16 May 2003 (A/ES-10/226-S/2002/548)
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: (Children
Killed in
Gaza)
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Israel, the occupying Power, continues to wage its bloody
military campaign throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The occupying Power has relentlessly continued to
commit war crimes, State terrorism and systematic human rights violations
against the Palestinian people under its occupation.  Since my last letter to you, dated
1 May 2003, the Israeli occupying forces have killed 34
Palestinian civilians, including 8 children, and wounded many others. Â It is also important to recall that
since the official presentation of the Quartet’s roadmap to peace on
30 April 2003, the Israeli occupying forces have killed 60
Palestinian civilians. This,
obviously, reflects the determination of the Israeli government to undermine
the road map and obstruct any efforts to resume the peace process.Â
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Yesterday, Thursday, 15 May, marked the
55th anniversary of Al-Nakba- the day the Palestinian people were
uprooted from their homeland in 1948 amidst massacres, destruction and the
devastation of war. As the
Palestinian people solemnly commemorated the anniversary of this tragic day,
the Israeli occupying forces continued to relentlessly unleash their brute
force, killing 5 Palestinians, including 3 children. At the same time, scores of
Palestinian civilians were injured, many seriously.
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These above-mentioned killings took place in the
early morning hours (Palestine time) of yesterday, when more than 50 Israeli
tanks, supported by armored vehicles, helicopter gunships and bulldozers,
raided the northern town of Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip. One of the three children killed,
Mohammed Al-Zaneen, was shot in the head by Israeli occupying forces and was
left to bleed to death, as Israeli troops prevented paramedics from reaching
the scene. The young boy was
eventually carried to an ambulance and died on the way to the hospital.  Also yesterday, Israeli
occupying forces demolished four homes, leaving several Palestinian families
homeless.
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The continuation of aggression committed by the
Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people should be vigorously
condemned by the international community. The current situation in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, can only continue to deteriorate as long as
Israel, the occupying Power, continues to believe that it
can act against the Palestinian people under its occupation with
impunity. As such, war crimes,
State terrorism and systematic human right violations will continue to be
perpetrated by the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people,
inflicting only more harm, suffering and destruction. In this regard, we urge
the international community to take the necessary measures to compel
Israel to halt its military campaign and abide by
international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth
Geneva Convention of 12 August 1949.
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This letter is in follow-up to our previous 164
letters to you regarding the ongoing crisis in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, since 28 September
2000. These letters, dated from
29 September 2000 (A/55/432-S/2000/921) to 1 May
2003
(A/ES-10/225-S/2003/518), constitute a basic record of the crimes committed by
the Israeli occupying forces against the Palestinian people since September
2000. For all of these war
crimes, State terrorism and systematic human rights violations committed
against the Palestinian people, Israel, the occupying Power, must be held
accountable and the perpetrators must be brought to
justice.
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Accordingly, in follow-up to the above-mentioned
letters, it is my deep regret to inform you that the 34 Palestinians killed by
the Israeli occupying forces raises the total number of martyrs to 2399
Palestinians. (The names of the
martyrs that have been identified thus far are contained in the annex to the
present letter.)
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Names of
martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces
in the
Occupied
Palestinian
Territory,
including Jerusalem*
(Friday,
2 May through Friday,
16 May 2003)
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Friday, 2 May 2003
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- Awad Ahmed Abdallah Al-Saify (from wounds sustained on 11 April
2003)
- Ranad Abdallah Al-Haj Qandas (17 years
old)
- Sharif Mahmoud Abu Al-Hasan
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Saturday, 3 May 2003
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- Mohammed Zahi Hasan Hijazy
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Wednesday, 7 May 2003
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- Amin Hamdan Fadel Minzilawy
- Alyan Sa’ad Alyan Al-Bishiti
- Ayman Eiz Eldin Ibrahim
- Ahmed Issam Joudah (18 years old)
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Thursday, 8 May 2003
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- Ikram Borham Hussein Quedeh (from wounds sustained on 29 April
2003)
- Iyad Eissa Al-beek
- Mohamed Atta Hafez
Al-Shaer
- Zaher Hasan Asa’d Al-Showaly
- Ahmed Sief Al-Din
Al-Hamshary (13 years old) (from wounds sustained
on 10 April 2003)
- Abdel Karim Jamil Afaneh
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Monday, 12 May 2003
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- Mohammed Abdallah Abu
Armaneh
- Selim Saleh Al-Arja
- Hassan Ahmed Al-Astal (18
years old)
- Malek Zuhdi Yaseen (from wounds sustained on 6 September
2001)
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Wednesday, 14 May 2003
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- Mohammed Khalil Thabit
- Mohammed Mustafa Wishah
- Fadl Ashoor Abu Atewi
- Tayseer Yussef Abu Shihab
- Dia’ Naseef Ghawadreh (12 years old)
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Thursday, 15 May 2003
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- Mohammed Nabil Mohammed
Al-Zaneen (12 years old)
- Khalil Mohammed Mahmoud Karmout
- Nidal Atef Karim
- Zuhair Khaled Abu Jarad (13 years old)
- Abdel Qader Abu Alkas (16 years old)
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Friday, 16 May 2003
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- Ahmed Mohammed Ismail
Al-Nawajheh
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* The total number of
Palestinian martyrs killed by Israeli occupying forces since 28 September
2000 =
2399