Israeli military held woman in Gaza to force brother’s surrender: Rights group
The Israeli army has held a Palestinian woman in Gaza for hours to force her brother to turn himself in, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. Enas Abu al-Moazza was travelling south towards Rafah with her husband, Palestinian photojournalist Muhammad al-Hajjar, and their children to eventually escape Gaza by moving abroad.
They were stopped at gunpoint at a checkpoint near the Netzarim Corridor, which the Israeli military has set up to separate northern and southern Gaza.
Al-Hajjar was driven away while al-Moazza was reportedly held until her 21-year-old brother surrendered. The family said her brother has no ties to armed or political groups.
“The Israeli army held al-Moazza for roughly 12 hours before seizing all of her belongings, including cash, gold and cell phones, and ultimately releasing her. She was given only her ID card,” the Geneva-based rights group said.
“Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor stresses that holding a person hostage to force their family member to ‘surrender’ is a war crime. Civilians should not be used as tools of war or put in danger during military operations.”
‘An entire family wiped out’
Gaza resident Sanaa Zoorob said her sister and six of her nieces and nephews were killed in an Israeli attack on Rafah. Two of the children “were found in pieces in their mother’s embrace”, she said.
One of the children was six years old and another was handicapped.
“An entire family wiped out. I just want to convey a message – what is the fault of these children? What have they done to have their building bombed by three rockets? These children were sleeping. Their remains were collected in one bag,” said Zoorob.
She appealed for “a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal from Gaza” of Israeli troops.
Israeli raid targets home in central Gaza
Our Al Jazeera Arabic reporter in Gaza says an Israeli air strike destroyed a house in the Maghazi camp. Some of the most intense Israeli raids in the nearly seven-month-long war have taken place in central Gaza. Maghazi camp, specifically, has come under attack several times over the last few months.
Palestinian family forced by Israel to demolish shops in occupied East Jerusalem
Israeli authorities have reportedly forced a Palestinian family to demolish three shops they owned for decades in the town of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem.
The Israeli municipality in the area ruled the stores must be destroyed because they were built without a permit, the Wafa news agency quoted Yassin Qaraeen, a family member, as saying.
The shops were there for more than 30 years and the family had to demolish the businesses themselves in order to avoid paying heavy fines to the municipality if it carried out the process, said Qaraeen.
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