Israeli
Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian
Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
· 9 Palestinians, including a woman, were killed by IOF in the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
· 3 of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF.
· 35 Palestinians, including 6 children and a woman, were
injured by IOF.
· IOF conducted 43 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank, and five into the Gaza Strip.
· IOF used dozens of Palestinian civilians, including children
and women, as human shields during military operations in ‘Abassan village in
the southern Gaza Strip.
· IOF razed 634 donums[1]
of agricultural land and destroyed 5 greenhouses, 9 bird farms and 43 houses in
the southern Gaza Strip.
· IOF arrested 100 Palestinian civilians, including 15
children, in the West Bank, and arrested fifty people in the Gaza Strip, as
well as holding another 52 people for questioning.
· IOF confiscated the contents of a sewing workshop of the
Islamic Charity in Hebron and ordered its closure for 3 years.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.
· The fuel crisis in the Gaza Strip has escalated.
· 2 Palestinian civilian were arrested by IOF at military
checkpoints in the West Bank.
· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the
West Bank.
· IOF issued notices to six Palestinian civilians in Beit ‘Awa
village, south of Hebron, that their houses will be demolished.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and
property.
· IOF plan to expand “Har Brakha” settlement near Nablus on a
229-donum area of Palestinian land.
· Three Palestinian civilians and 2 international human rights
defenders were injured by Israeli settlers.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law seriously escalated in the OPT,
especially in the Gaza Strip, during the reporting period (30 April – 7 May 2008):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF
killed 9 Palestinians, including a woman, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and
wounded 35 others, including 6 children and a woman, also in the Gaza Strip. Three
of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in southern Gaza.
On 30 April 2008, IOF
extra-judicially executed 2 al-Quds Brigades activists (the armed wing of
Islamic Jihad) and wounded a third, as well as three civilian bystanders,
including 2 children, in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip. An IOF aircraft
fired missiles at a workshop in Rafah, whilst the activists were inside the
workshop. On 1 May, IOF extra-judicially executed an activist from the
‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) in Rafah. An IOF
aircraft fired a missile at the activist whilst he was walking in the street. A
nearby child was also injured. On 4 May, IOF killed a Palestinian civilian and
wounded 5 others during an incursion into Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis,
in southern Gaza. On 6 May, IOF killed a ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades activist,
and wounded a second in Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip. IOF fired a
surface-to-surface missile at the activists. On 7 May, IOF killed a Palestinian
woman and a Palestinian resistance activist, and wounded 4 civilians, including
2 children, during an incursion into ‘Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis.
Incursions: During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 43 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF arrested 100 Palestinian
civilians, including 15 children. The number of Palestinian civilians arrested
by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of 2008 stands at 1,151. IOF also
raided a sewing workshop belonging to the Islamic Charity in Hebron and ordered
its closure for 3 years.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 5 incursions into Palestinian
communities. During these incursions, IOF razed at least 634 donums of
agricultural land; destroyed 5 greenhouses, 9 bird farms and 43 houses. In
addition, 50 Palestinian civilians were arrested, and another 52 held for
questioning.
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 continued to close all
border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than one year and a half. The IOF
imposed siege has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian situation in the
Gaza Strip, and has violated the human, economic and social rights of the approximately
1.5 million Palestinian civilian population, particularly their rights to
appropriate living conditions, health and education. The siege has also paralyzed
the Gazan economy. In addition, the siege has severely impacted the flow of
food, medical supplies and other necessities such as fuel, construction
materials and raw materials for various economic sectors. IOF have continued to
prevent the entry of raw materials into the Gaza Strip, and many factories have
been forced to close. Severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of
the entire Palestinian civilian population. Regarding civilian movements, IOF permit
a few Palestinian civilians to pass through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in
order to travel to the West Bank or Israel. Rafah International Crossing Point in the
southern Gaza Strip is the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world
via a country other than Israel. IOF have closed Rafah International Crossing
Point, even though they do not directly control it. They have prevented
European observers working at the crossing point form reaching it.
The following are the most
significant current impacts of the IOF siege of the Gaza Strip, including the
current impacts of fuel deprivation.
