Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate
Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT)
· 10 Palestinians killed by IOF.
o 1 Palestinian youth beaten to death
in Bethlehem
o 3 of the victims killed in IOF
extra-judicial executions.
· 12 Palestinian civilians, including 1 woman, were wounded
by IOF gunfire.
o 3 were injured in a failed
extra-judicial execution.
· IOF conducted 26 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
o IOF arrested 18 Palestinian
civilians in the West Bank and 2 in the Gaza Strip.
o IOF raid the Union of the
Handicapped and Islamic Club in Qalqilya.
o IOF raid El-Zuhur Kindergarten and
desecrate the Islamic Cemetery in Dura near Hebron.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT, and
continues to isolate the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
o Severe humanitarian crisis in the
Gaza Strip due to the closure.
o 5,000 Palestinians still stuck on
the Egyptian side of the Gaza Strip border for 6 weeks. The number of travelers
who died in Egypt so far is 17.
o Approximately 1,000 Palestinians
allowed to pass from Egypt through El-Ojeh – Erez route.
o IOF positioned at various
checkpoints and border crossings in the West Bank arrested 4 Palestinian
civilians, including a child.
Summary
IOF escalated violations
of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (26 July – 1 August 2007):
Killing and Injury:
During the
reporting period, IOF killed 10 Palestinians; and injured 12 others, including
a woman and child in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In addition, an Israeli
peace activist was injured in the weekly demonstration in Bal’in.
In the West Bank, a
19-year old Palestinian youth was beaten to death at a checkpoint in the town
of Taqou’ near Bethlehem. And in the Gaza Strip, IOF killed 9 members of the
Palestinian resistance and injured 9 others, including 2 civilians. On 26 July
2007, IOF moved into El-Fokhari village in the southern Gaza Strip and killed 2
resistance activists in 3 aerial bombardments. On the same day, 3 activists
were killed in an extra-judicial execution using aerial bombardment against a
vehicle to the south of Gaza City. On 28 July, 2 more activists were killed
when IOF troops fired at members of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades near the border
fence north of Beit Lahia. Ambulances were prevented from reaching them for 6
hours. And on 1 August, 2 activists were killed in an incursion in Beit Lahia.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 26 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip. During those incursions, IOF arrested 20 Palestinian
civilians, including 1 child. IOF raided an association for the handicapped and
a sports club in Qalqilya, and raided a kindergarten and desecrated a cemetery by
destroyed two graves and exposing the buried bodies in Hebron in the West Bank.
And in the Gaza Strip, IOF razed 153 of dunums of agricultural land in El-Fokhari
village.
Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT
and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
IOF have imposed a
strict siege on the Gaza Strip. They have closed its border crossings as a form
of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.
IOF have closed Rafah
International Crossing Point, even though they do not directly control it. They
have prevented European observers working at the crossing point form reaching
it. IOF had already closed Rafah International Crossing Point following an
armed attack against an IOF military post in Kerem Shalom area, southeast of
Rafah, on 25 June 2006. The crossing point had been partially reopened for
short, sporadic periods to allow few numbers of Palestinian to travel through
it. The crossing point has been completely closed since Hamas’ takeover of the
Gaza Strip and the withdrawal of Palestinian security forces from the crossing
point. At least 5,000 Palestinians have been stuck in Egypt waiting to be
allowed in the Gaza Strip. According to PCHR’s documentation, 17 Palestinians
of those who are stuck in Egypt have died due to the deterioration in their
health conditions. Approximately 1,000 travelers were allowed back into the
Gaza Strip from Egypt using El-Ojeh crossing 70 kilometers south of Rafah.
IOF have also closed commercial crossings, especially al-Mentar (Karni)
crossing. During the reporting period, IOF reopened the crossing for some hours
to allow the entry of some goods into the Gaza Strip. If this closure
continues, a humanitarian crisis is likely to emerge in the Gaza Strip. IOF
have also continued to close Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians
from the Gaza Strip have been prevented from traveling through this
crossing. They prevented traders and patients from passing through. IOF
allow very few patients to travel through the crossing, but following
coordination through the ICRC. During the reporting period, IOF reopened Kerem
Shalom crossing, southeast of Rafah, and Sofa crossing, northeast of the town.
During the reporting period, Nahal Ouz crossing, east of Gaza City, which is
deigned for the entry of fuels into the Gaza Strip, was opened for 1 day only.
West Bank
IOF have tightened the
siege imposed on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have
isolated Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank. Contrary to promises by the
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to ease restrictions on movement 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 also
erected more checkpoints on the main roads and intersections in the West Bank.
During the reporting period, IOF soldiers positioned at various checkpoints and
border crossings in the West Bank arrested at least 4 Palestinian civilians,
including a child.
Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (26 July – 1 August 2007)
The
full report is available PDF format.
