Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue
Systematic Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 3 Palestinians, including a child, were killed by IOF in the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
· A Palestinian died from a previous wound in the Gaza Strip.
· A Palestinian worker was killed by an Israeli guard of a
construction site inside Israel.
· 19 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children, were
wounded by IOF gunfire.
· IOF conducted 22 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 54 Palestinian civilians, including a child.
· IOF transformed two houses into military sites.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.
· IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested
4 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children.
· The Gaza Strip has suffered from shortages in fuels and
basic goods.
· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside
the West Bank and have continued to impose restrictions on the movement of
Palestinians on both sides of the Wall.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank.
· Israeli settlers kidnapped and violently beat a Palestinian
child from Hazma village near Jerusalem.
· IOF demolished 6 houses in al-Jeftlik village near Jericho
and al-Sawhara village near Jericho, claiming that they were built without
licenses.
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 3 Palestinians, including a child, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
A child wounded by IOF was also pronounced clinically dead. Additionally, a
Palestinian worker was killed by an Israeli guard of a construction site inside
Israel, and a Palestinian died from a previous wound he had sustained last
year. IOF also wounded 19 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children, one of
whom was pronounced clinically dead.
In the West Bank, on Thursday
morning, 18 January 2007, IOF killed a Palestinian militant in an exchange of
fire in Nablus. IOF also wounded 6 civilians, including 4 children during an
incursion into Nablus; one of the children was pronounced clinically dead. Also
on Thursday morning, medical sources at Hadasa Hospital in West Jerusalem
declared that a 10-year-old Palestinian child, from ‘Anata village east of
Jerusalem, died from a wound she had sustained on the preceding day. IOF
attempted to exempt themselves from responsibility for her death, but
eyewitnesses asserted that she was hit by a sound bomb fired by IOF when she
was at school. On Wednesday, 24 January 2007, a Palestinian child was wounded in Burqa
village, west of Nablus, when IOF soldiers fired at a number of children who
threw stones at an IOF military vehicle. Six Palestinian civilians were also
wounded when IOF used force against a peaceful demonstration organized in
Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the
Annexation Wall.
In the Gaza Strip, on Thursday
morning, 24 January 2007, IOF killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded and
arrested two others, when the three civilians attempted to infiltrate into
Israel to search for jobs. During the reporting period, a member of the
Palestinian resistance died from a wound he had sustained in an exchange of
fire with IOF that moved into Khuza’a village on 9 September 2006.
Additionally, 4 Palestinian civilians, including two children, were wounded as
IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired at them
for no apparent reasons.
Incursions: During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 22 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided
houses and arrested 54 Palestinian civilians, including a child. Thus, the
number of Palestinians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of
this year has mounted to 237. IOF also transformed a commercial compound in
Nablus into a military site during an incursion into the city on Thursday, 18
January 2007 and fired at Palestinians from inside it.
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. The crossing point was partially reopened for two days to
allow some Palestinians to travel back to the Gaza Strip. 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 7 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. IOF positioned at various checkpoints
in the West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement
of Palestinian civilians. Contrary to Israeli claims, IOF have continued to
impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Sunday,
21 January 2007, Israeli military sources asserted claims by UN agencies that
most sand barriers that were decided to be removed in the context of “easing”
restrictions on the movement of Palestinians following the summit of
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert,
did not exist before these decisions. IOF declared on 16 January 2007 that they
removed 44 sand barriers that had blocked the entrances of some Palestinian
villages in the West Bank, but Israeli military sources asserted later that
most of those barriers had been removed before the decisions were taken either
by IOF or the Palestinian population. During the reporting period, IOF soldiers
positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 4 Palestinian
civilians, including 3 children.
Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct
the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank. On Thursday morning, 18 January 2007,
IOF declared that they would decrease the hours of opening of the gate at the
entrance of Jayous village, northeast of Qalqilya, from 12 to 3 hours daily.
According to Palestinian farmers, this short period is not enough for them to
go to their agricultural lands. During the reporting period, the IOF “Civil
Administration” requested residents of Barata’a village, southwest of Jenin, to
obtain magnetic cards in addition to existing permits to be able to pass
through the gate established on the Wall at the entrance of the village.
Additionally, IOF used force to disperse peaceful demonstration organized by
Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli solidarity activists in
protest to the construction of the Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah.
As a result, 7 Palestinian civilians were wounded.
Settlement
Activities: Israeli
settlers living in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law have
continued systematic attacks on Palestinian civilians and property. On Tuesday
evening, 18 January 2007, Israeli settlers kidnapped and violently beat a child
from Hazma village, northeast of Jerusalem. On Wednesday morning, 24 January
2007, Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, broke into ‘Awarta village, south of
Nablus, and attacked a cemetery and civilian property. On Monday, 22 January
2007, IOF demolished 6 houses in al-Jeftlik village, north of Jericho, and
al-Sawahra village, southeast of Jerusalem, claiming that they were built
without licenses. IOF refuse to issue such licenses for construction that is
needed to meet the natural population growth.
The
outcome of crimes committed by IOF since 25 June 2006:
o 496 Palestinians, 316 of whom are civilians, including 93
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 1682 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 360
children, 110 women. In the Gaza Strip alone, 1289 Palestinians, mostly
civilians, including 351 children, 104 women, 4 paramedics and 7 journalist, have
been wounded by the IOF gunfire.
o At least 328 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 (18 – 24 January 2007)
The
full report is available PDF format.
