Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue
Systematic Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 4 Palestinian civilians were killed by IOF in Ramallah.
· 31 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, were wounded
by IOF in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
· IOF conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank and one into the Gaza Strip.
· IOF arrested 117 Palestinian civilians, including 9
children and a woman.
· IOF transformed a house in al-‘Arroub refugee camp near
Hebron into a military site.
· IOF arrested 14 Palestinian fishermen 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 IOF positioned at various
checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 4 Palestinian civilians.
· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside
the West Bank.
Summary
Israeli violations of international
law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (28 December
2006 – 10 January 2007):
Killing: On Thursday, 4 January 2007, IOF
killed 4 Palestinian civilians and wounded 19 others, including a journalist,
during an incursion into Ramallah. IOF employed undercover units, heavy
military vehicles and a helicopter during this incursion, which coincided with
a summit between the Egyptian President Husni Mubarak and the Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert in Sharm al-Shiekh to discuss means to resume the peace
process in the region. IOF claimed that this incursion aimed at arresting a
wanted Palestinian. For this purpose, they used an undercover unit, which was
discovered by Palestinians, so IOF military vehicles moved into the town.
Furthermore, two Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF moved into Nablus
and Bethlehem to arrest a number of Palestinian civilians. A third Palestinian
civilian was also wounded when IOF used force against a peaceful demonstration
protesting the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein village, west of
Ramallah.
In the Gaza Strip, 9 Palestinian
civilians, including 4 children, were wounded by the IOF gunfire. IOF fired at
these civilians for no apparent reasons. It is worth noting that 30 Palestinian
civilians have been wounded by the IOF gunfire in the northern Gaza Strip since
Israeli – Palestinian truce entered into force nearly one month and a half ago.
Incursions: During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 40 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank, the largest of which was into
Ramallah on 4 January 2007. During these incursions, IOF raided houses and
arrested 117 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children and a woman. IOF also transformed
a house in al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, into a military site. In the
Gaza Strip, on 31 December 2006, IOF moved into Abu Safiya area in the east of
Jabalya refugee camp. They fired at two Palestinian civilians, including a
child, who were hunting birds in the area.
Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT
and have 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 reopened from 28 to 30 December
2006 to allow Palestinian civilians to travel back to the Gaza Strip to join
their families in the Eid al-Adha. It was reopened again from 4 to 9
January 2007 to allow Palestinian pilgrims coming from Saudi Arabia to travel
back to the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of civilians were also able to travel to
Egypt. 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. During
the reporting period, IOF arrested 14 Palestinian fishermen. They released 8
fishermen, but have kept the others in custody.
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 promises vowed by the Israeli Prime
Minister, Ehud Olmert, to Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, during their
summit in Jerusalem on 23 December 2006 to ease the movement of Palestinian
civilians, IOF 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 4 Palestinian civilians.
The
outcome of crimes committed by IOF since 25 June 2006:
o 488 Palestinians, 311 of whom are civilians, including 92
children and 30 women, have been killed by IOF. In the Gaza Strip alone, 406
Palestinians, 244 of whom are civilians, including 84 children, 28 women and 4
paramedics, have been killed by IOF.
o At least 1663 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 351
children, 110 women. In the Gaza Strip alone, 1285 Palestinians, mostly
civilians, including 349 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[1] 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 (28 December 2006 – 10 January 2007)
The
full report is available PDF format.
