Press briefing note on (1) Yemen and (2) Israel / occupied Palestinian territory

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:  Ravina Shamdasani
Location:   Geneva
Date: 10 June 2016
Subject:    (1) Yemen and  (2)  Israel / occupied Palestinian territory

(1) Yemen

We strongly condemn a series of rocket and mortar attacks against several residential areas and markets in Taizz between 3 and to 8 June 2016, which killed 18 civilians, including seven children, and injured 68 others. Several markets were hit while full of people who were shopping ahead of Ramadan.

According to several victims injured during an attack near the Delux Market on 3 June, the shelling originated from the Tabat Al-Sofitel hill, in the eastern part of the city of Taizz, which is currently under the control of the Popular Committees affiliated with the Houthis and forces loyal to former President Saleh.The shelling on civilian areas continued until the evening of 4 June and restarted on the 6th, when several houses in the Al Ta’iziyah and Al-Qahirah districts were hit, killing three civilians and injuring twelve others, including nine children.

Another very serious incident took place in the early hours of 8 June when a school near the Al-Thawrah hospital was hit, killing five people, including three children. All victims belonged to a marginalized community, the Al-Muhamasheen, and had taken refuge in the school after having been forced to flee their homes due the ongoing violence. According to eyewitnesses, the shelling also came from the Tabat Al-Sofitel Hill.

Since 26 March 2015 and up to 8 June 2016, we have documented a total of 3,539 civilians killed and 6,268 injured.

(2) Israel / occupied Palestinian territory

The High Commissioner condemns the gun attack in Tel Aviv on Wednesday in which four Israelis were killed and a number were injured. This is the largest loss of Israeli life in a single attack since the current surge in violence.

We are also deeply concerned at the response of the Israeli authorities, which includes measures that may amount to prohibited collective punishment and will only increase the sense of injustice and frustration felt by Palestinians in this very tense time. The response has included the cancelling of all 83,000 permits granted to West Bank and Gaza residents to travel during Ramadan, the suspension of 204 work permits of individuals in the alleged attackers' extended families, and the sealing off of their entire home town by the Israeli security forces.

Israel has a human rights obligation to bring those responsible to account for their crimes. And this it is doing. However the measures taken against the broader population punish not the perpetrators of the crime, but tens - maybe hundreds - of thousands of innocent Palestinians.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.org ) or Ravina Shamdasani (+41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org) or Cécile Pouilly (+41 22 917 9310 / cpouilly@ohchr.org)

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