Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Commit Additional War Crimes against
Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT);
Isolate the Gaza Strip from the Outside World; and Signs of a Looming
Humanitarian and Environmental Crisis

· IOF
kill 79 Palestinians, 76 of them in the Gaza Strip.

· 19
children, 2 women, and 3 handicapped are among the dead.

· University
lecturer, his wife, and 7 of their children among the dead; a woman and 2 of
her children among the dead.

· 266
Palestinians, including 63 children and 14 females, were wounded by the IOF.

· IOF
conducted 47 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and
reoccupied areas in the Gaza Strip.

· 67
Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and a female, were arrested by IOF.

· IOF
use Palestinian human shields during operations in the Gaza Strip, and takes
over several civilian houses.

· 5
houses transformed by IOF into military sites.

· 6
charitable societies in the West Bank were raided by IOF.

· 250 families totaling nearly 2000
people flee their houses in Rafah and Beit Hanoun. UNRWA provides alternative
shelters in its schools.

· IOF
have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have imposed a tightened
siege on the Gaza Strip; dozens of patients are stuck at Rafah International
Crossing Point on the Egyptian border; IOF positioned at various checkpoints in
the West Bank arrested 12 Palestinian civilians; IOF detained the Second Deputy
Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council as he was attempting to travel
through El-Karama Border Crossing with Jordan.

· IOF
have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF started
confiscated 45 dunums of agricultural land in southern Hebron.

· In
settler-related violence and crimes, a Palestinian house is set on fire in
southern Hebron; and a settler road is renovated in the old city of Hebron.

Summary

As the international community has remained silent,
IOF have continued to wage a full scale offensive on the Palestinian people,
especially in the Gaza Strip, with total disregard for the principles of
necessity and proportionality in the use of military power against Palestinians
and resistance activists. The lack of accountability and legal action
against Israeli war criminals and their political leaders who publicly order
the perpetration of these crimes are in fact a “license to kill” given to IOF.
This situation is exacerbated by the impotence of the international community,
especially the High Contracting Parties of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to
enforce the convention in the OPT.

Furthermore, equating the killer with the killed in
the positions of the international community is another form of the “license to
kill.” PCHR reminds that the number of dead during this report’s period is
higher than some of the figures that were registered during operation Defensive
Shield by IOF in 2002 in
the West Bank, especially in Jenin and Nablus.

IOF have targeted journalists and media crews
covering the events. The Centre believes that the direct targeting of
journalists and injuring many of them comes is an attempt to prevent them from
conducting their professional duty or portraying the events to the outside
world, which will embarrass the Israeli government and influence international
public opinion.

In light of the continue Israeli offensive for the
third consecutive week and subsequent war crimes, the Gaza Strip is
experiencing a very serious humanitarian situation that threatens the lives of
the civilian populations. PCHR calls upon the international community,
particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and
United Nations Agency, to immediately intervene to force IOF to stop this
offensive and allow the passage of foodstuffs, medical supplies and fuels into
the Gaza Strip.  PCHR warns the international community of the policies of
collective punishment and reprisals practiced by IOF against the Palestinian
civilian population, especially the destruction of electricity sources and the
denial of passage of foodstuffs and fuels into the Gaza Strip, which will lead
to a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.  

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

o    
88 Palestinians, half of them civilians, have been killed by IOF.

o    
345 Palestinian civilians, including 79 children and 14 females, have been
wounded by IOF.

o    
110 air-to-surface missiles, mostly from fighter jets, and hundreds of
artillery shells have been fired at Palestinian civilians and military targets
in the Gaza Strip.

o    
Two buildings of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, the office of the
Palestinian Prime Minister and a number of educational institutions have been
destroyed. 

o    
Destruction of the Gaza Power Plant, providing 45% of electricity to the Gaza
Strip. Half the Strip’s population are without electricity.. 

o    
3 bridges linking Gaza City with the southern Gaza Strip and 3 roads in Khan
Yunis and al-Nusairat have been destroyed. 

o    
Hundreds of donums of agricultural land and destruction of tens of
houses. 

o    
Hundreds of Palestinians, including 8 ministers and more than 20 PLC members
have been arrested. 

o    
Hundreds of families evacuate their houses in Rafah; and UNRWA provides
alternative shelters in schools.

Israeli violations of international law continued in
the OPT during the reported period (6-12 July 2006):

Download the full
report here.