August 26, 2004
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (26 August 2004)
Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (26 August 2004)

 

Israeli Occupation Forces continue their attacks on the oPt

 

 

· 6 Palestinian civilians, including 1 child and 1 old man
were killed by IOF;

· 60 donums[1] of
agricultural land were razed in Wadi al Salka and 45 donums in al Moraq;

· 17 houses were completely or partially demolished in the
Gaza Strip.

 

 

Introduction

 

The Israeli Occupation Forces
(IOF) have continued with their attacks on the occupied Palestinian territory
(oPt). These attacks cost the lives of six Palestinian civilians, including one
child, and injured many others, some of them seriously. The attacks also involved the demolition of
wide scale areas of land and of a number of homes. The IOF also arrested dozens of civilians in
their houses and at checkpoints and international passages. The IOF made a number of incursions into
Palestinian residential areas under cover from random shelling. The incursions were characterized by the use
of excessive military force. The attacks
were made against the background of continuous closures imposed across the oPt
and around residential areas. These
attacks have also been paralleled with the continuing hunger strike of 4500
Arab and Palestinian prisoners, in Israeli jails, who are trying to pressurise
the occupation authorities to improve their living conditions in line with
international standards, including the Fourth Geneva Convention.

 

The IOF attacks in the Gaza
Strip caused the death of five civilians. Later a sixth Palestinians died effected by injuries from a previous
attack. He was injured during an
attempted extra-judicial execution on Sheik Ahmed al-Jabari, a leader in the
Hamas movement. The other five victims
were killed by random shelling in residential areas on the 19th ,20th and 23rd of
August. Two civilians were killed in Rafah and a third in al Qarara, to the
north east of Khan Yunis, where he was left bleeding to death. The other two victims were killed by
excessive use of force by IOF. 

One of them was killed on the 21st
of August, in Nusserait, he was suffering from a psychological disorder while
the other victim was killed on the 23rd , in Rafah. The IOF conducted seven incursions in
different areas of the Gaza Strip. Three
of these incursions took place on the 19th of August in al Salam
neighbourhood, in Rafah, where two homes were demolished. The two homes were shelters fro three
families, totalling 26 people. In Khan
Yunis four civil and industrial facilities in Block I of the Refugee Camp were destroyed.
They also demolished eight homes in Khan Yunis, where 15 families lived, about
100 people in total. 

 

In Wadi Sulqa village, to the
south east of Deir al Balah city, they razed 60 donums of agricultural
land. On the 25th of August
the fourth incursion took place in al Moraqa village, south of Gaza City. They demolished five houses, three of them
completely. The homes provided shelter
for four families, comprising 28 people. 

 

In the West Bank, the IOF
continued their incursions and attacks in all of the West Bank
governorates. Nablus was subjected to an
ongoing incursion, although no fatalities were reported. However the excessive use of force caused a
number of injuries to Palestinian civilians. During these incursions the Israeli troops blew up one house in Yatma
village, south of Nablus and arrested dozens of civilians, who were taken to
unspecified locations.

 

During the week the PCHR
fieldworkers documented a number of attacks committed by IOF against medical
institutions and their employees. 

Also the Israeli settlers living
in the oPt, in contravention of international humanitarian law  (particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention)
conducted a series of systematic attacks against Palestinians and their
properties. These attacks came against
the background of the Israeli government plan to build another 533 housing
units in settlement areas located inside the West Bank. 

 

In respect of the Annexation
Wall in the West Bank the IOF have continued to destroy the main road
connecting Ramallah and Jerusalem. This
part of the wall will isolate al Ram village and encompass it into West Bank
territory. The industrial area known as “Aderot”, which is part of the oPt,
north of the wall will be annexed to Israel. This part of the wall will force the closure of 450 commercial units located
along this closed road, as well as 11 educational institutions in al Ram, where
4000 Palestinian students are studying. It will also prevent 20,000 civilians who hold Jerusalem identity cards
from entering the old City of Jerusalem. 

 

The IOF have continued to impose
severe closures on the oPt and restricted the movement of Palestinian
civilians. In the Gaza Strip the IOF
have continued with systematic violations of the right to freedom of movement
of people and goods. They closed the
Erez and Qarni checkpoints, leading into Israel. Despite the reopening of Rafah International
Terminal many Palestinian travellers are still suffering from the limited
opening hours being imposed by the IOF. The IOF intensified its restrictions on the movement of civilians on the
internal checkpoints, particularly at al Matahen and Abu Houli on Salah al Din
street, linking the north and south of the Gaza Strip. 

 

In the West Bank the IOF have
continued to impose more restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians
through the use of fixed and spontaneous checkpoints at city entrances or
secondary roads between districts. The closures were particularly applied on
the main days which Palestinians use to travel to and from home or places of
work, Saturday and Thursday.

 

More restrictions were imposed on
those wishing to pray at al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem as a heavy police presence
prevented civilians from entering Jerusalem. Similar restrictions were imposed in Hebron.

 



Shelling of , and encroachment
into Palestinian areas and attacks on
Civilians and Property

 

 

Thursday 19th August 2004

 

In the context of daily attacks
against Palestinian civilians and their properties, the Israeli occupation
forces invaded Rafah city, demolished two houses and four civil and industrial
facilities in al Salam neighbourhood. During the incursion, two Palestinian
civilians were wounded.

