Israeli
Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks on Palestinian Civilians
and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 6 Palestinians, including a child, killed by IOF in the
West Bank
· One of those killed was extra-judicially executed
· Child dies of wounds in the Gaza Strip
· 7 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded by
IOF gunfire.
· IOF conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF imprisoned 67 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children
and 1 women.
· IOF destroyed a house in Nablus.
· IOF raid the Beir Nabala municipality building and the
Charitable Islamic Society in Beit Ola, and confiscate equipment
· IOF continue to construct the Annexation Wall inside the
West Bank; Israeli PM approves moving a section of the Annexation Wall further
into the West Bank, in the Ramallah area;
· Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem demolished;
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.
· IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank
imprisoned 9 Palestinian civilians, including two children.
· The Gaza Strip has suffered from shortages in fuels and
basic goods.
Summary
Israeli
violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT
during the reporting period (1-7 February 2007):
Killing:
During the
reporting period, IOF killed a Palestinian child in the northern West Bank town
of Tulkarm. They fired one bullet at him when he attempted to escape. They left
him bleeding to death. The victim was not armed. According to the child’s
family, the child attempted to escape as IOF had repeatedly raided his family
home searching for him.
During
the reporting period, 9 Palestinian civilians and a British journalist were
wounded by IOF.
On 26
January 2007, two Palestinian civilians and a British journalist were wounded
when IOF used force against a peaceful demonstration organized in Bal’ein
village in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall. On 30 January
2007, 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF opened fire at a taxi near
Jenin. On 31 January 2007, a woman and a child were wounded by IOF in Nablus.
In the
Gaza Strip, two Palestinian civilians were wounded on 28 January 2007, when IOF
positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired at them. The
two civilians were hunting birds nearly 500 meters away from the border.
Incursions:
During the
reporting period, IOF conducted 40 incursions in Palestinian population centers
in the West Bank, raiding commercial & residential buildings. IOF
imprisoned 67 civilians, including 5 children and one woman. Thus, the total
number of West Bank Palestinians imprisoned by IOF since the beginning of 2007
reached 388 prisoners. During an incursion into Nablus, IOF demolished the
house belonging to the family of Ala and Hani Oweijan, brothers killed by IOF
earlier. In addition, IOF raided the building of the Beir Nabala municipality
and the Charitable Islamic Society offices in Beit Ola. Equipment from both
institutions was confiscated.
Annexation
Wall: The Israeli
Prime Minister approved moving the Annexation Wall near Ramallah 5 kilometers
further inside West Bank Territory, to include the settlement of Mode’in Elit
on the western side of the Wall. This will move approximately 20,000
Palestinians into enclaves surrounded by the Wall. In addition, the decision
increases the length of the Wall by 12 kilometers.
Destruction
of Islamic Holy Sites: IOF bulldozers started to demolish a hill, wooden bridge, and two rooms
leading to Magharba gate, one of the gates to Al-Aqsa Mosque. The demolition
targets are properties of the Islamic Waqf. PCHR warns against the consequences
of IOF attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem. These
attacks include passing legislation to annex the city, ethnic cleansing of the
city’s Palestinian population, confiscation of Palestinian property,
establishing and expanding Jewish settlements, and transgressions against holy
sites through demolitions and excavations in Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Centre reminds
the international community that similar attacks on the civil, political, and
cultural rights led to the eruption of a mass popular uprising in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT) at the end of September 2000.
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 was
opened for two hours on 6 February 2007 to allow the delegations of Hamas and
Fatah to head to Saudi Arabia. During this time, only 300 humanitarian cases
traveled both ways of the crossing. Dozens of patients remain waiting on the
crossing. 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. During the reporting period, the
crossing was opened only for one day. 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. 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
prevent Palestinian fishermen from fishing for nearly 8 months.
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. In addition, IOF soldiers positioned at various checkpoints in the
West Bank imprisoned 7 Palestinian civilians, including two children.
IOF
troops stationed at El-Karama Border Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan
prevented the Palestinian Deputy PM and the Minister of Planning from leaving
to Saudi Arabia.
The
outcome of crimes committed by IOF since 25 June 2006:
o 504
Palestinians, 320 of whom are civilians, including 96 children and 30 women,
have been killed by IOF. In the Gaza Strip alone, 411 Palestinians, 246 of whom
are civilians, including 85 children, 28 women and 4 paramedics, have been
killed by IOF.
o At least
1698 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 364 children, 111 women. In the
Gaza Strip alone, 1292 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 351 children,
104 women, 4 paramedics and 7 journalists, have been wounded by the IOF
gunfire.
o At least
329 air-to-surface missiles and hundreds of artillery shells have been fired at
Palestinian civilian and military targets in the Gaza Strip.
o Buildings
of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the Ministry of National economy, the office of the Palestinian Prime Minister
and a number of educational institutions have been destroyed.
o The
electricity generation plant, providing 45% of the electricity of the Gaza
Strip, was destroyed, and electricity networks and transmitters have been
repeatedly attacked.
o 6 bridges
linking Gaza City with the central Gaza Strip and a number of roads have been
destroyed.
o Hundreds
of donums of agricultural land and dozens of houses have been destroyed.
o Hundreds
of Palestinian civilians, including 10 ministers and 31 members of the
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), including the Speaker, Deputy Speaker
and Secretary, have been imprisoned. Minster of Prisoners’ Affairs, Deputy
Prime Minister, Minister of Labor and Second Deputy Speaker of the PLC were
released.
o The
Palestinian governmental compound in Nablus has been destroyed.
o Many
families in Rafah, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia have been forced to leave their
houses.
o IOF
intelligence has warned some Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by phone
to evacuate their houses, which would be attacked.
o 73 houses
belonging to activists of Palestinian factions have been destroyed by IOF
warplanes.
o IOF have
imposed a strict siege on the OPT, and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the
outside world.
Israeli
Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (1 – 7 February 2007)
The
full report is available PDF format.
