Washington, DC | August 29, 2007 | www.adc.org | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) strongly condemns the killing earlier today of three Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip when an Israeli tank opened fire on the Jabaliya refugee camp which is located in the north of Gaza. According to media reports, two children, 10 and 12 years-old, were killed immediately. Their cousin, a 12 year-old girl, was pronounced dead after efforts to save her life failed. This brings the number of Palestinian children killed during this week, as a result of Israeli military operations, to nine.
ADC strongly condemns the killing of innocent civilians and is saddened at the tragic loss of children. The Gaza Strip, being one of the most densely populated places on earth with almost half of the population under the age of 15, has often seen indiscriminant killing of civilians and children in particular. More than 1.4 million people live in the 140 square miles (360 square kilometers) which is the Gaza Strip. According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), 84.6% of Gaza’s residents live below the poverty line (US $ 2/day).
The most densely populated camp is Jabaliya outside Gaza City, where 90,000 people live in an area of 3 sq km. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), 993,818 of the residents of the strip are refugees and 75 percent of them live in eight camps, where the population density can reach over 75,000 people per square km. The UNDP also reports that 531 children have been killed in Israeli military operations in the last six years.
ADC reiterates the fact that Israel still has control over Gaza’s land, sea, and air borders; utilities; tax revenue; and internal economy, continuing its occupation, despite its unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. ADC appeals to the Bush Administration and the global community to help and protect the Palestinian people and to work toward a just and lasting peace.