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

· 8 Palestinians were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip
and West Bank.

· 3 of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF. 

· 36 Palestinian civilians, an Israeli peace activist
and two international medical volunteers were wounded by IOF.

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

· IOF conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian
communities in the West Bank and invaded Nablus and Balata refugee camp.

· Houses were raided and 60 Palestinian civilians,
including 12 children, were arrested by IOF.

· 4 houses were transformed by IOF into military sites.

· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT,
especially in the West Bank; IOF fired at Palestinian civilians waiting at
checkpoints; Palestinian civilians have been prohibited from travelling from
the Gaza Strip to the West Bank; and IOF arrested 7 Palestinian civilians at
checkpoints in the West Bank.

· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall
in the West Bank; IOF started to construct the last section of the Wall between
Jerusalem and Bethlehem; IOF razed areas of Palestinian land in Salfit and
Ramallah; IOF used force against Palestinian civilians demonstrating against
the construction of the Wall; IOF have continued to imposed severe restrictions
on movement in Palestinian communities located near the Wall.

· Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property in the OPT; a Palestinian shepherd was wounded; IOF
razed areas of Palestinian agricultural land in the Jordan Valley; and settlers
attacked Palestinian civilian property. 

 Summary

Israeli
political and military officials have continued their threats to perpetrate
more crimes against Palestinians. The
Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz threatened to “turn the lives of
Palestinians into a hell”. The
former director of the Israeli General Security Service and a candidate for the
Kadima Party in the upcoming Israeli parliamentary elections, Avi Dichter,
threatened that if Palestinian prisoners in Jericho Prison, who are allegedly
responsible for the assassination of the late Israeli Minister of Tourism
Rehavam Z’eivi, were released, their fate would be either “imprisonment in
Israel or graves”. Dichter had
already called for the reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, allegedly to stop the launching
of locally made rockets at Israeli targets. 

Israeli
violations of international law continued in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
(OPT) during the reporting period (23 February–1 March 2006):

Killing:
During the reported
period, IOF killed 6 Palestinians, including 5 in the West Bank. A seventh Palestinian died from a wound
sustained in the Gaza Strip previously.  In addition, the leader of the al-Quds
Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, was killed in Gaza City in an explosion,
the cause of which remains unclear. 

On
Thursday, 23 February 2006, IOF killed 5 Palestinian in Nablus and the neighbouring
Balata refugee camp. Two of the victims
were killed during demonstrations organized in protest to crimes committed by
IOF in the city and the camp. The other
3 victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF. On Saturday, 25 February 2006, IOF killed a
Palestinian civilian. Another civilian
died from a previous wound he had sustained by IOF. On Friday, 24 February 2006, IOF attempted to
extra-judicially execute Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip but the
attempt failed and two passing children were injured. 

During
the reported period, IOF shelled Palestinian communities in the Gaza
Strip. During the reported period, 36
Palestinian civilians, including 14 children; an Israeli peace activist and two
international medical volunteers were wounded by the IOF gunfire.   
 

Incursions:
IOF conducted 40 military
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. The largest of these incursions occurred in
Nablus and the neighbouring Balata refugee camp. During these incursions, IOF raided houses and
arrested 60 Palestinian civilians, including 12 children. IOF also transformed 4 houses 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.  Rafah International Crossing Point on the
Egyptian border, the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world, has
been partially reopened. The crossing
point is operated for 8 hours a day only. IOF have continued to close al-Mentar (Karni) commercial
crossing, east of Gaza City, since 21 February 2006. Before this closure, IOF had allowed the
entry of foodstuffs only into the Gaza Strip. IOF have allowed less than 3,500 Palestinian workers to travel to their
work places inside Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. Palestinian workers are also checked in a special room that is equipped
with an, as yet, unidentified type of x-ray machine.  IOF have also
continued to close Sofa crossing, northeast of Rafah, since 14 February
2006. 

IOF have continued to impose a tightened
siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have imposed additional restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.  During the
reported period, IOF arrested 7 Palestinian civilians. 

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank.  During the reported period, IOF
started to construct the last section of the wall to the north of
Bethlehem. The construction of this
section of the wall is expected to be completed very soon. With its construction, Bethlehem will be
completely separated from East Jerusalem. IOF continued to raze areas of Palestinian agricultural land in Marda
village, southwest of Nablus, and Beit Siera village, southwest of Ramallah. In addition, IOF used force to disperse
peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians in protest to the
construction of the Wall in Bal’ein, Beit Siera and ‘Aaboud villages near
Ramallah. A number of demonstrators were
injured. They also imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians living in communities
located near the Wall.

Illegal
Settler Activities:
Israeli settlers continue to reside in the OPT, in breach of international
humanitarian law, and have launched a series of attacks against Palestinian
civilians and property. On 24 February
2006, a guard from the Israeli settlement of “Fasayyel”, northwest of
Jericho, fired at a Palestinian shepherd, wounding him with live bullet to the
leg. On 28 February 2006, a number of
Israeli settlers violently beat a Palestinian woman near Yatta village, south
of Hebron. IOF also continued to raze
areas of Palestinian agricultural land in the Jordan Valley. The Israeli Defence Minister stated that
Jewish settlements in the Jordan Valley are part of Israeli land. 

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (23 February–1 March
2006)

Download the full report here.