Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue
Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· IOF killed 7 members of the Palestinian resistance in the
Gaza Strip.
· 21 Palestinians, including a woman, and an international
human rights defender were wounded by the IOF gunfire in the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip.
· IOF conducted 33 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank, and two others into the Gaza Strip.
· IOF arrested 21 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children,
in the West Bank and 4 women in the Gaza Strip.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and
have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF arrested 2 Palestinian civilians at al-Karama
International Crossing Point on the Jordanian border.
· IOF closed all commercial crossings and Erez crossing in the
Gaza Strip.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
· IOF demolished 3 houses and a wedding hall in East
Jerusalem.
· 3 Palestinian journalists were injured in Hebron.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting
period (30 October – 5 November 2008):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF
killed 7 Palestinians and wounded 8 others in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded
13 Palestinian civilians and an international human rights defender in the West
Bank.
On Tuesday evening and
Wednesday morning, 4 and 5 November 2008, IOF killed 6 members of the ‘Izziddin
al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas), and wounded 5 others in the
southern and central Gaza Strip. All victims were hit by missiles fired by IOF
aircrafts during Israeli incursions into some areas in the Gaza Strip. IOF also
arrested a wounded woman. On Wednesday evening, IOF killed using missiles a
member of al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) and wounded 2
civilian bystanders.
In the West Bank, 13 Palestinian
civilians and an international human rights defender were wounded by the IOF
gunfire.
On 31 October 2008, 3
Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF moved into Dura village, southwest
of Hebron, and fired at civilians who threw stones at military vehicles.
On 3 November 2008, 6
Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, when IOF moved into al-Far’a
refugee camp, south of Tubas, and fired at civilians who threw stones at
military vehicles.
During the reporting
period, 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, and an international human
rights defender were wounded when IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations
organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall west of
Ramallah.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 33 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 21 Palestinian civilians,
including 2 children. Thus, the number of Palestinian civilians arrested by IOF
in the West Bank since the beginning of 2008 has mounted to 2,111.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF
conducted 2 incursions into Palestinian communities on 4 November 2008. In the
morning, IOF moved into al-Hamra area in Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza
Stri, and leveled areas of land they had already razed. In the evening, IOF
moved into the east of Deir al-Balah town in the central Gaza Strip. They
killed a member of the Palestinian resistance and wounded 3 others and a woman.
They also destroyed a house, razed areas of agricultural land and arrested 4
women, including one who was wounded.
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. During the
reporting period, IOF imposed a comprehensive closure on the OPT for the the
Jewish Sukkot.
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 steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact
on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.
· 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights,
including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living
conditions, work, health and education.
· The Egypt-brokered ‘Tahdiya’
or truce between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel began on 19 June;
however, there have been no major changes regarding the movements of civilians
and goods through the six Gaza Strip border crossings.
· Rafah International Crossing Point, the only border crossing
from the Gaza Strip to the outside world via a country other than Israel,
remains closed.
· Health services continue to be severely affected by the
siege, with healthcare facilities also registering a 25% drop in clients due to
continuing chronic fuel shortages. Critically ill patients are still being
denied permits to access vital health services in the West Bank, Israel and
abroad. .
· Water facilities, including access to clean drinking water,
and the treatment of raw sewage continue to be severely disrupted by fuel
shortages. 50-60 million liters of untreated and partially treated sewage are
being dumped into the Gaza Strip Mediterranean Sea daily, posing a public
health risk.
· Hundreds of Gazan students are currently unable to resume
their university studies abroad as they cannot exit the Gaza Strip. In
addition, up to 1,200 school leavers are in the process of applying to study at
foreign universities, and are dependent on being issued exit permits by the
IOF.
· There are at least 900 Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in
jails in Israel who have been denied all visitation rights since 6 June 2007.
· Continuing chronic shortages of construction materials,
including cement, aggregate and iron, have led to the collapse of the Gaza
construction industry. Thousands of construction workers have been laid off,
and vital infrastructure projects have been forcibly suspended.
· IOF have repeatedly closed border crossings of the Gaza
Strip claiming that home-made rockets were launched at Israeli towns.
· During the reporting period, IOF decided to close all border
crossings of the Gaza Strip.
West Bank
IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank,
including occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.
· IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem,
severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently
prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
· There are approximately permanent 630 roadblocks, manned and
unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are some 60-80
‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West Bank by IOF every
week.
· When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for
724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population.
350 kilometers of the Wall has already been constructed. Approximately 99% of
the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating
Palestinian land.
· At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian
communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of
72 roads).
· There are around 500 kilometers of restricted roads across
the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including
occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit
issued by the IOF. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.
· IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold
peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.
· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in
Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and
searched in the streets by IOF.
· During the reporting period, IOF arrested 2 Palestinian
civilians at al-Karama International Crossing Point on the Jordanian border.
Annexation Wall: During the reporting period, IOF
started to raze areas of land in al-‘Amra natural reserve, which has been
isolated by the Wall, southwest of Jenin. According to eyewitnesses, IOF razed
areas of land in the vicinity of a residential compound where 27 Palestinians
(5 families) live, for the purpose of establishing a fence surrounding and
isolating the compound. IOF informed the families that they would establish a
fence around their houses. Al-‘Amra is the largest natural reserve in the West
Bank and has been isolated by the Wall. Control over it was supposed to be
transferred to the Palestinian National Authority, but Israel maintained its
control over it. In addition, IOF continued to prevented Palestinian farmers from
reaching their lands that have been isolated by the Wall to cultivate olives
although they have permits issued by IOF to reach their lands.
Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement
activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of
international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians
and property. On Wednesday, 5 November 2008, IOF demolished 3 houses and a
wedding hall in East Jerusalem. On Friday evening, 31 October 2008, Israeli
settlers from “Kiryat Arab” and “Kharsina” settlements, southeast of Hebron,
attacked Palestinian houses located near “Kharsina” settlement with stones and
empty bottles. They then attacked journalists who were covering the attack.
Three journalists were injured. A house was also damaged.
Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (30 October – 5 November 2008)
The full report is available PDF format.