· Streets across the Gaza Strip are empty, and daily life has
almost been paralyzed.
· Two weeks ago UNRWA was forced to suspend food aid to at
least 650,000 Palestinian refugees living in the Gaza Strip because of fuel
shortages.
· Livings conditions of the civilian populations have
continued to deteriorate.
· Hundreds of patients have been denied access to medical
treatment outside the Gaza Strip.
· Many university and school students have not been able to
reach their educational institutions due to overwhelming demand for public
transport.
· Only 15% of public transport is operating, due to lack of
fuel.
· The operation of 15 wells have been stopped and at least
100,000 people across the Gaza Strip now face severe difficulties in accessing safe
drinking water.
· Access to 125 reservoirs has decreased due to lack of fuel.
· Twelve sewage treatment plants lack the necessary fuel
supplies to operate at full capacity, and subsequently at least 40,000 liters
of untreated sewage have been pumped into the sea daily.
· Piles of garbage are seen in the streets, which may cause
environmental and widespread sanitary problems.
· At least 85% of vehicles of the Coastal Municipalities Water
Utility have not been able to operate in order to supply safe drinking water,
treat sewage and maintain the current sewage networks.
· Poverty and employment have sharply increased.
The closure of border crossings is depriving the
Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip of their right to freedom of
movement, education and health. IOF have also continued to impose severe
restrictions on fishing in the Gaza Strip. Fishermen in the Gaza Strip have
been subjected to intensive monitoring by IOF, which use helicopter gunships
and gunboats to monitor and harass the fishermen. Under the 1994 Interim Agreement,
Palestinian, fishermen are permitted to fish up to 20 nautical miles away from
the Gaza seashore. However, IOF have never honoured the rights of the fishermen
under the Interim Agreement.
West Bank
Contrary to Israeli claims
to have eased restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians, IOF have
continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians throughout the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the
West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, have been denied access to Jerusalem, including
occupied East Jerusalem. IOF have established numerous checkpoints around and
inside East Jerusalem. Restrictions of the movement of Palestinian civilians
often escalate on Fridays in order to prevent them from praying at the al-Aqsa
Mosque. IOF often harass and assault Palestinian civilians who attempt to
bypass checkpoints and enter the city. IOF positioned at checkpoints across the
West Bank have also continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians. During the reporting period, IOF imposed comprehensive
closures on the OPT on Friday, 2 May, and on Tuesday, 6 May. In addition, IOF
troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested two
Palestinian civilians.
Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank. For this purpose, during the reporting
period, IOF handed notices to six Palestinian civilians in Beit ‘Awa village,
southwest of Hebron, that their houses, which are located 450-1,000 meters away
from the Annexation Wall, will be demolished. IOF claimed that the houses were
built without licenses, and gave the owners until 24 May to appeal against the demolition
decision.
Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities
and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have continued to attack
Palestinian civilians and property in violation of international human rights
law. During the reporting period, IOF revealed a plan to expand “Har Brakha”
settlement, south of Nablus. The plan includes the construction of several
housing units on 229 donums of land belonging to Bourin village, which is a
Palestinian village. Israeli settlers also continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and their property. On 2 May, at least 15 armed Israeli settlers
attacked a Palestinian family in the al-Teera area west of Ramallah. On the
same day, Israeli settlers armed with stones and batons also attacked a number
of Palestinian civilians in Tawani village, south of Hebron. A number of
international solidarity activists arrived at the area to protect the
civilians. However, more Israeli settlers arrived in the area and also attacked
the solidarity activists. One Palestinian civilian and two international
solidarity activists subsequently sustained bruises. On 3 May, a number of
Israeli settlers from “Yits’har” settlement, south of Nablus, attacked a house
belonging to Jamal Yousef Saleh in the southeast of ‘Assira village, south of
Nablus. The settlers set fired to agricultural areas and threw stones at the
house. A number of local villagers came to the area to support Saleh and assist
him in extinguishing the fire. The settlers also beat the locals who came to
his assistance.
Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (30 April – 7 May 2008)
The full report is available PDF format.
