Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
No. 06/2008
31 January - 06 February 2008
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
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12 Palestinians were killed by IOF during the reporting period.
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The victims include 7 police officers, whose workplace in the southern Gaza Strip was bombarded by IOF.
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22 Palestinians, mainly civilians, including 4 children and an elderly woman, were injured by IOF gunfire.
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IOF conducted 35 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and one incursion into the Gaza Strip.
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IOF arrested 54 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children, in the West Bank, and 40 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
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IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.
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IOF troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested at least 8 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children.
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IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.
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IOF demolished 3 houses in Jerusalem and al-Jiftlik village.
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Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (31 January – 6 February 2008):
Shootings: During the reporting period, IOF killed 12 Palestinians and wounded 22 others, including 4 children, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF killed 10 Palestinians, including 7 police officers, and injured 9 others.
On 4 February, IOF extra-judicially executed an activist of the Salah al-Din Brigades (the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees). A civilian bystander was also injured. On 5 February, IOF killed 2 Palestinian resistance activists during an incursion into al-Shouka village, southeast of Rafah. On the same day, seven police officers of the dismissed Palestinian government were killed, and an eighth injured, when IOF fired a surface-to-surface missile at their workplace in ‘Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis. On 31 January, a Palestinian civilian was injured when an IOF aircraft opened fire at agricultural areas in Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. On 6 February, 3 Palestinian resistance activists were seriously wounded in 3 separate attacks by IOF in Jabaliya and Beit Hanoun towns in the northern Gaza Strip, and in Gaza City. On the same day, an elderly woman was wounded when IOF bombed a farm near her house.
In the West Bank, IOF killed 2 Palestinians and injured 13 others.
On 4 February, IOF extra-judicially executed 2 activists of the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad), and injured a third, in Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. On 31 January, IOF wounded a Palestinian civilian during an incursion into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. On 1 February, IOF wounded 6 Palestinian children, including a child, in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. On 2 February, IOF wounded 3 Palestinian children in al-Khader village, southwest of Bethlehem. in addition, 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized in protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, on 1 February.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 35 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF arrested 54 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children and a girl. The number of Palestinian civilians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of the year now stands at 307.
In the Gaza Strip, on 5 February, IOF invaded al-Shouka village, southeast of Rafah. During this incursion, IOF killed 2 Palestinian resistance activists, and arrested at least 40 civilians, including a number of children.
Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
To date, IOF have closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than 18 months continuously. The total siege imposed by IOF on the Gaza Strip has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and has violated the economic and social rights of the Palestinian civilian population, particularly their rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. It has also paralyzed most economic sectors. Furthermore, severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the Palestinian civilian population. The siege of the Gaza Strip has severely impacted the flow of food, medical supplies and other necessities, such as fuel, construction materials and raw materials for various economic sectors. During the reporting period, IOF cut off food and fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip.
As a reaction to the economic and humanitarian stranglehold imposed by IOF against the Gaza Strip, hundreds of thousands of Gazans crossed the border into Egypt when Palestinian resistance activists blew up entire sections of the border fence in Rafah on January 23. In addition to residents of Gaza crossing into Egypt en masse, hundreds of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who had been stranded in Egypt, due to the enforced closure of Rafah International Crossing Point, also returned home to Gaza. The Egyptian authorities responded positively and with restraint, allowing Palestinian civilians to purchase foods, medicines, and other supplies which are not available in Gaza due to the escalating IOF siege and closure of the Gaza Strip. However, opening the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip did not meet all the basic needs of the civilian population of Gaza. Civilians across the Gaza Strip still suffer from severe shortages, or total unavailability, of many essential items, including domestic fuel and industrial fuel for Gaza's single power plant. In addition, hundreds of students, patients and Gazans living abroad remain in effective limbo; many have been waiting for permission to leave the Gaza Strip legally since June 2007. PCHR has learned that approximately 1,500 Gazans have gathered in the Egyptian town of al-Arish, and have asked the Egyptian authorities to allow them to travel via Cairo to third countries, where they can pursue their work, study or medical treatment. They are currently awaiting an official decision from the Egyptian authorities. PCHR reiterates its position that the chaos on the Rafah border during the past week is an inevitable consequence arising from the IOF siege and closure of the entire Gaza Strip. The IOF have deliberately deprived the entire civilian population of the Gaza Strip of their human right to safe movement and unrestricted travel. In addition, the closure has prevented essential goods and medicines reaching the civilian population. PCHR notes that IOF have tightened the closure of the Gaza Strip since June 2007. Since then, all border crossings into and out of Gaza have been effectively sealed, including the Rafah Crossing.
West Bank
IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied access to Jerusalem. IOF have established many checkpoints around and inside the city. Restrictions of the movement of Palestinian civilians often escalate on Fridays to prevent them from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque. IOF often violently beat Palestinian civilians who attempt to bypass checkpoints and enter the city. IOF have also tightened the siege imposed on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF also erected more checkpoints on the main roads and intersections in the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at various checkpoints arrested at least 8 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children.
Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have, in violation of international humanitarian law, continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. During the reporting period, IOF demolished a house in East Jerusalem, and 2 others in al-Jiftlik village in the central Jordan Valley. On 31 January, Israeli settlers violently beat 2 Palestinian children in Hebron. On 4 February, Israeli settlers attacked a house in Hebron, injuring a man and his child.
Continued at:
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/07-02-2008.htm