On January 18, Middle East Watch condemned Iraq's Scud missiles attacks on Tel Aviv. By firing indiscriminately into heavily populated areas in Israel and later in Saudi Arabia, Iraq has blatantly violated one of the fundamental tenets of the laws of war.
The missiles have killed one Israeli, reportedly caused tl1ree heart-attack deaths, 1 and injured more than one hundred. In addition, the missile attacks have severely disrupted everyday life in Israel, where a state of emergency has been in effect since January 17. Schools have been closed, many Israelis have stayed home from work, and residents of the Tel Aviv area have fled in droves to other parts of the country.
The life of Palestinians in the occupied territories has been no less disrupted by the outbreak of war. Although none of the missiles landed in the territories or killed any Palestinians, all of the West Bank has now been under a curfew since the morning of January 17, and the entire Gaza Strip has been under curfew since January 16. Residents of parts of annexed Arab Jerusalem have also been confined to their homes.
