Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate
Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT)
· 28
Palestinians, 17 of whom including 2 children and a woman are civilians, were
killed by IOF.
· Each
of the two children was killed together with the father of each.
· 6
of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in 3 separate attacks.
· 45
Palestinians, including 14 children and 4 women, were wounded.
· IOF
have continued to launch air strikes on houses and civilian facilities in the
Gaza Strip; 5 houses were destroyed and a number of others were severely
damaged.
· IOF
conducted 30 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 6 others
into the Gaza Strip.
· IOF
arrested 48 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children, in the West Bank, and
8 others in the Gaza Strip.
· IOF
have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF arrested 3 Palestinian
civilian at checkpoints in the West Bank
· IOF
have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; Palestinian
farmers have been denied access to their agricultural lands to cultivate
olives.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law continued in
the OPT during the reported period (12 – 18 October 2006):
Killing: During
the reported period, IOF killed 28 Palestinians, 17 of whom are civilians
including two children and a woman, are civilians. in the Gaza Strip. Twenty
four of the victims were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip. In addition, 44
Palestinians, including 14 children and 4women, were wounded. This increase in
the number of casualties in the Gaza Strip followed orders by the Israeli
Defense Minister Amir Perets to his army to expand military operations in the
Gaza Strip allegedly to stop the armament of Palestinian organizations.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF killed 24 Palestinians and
wounded 29 others, including 5 children and 4 women.
On Thursday, 12 October 2006, IOF moved into Greater
‘Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis. During this incursion, which continued
until Saturday, 14 October 2006, IOF killed 7 Palestinians, including 4
civilians (a man, his child, a woman and a young man). The man and his child
were killed when they were inside their house. Three members of the Palestinian
resistance were also killed when they clashed with IOF. On Thursday evening,
IOF killed 3 Palestinian civilians, including a man and his child, when they
bombarded a room in al-Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City. On Friday, 13
October 2006, IOF extra-judicially executed 4 Palestinians in two separate
attacks in Beit Lahia town and Gaza City. On Saturday, 14 October 2006, IOF
killed 6 Palestinians, including two civilians, when IOF helicopter gunships
fired 5 missile at a number of members of the Palestinian resistance in the
northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya. On Tuesday, 17 October 2006, IOF killed
two Palestinians, including one civilian, during an incursion into Jabalya. On
Wednesday, 18 October 2006, IOF killed two members of the Palestinian
resistance during an incursion into Rafah.
.
IOF also launched 4 air
strikes on 3 houses and two stores of car batteries in the Gaza Strip. As a
result, 5 houses were destroyed and a number of other ones 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, IOF killed 4 Palestinians. On Tuesday, 17 October 2006, IOF killed two
Palestinians, including one civilian, in Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin.
On the same day, IOF extra-judicially executed two Palestinians in ‘Ein Beit
al-Maa’ refugee camp, west of Nablus. In addition, 4 Palestinians were wounded
by the IOF gunfire.
Incursions:
During the reported period, IOF
conducted at least 30 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank, during which they raided dozens of houses and arrested 48 Palestinian
civilians, including 7 children, the youngest of whom is 7 years old. IOF also transformed
6 houses in Hebron into military sites.
In the Gaza
Strip, IOF conducted 6 military incursions into areas in the Gaza Strip. The
widest of these incursions was into Rafah on 18 October 2006. This incursion
has been the widest into the southern Gaza Strip town since the implementation
of the Israeli Disengagement Plan in the Gaza Strip in September 2005. During
these incursions, IOF killed a number of Palestinians, razed at least 120
donums[1] of
agricultural land, raided and searched houses, transformed a number of houses
into military sites, stole some belongings and arrested 8 Palestinians. They
also interrogated hundreds of Palestinian civilians.
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 has been opened
for 14 separate days. IOF have closed 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
al-Mentar (Karni) crossing, east of Gaza City, and Sofa and Kerem Shalom
crossings near Rafah. 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 prevented Palestinian fishermen
from fishing for approximately 4 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. They have further prevented Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip from entering Jerusalem to pray in al-Aqsa Mosque in the Holy Ramadan.
IOF positioned at various checkpoints around Jerusalem imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. During the reported
period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 3
Palestinian civilians.
Annexation Wall: While they have continued to construct the Annexation Wall
inside the West Bank, IOF have prevented Palestinian farmers in the north and
south of the West Bank from reaching their agricultural lands, which are
planted with olives, located behind the Wall. According to these farmers, IOF have
refused to issue permits for them to be able to reach their lands. The farmers have
expressed their concerns that they may lose the current olive season. IOF often
fire at Palestinian farmers to drive them away from their lands.
The
outcome of crimes committed by IOF since 25 June 2006:
o 315
Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 62 children and 14 women, have been
killed by IOF.
o At
least 1072 Palestinian civilians, including 315 children and 45 women, have
been wounded by the IOF gunfire.
o At
least 286 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 9 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 53
houses belonging to activists of Palestinian factions were 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 (12 – 18 October 2006)
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report here.
