Israel: Attacks in South Unlawfully Target Civilians
| Publisher | Human Rights Watch |
| Publication Date | 18 August 2011 |
| Cite as | Human Rights Watch, Israel: Attacks in South Unlawfully Target Civilians, 18 August 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e538e8a2.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Attacks by unidentified gunmen that killed at least six Israeli civilians and wounded dozens more in southern Israel on August 18, 2011, were an egregious assault on the right to life, Human Rights Watch said today.
"Attacking civilians with firearms, bombs, and rockets shows an abominable disregard for human life," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
Media in Israel reported that at around noon, three men opened fire at an Egged company passenger bus about 20 kilometers north of the city of Eilat. The attackers apparently planted explosive devices at the scene, which reportedly detonated when Israeli security forces arrived soon afterward. Other gunmen targeted two other private civilian vehicles some time after 1:10 p.m., striking one car with a rocket that killed the six passengers, the newspaper Haaretz reported.
Israeli officials said the assailants crossed the northern Sinai border between Egypt and Israel to carry out the attacks, but Egyptian officials denied that the attacks originated from Egyptian territory. Israeli security forces reportedly killed some of the attackers. No armed group took responsibility for the attacks.
The Egyptian government recently increased its military presence in the Sinai Peninsula, where it is reportedly carrying out an operation against armed groups.
