Palestinian Leader Haneyya Insists Great Return March Will Continue: Calls For Investigation Into Israeli Crimes In Gaza

Palestinian Leader Haneyya Insists Great Return March Will Continue: Calls For Investigation Into Israeli Crimes In Gaza

15 May 2018

Pic And Various Agencies

Head of Hamas's Political Bureau Ismail Haneyya on Tuesday said that the Palestinian people will continue their Great Return March protests.

In a speech he delivered on the phone during a mass demonstration near the Palestinian-Lebanese border on Tuesday evening, Haneyya said that those who bet on breaking the will of the Palestinian people will never win.

Haneyya added that the US embassy transfer has unmasked many conspirators around, warning, "Do not test the patience of the al-Qassam Brigades."

He stressed that the blood of martyrs in Gaza has opened a new chapter in the history of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their ongoing resistance, calling on the Palestinian Authority to officially declare the end of the Oslo Agreement.

Ha affirmed that the popular protests will escalate and extend to the West Bank, the diaspora and the 1948 occupied territories.

The Hamas official said that his Movement will always be loyal to the Palestinian struggle, slamming at the same time all those who remained silent vis-à-vis the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

He concluded his speech by calling for national unity that begins with holding a Palestinian National Council meeting with the participation of all Palestinian factions because, as he put it, the one held in Ramallah lately did nothing but entrench the internal division.

UNRWA calls for investigation into Israeli crimes in Gaza

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) on Tuesday called for an international investigation into the Israeli crimes committed against peaceful protesters in Gaza Monday.

Gaza's Ministry of Health said that the Israeli occupation forces on Monday killed 59 Palestinians and injured about 2,800 others.

The UNRWA said in a statement that it was dismayed by the killing and wounding of dozens of civilians and children in Gaza, adding that Monday's violence and loss of life will add yet another layer of trauma onto an already untenable situation.

The UN Agency unreservedly condemned the excessive use of force against demonstrators who have the right to peaceful protest and expression.

The statement stressed that the people of the Gaza Strip have been exposed to the consequences of repeated armed conflicts and a stifling blockade over the past decade.

"UNRWA is specifically alarmed by the impact the latest developments have had on Palestine refugees who constitute over 70% of Gaza's population," the statement said.

Since the launch of the Great Return March on 30th March in Gaza, at least four UNRWA students have been killed and some 125 injured. In many cases the injuries sustained are very severe and likely to result in life-long disabilities.

The UNRWA called for investigations into these grave incidents in accordance with international standards to ensure accountability for violations of international law, and demanded collective international mobilization to prevent further loss of life and injury. "Every additional casualty is a defeat for humanity," the Agency stressed.

The Israeli army has killed 113 Palestinians and injured over 12,000 others since the Great Return March was launched in the Gaza Strip to demand the right of return for refugees and call for ending a decade-long blockade on the coastal enclave.

Euro-Med and int'l groups call for probing Israel's crimes in Gaza

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and other international organizations have called for investigating Monday's mass murder of unarmed Palestinian protesters resulting from the Israeli army's use of excessive force to disperse them, killing dozens of them and wounding hundreds.

This came during a news conference held on Tuesday at al-Shifa Medical Compound by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor in which a joint press statement signed by 27 different international organizations was read by officials from the human rights group.

According to the statement, 59 Palestinians, including 7 children, were killed and some 2,771 others injured on May 14 alone as the Israeli forces used excessive force, including live ammunition to disperse unarmed protesters.

Accordingly, the death toll has now amounted to 108 citizens, while injuries rose to 12,291, and still counting. 300 of the injured are suffering from serious or critical wounds.

The statement also affirmed that all protests were, in general, peaceful in Gaza border area, while targeted protesters did not pose a real threat to soldiers' lives that could justify their killing or the use of excessive force against them.

"It is true that, in some cases, protesters threw stones at the Israeli soldiers, attempted to cross the fence, or used Molotov cocktails. However, compared to vast majority of cases, these were limited. Also, none of them used or carried firearms. Given the large numbers of casualties, Israel's use of lethal force is in no way justifiable. It is arbitrary and excessive."

"It appears that there is a deliberate intention to further complicate injuries of protesters, causing serious injuries that may lead to permanent disabilities."

The organizations, which signed the statement, called on the international community, especially the UN, to compel Israel to respect protesters' right to demonstrate in a peaceful manner in the Gaza Strip, and to prevent its soldiers from using force when dealing with peaceful demonstrators.

They also stressed the need for "an effective and serious investigation by Israel regarding the incidents whereby excessive force was used against the demonstrators in the Gaza Strip, and the use of weapons that have caused unjustifiable pain, while holding perpetrator accountable for these crimes, and bringing them to justice."

They called for "referring these cases to the Courts of Justice of the countries party to the Geneva Conventions, under the principle of universal jurisdiction, to look into the said crimes."

They also called on Israel, the occupying power, "to put an immediate and unconditional end to the blockade on the Gaza Strip," and "compensate all those who were affected by this blockade over the past years."

"The Israeli government must work seriously to end its long-term occupation of the Palestinian territories, allow the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes and compensate those who do not wish to return, as stipulated in UN General Assembly Resolution 194," the groups stated further.

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