 

According to preliminary
investigations by PCHR, at approximately 01.00, about 20 heavily armoured
vehicles, supported by helicopters from the air, invaded and moved nearly 300
meters into al Salam neighbourhood, adjacent to the Egyptian border. Under
cover from random shelling, they started to raze and bulldoze land in the
area. The incursion caused great damage
to two houses, an ice-cream factory, a coffee shop, a bakery and a supermarket.
They also demolished two houses, which were shelters for three families,
totalling 26 people. They were owned by al Sdudi and al Kafraui families. As a result of this incursion two brothers
were wounded:

1. Khalid Sultan Khfaja 25 years old;

2. Mohamed Sultan Khfaja 27 years old .

 

At approximately 01.30, IOF
backed with seven military vehicles and one truck, invaded El Doha town to the
south-west of Bethlehem. They moved into the town and surrounded the
Headquaters of al Naqa al Nesae’ea Association and broke down its doors. They
razed and searched the offices. Before their withdrawal they confiscated some
equipment, including computers and stationery, as well as the files belonging
to the assocaition. Notably, the Occupation authorities have escalated their
campaign of attacks against humanitarian and charitable associations and
institutions in West Bank.

 

At approximately 03.00, IOF,
supported by heavily armoured vehicles, moved about 150 metres into Wadi Salqa
village to the south-east of Deir al Balah city. Under cover from intensive random shelling
they started to raze agricultural land. This operation, which went on for many hours, involved the razing of 60
donums of agricultural land. The
bulldozed land was planted with vegetables and fruit trees and owned by
Ibinsaid, al Hou, al Masari, Abu Harahba, al Hadad, al Efranji, Abu Hamam, el
Rumili and Brayam families. 

 

At approximately 09.00, IOF
attacked al Misan commercial compound in the centre of Hebron. The soldiers
went to the compound’s roof and transformed it into a military position. They hung the Israeli flag from the
building. This compound is still under construction and is the highest building
in Hebron

 

Today, for the fourth day
respectively, IOF have continued military actions in Nablus city and its
refugee camps. During this attack, they randomly shelled the residential area,
as well as opening fire at dozens of Palestinian children who were gathered in
a demonstration against the troops. The Palestinian civilian Samir Mohamed Abed
El Fathah, 26 years old , was wounded by
a live bullet in the upper area of his left leg while he was in his house.
Further, five Palestinian children were also wounded, they are :

 

1 Hamdi Munir Samir
Akuba 14 years old, wounded by a metal bullet in the upper area of the left leg;

2 Mudar Jamal Abdel
Rahim Mabruka, 11 years old, wounded by
a metal bullet in the left leg;

3 Salah Mahar Abed
al Gader al Saka, 17 years old , wounded
by a live bullet in the right leg;

4 Iyad Jamal Omar Madani, 14 years old, wounded by shrapnel al over his body.

5 Baha Ismail Omar Madany, 12 years old,
wounded by shrapnel in the face and the abdomen.

 

At approximately 12.30, the
Israel soldiers positioned at the border with Egypt, south of Rafah city,
opened fire with their automatic weapons at the houses in al Salam
neighbourhood. They wounded the Palestinian child Mohammad Iyad El Akhras, 17,
with shrapnel in the face and left leg. He was evacuated to Abu Yousef al Najar
hospital, in the city. Medical sources stated his condition was stable. 

 

In another attack, involving
random shooting at residential areas, the IOF killed a Palestinian child and
wounded another one in Rafah city, in the south of the Gaza Strip. The wounded child, Belah Ismail Ashur, 13, informed the PCHR fieldworker

“ At approximately 13.55 on
Thursday 19 2004 I was standing in Block O, when the Israeli soldiers positioned at the Salah al Din gate opened
fire at the area I was standing in. Immediately, I was wounded in the right shoulder. When I shouted my neighbour rushed to my
house and carried me towards Salah al Din Street, close to the UNRWA clinic.
While we were on the way, the soldiers opened fire again towards us, I was
wounded again in my left shoulder and the bullet had penetrated to my
neighbour, Ahmed Abed El Fatah El Hams’s, chest. I ran to the clinic, while
Ahmed was carried by others, to Abu Yousef al Najar hospital in the city.” 

Medical sources stated that the
child Ahmed El Hams was wounded by a
live bullet in the heart and he was pronounced dead on arrival.

 

At approximately 15.00, the
Israel soldiers positioned around Neve Dikalim settlement, north of Khan Yunis
, opened fire at residential areas as well as at the civilian facilities. The bullets struck Nasser hospital, nearly
700 meters to the north east of the settlement. These bullets penetrated into
the south side of the Kidney Unit. This unit sustained great damage. Many
patients and visitors were reported to be in a state of shock.

 

In another attack, caused by the
random shelling of a residential area, in the evening, the IOF killed an old
man, after they had shelled his neighbourhood in Rafah city, to the south of
the Gaza Strip. The victim’s son said

“at approximately 18.00 on
Thursday 19 August, I was sitting in my
home, with my father Mohamed Abed Allah El hamida, 62, and with my
friends. Suddenly we heard the sound of gunfire. One bullet struck my
father in the abdomen. We carried him in my car to Abu Yousef al Najar Hospital
in the city. Later on, they transferred him to the European Hospital in Khan
Yunis where he passed away the next day Friday 20 August.”

 

At approximately 23.15, Israel military troops, backed by armoured vehicles and supported by helicopters from the air,
moved nearly 150 meters into Khan Yunis
refugee camp, in the south of the Gaza Strip. Under intensive shelling, they
started to raze houses in the area. This
operation lasted 8 hours, during it the
IOF completely demolished 4 houses and 4 others sustained partial damage. These
houses were shelters for 15 Palestinian families, a total of 100 people. During this incursion, the Palestinian child
Mohamed Kamal El Talawi, 16 years old was wounded by a live bullet in his left
hand. The child was evacuated to Nasser hospital and medical sources said he is
in a stable condition.

