Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue
Systematic Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· A Palestinian child was killed by IOF in Tulkarm.
· 9 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and a woman, were
wounded by IOF gunfire.
· A British journalist was injured by a sound bomb detonated
by IOF in Bal’ein village near Ramallah.
· IOF conducted 18 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 84 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children
and 4 women.
· IOF destroyed a house in Nablus.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.
· IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank
arrested 7 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 (18 –
24 January 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 at least 18 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided
houses and arrested 84 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and 4 women.
Thus, the number of Palestinians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the
beginning of this year has mounted to 321. IOF also destroyed a house in
Nablus, claming that one of its residents is wanted.
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. 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. 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. During the reporting
period, IOF soldiers positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested
7 Palestinian civilians, including two children.
The
outcome of crimes committed by IOF since 25 June 2006:
o 497 Palestinians, 317 of whom are civilians, including 94
children and 30 women, have been killed by IOF. In the Gaza Strip alone, 410
Palestinians, 245 of whom are civilians, including 84 children, 28 women and 4
paramedics, have been killed by IOF.
o At least 1691 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 363
children, 111 women. In the Gaza Strip alone, 1291 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 arrested. 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 (25 – 31 January 2007)
The full report is available PDF format.
