Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue
Systematic Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 7 Palestinians, including 2 children and an old man, were killed
by IOF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
· A child died from a previous wound in the Gaza Strip.
· One of the victims was extra-judicially executed by IOF in
the West Bank.
· The old man was shot dead inside his house.
· 22 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 7 children and
a woman, were wounded by IOF gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
· IOF conducted 35 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank, and 7 into the Gaza Strip.
· IOF arrested 49 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, and
7 others in the Gaza Strip.
· IOF placed 2 ministers, 3 members of the Palestinian
Legislative Council, 4 mayors and 3 members of municipal councils under
administrative detention.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.
· IOF have cut off the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF positioned at various checkpoints and border crossings in
the West Bank arrested 6 Palestinian civilians, including a mayor and a deputy
mayor.
Summary
IOF escalated violations
of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (31 May – 6 June 2007):
Killing: During the reporting period, IOF
killed 7 Palestinians, including 2 children and an elderly, in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank. A third disabled child died from a previous wound he had
sustained in the Gaza Strip. In addition, IOF wounded 22 Palestinians, mostly
civilians, including 7 children and a woman who was pronounced clinically dead.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF
killed 4 Palestinians, including 2 children. A third child, who is physically
disabled, died from a previous wound. On Friday, 1 June 2007, IOF positioned on
a wooden land in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia, opened fire at 4
Palestinian children, who were playing with kites near the beach. Three
children were wounded, whereas the fourth one was able to escape. Two of the
children were left in the area bleeding to death. On the same day, IOF
extra-judicially executed a member of the Islamic Jihad in the southern Gaza
Strip town of Khan Yunis. An IOF aircraft fired 2 missiles at him when he was
riding a bicycle in the north of Khan Yunis. Also on the same day, medical
sources declared that a physically disabled child from Beit Lahia died from a
previous wound. On Wednesday, 6 June 2007, an IOF warplane fired 2 missiles at
a number of members of the Palestinian resistance in Jabalya town in the
northern Gaza Strip, killing one of them and wounding another one. On Saturday,
2 June 2007, 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded by gunshots when IOF
positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at
agricultural areas in the central Gaza Strip. On Monday, 4 June 2007, a
Palestinian fisherman was wounded when IOF gunboats opened fire at fishing
boats opposite to Rafah seashore. Since the beginning of this latest offensive
against the Gaza Strip, IOF have killed 57 Palestinians, including 10 children
and a woman, and have wounded 179 others, mostly civilians, including 25
children, 18 women, 2 paramedics and 2 journalists.
In the West Bank, IOF
killed 3 Palestinians and wounded 16 civilians, including 6 children and a
Greek peace activist, and a militant. On Saturday, 2 June 2007, an IOF undercover
unit killed a Palestinian civilian and a wounded a militant in Nablus. The unit
opened fire at the militant when he was in a shop of meat. On Sunday, 3 June
2007, IOF killed a Palestinian militant in Jenin during an exchange of fire. On
Wednesday, 6 June 2007, IOF killed an old man and wounded his wife, who was
pronounced medically dead, and two of his sons inside their house in Hebron.
IOF claimed that they went to the house to arrest one of the victim’s sons.
On Friday, 1 June
2007, 4 Palestinian civilians and a Greek peace activist, were wounded when IOF
used force against a peaceful demonstration organized in protest to the
construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah. On Tuesday,
5 June 2007, 8 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children were wounded by the
IOF gunfire in Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 35 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. During those incursions, IOF raided and searched several houses and
arrested 49 Palestinian civilians. Thus, the number of Palestinians arrested by
IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has mounted to 1,349, in
addition to dozens of others who have been arrested at military checkpoints and
during peaceful demonstration.
During the reporting
period, IOF placed 2 ministers, 3 members of the Palestinian Legislative
Council, 4 mayors and 3 members of municipal councils in the West Bank under
administrative detention:
1. Dr. Nasser al-Din al-Sha’er, Minister of Education;
2. Wasfi Qabaha, State Minister;
3. ‘Abdul Rahman Zaidan, PLC Member;
4. Sheikh Hamed al-Beetawi, PLC Member;
5. Daoud Abu Sair, PLC Member;
6. ‘Adli Ya’ish, Mayor of Nablus;
7. ‘Arab al-Shurafa, Mayor of Beeta;
8. Ramadan Shatat, Mayor of Bedia;
9. ‘Omar Eshtayeh, Mayor of Til;
10. Mohammed Khader,
Deputy Mayor of Qalqilya;
11. ‘Izziddin Salama,
member of the municipal council of Bedia;
12. Sheikh Fayadh
al-Aghbar, member of the municipal council of Nablus;
13. Fareed Ziada.
In the Gaza Strip, after
they had redeployed from the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, 31 May 2007, IOF
moved more than 1,000 meters into various areas in the north on 4 and 6 June
2007. They razed areas of agricultural land. On 2 June 2007, an IOF infantry
unit moved nearly 150 meters into al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza
Strip, and detained an interrogated 4 Palestinian brothers for several hours.
On 4 June 2007, IOF moved nearly 2,000 meters into al-Shouka village, east of
Rafah. They interrogated 40 Palestinian civilians and arrested 4 of them. On 6
June 2007, an IOF infantry unit moved into al-Qarara village, north of Khan Yunis.
They interrogated 18 Palestinian civilians and arrested 2 of them.
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 since 25 June 2006, even though they
do not directly control it. During the reporting period, the crossing point was
reopened on 2 sporadic days. IOF have partially reopened
commercial crossings, especially al-Mentar (Karni) crossing, but many goods and
medical supplies have been lacked in markets in the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have been prevented from traveling through
this crossing. IOF have allowed international workers to pass through the
crossing. With this closure, only few Palestinian patients have been able
to travel to hospitals in Israel and the West Bank. In addition, IOF have continued to impose severe restriction on
fishing in the Gaza Strip. During the reporting period, a Palestinian fisherman
was wounded when IOF gunboats opened fire at fishing boats opposite to Rafah.
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 Israeli claims, 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 6 Palestinian civilians, including
the deputy mayor of Nablus and the mayor of Deir al-Ghosoun village near
Tulkarm.
Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (31 May – 6 June 2007)
The
full report is available PDF format.