 

Friday
20th August 2004

 

During the day, IOF, reinforced
by armoured vehicles, attacked al Aza refugee camp, north of Bethlehem city and
Dear Ghsana town, north-west of Ramallah. The troops raided and searched the
houses of Palestinian civilians. They arrested five of them, one of them a
female, and took them to an unspecified location.

 

 

Saturday
21st August 2004

 

In
the early hours of the morning, less than 24 hours after its withdrawal from
the city, armoured Israeli vehicles invaded Nablus and its refugee camp. Tens
of soldiers positioned themselves at the top of 9 houses, owned by Ukash,
Akuba, Shiqu, Huash,E’esh, Qanzah, Hamad
and Abu Zeat families. They also seized Nablus municipality’s compound and
transformed it into a military site where they opened fire at passers-by. Around 12.00, dozens of Palestinian children
and youths gathered and threw stones at the Israeli vehicles. Immediately, they
responded by opened fire at the demonstrators, wounding 15, five of them
children, and one of them seriously:

1. Islam Jamil Awad Kamir, 9, injured by a live bullet in the
neck.

 

(PCHR has a list
of the names of the other injured parties)

 

In a further attack
characterised by excessive military force, IOF killed a Palestinian civilian
from Nusserait refugee camp. The victim
was suffering from a psychological disorder. He was killed when he was near the Israeli borders, to the east of Wadi
Gaza village.

 

According to preliminary
investigations by PCHR, IOF, positioned in tanks and military posts inside the
border with Israel opened fire with automatic weapons on the civilian who was
near the border area. Immediately he was
injured by several live bullets and fell to the ground. Later on, after several hours, the Palestinian
Liaison Office received a statement from the IOF stating that the body was in
the area. Ambulances, belonging to the
Palestinian Ministry of Health, rushed to the scene and evacuated the body to
Shuhada al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah. The victim was identified as:

1. Nail Khalil Abu Ghulah, 23, from Nusserait refugee camp.

 

At approximately 09.20, the
Israeli soldiers positioned at the border strip with Egypt, south of Rafah city
opened fire at the residential areas of al Salam neighbourhood. The Palestinian
civilian Mohamed Nae’em Hasan, 43, was injured by shrapnel in the face and the
ear. He was evacuated to Abu Yousef al Najar hospital. Medical sources stated
he was moderately wounded.

At approximately 15.30, IOF
backed by armoured vehicles moved nearly 800 meters into al Aarara village,
north of Khan Yunis city. Under cover from intensive shelling they start to
raze the land of houses they had demolished previously. They also
bulldozed the road and closed some sub
roads leading to the residential neighbourhoods owned by al Fara, al Qudra and
Abu Jumeza families.

 

Sunday 22 august 2004 

 

At approximately, 12.30, IOF,
including 7 military jeeps positioned themselves around Martyrs’ square and the
vegetable market in the centre of Nablus. Immediately, without prior warning,
the soldiers opened fire randomly in all directions in order to impose a curfew
and to close the market stalls. 15 Palestinians, 8 of them children, were
wounded. They were evacuated by ambulances to the city’s hospitals. Medial sources stated most of them were
moderately wounded.

 

At approximately 14.00, IOF,
reinforced by armoured vehicles, invaded Beit Ur al Tahta, to the west of
Ramallah, under cover from intensive shelling towards residential areas. The Palestinian child Mohammad Jamal
Sulliman, 16, was wounded by two live bullets in the abdomen and the left
leg. Ambulances went to evacuate the
injured child but the IOF prohibited them from entering the village. The inhabitants carried him, using a taxi, to
Sheik Zyeed Hospital. As soon as he arrived he went into surgery
and his condition was described as stable. Eyewitness reports indicated that the child was returning to his home at
the time of the attack. 

 

At approximately 18.00, IOF,
positioned near the border with Egypt opened fire at al Salam neighbourhood in
Rafah. A child Mohammad Khalid al Alul,
10, was wounded by shrapnel in the head. PCHR’s fieldworker stated that the child was wounded while he was 400
meters from his home. He was taken to al
Najer hospital in Rafah where his condition was described as moderate.

 

At approximately 18.30 medical
sources in el Shifa hospital in Gaza City declared that Hussein Saeed al
Jabari, 43, from al Sheji’ya in Gaza City, had died as a result of injuries
caused by IOF last week. According to
PCHR investigations, at that time, he was injured on 18th August by
shrapnel from a rocket in different parts of his body. The action took place when IOF helicopter
gun-ships targeted his brother, Ahmed’s, house. He is a prominent figure in the Hamas movement. The assassination
attempt was unsuccessful. Five other
Palestinian civilians were killed as a result of this attack, three of them
from al-Jabari family, while another civilian was seriously injured. He was taken to the intensive care unit of
el-Shifa hospital where he also later died.

 

 

 

Monday 23rd August

 

In an act of wilful killing, IOF
killed a Palestinian civilian in Rafah refugee camp after opening fire at
him. According to preliminary
investigations the area was in a period of complete quiet at the time of the
incident. The victim was not engaged in
any military activity at the time. According to an account from the victim’s friend: at approximately 07.00
Hazam Fo’had Abu Zuhri, 20, went with his friends to the home of Sulliman Abu
Zuhri, located in Block J of Rafah refugee camp in order to evacuate their
furniture as the IOF had informed them that the house was going to be
demolished. Upon their arrival the IOF,
positioned in a tank, behind a sand barrier 150 metres from the house opened
fire at the youths. Hazam was wounded by
a live bullet in his abdomen and fell to the ground. The others escaped, except one, who crawled
along the ground to reach a telephone to request medical assistance for his
friend. After five minutes the ambulance
arrived but the soldiers opened fire at them, although no casualties were
reported among the crew. During the
evacuation process Hazam lost a large amount of blood and passed away.

