23/5/2010
9/2010

The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) is gravely concerned about the recurrent incidents of vigilantism and lawlessness, the latest of which involved burning down the summer camp organized by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on the beach of Gaza city.

According to information obtained by ICHR, UNRWA was setting up a summer camp titled “Summer Games” in Sheikh Ijleen neighborhood. On 23/5/2010, a group of 25 masked men in vehicles, armed with machine guns and pistols, stormed into the summer camp, tied up and blindfolded the camps’ guard and tore down the camps’ arbors and plastic walls. The attackers also ruined the water tanks with metal tools before setting the camp on fire. Before departing the site, the gunmen left a letter in the guard’s pocket and asked him to deliver it to the Director of Operations at UNRWA.

In this regard, ICHR's monitoring indicates that increased vigilantism and unregulated use of fire arms continue to be demonstrated in the form of attacks carried out by armed, masked militants. Many similar incidents have been widely recorded in the last few months involving militants and fire arms. These practices need to be seriously addressed by the Deposed Government to put an end to this phenomenon.

Whereas ICHR denounces the aforementioned attack on the summer camp, it also calls upon the Deposed Government in the Gaza Strip to promptly take the necessary measures to prevent the occurrence of such incidents, protect citizens against attacks, and ensure their right to safety and security. ICHR also calls upon the Deposed Government to ensure that children in the Gaza Strip exercise their right to play and recreational activities. ICHR demands that:

1. The Deposed Government should assume its responsibilities in adopting the necessary measures to stop such attacks.
2. The Public Prosecution and security agencies should open a serious investigation of this attack, take necessary legal action against the perpetrators and prosecute them before the justice system.
3. The Deposed Government should tighten security procedures for the protection of public places, so that citizens and children are guaranteed exercise of their legal rights guaranteed by the law, without any threat, fear or intimidation.
4. The Deposed Government should provide full protection for UNRWA offices and facilities in the Gaza Strip as this agency strives to provide vital services to the population of the Gaza Strip in light of the continued Israeli siege and attacks.