Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Closure on
the Gaza Strip
· Two Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed by
IOF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
· Two Palestinian resistance activists were killed in the east
of the Gaza Strip.
· Rescue teams found the body of a Palestinian who was missing
after IOF had attacked the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
· 4 Palestinian civilians and a resistance activist were wounded
by IOF gunfire.
· IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in
protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
· IOF conducted 22 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank and one into the Gaza Strip.
· IOF arrested 39 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children
and a woman, in the West Bank.
· Israeli naval troops continued to attack Palestinian fishers
and fishing boats in the Gaza Strip.
· A fishing boat was totally burnt and another one was damaged
when Israeli gunboats opened fire at them.
· IOF have continued to impose a total closure on the OPT and
have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting
period (27 August – 02 September 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF
killed two Palestinian civilians, including a child, in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank. Two members of the ‘Izziddin
al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) were also killed in the Gaza
Strip, and Hamas accused IOF of killing them. The body of a Palestinian, who had been missing since last week, was
also found near the Egyptian border, south of Rafah. Additionally, 4
Palestinian civilians, including two medical personnel and a child, and a
resistance activist were wounded by IOF.
In the Gaza Strip, on 27 August
2009, IOF gunboats fired an artillery shell at a number of Palestinian fishers
in the northern Gaza Strip, killing one fisher.
On 01 September 2009, two members of
the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) were killed
in the Gaza Strip, and Hamas accused IOF of killing them.
On 29 August 2009, civil defense crews and a number of
civilians found the body of a Palestinian near Salah al-Din Gate on the
Egyptian border south of Rafah. The
victim and his two brothers were killed on Tuesday, 25 August 2009, when an IOF
warplane fired a missile at a tunnel on the Egyptian border.
On 30 August 2009, IOF warplanes
bombarded a building of the Palestinian Energy Authority in Gaza City. The building was destroyed.
On 31 August 2009, IOF gunboats
opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in the northern Gaza Strip. A fishing boat was totally burnt and another
one was damaged.
On 31 August 2009, IOF shot dead a Palestinian child and
arrested 4 others in al-Jalazoun refugee camp, in the West Bank. They also wounded two medical personnel who
attempted to evacuate the child to the hospital.
IOF used force against peaceful
demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli
human rights defenders to protest the construction of the Annexation Wall in
the West Bank.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 22 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West
Bank. IOF arrested 39 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and a
woman.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted two
limited incursions into Palestinian communities, during which they leveled
areas of Palestinian land they had already razed.
Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a tightened closure 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 two years. The IOF closure of the Gaza Strip, which has
steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the
humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.
· 1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights,
including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living
conditions, work, health and education.
· The main concern of
1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of
food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.
· IOF have continued to
prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more
than two years.
· IOF have not allowed
fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas,
since 10 December 2008.
· The Rafah
International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number of
patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the
Gaza Strip.
· IOF have continued to
close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in the face of Palestinian civilians wishing
to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social
visits.
· Poverty and
unemployment rates stand at approximately 80% and 60% respectively in the Gaza
Strip.
· IOF have continued to
prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage systems. Losses
incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.
· IOF have imposed
additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian
workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of
several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.
· Living conditions of
the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of
poverty and unemployment are among the highest in the world.
· At least 900
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived for family visitation
for more than two years.
· IOF have continued to
attack Palestinian fishers along the Gaza Strip coast.
West Bank
IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied
East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.
· IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem,
severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently
prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
· There are approximately 630 permanent roadblocks, and manned
and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are some
60-80 ‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West Bank by IOF
every week.
· When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for
724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population.
350 kilometers of the Wall has already been constructed. Approximately 99% of
the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating
Palestinian land.
· At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian
communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of
72 roads).
· There are around 500 kilometers of restricted roads across
the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including
occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit
issued by the IOF. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.
· IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold
peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.
· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in
Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and
searched in the streets by IOF.
Settlement
Activities: IOF have
continued settlement activities in the OPT in violation of international
humanitarian law and Israeli settlers have continued to attack
Palestinian civilians and property. On 27 August 2009, Israeli settlers attacked 3
Palestinian civilian vehicles belonging to the al-Za’tari family in al-Bawaira
neighborhood in Hebron, between “Kiryat Arba” and
“Kharsina” settlement. The
vehicles were damaged. On the same day,
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian houses in the same area using stones and
empty bottles. A number of houses were
damaged. On 28 August 2009, 3 Israeli
settlers living in “Ramat Yishai” settlement outpost in Tal Rumaida
neighborhood in the center of Hebron chased and violently beat Shareef Mohammed
Abu ‘Eisha, 12. The child sustained bruises
to the head and the back. IOF troops
witnessed the attack, but did not intervene to stop it. On 29 August 2009, Israeli settlers living in
“Ramat Yishai” settlement outpost in the center of Hebron attacked
Palestinian houses in Tal Rumaida neighborhood using stones and empty
bottles. A number of houses were
damaged. Israeli settlers from
“Ariel” settlement, north of Salfit, released herds of pigs into the
west of the town. According to local
sources, the pigs have damaged at least 80% of arable lands in al-Yanabee’
area.
Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (27 August – 02 September 2009)
The full report is available PDF format.
