Israeli
Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian
Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

· 9 Palestinians were killed by IOF.

· 4 of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in
Bethlehem.

· 3 of the victims bled to death.

· A Palestinian died from a previous wound.

· 17 Palestinians, including 7 children and a woman, were
wounded by IOF.  

· IOF conducted 47 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank and one into the Gaza Strip.

· IOF arrested 78 Palestinian civilians, including 12
children, in the West Bank.

· IOF razed at least 24 donums[1]
of agricultural land and demolished a house in the Gaza Strip.  

· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.

· The number of Palestinian patients who have died due to the
siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since June 2007 has mounted to 30.

· One Palestinian civilian was arrested by IOF at a checkpoint
in the West Bank.

· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and
property.

· The construction of 1,150 housing units in East Jerusalem
was approved.

· 10 houses were demolished by IOF.

· Israeli settlers attacked the car of a member of the
Palestinian Legislative Council

Summary

Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law seriously escalated in the OPT,
especially in the Gaza Strip, during the reporting period (6 – 12 March 2008):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF
killed 9 Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and a civilian died
from a previous wound. IOF also wounded 17 Palestinians.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF
killed 4 activists of the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) in
2 separate attacks in the south and north on 6 March 2008. Three of the victims
bled to death as ambulances were not able to attend them due to the presence of
IOF. On 10 March 2008, a Palestinian civilian died from a wound he had
sustained on 1 March 2008, when IOF aircrafts bombarded a house in Gaza City.
Additionally, 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded by the IOF gunfire in the
Gaza Strip during the reporting period.

In the West Bank, IOF
killed 5 Palestinians on 12 March 2008. They first killed an activist of the
al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) in Saida village, north of
Tulkarm. An IOF undercover unit then extra-judicially executed 4 activists of
the Palestinian resistance in Bethlehem. During the reporting period, 14
Palestinian civilians, including 7 children and a woman, were wounded by the
IOF gunfire in the West Bank. 

Incursions: During
the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 47 military incursions into
Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF arrested 78 Palestinian civilians,
including 12 children. Thus, the number of Palestinian civilians arrested by
IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of 2008 has mounted to 642. IOF also closed
al-Majd Radio in Jenin after confiscating its equipment.

Gaza Strip

IOF have continued to close all border
crossings of the Gaza Strip for more than one year and a half. The total siege
imposed by IOF on the Gaza Strip has left disastrous impacts on the
humanitarian situation and has violated the economic and social rights of the
nearly 1.5 million Palestinian civilian population, particularly the rights to
appropriate living conditions, health and education. It has also paralyzed most
economic sectors. Furthermore, severe restrictions have been imposed on the
movement of the Palestinian civilian population. The siege imposed on the Gaza
Strip 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 further tightened the siege imposed on the Gaza
Strip since Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip, and the living and economic
conditions of Palestinian civilians have further deteriorated. In September
2007, the Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip as “a hostile entity,”
which implies imposing more restrictions and measures of collective punishment
against the Palestinian civilian population. Since then, IOF have sharply
decreased food and fuel supplies allowed into the Gaza Strip. IOF have continued to prevent the entry of
raw materials into the Gaza Strip, and subsequently many factories have stopped
their industrial activities. Concerning the movement of persons, IOF allow a
few Palestinian civilians to pass through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to travel
to the West Bank. Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border is the
sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world. 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 closure of border crossings deprives the
Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip of their right to freedom of
movement, education and health. IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on fishing in the Gaza Strip. Fishermen have been subjected to
intensive monitoring by IOF, which use helicopter gunships and gunboats to
monitor the fishermen. The Oslo Accords allow Palestinian fishermen to go
fishing up to 20 nautical miles away from the Gaza seashore.

West Bank

IOF have continued to
impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. Thousands
of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied
access to Jerusalem. IOF have established many checkpoints around and inside
the city. Restrictions of the movement of Palestinian civilians often escalate
on Fridays to prevent them from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque. IOF often
violently beat Palestinian civilians who attempt to bypass checkpoints and
enter the city. IOF have also tightened the siege imposed on Palestinian
communities in the West Bank. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the
West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians. IOF also erected more checkpoints on the main roads and
intersections in the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF imposed a
total closure on the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, from 7 to 10 March
2008. IOF troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested one
Palestinian civilian.

Settlement
Activities: IOF
have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the
OPT in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack
Palestinian civilians and property. On 9 March 2008, the Israeli government
approved the construction of 1,150 new housing units for Israeli settlers in
East Jerusalem. During the reporting period, IOF demolished 10 houses in the
West Bank rendering 64 Palestinians homeless. Israeli settlers also attacked
the car of a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council when she was
traveling from Tulkarm to Ramallah. She was injured and her car was damaged.  

Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (6 – 12 March 2008)

The full report is available PDF format.