GAZA, December 28, 2008 (WAFA)- The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli crimes against the Gaza Strip through a harsh aerial offensive, which has so far killed 282 Palestinians and wounded 700 throughout the Gaza Strip.

PCHR called upon the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, and international organizations to immediately intervene to stop the crimes being committed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the Gaza Strip.

According to PCHR, at least 190 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of others have been wounded. Many of the wounded are in critical conditions receiving medical treatment at hospitals in the Gaza Strip, which do not have the capacity to take in the large numbers of wounded due to the Israeli siege Strip.

The air strikes started at 11:25 Palestine time (9:25 GMT), almost at the same time throughout the Gaza Strip. This timing, according to PCHR, indicates that an Israeli decision was taken to cause maximum casualties and damage in the climax of daily activities.

A number of children were killed or wounded on their way to or back from their schools; hundreds of traumatized school children and civilians suffered from shock.