 

At approximately 14.30 IOF
invaded Tulkarm, raising the east neighbourhood of the city and surrounded one
building of three storeys. They opened
fire on flats on the first floor, owned by Ibrhaim Naifa, 35. The Palestinian civilian Mohammad Azmi al
Jarushi, 26, from Tulkarm, was injured by a live bullet in the abdomen. Before their withdrawal at 03.50 the IOF
arrested both civilians and took them to unspecified locations. The IOF state that the two men were wanted.

 

During the day the IOF backed
with heavy military vehicles entered: Qabatia and al A’raka villages in Jenin;
as well as Aska and Balata camps in Nablus; Sourif town, north west of Hebron
and Tulkaram. They raided houses and
searched them, arresting 14 Palestinian civilians stating that they are wanted. The arrested included one group of five
brothers and another of three brothers they were all taken to an unspecified
location.

 

At approximately 21.00, the IOF,
positioned around Moraj settlement to the south of Khan Yunis, opened fire with
automatic weapons towards the residential areas located to the north of the
settlement. Sulliman Fayez Quawara, 44,
was wounded by a live bullet in the upper part of the right leg while he was
close to his house. He was evacuated to
Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis where he was described as being in a moderate
condition. 

 

Tuesday 24th August

 

At approximately 01.30 IOF,
backed with heavy vehicles moved about 800 m into al Qara village to the south
of Qussafim settlement road, to the northeast of Khan Yunis city. Under intensive shelling the IOF partially
demolished the home of Abdula Mohammad Alia Abu Img’sib. The house was one storey and was built on an
area of 2,200 metres. There were four families living in the house. The owner of the house told the PCHR
fieldworker that he was forced to leave the house with his family after they
demolished parts of his house while he was inside. Immediately after they left the premises the
IOF opened fire around them, however no casualties were reported. In the same area the same forces started to
raze land that had been previously demolished during recent incursions.

 

At approximately 09.00 IOF
raided Bethlehem city and surrounded al Lahila al Mukadasa (The French)
Hospital and closed all entrances to the area. They entered the main square and detonated sound bombs. Dozens of soldiers entered the hospital and
began to raid offices of workers and beds of patients. They searched the whole
building and after three hours they withdrew and arrested two Palestinian civilians
Adnad and Ratib Abyat, 32 and 29 respectively. They claimed that Adnan is the leader of al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in
Bethlehem and is wanted by IOF for four years.

 

At approximately 10.00 the IOF
located along the border with Egypt opened fire on Rafah. Bullets and shrapnel struck al Najer hospital
which is located 800 meters from the borders. Some windows in a department were broken. Many patients and employees were reported to
be in a state of shock.

 

At approximately 10.45 the IOF
positioned around Neve Dekalim, west of Khan Yunis opened fire at al Namsowi
neighbourhood, to the north-east of the settlement. The Palestinian civilian Abdelrahma Khalil
Abu Shaqra, 46, was wounded by a live bullet in the left hand. The PCHR fieldworker stated that the civilian
was wounded while on the roof of, what is known as ‘building number six’ in a
well known residential compound, trying to fix the water tanks. He was carried to Nasser hospital where his
condition was described as stable. 

 

In the context of a further
attack involving random shelling the IOF killed a Palestinian civilian and left
him bleeding to death and also injured his cousin’s son, while they were
working in a farm in al Qurara village to the north-east of Khan Yunis. According to eyewitness reports at
approximately 16.45 IOF, positioned in tanks inside the border with Israel,
opened fire at the agricultural land in the area. They shot two Palestinian workers who were
collecting Okra inside their farm which is 700 meters from the border. Many farmers and workers in the neighbouring
fields tried to reach the two wounded people in order to save them but IOF
opened fire at them. Ambulances rushed
to the area but their access was prohibited by IOF. At 19.15 the ambulances succeeded in reaching
the two wounded civilians

1. Kamal Hassan Mousa al Asta, 19, injured by several live
bullets through his body and left to bleed to death.

2. Bilal Kamal Mousa al Asta, 21, injured by four live bullets,
he was taken to Nasser hospital where his condition was described as serious.

 

At approximately 01.30 IOF
positioned near the Egyptian border opened fire at the residential area of
Block J in Rafah. Amir Hssan Salah, 10, was injured by shrapnel in the back
while he was in his home. He was taken
to al Najer hospital in Rafah where he was described as being in a stable
condition. 

 

At approximately 23.30 IOF
backed with heavy vehicles, including three bulldozers, moved nearly 200 meters
inside al Qara village, to the east of Nitzar Hazani settlement, north west of
Khan Yunis city. They raided four houses
and searched them, forcing the civilians to leave their homes. They detained
them in an open area. Under intensive
shelling the troops demolished one house partially, which was owned by Ismail
Abdullah al Habid. The house was one
storey, was made from concrete and was located on an area of 120 metres. There were nine people living in the
house. As well as this the IOF razed the
surrounding fence of four other houses as well as digging several tunnels
around the bulldozed land. 

