Secretary-General distressed at deaths of two Palestinian children

in occupied territory

 

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General was distressed to learn of the deaths of two Palestinian children over the last few days during the continuation of Israel Defence Force operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.   He is even more disturbed as they follow the killing of two Palestinian children earlier in October.

On Thursday, nine-year-old Rania Iyad Aram was killed by gunfire on her way to school in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.  On Saturday morning, 12-year-old Ibrahim Mohammed Kmileh was killed in a refugee camp in the West Bank town of Jenin, while two other boys were wounded.  The Secretary-General expects that the Government of Israel will launch a rigorous investigation into these incidents and that the results will be made public.

The Secretary-General renews his calls on the Government of Israel to take effective measures to avoid any harm to Palestinian civilians, and to have special care for the protection of the children.  He calls on both parties to exercise maximum restraint and responsibility during this critical period.

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