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

· 3
Palestinians, including a child, were killed by IOF.

· One
of the victims was extra-judicial executed by IOF.

· 27
Palestinians, including 9 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire.

· IOF
continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip.

· IOF
conducted 46 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

· 84
Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and 5 girls, were arrested by IOF.

· 7
houses were transformed by IOF into military sites.

· IOF
have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; Qalandya checkpoint was
transformed into a border crossing between the West Bank and Israel; IOF have
continued to closed Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the Gaza Strip; IOF
arrested 9 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, at checkpoints in the
West Bank; and IOF detained the Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs for
several hours at a military checkpoint.

· IOF
have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF continued
the construction of the Wall in Dahiat al-Barid area to the north of Jerusalem;
IOF have isolated the al-Mawahel quarter of Beit Hanina village near Jerusalem;
and IOF used forced against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest
against the construction of the Wall.

· Israeli
settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property in the OPT;
a Swiss peace activist and two Palestinian civilians were injured; and Israeli
settlers uprooted at least 60 olive trees near “Kiryat Arba” settlement near
Hebron.

Summary

Israeli
violations of international law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (30 March–5 April 2006):

Killing: During the reported period, IOF killed 3
Palestinians, including a child.  On
Monday morning, 3 April 2006, IOF extra-judicially executed Ra’ed ‘Ebayat, 31,
the leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah
movement, in Beit Sahour town in the West Bank.  On Monday evening, IOF killed 15-year-old
Mohammed Zayed, from Qalandya refugee camp south of Ramallah.  They claimed that the child had been
destroying parts of the Annexation Wall in the area, but PCHR’s investigations
refute this claim, as the child was killed 500 meters away from the
Wall. On Tuesday, 4 April 2006, IOF
killed a Palestinian civilian in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia,
while they were shelling the area. 

During the
reported period, IOF continued to shell areas in the Gaza Strip. They fired artillery shells at houses. IOF also employed war planes to shell
civilian targets. A number of houses and
civilian facilities were damaged and 6 civilians, including two children, were
injured. 

During the
reported period, 21 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were wounded
by the IOF gunfire.

Incursions:
IOF conducted 46 military incursions
into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses and arrested 84 Palestinian
civilians, including 4 children and 5 girls. In addition, IOF transformed 7 others into military sites.  IOF used undercover units and trained dogs during
these incursions. 

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. 

IOF have continued to impose a tightened
siege on the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a large prison.  IOF have continued to monitor the movement of
Palestinian civilians through Rafah International Crossing Point on the
Egyptian border. Even though IOF allowed
the transportation of food aid from Egypt into the Gaza Strip through Kerem
Shalom commercial crossing, southeast of Rafah, the crossing has not been officially
opened. IOF have also continued to
prevent Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip from reaching their work places
in Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. They have continued to prevent hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip from traveling to the West
Bank. On 4 April 2006, IOF closed al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing, east of Gaza City. The Gaza Strip has suffered from a severe
economic crisis for weeks, as a result of the closure of al-Mentar crossing.

IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on
Palestinian communities in the West Bank and have imposed additional
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the region. On Tuesday, 4 April 2006, IOF declared the
transformation of Qalandya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem into a
border crossing.  Only residents of
Jerusalem who have Israeli identity cards and residents of the West Bank who
have permits to enter Jerusalem will be allowed to pass through the
“crossing.” Following an attack on
Israeli settlers on Thursday evening, 30 March 2006, in the northern West
Bank, IOF positioned at various checkpoints imposed additional restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF positioned at Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, have continued to
prevent residents of Tulkarm from passing through the checkpoint. During the reported period, IOF positioned at
various checkpoints around Nablus prevented Palestinians aged between 16 and 35
from passing through the checkpoint. During
the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested
9 Palestinian civilians, including two children.

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall
inside the West Bank.  During the reported period, IOF continued to construct
a section of the Wall in the Dahiat al-Barid area, north of Jerusalem. By the completing the construction of this
new section of the Wall, all entrances to Dahiat al-Barid area and al-Ram
village will be closed. IOF also declared
that they would establish a barbed wire fence around the al-Mawahel quarter of
Beit Hanina village, north of Jerusalem. During the reported period, IOF resumed the construction of the
separating fence around “Shavi Shomron” settlement. IOF also used force to disperse peaceful
demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli
peace activists in protest to the construction of the Wall in Bal’ein and Beit
Siera villages, west of Ramallah. Six
Palestinian civilians were wounded, and others suffered from tear gas
inhalation. IOF also arrested 3 Israeli
solidarity activists and an Australian one.

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, two Palestinian
civilians and a Swiss peace activist were injured. The settlers also uprooted at least 60 olive trees
and killed 15 sheep in Nablus. 

 

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (30 March–5 April 2006)

Download the full report
here.