Operation Protective Edge a War Waged on Gaza's
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OPERATION PROTECTIVE EDGE A WAR WAGED ON GAZA’s CHILDREN www.dci-palestine.org Copyright © 2015 Defense for Children International Palestine All rights reserved. Cover photo: A Palestinian girl sits in front of a wall riddled with shrapnel, in Beit Hanoun, North Gaza on November 17, 2014, which came under heavy attacks during Operation Protective Edge. Photo credit: Anne Paq, Activestills.org Acknowledgements Producing this report would not have been possible without the invaluable work of a number of individuals. Defense for Children International Palestine’s monitoring and documentation team of field researchers, coordinators, and office staff have worked meticulously in very difficult and dangerous circumstances, often exposing themselves to very real threats to their personal security in order to retrieve, verify and prepare the information documented in this report. For their efforts, DCIP expresses its deepest appreciation. DCIP would like to extend particular gratitude and admiration to the victims, victims’ families and eyewitnesses who willingly shared with us the testimonies of the deeply traumatic and tragic events they went through during Operation Protective Edge. Mona Patel, reporting officer, Olivia Watson, advocacy officer, and Brad Parker, international advocacy officer, researched and wrote the report based on investigations conducted by DCIP’s monitoring and documentation unit and Gaza- based field team. It was reviewed and edited by Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director, and Ivan Karakashian, advocacy unit coordinator. Defense for Children International Palestine is an independent, local Palestinian child rights organization based in Ramallah dedicated to defending and promoting the rights of children living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. For over 20 years, we have investigated, documented and exposed grave human rights violations against children; held Israeli and Palestinian authorities accountable to universal human rights principles; and advocated at the international and national levels to advance access to justice and protection for children. We also provide direct legal aid to children in distress. For more information, please visit our website: www.dci-palestine.org. OPERATION PROTECTIVE EDGE A WAR WAGED ON GAZA’s CHILDREN www.dci-palestine.org Operation Protective Edge: A War Waged on Gaza’s Children Contents 1. Executive Summary.................................................................................................. 1 2. Methodology ............................................................................................................. 5 Field investigations and evidence collection ................................................... 5 Information management ............................................................................... 6 3. Overview of situation for Gaza’s children .............................................................. 7 Impact of the blockade on children in Gaza .................................................................... 9 3.1. Events leading up to Operation Protective Edge ............................................... 9 3.2. Summary of destruction at the end of the 50-day Israeli military offensive .. 13 4. International law ..................................................................................................... 15 4.1. Duties and obligations imposed on Israel ...................................................... 16 4.2. Basic principles of international humanitarian law ........................................ 17 Principle of distinction .................................................................................. 17 Principle of proportionality ........................................................................... 18 4.3. Overview of international law violations during Operation Protective Edge .... 19 5. Killing and maiming of children by Israeli forces ...............................................20 Overwhelming force directed at residential and densely populated areas .... 22 Dahiya doctrine ............................................................................................ 22 Hannibal directive......................................................................................... 23 5.1. Direct attacks against civilians by Israeli forces ............................................ 25 Case 1: Bakr family ...................................................................................... 25 Case 2: Wahdan family ................................................................................. 28 5.2. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian homes .................................. 31 Attacks on Shuja’iyya neighborhood ................................................................ 31 Case 3: Hayyeh family .................................................................................. 32 Case 4: Helou family .................................................................................... 33 Case 5: Dhaher family .................................................................................. 34 Case 6: Skafi family ...................................................................................... 35 Case 7: Sheikh Khalil family.......................................................................... 36 Case 8: Mohammad and Shireen Ayyad ....................................................... 37 Case 9: Ghada and Mohammad Ayyad ......................................................... 38 Case 10: Sarsawi family ............................................................................... 39 Case 11: Dima Adel Abdullah Islim ............................................................... 40 Case 12: Ziad Islim family ..............................................................................41 Case 13: Jammal family ................................................................................ 42 Case 14: Mahmoud Qassas .......................................................................... 43 Operation Protective Edge: A War Waged on Gaza’s Children 5.3. Other indiscriminate attacks ......................................................................... 44 Case 15: Qassas family ................................................................................ 44 Case 16: Balata family .................................................................................. 46 Case 17: Smairi family .................................................................................. 47 Case 18: Abu Msallam family ....................................................................... 48 Case 19: Agha family .................................................................................... 49 Case 20: Abu Jarad family ............................................................................ 50 Case 21: Abu Masoud family .........................................................................51 Case 22: Ali Ahmad Khaled Shahin .............................................................. 52 Shati refugee camp incident ............................................................................ 53 Case 23: Shati refugee camp Incident .......................................................... 55 5.4. Disproportionate attacks on civilian homes .................................................. 56 Case 24: Abu Jami family .............................................................................. 58 Case 25: Kilani family ................................................................................... 60 Case 26: Abu Dahrouj family ........................................................................ 62 6. Impact of Israeli drone strikes on children in Gaza ............................................63 Case 27: Rabi Qasem Rabi Abu Ras .............................................................. 65 Case 28: Joudeh family ................................................................................. 66 Case 29: Abdel-Rahman Bassam Abdel-Rahman Khattab ............................. 67 Case 30: Remahi family ................................................................................ 68 Case 31: Khalili family .................................................................................. 69 Case 32: Farra family ................................................................................... 70 7. Children killed in attacks on schools by Israeli forces ....................................... 71 Case 33: UNRWA Coeducational Elementary “A” and “D” School ................ 74 Case 34: UNRWA Elementary Girls School “A” ............................................. 77 Case 35: UNRWA Rafah Boys Preparatory School “A” .................................. 79 8. Child recruitment by Israel’s armed forces and Palestinian armed groups .... 81 Child recruitment by Israeli armed forces during Operation Protective Edge 83 Case 36: Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Abu Raida .................................................... 83 Child recruitment by Palestinian armed groups, generally ............................ 86 9. Situation in Gaza six months on ...........................................................................88 10. Accountability ......................................................................................................... 91 UN Security Council’s Children and Armed Conflict Agenda ........................ 93 UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2014 Gaza Conflict ............. 95 International Criminal