Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate
Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT)

 

· 6
Palestinians, including 4 children, were killed by IOF.

 

· 4
of the victims died in the Gaza Strip from previous wounds they had sustained
by IOF.

 

· 17
Palestinians, including 9 children, were wounded by IOF.

 

· IOF
have continued to launch air strikes on houses and civilian facilities in the
Gaza Strip; 3 houses and a commercial store were destroyed.

 

· IOF
conducted 30 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and one
into the Gaza Strip.

 

· IOF
arrested 55 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and two women.

 

· IOF
closed the Palestinian Center for Media and Studies in Tulkarm.

 

· IOF
have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF arrested 5 Palestinian
civilians at checkpoints in the West Bank

 

· IOF
have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF razed
areas of land in Bethlehem and Qalqilya; IOF seized areas of land in ‘Anata
village, northeast of Jerusalem; and Palestinian farmers have been denied
access to their agricultural lands to cultivate olives.

 

· Israeli
settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the OPT;
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers and prevented them from
cultivating olives.

 

 

Summary

 

Israeli violations of international law continued in
the OPT during the reported period (9 – 15 November 2006):

 

Killing: During
the reported period, IOF killed 6 Palestinians, including two children, and
wounded 17 others, including 9 children.

 

In the Gaza Strip, on Sunday morning, 12 November
2006, IOF killed a Palestinian child, when they fired a surface-to-surface
missile at a number of children, who were standing near a launcher of home-made
rockets in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia. Two other children were
wounded. Four Palestinians, including 3 civilians, died from previous wounds
they had sustained during the IOF offensive on the northern Gaza Strip. Also on
Sunday morning, IOF fired at a Palestinian civilian, who suffers from a
psychological disorder, in the east of Khan Yunis, wounding him. Thus, the
number of Palestinians killed by IOF since the beginning of the offensive on the
northern Gaza Strip has mounted to 83 Palestinians, including 54 civilians. In
addition, 264 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 76 children and 60
women, have been wounded.

.   

IOF also launched 5 air
strike on 4 houses and a commercial store in the Gaza City and Jabalya town. As
a result, 3 of these houses and the store were destroyed and a number of
neighboring houses were severely damaged. IOF often warn residents of houses of
their intention to attack them a very short time prior to the attack.    

 

In the west
Bank, on Tuesday, 14 November 2006, IOF killed a member of the Palestinian
resistance in ‘Ein Beit al-Maa’ refugee camp, west of Nablus. He bled to death
as IOF prevented ambulances from entering the camp for several hours. In
addition, 13 Palestinian civilians, including 8 children, were wounded by the
IOF gunfire in the West Bank. Moreover, IOF wounded and arrested a Palestinian in
Ramallah, claiming that he was wanted.

 

Incursions:
During the reported period, IOF
conducted at least 30 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank, during which they raided houses and arrested 55 Palestinian
civilians, including 6 children and two women. IOF also raided, searched and
closed offices of the Palestinian Center for Media and Studies in Tulkarm. They
also raided offices of al-Ihsan Charitable Society in the town, which was
closed last year.

 

In the Gaza
Strip, IOF moved into al-Shouka village, east of Rafah. They raided and
searched a number of houses and transformed 3 of them into military sites. They
also gathered and interrogated Palestinian civilians aged 15-45.

 

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
imposed a strict siege on the Gaza Strip. They have closed its border crossings
as a form of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.

 

IOF have
closed Rafah International Crossing Point since 25 June 2006, even though they
do not directly control it. During this period, the crossing point was reopened
on 14 and 15 November 2006, and hundreds of Palestinian were able to travel
through it. Since 15 June 2006, the crossing point has been opened for 20
separate days. On 15 November 2006, the Palestinian – Israeli agreement on
border crossing, which was concluded under US and European supervision,
expired. Under this agreement, IOF have maintained indirect control over of the
crossing point. The European observation team working at the crossing point
extended their mission for additional 6 months. IOF have imposed severe
restrictions at commercial crossings of the Gaza Strip, especially al-Mentar
(Karni) crossing. As a consequence, the economic situation inside the Gaza Strip
has further deteriorated and many goods have been lacked in markets. During the
reported period, IOF partially reopened Sofa crossing near Rafah for two days,
while Kerem Shalom crossing has remained closed. IOF have also continued to
close Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians from the Gaza Strip had been prevented from traveling through this
crossing.  IOF have allowed international workers to pass through the
crossing.  With this closure, only few Palestinian patients have been able
to travel to hospitals in Israel and the West Bank.  In
addition, IOF have continued to prevent Palestinian fishermen from fishing for 5
months.

