them were killed. The mosque is located near Al-Shifaa medical complex in Gaza city. The bombing has created a state of confusion among the medical staff and teams who are working in the hospital. The difficulties have deepened in the hospital after being subjected to significant damage where fragments of missiles and pieces of stones and cement have caused enormous damage in the building of the hospital and smashing its windows noticing that the hospital is densely packed with hundreds of injuries and deaths. The Israeli missiles have turned the mosque to a pile of rubble. The two rockets that have struck the dome of the mosque directly resulted in two large holes, the stones and the columns of the mosque have scattered and spread out in adjacent roads, houses, and shops causing a lot of damage.

5. “Abu Bakr Al-Sideeq” mosque: located in Beit Hanoun town in the far north of Gaza Strip, the Israeli warplanes have fired several missiles towards the mosque on 29/12/2008 causing complete destruction. The dead and injured had been recovered from under the rubble.

6. On 29/12/2008 the Israeli warplanes have bombed “Ezz Al-Dien Al-Qassam martyr” mosque in Abasan / Khan-Younis south of Gaza Strip resulting in destroying it completely. The Israeli authorities did not mention any reason for this bombing.

7. On 29/12/2008: Bombing of “Al-Ribat” mosque in Rafah resulted in seven 7 dead 3 of them are children.

8. A bombing was targeted towards “Al-Abrar” mosque in Rafah on 29/12/2009 and also on 15. 01. 2009. The Mosque has been completely destroyed.

9. On 29/12/2008 the Israeli warplanes have bombed “Riad Al-Saaliheen” mosque north of Gaza Strip.

10. Around 3:00 AM at Tuesday (30/12/2008) dawn, the occupation warplanes have bombed “Al-Faruq Omar bin Al-Khatab” mosque in Al-Breij camp in the center of Gaza Strip destroying it completely. The bombing resulted in the destruction of all the contents of the neighboring Al-Breij governmental clinic that is serving thousands citizens in the camp. This mosque consists of five floors and includes kindergarten and water desalination plant, "Charity project".

11. “Abu Hanifa Nu'man” mosque: located in Tal Alhawa south of Gaza city, was targeted with four missiles on 31/12/2008, resulting in destroying it completely, the injuries of five women, and damage in a large number of adjacent houses.

12. On 1/1/2009 the occupation forces have fired a rocket that caused damage in “Khalil Al-Rahman” mosque in Abasan area east of Khan Younis.

13. On 1/1/2009 an Israeli bombing has targeted “Al-Nasr” ancient mosque in Beit Hanoun town in the north of Gaza Strip resulting in its destruction. The mosque was built in 736 AD.

14. On 2/1/2009 the Israeli warplanes have targeted “Al-Khulafa' Al-Rashideen” mosque in Jabaliya camp for Palestinian refugees in the north of Gaza Strip, the Israeli forces have fired several rockets towards the mosque and destroyed it, and resulted in injuring several Palestinians and damage in several neighboring houses.

15. On 2/1/2009 the Israeli forces have bombed “Omar Bin Abdel Aziz” mosque in Beit Hanoun resulting in enormous damage in its buildings.

16. On 2/1/2009 the Israeli jet warplanes type "F16" have bombed the mosque of the “martyr Ibrahim Al-Maqadmah” in Beit Lahia town far north of Gaza with a large bomb weighting 500 kg when tens of worshiper were performing the prayers, resulting in a massacre with 16 people killed and dozens injured.

17. The Israeli warplanes have bombed at the dawn of 6/1/2009 the mosque of “Hasan Al-Banna” in Al-Zaitoon neighborhood north of Gaza Strip resulting in destroying it completely. The bombing resulted in the injuries of several persons and flaming number of neighboring houses.

18. At 9:00 PM on 7/1/2009 Israeli warplanes have bombed “Al-Taqwa” mosque in Al-Shiekh Radwan neighborhood north of Gaza city, and re-bombed it after four hours, resulting in the killing of 4 Palestinian civilians, the injuries of others, and resulted in the destruction of the mosques that is composed of four floors and the damage of about 10 neighboring houses.

19. About 11:50 AM on 7/1/2009 the Israeli warplanes have bombed “Al-Noor Al-Mohammedy” mosque that is located in AL-Jala' street in Gaza city, causing complete destruction to the mosque, killing and injuring several Palestinians, and a damage in neighboring houses..

20. On 7/1/2009 at about 2:00 A.M., the Israeli warplanes have bombed the police center in Bani Saheela east of Khan-Younis, resulting in destroying it and damage in the neighboring buildings including “Hamza” mosque, with no injuries.

