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

· 16 Palestinians, 2 children and 2 brothers, were killed by
IOF in the OPT.  

· 12 of the victims were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip in a
few hours.

· 7 of the victims are civilians.

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

· 61 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including a woman, were
wounded by IOF gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

· 2 human rights defenders were wounded by IOF gunfire.

· IOF conducted 23 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank, and 4 incursions into the Gaza Strip.

· IOF arrested 15 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and 4
others in the Gaza Strip.

· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.

· IOF have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world and
a humanitarian crisis is likely to emerge.

· IOF positioned at various checkpoints and border crossings in
the West Bank arrested 4 Palestinian civilians.

Summary

Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (21 – 27 June 2007):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF
killed 16 Palestinians, including 2 children, and wounded 63 persons, including
a woman and 2 human rights defenders, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF
killed 15 Palestinians. Twelve of these Palestinians were killed during two
incursions into Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis, and al-Shoja’eya
neighborhood in the east of Gaza City on Wednesday, 27 June 2007. In addition,
at least 50 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were wounded. These attacks came
less than one week following the appointment of Ehud Barak as a new Israeli
Defense Minister, and 2 days following the Arab-Israeli Sharm al-Sheikh summit
which discussed the resumption of the Middle East peace process and easing the
humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza
Strip. The high number of casualties proves IOF’s disregard for the lives of
civilians and indicates that IOF continue to practices policies of collective
punishment in violation of article 33 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the
Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949. Also during the
reporting period, IOF extra-judicially executed 3 members of the al-Quds
Brigades (the military wing of Islamic Jihad) in 2 separate attacks in the Gaza
Strip on 21 and 27 June 2007. Additionally, 3 civilian bystanders were wounded.

In the West Bank, IOF
killed a Palestinian civilian in Hebron on 21 June 2007, claiming that he
disobeyed orders to stop. On 22 June 2007, 2 international human rights
defenders were wounded when IOF used force against a peaceful demonstration organized
by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders
against the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein village, west of
Ramallah. On 23 June 2007, a Palestinian woman was wounded in Kufor Dan
village, west of Jenin, when IOF opened fire at houses during an incursion into
the village. On 26 June 2006, 2 Palestinian resistance activists were wounded
by the IOF gunfire in Bourqin Valley, west of Jenin.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 23 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. During those incursions, IOF arrested 15 Palestinian civilians. Thus,
the number of Palestinians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning
of this year has mounted to 1,440.  

In the Gaza Strip, IOF
conducted 4 incursions into Palestinian communities. On 21 June 2007, IOF moved
into the east of Jabalya town in the northern Gaza Strip and leveled areas of
land they had already razed. On 26 June 2007, IOF moved into the Palestinian
side of Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing and destroyed the path of workers leading
to the crossings. The remaining two incursions were the two aforementioned ones
into Khuza’a village and al-Shoja’eya neighborhood.

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 calosed its border
crossings as a form of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.

IOF have closed Rafah International Crossing Point
since 25 June 2006, even though they do not directly control it. During the
reporting period, 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. Hundreds of Palestinian civilians have been stuck at
the Egyptian side of the crossing point.

IOF have also closed commercial crossings, especially
al-Mentar (Karni) crossing. 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. During the
reporting period, IOF completely closed the 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, for 3
days, and Sofa crossing, northeast of the town, for 2 days.

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. 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.

Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (21 – 27 June 2007)

The
full report is available PDF format.