Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

·                       15 Palestinians were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

·                       Six of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in the central and southern Gaza Strip.

·                       18 Palestinians and an Israeli human rights defender were wounded by IOF in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

·                       IOF conducted 29 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and one into the Gaza Strip.

·                       IOF arrested 28 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, in the West Bank.

·                       IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.

·                       IOF have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

·                       2 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a woman, were arrested by IOF at military checkpoints in the West Bank.

·                       IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.

·                       The construction of 1,300 housing units in the “Ramat Shlomo” settlement in Jerusalem was approved.

·                       IOF seized 356 donums[1] of land in Kherabt Samara village near Tubas to establish a military training site.

·                       Two Palestinian civilians were injured by Israeli settlers.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT, especially in the Gaza Strip, during the reporting period (12 – 18 June 2008):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 15 Palestinians and wounded 11 others in the Gaza Strip.

On 12 June, IOF killed 5 Palestinian resistance activists and wounded 2 others in separate 3 incidents of air strikes and shooting in Beit Lahia and Jabalia towns in the northern Gaza Strip and Khuza’a village in the southern Gaza Strip. On 15 June, IOF killed 4 Palestinian resistance activists and wounded 4 others in Khuza’a village in the southern Gaza Strip, and in Gaza City. On 17 June, IOF extra-judicially executed 6 members of the Army of Islam and wounded 2 others as well as 3 civilian bystanders in two separate attacks in the central and southern Gaza Strip. IOF aircrafts attacked two cars in the which the victims were traveling. 

In the West Bank, seven Palestinian civilians, including a child, and an Israeli human rights defender were wounded by IOF.

On 13 June, a Palestinian civilian was wounded when IOF moved into al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tuabs, and opened fire indiscriminately.  On the same day, a Palestinian civilian and an Israeli human rights defender were wounded when IOF used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall. On 14 June, 4 Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF moved into al-Dehaisha refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, and fired at dozens of children and young men who threw stones at military vehicles. On 16 June, a Palestinian child was wounded when IOF moved into ‘Anabta village, east of Tulkarm, and fired at dozens of children who threw stones at military vehicles.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 29 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 28 Palestinian civilians, including three children. 1,334 Palestinian civilians have been arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of 2008.

In the Gaza Strip, On 16 June, IOF moved into Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis, after they had killed 3 activists of the Palestinian resistance. IOF leveled land and opened fire indiscriminately.

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

IOF have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The IOF siege of Gaza, which has tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and has violated the human, economic and social rights of the approximately 1.5 million Palestinian civilian population, particularly their rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. The siege has also paralyzed the Gazan economy. In addition, the siege has severely impacted the flow of food, medical supplies and other necessities such as fuel, construction materials and raw materials for various economic sectors. IOF have continued to prevent the entry of raw materials into the Gaza Strip, and many factories have been forced to close. Severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the entire Palestinian civilian population. Regarding civilian movements, IOF permit very few Palestinian civilians to pass through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in order to travel to the West Bank or Israel. Rafah International Crossing Point in the southern Gaza Strip is the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world via a country other than Israel. IOF have closed Rafah International Crossing Point, even though they do not directly control it. They have prevented European observers working at the crossing point from reaching it. The closure of these border crossings deprives the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip of their inalienable rights to freedom of movement, education and health. IOF also imposes restrictions on Gaza fishermen, using force to impose severe restrictions on their rights to fish on their own coastline.

West Bank

Contrary to Israeli claims of easing restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians, IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank. 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 assault 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 in the West Bank arrested two Palestinian civilians.

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have, in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. During the reporting period, the Israeli District Construction and Planning Committee in Jerusalem approved the construction of 1,300 housing unit in “Ramat Shlomo” settlement near Beit Hanina neighborhood in the north of East Jerusalem. According to the Israeli daily newspaper, Ha’aretz, the number of housing units in East Jerusalem whose construction has been completed or approved since the Annapolis peace conference, has mounted to 7,974. On 15 June, IOF handed notices to a number of Palestinian civilians in Kherbat Samra village, east of Tubas, informing them that 356 donums of their land would be seized for the purpose of establishing a military training site. On 12 June,

two Palestinian civilians were injured by Israeli settlers in Hawara village, south of Nablus.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (12 – 18 June 2008)

1.     Incursions into Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Thursday, 12 June

·      At approximately 01:15, IOF moved into Nablus. They raided an apartment building belonging to the an-Najah National University Friends Association in al-Makhfiya neighborhood in the west of the city, and arrested Mahmoud Hamed al-Boubali, 22. IOF also raided and searched a number of houses in other parts of the city and arrested ‘Abdul ‘Azim Mohammed al-Bukhari, 21.

·      At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Bourqin village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Mohammed Mahmoud Shalamish, 21;

2.      Tha’er ‘Ali Salama, 19.

·      Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Mithaloun village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Tawfiq Ref’at Rabai’a, 21.