 

During the day IOF backed with
heavy vehicles entered: Toubas village, al Fara refugee camp and Askar camp in
Nablus; Yeta town, south of Hebron; Bethlehem; Beit Luqia village, north of
Ramallah; and Abu Deis east of Jerusalem. They razed and searched a number of houses and arrested 12 civilians who
were wanted by Israeli troops and were taken to unspecified locations.

 

At approximately 02.00 a large
number of IOF, combined with 7 bulldozers moved about 600 meters inside al
Moraqa village, adjacent to Netzarim settlement to the south of Gaza City. They raided houses and searched them. They detained 8 Palestinians and later
released seven of them. They arrested
Said Khalil Rajab al Yuzji, 20, a university student. They transformed a two storey house owned by
Abdel Fatah Ahmed Hmadam, into a
military post. They detained the family
members, consisting of 13 people, in one room. After one hour the IOF started to raze a wide-scale area of land. This operation lasted until 17.00 and they
demolished five houses, three of them completely. These homes provided shelter for 4 families,
totalling 28 people and were owned by four brothers from al Ayadi family. Another house was owned by Sukar family. The razed land is 45 donums and was planted
with olives, citrus fruits and vegetables and is owned by Abu Kumain, Ashur, al
Akad, Azam, Abu Shaluf, Luhedi, Shaheen, Hajaj, Darouj and al Alami. They demolished one well and the fence of a
number of houses and caused great damage to the infrastructure in the area.

 

During the day IOF backed with
heavy vehicles invaded Ramallah and Beit Jala in the West Bank. They raided a number of houses and arrested
five civilians, stating that they were wanted. They took them to unspecified locations.

 

 

Collective Punishment against
Families of Wanted Palestinians and Those Who Have Carried out Armed Attacks
against Israeli Targets

 

In violation of international
humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Convention Relative to the
Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949, article 33 of which
prohibits punishing any protected person for “an offence he or she has not
personally committed,” Israeli forces took retaliatory measures against
the families of Palestinians Israel alleges have ordered,
facilitated, or carried out attacks against Israeli targets.

 

In a continuation of this policy
on Wednesday morning 25th of August IOF blew up the house of Mondir
Snobar, in Yatima village to the south of Nablus city. According to preliminary investigations by
PCHR, at approximately 02.30 IOF including seven military jeeps, invaded the
village and surrounded this house. They
forced the occupants to leave without giving them any time to evacuate the
furniture. They panted explosive
materials around the corners of the house. At approximately 05.00 they detonated the explosives and completely
demolished the house. The house is
located on 140 meters, including two storeys, with a family comprised of twelve
members, including four children, living there. The IOF sources stated that the civilian is wanted by them for his
activities in D.F.L.P. , they stated that he carried out an operation which
took place at Jiha crossing 18 months ago where four Israelis were killed. As well as that they claimed that he carried
out 3 military operations on Israeli vehicles since 2001.

 

 

Continued
Siege on the oPt

 

The IOF have continued their
complete siege on the oPt, including occupied East Jerusalem and have imposed a
lot of restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.

 

The
Gaza Strip

 

The IOF have continued its
systematic violations of the right to freedom of movement for Palestinian
civilians as well as imposing severe restrictions around the Gaza Strip. They continued to partially close the border
passages and international checkpoints in Gaza. The IOF continued to close al Matahan and Abu Houli checkpoints at Salah
al Din street, which connects the north and south of the Gaza Strip, from 20.00
to 03.00 each night.

On the 19th of August
at 08.30, the IOF positioned near al Matahen checkpoint, opened fire at
Palestinian civilians awaiting to pass to Deir al Balah. They injured a
civilian Abedsalam Mohammad al Aham, 33, with a live bullet in his right
hand. He was evacuated to Naser hospital
in Khan Yunis. Medical sources stated
his condition was moderate. At
approximately 16.30 the IOF closed the checkpoint and reopened it at
21.00. During this time they randomly
shelled and used tear gas at civilians gathered on both sides of the
checkpoints, waiting for the IOF to allow them to pass.

 

The next day, Friday 20th
of August, the IOF closed the two checkpoints and impounded several vehicles
and forced people to leave their cars. They searched them and checked their identity cards. At approximately 15.00 on Saturday 21st
of August the IOF closed the checkpoint for one hour. They also closed the checkpoint in the
morning of Wednesday 25th. Throughout that day the checkpoint was periodically closed and reopened
and civilians were severally delayed in their attempts to travel. They arrested four civilians, whose identity
is unknown. During this policy of
closing and reopening the checkpoints, hundreds of civilians were waiting on
either side of the checkpoint while IOF occasionally opened fire with tear gas
on them. 

 

IOF have continued to impose a
severe closure on al Mawasi area in Khan Yunis and Rafah, in the south of the
Gaza Strip. Until the middle of this
week the IOF prohibited civilians from returning to their homes through Toofah
Checkpoint, north of Khan Yunis city. On
Tueday 24th of August in the morning the IOF reopened the
checkpoints for those civilians returning to their homes. This checkpoint has been completely closed
since the 17th of August.

 

At approximately 12.00 on 25th of August the IOF
positioned at the military camp north of Toofah checkpoint fired several tear
gas bombs at Palestinian civilians, including women, children and old men
waiting to return back to al Mawasi. Many Palestinian civilians were suffocating as a result of this. They were treated in the surrounding fields
while some other cases were evacuated to Nasser hospital. In the aftermath the IOF closed the
checkpoint and prohibited civilians from travelling through.

