MIFTAH Condemns in the Strongest Terms, the Israeli Military Raid on the Gaza Strip
By MIFTAH
April 17, 2008

The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, MIFTAH condemns in the strongest terms, the Israeli military raid on the Gaza Strip on April 16, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Palestinians, several of whom are civilians.

Israeli air strikes carried out a series of missile attacks on the Breij Refugee Camp in central Gaza killing 17 Palestinians including three children and Reuters photojournalist Fadel Shana’a. Twenty-five others were injured in the raid. While Israel claims the missiles were shot at Palestinian activists in the camp, at least two of the missiles landed on homes.

The raid came after an earlier gun battle in Gaza City, in which three armed Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers were killed. Israel says the Palestinians were approaching the security fence near the Nahal Oz crossing.

MIFTAH is appalled by the sharp escalation in Israeli aggressions in the Gaza Strip and calls on the international community to intervene in the continued shedding of Palestinian blood. MIFTAH does not condone the killing of innocent civilians irrespective of their nationality, which is a stance it urges the international community to adopt equally in its positions towards the Palestinians and Israeli alike. It calls on the UN, in its capacity as an esteemed international body, to treat Israel like any other country in violation of international humanitarian laws and hold it accountable for its transgressions.

MIFTAH is also disturbed by the killing of a Palestinian journalist in the Breij camp and urges Israel to respect the right of the media to cover events on the ground without fear for their lives. Israel must be held accountable for its ongoing violation of the most basic of human rights, which is the right to life. It is also unacceptable for Israel to continue to impose such a strangulating siege on the entire Strip under the guise of its security, thus causing a severe deterioration of the quality of life for the 1.4 million Palestinians living there.

http://www.miftah.org