·      Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 07:00, IOF troops positioned along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, north of Beit Lahia town, fired artillery shells at 2 activists of the Palestinian resistance, who were in al-Sayafa area, northwest of Beit Lahia, approximately 700 meters away from the border. The two activists were killed. Palestinian medical crews were able to remove the dismembered body of one of them, who was identified as Mohammed Jamal Doula, 20. However, they were not able to reach the body of the other activist until 19:00. They found the body buried under sand. The second activist was identified as Khaled Ahmed Zuhod, 24.

·      At approximately 15:40, an IOF aircarft fired a missile at a number of activists of the ‘Izziddin al-Qssam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) who were in the east of Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis. Two activists were moderately wounded.

·      At approximately 22:30, IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired a surface-to-surface missile at a number of activists of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) who were in the east of Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis. No casualties were reported. However, an IOF aircraft flying over the areas fired a missile at the activists. As a result, 3 activists were killed:

1.      Mousa Ahmed Hammouda, 27;

2.      Mustafa Sa’di al-Batash, 28;

3.      Mahmoud Zaki Khader, 19.

Friday, 13 June

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Rummana village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Hussam Mohammed Bushnaq, 35.

·      At approximately 02:15, IOF moved into Balata and the neighboring Balata refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas. They patrolled in the streets and opened fire at houses. As a result, Ahmed Kayed ‘Aayed, 18, was lightly wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the forehead. IOF troops then raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Wadi al-Hariya area in the southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to Nader ‘Abdul Hafez Abu Mayala, 28, and arrested him.

Saturday, 14 June  

·      At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Qalqilya. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Eyad Mahmoud Sabri, 19, and arrested him.

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-Zawia village, south of Salfit. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Ra’ed Mohammed Shuqair, 29; and

2.      Sabah Hassan Ghazzawi, 22.

·      At approximately 13:30, IOF moved into al-Duhaisha refugee camp and al-Duha village, south of Bethlehem. They patrolled in the streets and opened fire at houses and shops. They besieged a house belonging to Mohammed Ma’ath Abu ‘Aker in al-Duha village. Dozens of Palestinian children and young men demonstrated and threw stones and empty bottles at IOF vehicles. Immediately, IOF troops fred at them. Four demonstrators were wounded:

1.      Nidal ‘Abdul Fattah Faraj, 18, wounded by a gunshot to the left foot;

2.      Ghassan ‘Afeef al-‘Azza, 22, wounded by a gunshot to the right hand;

3.      ‘Abdullah Nayef Ramadan, 18, hit by a tear gas canister to the left leg; and

4.      Adham al-‘Owaiwi, 19, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the left foot.

Sunday, 15 June  

·      At approximately 01:45, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They raided and searched a house belonging to attorney Fareed Mohammed Hawash, 30. They confiscated 2 computers sets and 2 mobile phones from the house. They then took Hawash with them to his office in the center of the town and searched it. No arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 01:55, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring ‘Ein Beit al-Maa’ refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

Monday, 16 June  

·      At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into al-Duhaisha refugee camp. They raided and searched a house belonging to ‘Eissa Bader al-Hroub, 57, and arrested him together with Waheed Isma’il Shatta, 30, who was in the house at the time.

·      At approximately 05:30, sounds of shooting and explosions were heard neat the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis. Later, the Israeli military, as reported on Israeli web sites, claimed that its troops noticed 3 Palestinian gunmen getting close to the security force, so the troops moved forwards and shot them dead. Soon after, IOF military vehicles moved nearly 400 meters into the area and opened fire. At approximately 08:10, an IOF aircraft fired a missile at a number of activists of the Palestinian resistance in the east of Khuza’a village. Three activists were moderately wounded. At approximately 12:00, when IOF troops pulled back towards the border, Palestinian medical crews were able to remove the bodies of the 3 activists of the Palestinian resistance had been killed earlier. The activists were identified as:

1.      Yasser Fayez Abu ‘Olayan, 23;

2.      ‘Alaa’ Rawhi al-Braim, 20;

3.      Mahmoud Salem Abu Shab, 19.

·      At approximately 17:30, IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Gaza City, fired a surface-to-surface missile at a number of activists of the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad), who were nearly 1,300 meters away from the border. One of the activists, Mo’taz Fu’ad Tafesh, 28, from al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, was killed, and another one was wounded. Those activists were launching home-made rockets at Israeli towns.

·      At approximately 21:20, an IOF aircraft fired a missile at a workshop belonging to Khalil Mohammed Jawaher in Jourat al-Lout area in Khan Yunis. The workshop was destroyed and a neighboring workshop belonging to Ibrahim Hassan al-Bashiti.

Tuesday, 17 June  

·      At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring ‘Ein Beit al-Maa’ refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including 2 brothers:

1.      Ziad Mas’oud al-Dawaya, 34;

2.      Ayman Mas’oud al-Dawaya, 26; and

3.      Sami Mustafa Abu Baker, 25.

·      At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Wassim ‘Abdul Karim Abu Ghali, 30;

2.      Ramzi Jom’a Abu Ghali, 31;

3.      Ameen Thameen al-Hardan, 25.

·      At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Northern ‘Assira village, north of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Anas Husni Yassin, 20;

2.      Eihab ‘Awad al-Shouli, 21.

·      At approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Beit Fourik village. They raided and searched a number of houses and a mosque, but no arrests were reported.