 

The IOF, periodically closed
this checkpoint and stopped civilians from passing. At the same time they still prevent
Palestinian males from 16-30 from passing through without previous special
coordination. Concerning women and 16-25
the same policy applies. Many inhabitants
told PCHR’s fieldworker that the IOF periodically prevent civilians from
entering or leaving the area even if they are older then 30. 

 

The people in al Sayafah
area, between Dogit and Elai Sinai settlements in the north of the Gaza Strip,
are living under the same conditions. The IOF continues to control the only gate in and out of the area and
prevents all civilians from passing through the checkpoint unless there is
exceptional circumstances and prior coordination. The IOF allowed only five people to pass
through each day to purchase basic provisions. They are only allowed to pass
through at certain specified hours and they are subject to humiliation and
degrading treatment during the security check process. This process of security checks also involves
strip-searches, searches with dogs and metal detectors. They have prohibited
supplies of domestic gas from entering the area for more then three months;
which causes serious suffering to the civilians in the area who are forced to
use wood for cooking instead of gas. Farmers are prevented from moving freely to tend their agricultural land
which damages the crops. The people in
Ma’ani area next to Kvar Darom settlement, 28 families a total of 138 people, are also suffering similar conditions
and also face severe difficulties in access to and from the area.

 

IOF have continued to close the
Erez checkpoint from the 27th of June for Palestinian civilians but
is partially open for those who work in Israel and in the Erez Industrial
zone. From the start of June the IOF
allowed approximately 500 Palestinian workers to travel to Israel, this number
has been gradually increased to 3000. However the workers are subjected to such a complex process of security
checks and humiliation that only 1500 workers are able to enter Israel. One of the workers told the PCHR fieldworkers
that “we have to wake up early in the morning and to walk nearly four
kilometres, and then to pass through hours of security checks, including
through a number of metal detectors, while soldiers engage in a process of
insulting and humiliating us.” Israeli
occupying authorities have continued to partially open the Sofa passage, to the
east of Rafah. They only allowed access
for construction materials but they prevented people from crossing. The Qarni commercial passage, east of Gaza
city, which is considered the main terminal for goods coming in and out of the
Gaza Strip, has only been partially opened in the past several months. Notably the constant closure of this terminal
has had an obvious negative impact upon the local market.

 

Despite the reopening of the
Rafah International terminal at the Egyptian-Palestinian border, the suffering
of travellers has continued as a result of the IOF policy of limited opening
hours, in contravention of international agreements between Israel and Egypt to
open it 24 hours a day for 363 days a year. The closure forces large numbers of civilians to congregate on both
sides of the Terminal waiting to pass through. It should be noted that the IOF have been sporadically opening and
closing the Terminal over the last three months of this year. They have
prevented large numbers of people from travelling through and have imposed
strict security procedures on those people permitted to travel.

 

Since the start of the Intifada
the IOF have claimed, to the international community, that that the Rafah
terminal is consistently open. In fact they have imposed severe restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians and only allowed certain categories of
Palestinians to cross the border. In
particular civilians between the ages of 16-35 have been prevented from
travelling out of Gaza since 18th April. This has prevented thousands of students and those in need of medical
treatment from travelling. On Monday 23rd of August the IOF did not
abide by its commitments to allow these civilians to leave the Gaza Strip. 

 

West Bank

 

The IOF have continued to impose
more restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians at both temporary
military checkpoints and spontaneous checkpoints. They have also imposed curfews on many
cities, villages and refugee camps.

 

Jerusalem

 

The IOF imposed more
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Jerusalem. On the 20th of August they
prevented thousands of worshippers from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque for their
Friday prayer. Eyewitness reports
indicated that, from the early hours of the morning, there was a large Police
presence throughout the old City. They
prohibited all Palestinian civilians under the age of 45 from reaching the
al-Aqsa Mosque. This was paralleled
with more checkpoints imposed around all of the neighbourhoods in
Jerusalem. They used extensive search
policies against civilians, checking identity cards, especially at al Barid
neighbourhood, to the north of the city, Qilu checkpoint in the south and Hazma
and Shofat to the east of Jerusalem. These soldiers, positioned at both main routes and secondary roads,
stopped Palestinian vehicles throughout the week and forced passengers to
submit to specific search and identification procedures.

 

On
Tuesday the 24th of August the IOF detained and humiliated dozens of
civilians at the entrance to Bado’ village in the northwest of Jerusalem until
they checked their identity cards. For three years this entrance has been the
only entrance for all villagers in the area, home to about 50,000
Palestinians. During the week IOF
erected spontaneous checkpoints on the secondary roads in the city. They stopped and extensively searched
Palestinian vehicles.

 

Ramallah

 

On Saturday the 21st
of August, in the early hours of the morning, the IOF erected a number of
military checkpoints on the primary and secondary routes. The PCHR fieldworker reported that the IOF
imposed these procedures on the first and last days of the week. On these days large numbers of people tend to
travel to visit their family or return to work. The IOF positioned at Qalandia checkpoint, south of Ramallah, prevented
civilians who do not have special permission to cross the checkpoint and leave
the city. On Monday morning, the 23rd
of August, IOF erected a spontaneous checkpoint at Qafar Nama/Ras Karkar, to
the west of Ramallah. The soldiers
forced Palestinians to leave their vehicles, before searching them and checking
their ID. Notably, this crossing
connected Ramallah city to the surrounding villages: Bitilou, Rantiss, Jamalah,
Budros, Kafar Nama, Ras Karkar, Deir Amar, Qibiya.

