Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate
Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT), and Isolate the Gaza Strip from the Outside World

· A
Palestinian was extra-judicially executed by IOF.

· IOF
warplanes launched a number of air strikes and mock air raids on the Gaza
Strip; a number of civilian facilities were destroyed or damaged.

· IOF
conducted 48 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

· IOF
moved nearly one kilometer into the east of Rafah, arrested two Palestinians
and seized control over Gaza International Airport.

· 63
Palestinian civilians, including 5 children and a woman, were arrested by IOF.

· 5
houses were transformed by IOF into military sites.

· IOF
have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; IOF have imposed a tightened
siege on the Gaza Strip; IOF positioned at checkpoints in the West Bank arrested
7 Palestinian civilians; and IOF arrested the Palestinian Minister of Labor,
Mohammed al-Barghouthi.

· IOF
have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF resumed
land leveling near Bethlehem and uprooted at least 200 olive trees; IOF have
continued to construct sections of the Wall near “Shavi Shomron” and “Ariel” settlements
in the north of the West Bank; and IOF started to establish a fence near
“Teena” settlement.

· Israeli
settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the OPT;
3 Palestinian civilians were injured; and 5 houses were damaged.

Summary

IOF have
started to implement threats made by the Israeli prime minister, Knesset ministers
and the chief of staff to launch a wide scale offensive on the Gaza Strip. The offensive, named “Operation Summer Rain”,
has included incursions, air strikes and artillery shelling on civilian targets
in the Gaza Strip. These attacks
followed a military operation by Palestinian resistance members on 25 June 2006 in the Kerem Shalom
area, southeast of Rafah, in which two IOF soldiers and two members of the
Palestinian resistance were killed, and a third IOF soldier was captured by the
Palestinian resistance. Hundreds of IOF
vehicles have been deployed along the border of the Gaza Strip, waiting to move
into Palestinian areas. The incursions
are expected to cause many casualties among Palestinian civilians. IOF have also imposed a tightened siege on
the Gaza Strip.

PCHR strongly
condemns acts of retaliation and collective punishment against the Palestinian
civilian population in the Gaza Strip, including the destruction of civilian
facilities. PCHR calls upon the
international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the 1949
Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War,
to force IOF to comply with the Convention, including the prohibition of reprisals
against protected persons and their property (article 33). PCHR calls also upon the High Contracting
Parties to apply article 1 of the Convention, which calls for respecting the
Convention and ensuring respect the Convention in all circumstances. 

Israeli
violations of international law continued in the OPT during the reported period
(22–28 June 2006):

Killing: On
Thursday evening, 22 June 2006, an IOF undercover unit extra-judicially
executed a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah
movement in Ramallah. During the
reported period, 6 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were wounded by
IOF gunfire in the West Bank. 

In the Gaza Strip, IOF launched a series of air strikes
using fighter jets and helicopter gunships on civilian facilities.  The air
strikes completely destroyed two bridges in the Gaza Valley, one on Salah
El-Deen Road and the other on the coastal road.  These two bridges connect
the northern part of the Strip with the center and southern parts.  A
secondary bridge was also destroyed.  Transportation
to and from the north of the Strip has been completely cut off as a result,
threatening people’s lives and security by depriving them of access to health
and educational institutions.  The aerial bombardment also destroyed the
main water pipe feeding Nusairat and al-Boreij refugee camps.
 Furthermore, panic was caused among civilians, especially children and
patients by bombardment, mock air raids and sonic booms over the Strip.

In addition, IOF warplanes bombarded the Gaza Strip’s
only electricity generation plant, located to the north of Nusairat refugee
camp.  Key sections of the plant were completely destroyed and fire broke
out throughout the plant.  The bombardment has cut electricity off for
nearly half the population of the Gaza Strip.  The bombardment destroyed
the six main generators that provide 45% of the electricity needs of the Strip.
 Restoring the plant and resuming its operations could take up to 6 months
and at a cost of approximately US$15 million.

Incursions:
During the reported period. IOF also conducted at least 48 military
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses
and arrested 63 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children and a woman. Thus, the number of Palestinians arrested by
IOF since the beginning of 2006 has increased to 1843.  IOF also transformed 5 houses into military
sites.  In these incursions, IOF employed
undercover units and trained dogs. On 24
June 2006, IOF moved into al-Shouka neighborhood in the southeast of Rafah, and
arrested two Palestinian brothers. This
was the first incursion into Rafah since the IOF redeployment in September
2005. On 28 June 2006, IOF moved into
the eastern part of Rafah and seized control over Gaza International Airport
after shelling it. 

Restrictions on
Movement: IOF have continued to
impose a comprehensive siege on the OPT, in violation of civil, political,
economic, social and cultural rights of Palestinian civilians. 

Following an attack launched by Palestinian militants
on 25 June 2006, near the Israeli-Egyptian border southeast of Rafah, which
left two IOF soldiers and two of the attackers dead and a third IOF soldier
missing, IOF have closed all border crossings of the Gaza Strip. 

According to field information, Rafah International
Crossing Point has been completely closed since Sunday, 25 June 2006, following
the military attack at Kerem Shalom.  Hundreds of Palestinian travelers
are now stuck on the Egyptian side of the border.  Among these travelers
are women, children, elderly and ill persons returning after medical treatment
in Egypt.  They are enduring inadequate living and health conditions while
waiting to enter Gaza.

Furthermore, IOF have closed the other crossings into
the Gaza Strip: al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing; Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing
– designated for workers, humanitarian cases and international workers; Sofa
Crossing – designated for construction material; and Kerem Shalom Crossing –
used for food and medical humanitarian assistance.

It is noted that the closure of Gaza Strip border
crossings, since the Border Crossings Agreement between the Palestinian
National Authority and Israel on 15 November 2005, has created a disastrous
economic and humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.  Since the signing
of the agreement, al-Mentar Crossing has been completely closed for 96 days and
partially closed for 162 days.  As a result, the import and export of
medicine and other commodities had been kept at a standstill for the majority
of this time, causing further economic strangulation of the Gaza Strip and a
lack of essential goods such as milk and fruits in the local market.  In
addition, agricultural and industrial exports from the Strip have been barred.

IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on
Palestinian communities in 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 the
north and south of the West Bank. For
this purpose, they have imposed severe restrictions one movement through
Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, and re-established their presence at
‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah.  They
have also erected two new checkpoints near Ramallah.  During the reported
period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints around Nablus imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.  They have also
continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement on Palestinian
civilians to and from Tulkarm.  IOF positioned at various checkpoints in
the West Bank abused a number of Palestinian civilians.  During the
reported period, IOF at checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 7 Palestinian
civilians, including the Palestinian Minister of Labor.

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall
inside the West Bank.  During the reported period, IOF razed areas of
Palestinian land near “Ariel” settlement in the north of the West Bank, and
completed land leveling near “Shavi Shomron” settlement to construct a section
of the Wall in the area.  IOF also
uprooted at least 200 olive trees in the Kuraimzan area in Beit Jala for the
purpose of the construction of a section of the Wall near Bethlehem. In addition, IOF also started to establish a
fence around “Teena” settlement, south of Hebron. This fence will seize at least 100 dunums[1] of
Palestinian agricultural land. On 23
June 2006, IOF used forced to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized in
protest to the construction of the Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah
Wall.  IOF fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound
bombs at the demonstrators.  They also violently beat the demonstrators
and arrested one of them.  

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,
especially in Hebron. During the
reported period, 3 Palestinian civilian were injured and 5 houses were damaged
in attacks by settlers. 

 

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (22–28 June 2006)

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report here.