ain situated along the border with Egypt. It is a continuation of the previous raids on Yibnah and Block J, and the ongoing operation in Hay Salaam.

The army has advanced at least 400 metres deep into the area, with 65 tanks as well as a number of bulldozers and APC's. Two Apache helicopters were also deployed. One Palestinian man has been reported killed. Four people have been injured. The local hospital was already desperately overstretched. Now it will have reached crisis point.

Further details are not yet known. It is extremely difficult to know what is happening inside the area due to the severity of the lock-down. No-one can even approach, due to the threat from Israeli snipers. The streets surrounding the occupied area are deserted.

Israeli tanks are reported to be assembling on the border near an area called Tel Zorob. This is the on the opposite side of Rafah to where the army is currently operating in Hay Salaam and Al Brazil. Local residents are terrified this area will be invaded next. Fear is also mounting among the residents of the Salah-El-Deen area of Rafah. This is also situated on the border. It is also not inconceivable that the IOF will return to the Yibnah refugee camp, the scene of last weekend's devastation.

Last night Rafah's main transformer, located in Al Brazil by the Rachel Corrie Nursery School, was shot at and damaged. The entire city has been experiencing a power blackout since 2 a.m. this morning.

The international media is not reporting the plight of Rafah's civilian population. International governments are not condemning Israel's actions. Support from the UN Relief and Works Agency is limited. This is an emergency. Urgent action must be taken immediately. ISM contacts in Rafah: Laura: +972-67-850-734 Mohammed: +972-67-741-662

The repeated practice by the Israeli army of deliberate and wanton destruction of homes and civilian property is a grave violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, notably of Articles 33 and 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and constitutes a war crime," said Amnesty International.

AL-AWDA ACTION FOR RAFAH HOME DEMOLITION VICTIMS October 15, 2003 For Immediate Release

The recent Israeli military incursions into the Rafah refugee camp have left 1,240 Palestinians homeless. According to UNRWA, this brings the total number of Palestinians who have been made homeless in Rafah since the beginning of the current Intifada to 7,523. The total for the whole of the Gaza Strip now stands at 11,987. These home demolitions are grievous, immoral, and illegal acts perpetrated by the occupation forces against a defenseless civilian population. The demolitions are acts of collective punishment and grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention, humanitarian international law, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to Amnesty International, such wanton destruction "constitutes a war crime." These horrendous acts are accompanied by similar acts of ethnic cleansing and expulsions in the West Bank.

ACTION REQUESTED

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition once again calls on all people of conscience to help the victims of the Rafah refugee camp demolitions by donating directly to UNRWA. Donations will be distributed to the victims who need help getting through the cold winter months.

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