The recent Israeli military incursions into the Rafah refugee camp have
left 1,240 Palestinians homeless. According to UNRWA, this brings the
total number of Palestinians who have been made homeless in Rafah since
the beginning of the current Intifada to 7,523. The total for the whole
of the Gaza Strip now stands at 11,987. These home demolitions are
grievous, immoral, and illegal acts perpetrated by the occupation
forces against a defenseless civilian population of mostly women and
children. The demolitions are acts of collective punishment and grave
breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention, humanitarian international
law, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to
Amnesty International, such wanton destruction "constitutes a war
crime." These horrendous acts are accompanied by similar acts of ethnic
cleansing and expulsions in the West Bank.
ACTION REQUESTED
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition once again calls on
all people of conscience to help the victims of the Rafah refugee camp
demolitions by donating directly to UNRWA. Donations will be
distributed to the victims who need help getting through the cold
winter months.