6 March 2002 (A/ES-10/154-S/2002/242)
Letter sent by Dr. Nasser Al-Kidwa, Ambassador and Permanent
Observer of Palestine to the U.N., to the Secretary-General of the United
Nations, the President of the Security Council, and the President of the
General Assembly: (Intensifying Israeli Campaign)
The Israeli military campaign being waged against the
Palestinian people continues unabated, and is indeed intensifying, pursuant to
the declaration by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to, inter alia,
carry out "an aggressive and continuous campaign without letup". Today, the
Israeli occupying forces, using all means of heavy weaponry, launched air,
land and sea attacks against numerous Palestinian targets throughout the
Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Palestinian death toll rose today as a
result of the Israeli attacks, which killed a total of thirteen Palestinians.
These attacks also incurred extensive physical destruction on the
already-battered Palestinian infrastructure and included the demolition of at
least three Palestinian homes.
Among the Palestinian targets damaged by Israeli fire today
was the home of President Yasser Arafat in Gaza City. The President’s home, as
well as a United Nations school for the blind, suffered severe damage as
Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a Palestinian security facility
in the area. In other assaults carried out by the occupying forces, including
by F-16 warplanes, two Palestinian police stations in Gaza were destroyed,
including a building used by the Palestinian police chief. Israeli naval
gunboats also launched strikes against a Palestinian naval base in Gaza,
killing four Palestinian officers.
Further, the Israeli occupying forces deployed numerous tanks
into the area of the Palestinian villages of Abassan and Karrara, which also
came under attack by helicopter gunships. Israeli forces prevented ambulances
from reaching the wounded in the attacks, which killed three Palestinian
civilians, including a 40 year-old woman. Moreover, at least 14 Palestinians
were abducted during the Israeli raid and occupying forces overtook three
apartment buildings in a refugee camp in one of the villages.
The intensification of the bloody Israeli military campaign,
characterized by a continuous barrage of air, land and naval strikes, against
the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership has resulted in rising
numbers of Palestinian dead and wounded and threatens to reach disastrous
proportions. The international community, particularly the Security Council,
is duty-bound to take action to bring an immediate end to the human rights
violations, war crimes and State terrorism being perpetrated against the
Palestinian people by the Israeli occupying forces. It cannot continue to
stand idly by as the cycle of violence rages and situation in the Occupied
Palestinian territory continues to deteriorate and jeopardize the stability of
the entire region.
In follow up to our previous 102 letters to you regarding
this escalating crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including
Jerusalem, dated from 29 September 2000 to 5 March 2002 (A/55/432-S/2000/921;
A/55/437-S/2000/930; A/55/450-S/2000/957; A/55/466-S/2000/971;
A/55/474-S/2000/984; A/55/490-S/2000/993; A/ES-10/39-S/2000/1015;
A/ES-10/40-S/2000/1025; A/ES-10/42-S/2000/1068; A/ES-10/43-S/2000/1078;
A/ES-10/44-S/2000/1093; A/ES-10/45-S/2000/1104; A/ES-10/46- S/2000/1107;
A/ES-10/47-S/2000/1116; A/ES-10/48-S/2000/1129; A/ES-10/49-S/2000/1154;
A/ES-10/50-S/2000/1173; A/ES-10/51- S/2000/1185; A/ES-10/52-S/2000/1206;
A/ES-10/53-S/2000/1247; A/ES-10/54-S/2001/7; A/ES-10/55-S/2001/33;
A/ES-10/56-S/2001/50; A/ES-10/57-S/2001/101; A/ES-10/58-S/2001/131;
A/ES-10/59-S/2001/156; A/ES-10/60-S/2001/175; A/ES-10/61- S/2001/189;
A/ES-10/64-S/2001/209; A/ES-10/65-S/2001/226; A/ES-10/66-S/2001/239;
A/ES-10/67-S/2001/255; A/ES- 10/68-S/2001/284; A/ES-10/69-S/2001/295;
A/ES-10/70-S/2001/304; A/ES-10/71-S/2001/314; ; A/ES-10/75-S/2001/352;
A/ES-10/76-S/2001/372; A/ES-10/79-S/2001/418; A/ES-10/80-S/2001/432;
A/ES-10/81-S/2001/447; A/ES-10/82-S/2001/463; A/ES-10/83-S/2001/471;
A/ES-10/84-S/2001/479; A/ES-10/85-S/2001/486; A/ES-10/86-S/2001/496;
A/ES-10/87-S/2001/504; A/ES-10/88-S/2001/508; A/ES-10/89-S/2001/544;
A/ES-10/90-S/2001/586; A/ES-10/91-S/2001/605; A/ES-10/92-S/2001/629;
A/ES-10/93-S/2001/657; A/ES-10/94-S/2001/669; A/ES-10/95-S/2001/686;
A/ES-10/96-S/2001/697; A/ES-10/97-S/2001/708; A/ES-10/98-S/2001/717;
A/ES-10/99S/2001/742; A/ES-10/100-S/2001/754; A/ES10/101-S/2001/783;
A/ES-10/102-S/2001/785; A/ES-10/103-S/2001/798; A/ES10/104-S/2001/812;
A/ES-10/105-S/2001/814; A/ES-10/107-S/2001/821; A/ES-10/108-S/2001/826;
A/ES-10/111-S/2001/880; A/ES-10/112-S/2001/918; A/ES-10/114-S/2001/928;
A/ES-10/115-S/2001/932; A/ES-10/116-S/2001/941; A/ES-10/117-S/2001/971
A/ES-10/118-S/2001/989; A/ES-10/119-S/2001/991; A/ES-10/121-S/2001/1007,
A/ES-10/122-S/2001/1024; A/ES-10/123-S/2001/1036; A/ES-10/124-S/2001/1084;
A/ES-10/125-S/2001/1092; A/ES-10/126-S/2001/1118; A/ES-10/128-S/2001/1149;
A/ES-10/129-S/2001/1166; A/ES-10/133-S/2000/1239; A/ES-10/134-S/2001/126;
A/ES-10/136-S/2002/18; A/ES-10/137-S/2002/39; A/ES-10/138-S/2002/48;
A/ES-10/139-S/2002/58; A/ES-10/140-S/2002/89; A/ES-10/141-S/2002/95;
A/ES-10/142-S/2002/102; A/ES-10/143-S/2002/121; A/ES-10/144-S/2002/142;
A/ES-10/145-S/2002/146; A/ES-10/146-S/2002/165; A/ES-10/147-S/2002/175;
A/ES-10/148-S/2002/182; A/ES-10/149-S/2002/186; A/ES-10/150-S/2002/214;
A/ES-10/151-S/2002/223 and A/ES-10/152-S/2002/232), it is my regret to inform
you that a total of thirteen Palestinians, including children, were killed
today by the Israeli occupying forces. (The names of the martyrs are contained
in the annex to the present letter.) Their deaths raise the number of
Palestinians killed since 28 September 2000 to 995 martyrs.
Names of Martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces In the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem* (Wednesday, 6 March 2002)
Wednesday, 6 March 2002
- Abdel Razik Mahmoud Khidr Astity
- Lo’ai Fathi Amin Dabaya (14 years old)
- Jamil Al-Sabbagh
- Maher Hamada
- Ahmed Abu Taher
- Mohammed Al-Qumu’
- Mofida Abu Daqa
- Abdel Ghany Abu Daqa
- Mohammed Al-Rajoub
- Jamal Abu Hamad
- Mahdy Al-Qaisy (18 years old)
- Yehia Al-Da’amasa
- Unidentified
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* Total number of Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces
since 28 September 2000 = 998
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