 

Bethlehem

 

On Thursday August 19th
IOF used concrete blocks and sand to close two roads in Janata village, to the
south east of Bethlehem. The first road
connected between the village and the surrounding villages on one side and with
Bethlehem on the other side. The second
road connected the village with the agricultural land. Local sources stated that these procedures
prevented Palestinian civilians from entering the town and the surrounding villages. This was paralleled with more restrictions imposed, in a similar
fashion, at other checkpoints around the city.

 

Hebron

 

On Friday the 20th of
August, in the early hours of the morning, the IOF imposed a curfew on Wadi
el-Hussein, to the south of Hebron city. Eyewitness reported that the soldiers intensified the deployment in the
area forcing the owners of supermarkets and stalls to close as well as
preventing the movement of civilians to the west of Qariat Araba’ settlement.
The IOF seized an empty house, owned by a Palestinian civilian Walid al Jabari,
and transformed it into a military post. Eyewitness added that IOF patrols stopped tens of civilians on their way
to Ibrahim mosque and searched them against a wall in the area. They attacked a number of them. This was paralleled with a series of attacks
carried out by settlers living in the settlements.

 

Nablus

 

The IOF positioned at the
military barriers around the city have continued their policies of prohibiting
Palestinian civilians under the age of 35 from passing through. The PCHR fieldworker reported that the
soldiers positioned at these barriers have tried to delay the Palestinians
which caused huge queues of people waiting to pass. Many people waited for hours before they were
allowed to pass. It is notable that IOF
have established a new turnstile gate controlled by soldiers in heavily
fortified closed rooms. This turnstile
is positioned at Beit Iba, to the west and Huwara to the south. These procedures are combined with continuous
incursions, attacks and curfews on different neighbourhoods.

 

 

 

 

Tulkarm

 

The PCHR fieldworker reported
that the IOF erected a number of spontaneous checkpoints at Faron village
crossing, to the south of Tulkarm and at Shuweka crossing, to the north of the
city. As well as this they have
continued to close A’inab gate for the sixth consecutive week. This gate is located on the Tulkarm – Nablus
road.

Qalqilia

 

This week witnessed further
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in Qalqilia. The PCHR fieldworker reported that on the
morning of Saturday the 21st of August IOF erected a new military
checkpoint to the east of Qalqilya, close to the military liaison office. Eyewitness reports indicated that the IOF
forced dozens of Palestinian cars to stop and applied a complicated search
process which lasted for many hours. Qalqilia is surrounded by the annexation wall from all directions. The east entrance is now the only functioning
entrance to the city. The IOF
established a gate controlled by soldiers who impose random and restricted
opening hours.

 

In a continuation of the
systematic policy of attacks against Palestinian ambulance crews, IOF
positioned at Far Atsion settlement, north of Hebron, violently attacked an
officer from the Palestinian Red Crescent Association. According to preliminary investigations, on
10.00 on 24th of August the crew member Hassan Mohammad Awad, 27,
from Idna village south of Hebron, was driving his ambulance vehicle to Beit
Jala hospital carrying a number of Palestinian patients. When he arrived at the checkpoint the
soldiers forced him and the patients to leave the ambulance and searched
them. When he protested against this
humiliation, for the patients, the IOF began to attack him violently and
handcuffed him. They detained the ambulance for another hour before allowing
him to continue. Medical sources said
his condition was moderate and this explained how he was able to drive the
ambulance back to the hospital.

 

Arrests at checkpoints

 

The IOF have continued using
their checkpoints as a means for trapping Palestinian civilians and arresting
them. 

 

The IOF soldiers positioned at
Allenby border crossing, arrested a Palestinian student Alaa Mohammad Damin
Zidan, 20, from Yita, to the south of Hebron on the 20 of August on the way to
the Sixth of October University , in Egypt, via Jordan. On Monday the 23rd of August the
IOF positioned at Qalandia checkpoint, south of Ramallah, arrested a
Palestinian civilian Firas Khadar, 23, from Nablus, and took him to an
unspecified location. He works as an
ambulance medic in The United Health Care Committees Association. He was arrested while on a mission to
evacuate a patient from Ramallah to Nablus.

 

Annexation Wall

 

The IOF have continued to construct the Annexation
Wall in the Palestinian areas in the west Bank and the construction activities
were mainly in the area around occupied East Jerusalem.

Jerusalem

 

IOF using heavily armoured
bulldozers continued to raze land in the main street connecting Ramallah and
Jeruslaem. These activities, which have
continued for two months, come in the aftermath of the adjudication by the
Israeli High Court on Thursday 19th of August. According to the adjudication the Court
overturned a previous adjudication prohibiting construction on this part of the
wall. Eyewitness reports indicated that
IOF bulldozers have restarted work in the area between Dariid neighbourhood,
north of Jerusalem and Qalandia, to the south of Ramallah. The eyewitnesses added that the work continued
intensively day and night and that they demolished the rest of the road in
order to place concrete foundations for the Annexation Wall. Huge trucks were seen delivering the concrete
blocks and depositing them on the side of the street. This continued alongside razing of lands
between Wadi Iyad and al Bariid and al Aqbart neighbourhoods to the north of
the city. The PCHR fieldworker reported
that the work extends over two kilometres. This will have the effect of moving al Ram town from inside the boundaries
of the Israeli state and placing it inside the West Bbank. This will isolate the industrial zone known
as “Aderot” which is part of Israel. As
well as this it will isolate the western part of al Bariid and will annex it to
Israel. Sources in the local municipal
council of al Ram town informed the PCHR fieldworker that the wall will have an
impact on 450 commercial premises on either side of the closed street. It will also isolate 11 educational institutes
in al Ram where there about 4000 students enrolled. Notably al Ram village has become a central
route connecting the north and south of the West Bank, particularly as a result
of the heavy closures imposed at Qalandia checkpoint.