 

West Bank

 

IOF have tightened the siege imposed on Palestinian
communities in the West Bank. They have isolated Jerusalem from the rest
of 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 have continued to separate between the north and south of
the West Bank. On Saturday, 11 November 2006, IOF imposed severe restrictions
on the movement of Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to Ramallah to
participate in the commemoration of the second anniversary of the death of
President Yasser Araafaf. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various
checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 5 Palestinian civilians.

 

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside the West
Bank. During the reported period, IOF started to construct a new section
of the Wall to the south of ‘Azzoun-‘Atma village, south of Qalqilya. The new
section of the Wall is expected to isolate at least 4,000 donums[1] of
agricultural land, 10 houses and a well. On Thursday morning, 9 November 2006,
IOF surveillance teams started to survey on the lands of Um Salamouna village,
south of Bethlehem. According to local sources, the surveyed areas of land
would be razed to establish a crossing point separating the village from
neighboring villages and from the Wall. On Sunday, 12 November 2006, IOF issued
a military order seizing more areas of Palestinian land in ‘Anata village,
north of occupied Jerusalem, to establish “a security fence” north of “Ma’leh
Adomim” settlement, east of Jerusalem. On Monday morning, 13 November 2006, IOF
started to raze areas of land in Wadi Rahhal village, south of Bethlehem, to
construct a new section of the Wall in the area. 

 

Illegal Settler Activities: Israeli settlers in breach of international
humanitarian law continue to reside in the OPT and have launched a series of
attacks against Palestinian civilians and property. During the reported period,
Israeli settlers attacked dozens of schoolchildren in al-Tawani village, south
of Hebron, injuring a number of them. Israeli settlers also attacked a house in
the center of Hebron. In addition, IOF prevented Palestinian farmers from
reaching their agricultural land near “Ma’oun” settlement, south of Hebron.
They also prevented a number of Palestinian civilians from reaching their
agricultural land near “Tilim” settlement, west of Hebron, to cultivate
olives.  

 

The
outcome of crimes committed by IOF since 25 June 2006:

 

o 434
Palestinians, 275 of whom are civilians, including 82 children and 25 women,
have been killed by IOF.

o At
least 1456 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 424 children and 107
women, have been wounded by the IOF gunfire.

o At
least 315 air-to-surface missiles and hundreds of artillery shells have been
fired at Palestinian civilian and military targets in the Gaza Strip.

o Buildings
of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the Ministry of National economy, the office of the Palestinian Prime Minister
and a number of educational institutions have been destroyed. 

o The
electricity generation plant, providing 45% of the electricity of the Gaza
Strip, was destroyed, and electricity networks and transmitters have been
repeatedly attacked.

o 6
bridges linking Gaza City with the central Gaza Strip and a number of roads
have been destroyed. 

o Hundreds
of donums of agricultural land and dozens of houses have been destroyed. 

o Hundreds
of Palestinian civilians, including 10 ministers and 31 members of the Palestinian
Legislative Council (PLC), including the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Secretary,
have been arrested. Minster of Prisoners’ Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister
of Labor and Second Deputy Speaker of the PLC were released.

o The
Palestinian governmental compound in Nablus has been destroyed.

o Many
families in Rafah, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia have been forced to leave their
houses.

o IOF
intelligence has warned some Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by phone
to evacuate their houses, which would be attacked.

o 61
houses belonging to activists of Palestinian factions have been destroyed by
IOF warplanes.

o IOF
have imposed a strict siege on the OPT, and have isolated the Gaza Strip from
the outside world.

 

Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (9 – 15 November 2006)

 

 

Download the full
report here.