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

· 5
Palestinians, including two children, were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip and
the West Bank.

· 42
Palestinian civilians, including 25 children, two women, and an international
solidarity activist were wounded by IOF in the West Bank.

· IOF
continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip, an infant was seriously
injured.

· IOF
conducted 31 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and
invaded Nablus and Balata refugee camp.

· Houses
were raided and 79 Palestinian civilians, including 26 children, were arrested
by IOF.

· 6
houses were transformed by IOF into military sites.

· IOF
have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT, especially in the West Bank;
the eastern part of the West Bank has been isolated from the remainder of the
West Bank; Palestinian civilians aged below 45 were prevented from entering the
al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday Prayers; and IOF arrested 11 Palestinian civilians,
including 5 children and a girl, at checkpoints in the West Bank.

· IOF
have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank; IOF plan to
construct a section of the Wall to the east of Hebron; 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; and IOF demolished a house in Deir
al-Ghosoun village near Tulkarm.

 

Summary

On Sunday, 19
February 2006, the Israeli government adopted a series of collective punishment
measures against Palestinian civilians in the OPT. The Israeli cabinet decided in its weekly
meeting to stop the transfer of tax and customs revenues
to the Palestinian National Authority, to impose severe restrictions on the access
of Palestinian workers to workplaces in Israel and to intensify security checks
at crossing points, especially Erez and Karni. 

Israeli
violations of international law continued in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
(OPT) during the reporting period (16 – 22 February 2006):

Killing: During the reported period, IOF killed 5 Palestinians
within the space of 24 hours. On Sunday
morning, 19 February 2006, an IOF aircraft launched a missile at two members of
the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees in Khan Yunis, killing them. At noon, IOF willfully killed two Palestinian
children in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. On Monday morning, 20 February 2006, IOF killed
two Palestinian gunmen during an exchange of fire in Nablus. During the reported period, IOF shelled
Palestinian communities in the Gaza Strip. An artillery shell hit an apartment building in the northern Gaza
Strip. A two-year-old child was seriously
injured by shrapnel. During the reported
period, 42 Palestinian civilians, including 25 children, two women and an
international solidarity activist, were wounded by the IOF gunfire.   
 

Incursions:
IOF conducted 31 military incursions
into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. The widest of these incursions was in Nablus and the neighboring Balata
refugee camp. During this incursion, IOF
killed 3 Palestinians, including two children, wounded 36 civilians and
arrested at least 13 others. They also
transformed a number of houses into military sites. In other incursions, IOF raided houses and
arrested 79 Palestinian civilians, including 26 children. IOF also transformed 6 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 allowed less than 2,500 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.  Although IOF reopened al-Mentar
(Karni) commercial crossing, east of Gaza City, they have so far allowed the
entry of foodstuffs only.  

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.  IOF have continued to prevent Palestinians
aged below 45 from entering the al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday Prayers.  During
the reported period, IOF arrested 11 Palestinian civilians, including 5
children and a girl, at various checkpoints in the West Bank. 

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall
inside the West Bank.  During the reported period, IOF continued to
construct a separation barrier around “Shavi Shomron” settlement,
northwest of Nablus. IOF constructed
cement sections of the wall at a distance of nearly 500 meters from the eastern
border of the settlement near the Nablus–Jenin road. IOF declared their intention to construct new
sections of the Wall near Hebron. According to Israeli sources, Israel plans at this stage to construct a
section of the Wall near Hebron. This
section will not reach the Dead Sea. The
route of this section is still under discussion by the Israeli government and
its construction comes in the context of a plan to cut off the Jordan Valley
from the remainder of the West Bank. IOF
plan to construct a separation fence to cut off agricultural areas in the
Jordan Valley, which are estimated at half a million dunums.[1] 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. They also imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians living in communities located near the Wall.

Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (16 – 22 February 2006)

Download the full report
here.