21. On 8/1/2009 the Israeli forces have fired artillery shells towards the houses of the citizens and “Ibad Al-Rahman” mosque in Wadi Al-Salqa village.

22. The occupation forces have destroyed “Al-Ribat” mosque in Khan-Younis on 9/1/2009.

23. On 10/1/2009 the Israeli warplanes have bombed “Al-Ssafa” mosque in Al-Breij camp resulting in partial destruction, and one of the fragments has hit the house of a Palestinian citizen called Mohammad Al-Askary causing the injury of his wife Hiba Al-Askary 28 years, and the injury of his two children Ayman 6 years and Mosab 8 years.s.

24. On 11/1/2209 at 3:00 AM, the Israeli warplanes of type F16 have bombed with many missiles “Dar Al-Fadeela” mosque that follows the house of virtue orphans which includes elementary private school, the college of Dar Al-Da'wa for human sciences, and a computer center. That is located in Taha Hussein street in Khirbit Al-Adas neighborhood north-east of Rafah. This causes the complete destruction of the house Dar Al-Fadeela.

25. “Bilal bin Rabah” mosque in Rafah south of Gaza: was destroyed completely in the first week of the war against Gaza, the photos of the destruction of this mosque were displayed in a lot of media around the globe.

26. A bombing was targeted towards “Al-Salateen” mosque in Jabaliya on 14/1/2209.

27. On 28/12/208 the mosque of “Al-Estiqamah” in Rafah city has significantly affected and damaged as a result of bombing an adjacent areas by warplanes. The mosque is located in a densely populated residential area causing the damage in tens of neighboring houses.

TThe human rights Group confirmed also that a lot of other mosques have also been badly affected but with less degree, during the bombing of neighboring houses and civilian institutions by Israeli occupation forces. Also the demolishing of many of places of prayer those are located inside the buildings of ministries, associations, sports clubs, civilian police centers, and other civilian institutions that the Israeli forces had bombed and destroyed.

“Friends of humanity” has condemned the Israeli attacks against the civilians and houses of worship, considering that the targeting of mosques and other civilian institutions from the occupation forces is a big violation for the sanctity of mosques, houses of worship, and civilian institutions, and said that “It is not strange to the occupation forces who are committing war crimes against the Palestinian people on daily basis, by using its warplanes and heavy weapons to target children, women, elderly, and safe houses in its war against the Palestinians”.

The human rights organization added “What the occupation is doing today is fully compatible with what his militia has done in the Palestinian territories inside the green line in the forties of the last century when it has demolished thousands of mosques and places of worship, and such operations are very similar to the acts of the rogue Serbian militia during its war against the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the nineties of the last century and the demolishing of houses of worship there”.

The organization said that “the claims of the occupation regarding the existence of members from the Palestinian resistance inside the mosques are flimsy and clarifying that, who are resorting to mosques are women, children and the elderly whose houses were bombed by occupation”.

Also the organization has called for the protection of mosques, houses of worship and sanctities. And the necessity for supporting the Palestinian people and standing beside them in its confrontation against the occupation aggression, and emphasizes on the right of the Palestinian people in exercising their natural right of worship.

Friends of Humanity international said in its report that it views the Israeli military operations against the civilians and civilian institutions in Gaza Strip with a great concern stressing that these deliberate crimes are war crimes resulted from the Israeli war against the occupied Palestinian territories and reflects contempt of those forces to lives of Palestinian civilians and their holy places, considering them as reprisal operations and unjust punishment against the Palestinians and are contradicting with the article number 33 in the 4^th Geneva Convention of 1949 regarding the protection of civilian persons during the war time.

The human rights organization emphasized that Israel is bearing the complete responsibility for the Palestinian civilians in all conditions and situations, according to the rules of the international law that the presence of an armed resistance do not justify in any way the usage of that excessive force.

Also the organization warned from the killing and injuring of more victims from the Palestinian civilians and the additional targeting of houses of worship and other civilian places.

Also Friends of Humanity “called all peoples of living consciences to do effective and hard work aiming to stop these crimes. And renew its demands to the contracting parties to the 4^th Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations contained in the first article in the convention in which they are committed to respect the convention in all cases, also respecting the obligations in the article 146 of the convention by the prosecution of the defendants accused of committing big breaches in the convention, noting that these violations are considered war crimes according the article 147 of the 4^th Geneva Convention for the protection of the civilians, and according to the 1^st additional protocol of the convention to ensure the right of protection for Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories”, as it has confirmed.

Vienna, 20. 01.2009
 

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