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28 juin 2010

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights

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Press Release

Reference: 54/2010

Date: 28 June 2010

Al Mezan Condemns Attack on UNRWA Summer Camp Site on Gaza Beach and Calls on the

Gaza Government to Uphold its Responsibility to Bring Perpetrators to Justice

In the morning hours of Monday 28 June 2010, masked armed men attacked one of the UNRWA summer camp sites. The site is located west of the Az-Zawaida village in Middle Gaza District. The site was prepared for the summer games program annually organized by UNRWA. This is the second time an UNRWA site was attacked in the last month. On Sunday 23 May 2010, an UNRWA site prepared for the annual summer games program was also attacked, which was located in the Ash-Sheikh 'Ajleen area. Al Mezan condemns the attack and views it as a dangerous development. Al Mezan calls on the Gaza Government to bring the perpetrators to justice, to provide protection for the summer games’ utilities and the participating children, and to confront attacks against on individual and public freedoms in society.

According to Al Mezan's field investigations, at approximately 2:15am on Monday 28 June 2010 about 20 to 25 masked armed men broke into site No. 3, which was prepared for the UNRWA summer games activities. . The site is located west of the Az-Zawaida village, in Middle Gaza District. The site is about three donums (a donum equals 1000 square meters). It is divided into different department: the awnings, the administration and the games departments. Six of the 25 persons broke into the site from different directions. In his affidavit to Al Mezan, one of the guards said that the attackers caught the two guards and tided their hands behind their backs and blindfolded their eyes. The attackers seated the guards in the middle of the camp. Ten minutes later, the armed men led the guards outside the camp towards the beach. After another ten minutes , the armed men untied the guards, butkept them blindfolded. The guard said that he undid the blind fold and saw fire started in the awnings.

As a result of this attack, large parts of the awnings were damaged as the attackers burnt the cover surrounding the northern side of the site. The attackers also destroyed a number of tables in the site. They also tore the plastic swimming pool. The camp usually works on a basis of two shifts. About 250 students benefits in each shift.

Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights strongly condemns attacks against the summer camps which is annually organized by UNRWA. Al Mezan views the attack against the summer camps as a dangerous development and warns of the increase in attacks, which damage individual and public freedoms. Al Mezan calls on the Gaza Government to:

· Find the perpetrators of this attack and to promptly bring them to justice.

· Provide full protection to children and their summer camps, particularly the activities of the summer games.

· Confront all the violations of individual and public freedoms.

Ends

Press Release Link:

http://www.mezan.org/en/details.php?id=10385&ddname=State of insecurity&id2=9&id_dept=9&p=center