Wednesday, 18 June  

·      At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Sourif village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to Mohammed ‘Abdullah al-Qadhi, 19, and arrested him.

·      At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Taqi ‘Abdul Fattah Jawabra, 18, and arrested him. 

·      At approximately 01:15, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring ‘Ein Beit al-Maa’ refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

·      Also at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into al-Yamoun village, west of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets and opened fire. Neither casualties nor arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 4 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children:

1.      Ziad Shihada Khalil, 19;

2.      ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Mahmoud Mubarak, 17;

3.      Eihab Munther ‘Olayan, 17; and

4.      Mohammed Barakat Malaka, 17.

2.     Extra-Judicial Executions

During the reporting period, IOF committed 2 extra-judicial executions in the central and southern Gaza Strip, during which they killed 6 members of the Army of Islam and wounded two others as well as three civilian bystanders.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR:

·      At approximately 12:10 on Tuesday, 17 June, an IOF aircraft fired a missile at a civilian car that was traveling in al-Brouk Street in the west of Deir al-Balah town in the central Gaza Strip. A number of members of the Army of Islam were traveling in the car. The missile fell near the car, and the occupants were able to get out of it. Three civilian bystanders were wounded:

1.      Marwan Talab Mezyed, 25, wounded by shrapnel to the back;

2.      Mohammed Talab Mezyed, 24, wounded by shrapnel to the right foot;

3.      Isma’il ‘Ali Mezyed, 18, wounded by shrapnel to the mouth.

Soon after, the IOF aircraft fired another missile at members of the Army of Islam who escaped from the car. Three members were wounded. One of them, Salah Saber Sallouha, 23, from Nussairat refugee camp, died of his wounds later.

·      At approximately 14:30 also on Tuesday, an IOF aircraft fired a missile at a civilian car that was traveling a few meters away from al-Qarara intersection, north of Khan Yunis. Five persons were traveling in the car, which was destroyed by the missile. They were all killed. Their bodies were evacuated to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. The victim were identified a few hours later as members of the Army of Islam;

1.      Mo’taz Mohammed Jom’a Dughmosh, 29, from Gaza City;

2.      Mohammed ‘Aamer Mohammed ‘Assaliya, 21, from Northern Gaza;

3.      Nidal Khaled Sa’id al-Sedoudi, 21, from Gaza City;

4.      Mahmoud Mohammed al-Shindi, 27, from Gaza City;

5.      Mousa Fawzi Suleiman al-‘Adini, 35, from Khan Yunis.

3.     Continued Siege on the OPT

As previously stated, 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

IOF have continued to impose a siege on the 1.5 million civilians of the Gaza Strip. The border crossings of the Strip have been closed for more than two years as part of the IOF collective punishment policy, imposing severe restrictions on the movement of civilians and goods. As a result, the territory is unable to secure its basic needs of food, medicine, and other supplies, pushing the poverty rate above 80%.

The continued Israeli ban on fuel supplies required for civilian life in the Gaza Strip has led to the paralysis of the educational sector. In addition, the health sector is on the verge of collapse due to the stoppage of many ambulances from operating for lack of fuel. Healthcare facilities have registered a 25% drop in clients due to the transport crisis, and hundreds of healthcare professionals have been unable to reach their work places. Furthermore, the transportation sector has almost ceased functioning throughout the Gaza Strip, resulting in massively reduced essential services, including the delivery of drinking water delivery, sewage water disposal, and garbage collection.

Over the past 5 months, IOF have permitted very limited number of seriously ill patients and staff of international organizations to pass through Beit Hanoun (Erez) checkpoint. The Gaza Strip remains isolated from the West Bank and the outside world.

Movement at Erez Crossing in the Period 11-17 June 2008

The tightened siege has led to the collapse of the Gaza Strip economy sectors. Most production facilities have ceased to operate due to the siege and restriction on movement of goods and individuals.

Impacts of the Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip:

·       Livings conditions of the population have continued to deteriorate due to the shortages in foodstuffs and medicines and the sharp increase of prices due to the siege.

·       At least 900 Gazans who are detained in IOF jails have been deprived of family visitation for approximately 11 months.

·       The average number of patients allowed to travel from the Gaza Strip to hospitals in the West Bank or Israel have been decreased from 50 t0 13.

·       Fuel supplies have been sharply decreased; only 0.5% of the daily need of benzenes, 12.8% of the daily need of diesel and 17% of the daily need of cooking gas have been allowed into the Gaza Strip since October 2007.

·       The lack of fuel led to the flooding of the sewage treatment plant in al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City for several hours, during which time sewage water moved into streets and houses and onto agricultural land.

·       Hours of the operation of 125 wells have been decreased.

·       At least 250,000 of the population have received water supplies for decreased hours daily due to the shortages in fuel necessary for the operation of wells.

·       At least 35 sewage treatment plants have almost run out of fuel, and at least 50,000 cubic meters of untreated sewage water are pumped into the sea, which may cause environmental pollution.      

Concerning the movement at Nahal Ouz crossing, east of Gaza City, which designed for the entry of fuels, during the reporting period, IOF allowed the entry of the following amounts of fuels: