By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East
GAZA CITY, Gaza – On April 16, at least 20 Palestinians and 3 Israelis were killed as violence between the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and Palestinian militants quickly escalated. Fighting began shortly after midnight when IDF raided northern Gaza in an operation to keep militants away from the border fence.
According to Ha’aretz, IDF soldiers exchanged gun fire with armed Palestinians, mostly members of Hamas. During the exchange, four Palestinians were killed and one Israeli soldier was injured by sniper fire. The military stated that Palestinian gunmen open fire from a mosque used to store explosives. IDF returned fire and later blew up explosive devices found in the mosque; causing the building to sustain heavy damages.
Later, three IDF soldiers were killed and two others wounded when Hamas ambushed an IDF unit. The 12 person IDF unit crossed into Gaza to pursue militants who approached the border near the Nahal Oz crossing. A second group of Hamas gunmen fired on the unit; killing Sgt. Matan Ovdati (19), Sgt. Menhash Albaniat (20), and Sgt. David Papian (21). The fighting also resulted in the deaths of four Hamas gunmen.
Violence escalated later in the day, as the Israeli Air Force (IAF) launched four missiles at the Bureij refugee camp in the centre of Gaza City. The strike killed at least eight Palestinians; some media sources report that 12 were killed. Of these, at least two were children, under the age of 16, said Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Palestinian Health Ministry. The BBC reports that of the 11 individuals killed in the strike, five were children.
Another strike in Gaza City killed a Reuters cameraman and two by-standers. Fadel Shana’a, 23, a Palestinian cameraman, was reporting on the violence when an Israeli tank shell struck his vehicle, which was clearly marked with “Press” on the roof. Two other journalists were wounded in the strike. David Schlesinger, editor-in-chief of the news agency, called for an investigation by the Israeli military.
While Israel expressed regret over Shana’a’s death, a military spokesman said that “it must be pointed out that there’s a war going on against armed terrorists who are extremists and dangerous.” The military official told Reuters that “the presence of media, photographers and other uninvolved individuals in areas of warfare is extremely dangerous and poses a threat to their lives.”
The increase in violence occurred one week after members of the Islamic Jihad and two smaller militant groups attacked a fuel depot at the Nahal Oz crossing, killing two Israeli civilians. Since the attack, no fuel had passed through the crossing, resulting in a fuel shortage. On April 15, two universities in Gaza were forced to shut down because students were unable to travel to class due to the lack of petrol.
On April 16, Israel permitted necessary fuel deliveries to Gaza’s only power station. Earlier, the station warned that it only had enough fuel supplies to run the plant for a few more days. The fuel shortage is exacerbated by a strike of Gaza petrol station owners in protest to the delivery reduction. Israel accuses Palestinians of preventing distribution in order to create a fuel crisis.
For more information, please see:
The Guardian – 20 Die in Gaza Clashes after Fire Fight at Fuel Crossing – 17 April 2008
Ha’aretz – 20 Palestinians, Including Reuters Man, Killed in Heavy Gaza Clashes– 17 April 2008
The Independent – Cameraman among 20 Dead as Violence in Gaza Escalates – 17 April 2008
International Herald Tribune – A Bloody Day of Fighting in Gaza – 17 April 2008
Jerusalem Post – Some 20 Gazans Killed in IAF Strikes – 17 April 2008
The Times (London) – Cameraman among at Least 22 Dead as Violence Returns to Gaza – 17 April 2008
Al Jazeera – Children among Israeli Raid Dead – 16 April 2008
Al Jazeera – Palestinians Killed in Israeli Raids into Gaza (video) – 16 April 2008
BBC – Day of Gaza Unrest Leaves 22 Dead – 16 April 2008
Reuters – Israel Kills 17 in Gaza after Troops Die in Clash – 16 April 2008