 

The Head of the Wall Directorate
in the Israeli Defence Ministry stated that the settlement block of Gush
Itzion, to the south-west of Bethlehem will be inside the wall. He made this statement during a session on
the Committee for Foreign Affairs and security in the Israeli Parliament, the
“Knesset”. He further claimed to have
reduced the amount of land required for the course of the wall between the area
Alakna settlement and Ofar Military Camp. He added that the land owned by Palestinian civilians amounts to 6000
donums and that the rest of the land “13000 donums is owned by the state of
Israel.” This land, which he claimed was
owned by the state of Israel, is governmental land located inside the occupied
West Bank territory and not inside the Israeli borders.

 

On Sunday the 22nd of
August IOF established a new crossing north of Bardala village in the highest
point of the north-east Jordan valley. Local sources said that engineering units from the IOF razed a
wide-scale area of land which had been confiscated earlier by military orders
to continue the construction of the Annexation Wall in the north-east of the
West Bank. Local sources said that these
actions of razing land and engineering construction indicate that the Israeli
troops intend to construct permanent buildings including a Police department,
tax offices.

 

Crimes
and Attacks by Settlers on Palestinian civilians and their properties

 

In contradiction of
international humanitarian law the settlers living in the oPt have continued
their systematic attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property.

According to preliminary
investigations by PCHR, on 21.20 on Saturday 21st of August settlers
from Ramati Shay in Tel Remada neighbourhood, in the centre of Hebron, began to
throw stones and empty bottles at Palestinian civilians and their properties in
the area. They entered the front gardens of the houses and broke the windows
and tried to burn some furniture inside the houses. All of these actions took place while the
IOF watched and protected the settlers. A Palestinian civilian Hanna Jamil Abu Haikal, said that about 200 settlers and their supporters,
backed by large numbers of IOF and Israeli Police, attacked her home and broke
windows and property and caused chaos throughout the day. She added that armed groups of settlers also
demolished the electricity transformer and a water pumping station owned by her
family, tore up their clothes and shouted and made threats to kill the
inhabitants and to force them to leave the area. The families who were attacked by settlers
are:

1. Adil and MAjdi al Said

2. Jamil Abu Haikal,

3. Abdelkharim al Hadad,

4. Arif Sharabati,

5. Abdullah Sh’hada

6. Bilal Sadir.

 

In light of the activities of
the construction of settlements throughout the West Bank Israeli authorities
unveiled, for the first time, plans to build 533 new housing units. The Deputy Prime Minister, Yuhud Olmert, who
is also responsible for Israeli governmental land decided to establish wide
areas for the purpose of developing new housing units. The plan sets out the details of; f 200 new
houses in Har Gilo settlement; 101 housing units in Har Adar settlement; 134
units in Adam Settlement; 89 units in Amu Naeel settlement. In light of this plan it is clear that the
Israeli authorities are preparing to expand the settlement construction in both
the south and east of the Palestinian territories in the West Bank. According to the details of this plan they
will tender the construction of the foundations of 150 units in Har Homa
settlement (Abu Ghuniam Jabal, in Arabic); 48 units in Besgat Zeeve; 36 units
in Gilo settlement.

 

 

Recommendations to the
International Community

 

1. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their
legal and moral obligations under article 1 of the Convention to ensure
Israel’s respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories. PCHR calls on the
international community to immediately “ensure respect” for the Convention.

2. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to convene a
conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel’s respect of the Convention
in the OPTs and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian civilians.

3. PCHR calls upon
the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to comply with its
legal obligations detailed in article 146 of the Convention to search for and
prosecute those responsible for grave breaches, namely war crimes.

4. PCHR recommends
international civil society organizations, including human rights
organizations, bar associations and NGOs to participate in the process of
searching for Israeli war criminals and to urge their governments to bring
these war criminals to justice.

5. PCHR calls upon
the European Union to activate article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association
Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights as a
precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU states to
prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the oPt.
PCHR also requests the application of the EU Guidelines on Arms Sales and
requests that EU Missions and Embassies in Israel and the oPts press the
Israeli government to apply and implement in full the recently agreed EU
Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders.

6. PCHR calls upon
European governments to change their positions towards the Palestinian cause at
UN bodies, particularly the General Assembly, Security Council and Commission
on Human Rights. 

7. PCHR requests that
the international community follow the advisory opinion of the ICJ when it
called on the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention, through the
UNGA and UNSC, to take effective measures to stop the construction of the
annexation wall in the West Bank.

8. In recognition of
ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the ICRC
to increase its staff and activities in the oPt, including for facilitating
family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

9. PCHR appreciates the efforts of international civil society,
including human rights organizations, bar associations, unions and NGOs, and
urges them to continue their role in pressuring their governments to secure
Israel’s respect for human rights in the oPt and to end its attacks on
Palestinian civilians.

10. In light of the
severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and its occupying forces
on access of human rights defenders to the oPt, PCHR calls upon European
countries to deal the same way with Israeli citizens. 

11. PCHR reiterates
that any political settlement not based on international human rights law and
humanitarian law cannot lead to a peaceful and just solution of the Palestinian
question. Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and
instability in the region. Any peace agreement or process must be based on
respect for international law, including international human rights and
humanitarian law.

 

“END”

 

Public Document

 

**************************************

For more information please
call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893

PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El
Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail:[email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org

 

 



[1] 1 Donum is
equal to 1000 sq meters