Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, March 8, 2019
On Friday evening, 08 March 2019, in excessive use of force against peaceful protesters on the 46th Friday of the March of Return and Breaking the Siege, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child and wounded 133 civilians, including 32 children, a woman, three paramedics, and three journalists, in eastern Gaza Strip. The injury of three of the wounded civilians was reported serious.
According to observations by PCHR’s fieldworkers, the Israeli forces who stationed in prone positions and in military jeeps along the fence with Israel continued to use excessive force against the demonstrators by opening fire and firing teargas canisters at them. As a result, dozens of the demonstrators were hit with bullets and teargas canisters without posing any imminent threat or danger to the life of soldiers.
During this week, the Israeli forces escalated their attacks against medical personnel and press crews working in the field and wounded three paramedics and three journalists. Moreover, an ambulance belonging to the Ministry of Health sustained damage after being hit with a direct tear gas canister in eastern al-Buriej and Khan Yunis, indicating that there is a systematic Israeli policy to target medical personnel and obstruct their humanitarian work, which is protected under the rules of international humanitarian law…