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

· 26 Palestinians were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip and 1 Palestinian
was killed in the West Bank.

· 8 of the victims were civilians, including 2 brothers, a
child and an elderly man.

· 17 of the victims were killed during an Israeli incursion
into the east of Gaza City.

· 7 of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF.

· 51 Palestinians, including 3 elderly men, a woman and 2
brothers, were wounded by the IOF gunfire.

· IOF conducted 22 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank, and 3 into the Gaza Strip.

· IOF razed 30 donums[1]
of agricultural land in the Gaza Strip.

· IOF arrested 50 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children.

· IOF transformed 5 houses in Nablus and Qabatya into military
sites.

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

· IOF have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world and the
humanitarian crisis is worsening.

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

· IOF started to built a new settlement neighborhood in East
Jerusalem.

· IOF razed 40 donums of agricultural land in Hebron.  

Summary

Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law escalated in the OPT during the reporting
period (10 – 16 January 2008):

Shootings: During the reporting period, IOF killed
27 Palestinians, including a child, 2 brothers and an elderly man, and wounded 51
others.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF
killed 26 Palestinians, and wounded 44 others.

On 15 January, IOF killed
17 Palestinians, including 5 civilians, and wounded 30 others, including a
woman, during an incursion into the east of Gaza City, which lasted for 4
hours. On 13 January, IOF extra-judicially executed 2 Palestinians and wounded
a third. On the same day, IOF shelled a site of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam
Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas), killing 2 members at the site and wounding
a third. On 16 January, 3 Palestinian civilians (a man, his child and his
brother) were killed when an IOF aircraft fired a missile at their car. On the
same day, IOF extra-judicially executed 2 Palestinians in the central Gaza
Strip. 

In addition, IOF
wounded 6 members of the Palestinian resistance in the northern Gaza Strip on
15 and 16 January. On 15 January, a Palestinian farmer was wounded by the IOF
gunfire in al-Qarara village, east of Khan Yunis. On 16 January, an elderly man
was wounded in Jabalya town in the northern Gaza Strip, when an IOF aircraft
fired a missile at a tract of agricultural land.

In the West Bank, IOF
killed a Palestinian and wounded 6 others.

On 11 January, a
Palestinian civilian was wounded when IOF used force to disperse a peaceful
demonstration organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall
in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah. On 16 January, IOF extra-judicially
executed the leader of the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) in
the West Bank. Another 2 Palestinians were wounded and arrested in the same
attack. Also on 16 January, 4 Palestinian children were wounded when IOF used
force to disperse a demonstration organized in Hebron in protest at Israeli
attacks against the Gaza Strip.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 22 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. IOF arrested 50 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children. Since
the beginning of 2008, IOF have arrested 147 Palestinians in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip. During the reporting period, IOF troops also transformed 5 houses
into military sites.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF
conducted 3 incursions into Palestinian communities. During these incursions,
IOF demolished razed 30 donums of agricultural land. They also destroyed the
remains of shops and factories in Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip.

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.

PCHR is following the
deterioration of economic and social conditions resulting from the total siege
imposed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on the Occupied Palestinian
Territory with the utmost concern, especially as regards the Gaza Strip. PCHR
is extremely concerned that living standards of the Palestinian civilian
population in Gaza will further deteriorate if the recommendations of the Israeli
Security Committee continue to be implemented, as this will result in at least
60% of the Palestinian civilian population being deprived of electricity
supplies. In addition, many facilities that provide vital civilian services will
be curtailed, due to lack of electricity.  

Gaza Strip

To date, IOF have closed all border crossings to the
Gaza Strip for almost 18 months continuously. The total siege imposed by IOF on
the Gaza Strip has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian situation in
Gaza, and has violated the economic and social rights of the Palestinian
civilian population, particularly their 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 of 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. After
the Hamas’ takeover of Gaza in June 2007, IOF further tightened the siege
imposed on the Gaza Strip, and the living and economic conditions of
Palestinian civilians in Gaza have subsequently deteriorated. On 19 September
2007, the Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip “A hostile entity” and
measures of collective punishment against the civilian population of Gaza
escalated from this point. Since September 2007, the Israeli Government have severely
limited the goods exported to the Gaza Strip to just nine basic materials. Consequently,
local markets have run out of many goods, causing sharp increases in prices,
which in some cases have amounted to 500%.

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 systematically
been denied access to Jerusalem. IOF have established many checkpoints in and
around 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 assault and 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 have also erected more checkpoints on the main roads
and intersections in the West Bank.

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement
activities, and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have, in violation of
international humanitarian law, continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
During the reporting period, IOF started construction of a settlement that
would include 66 housing units for Israeli settlers in the Ras al-‘Aamoud
neighborhood in East Jerusalem. According to the Israeli daily newspaper, Haaretz,
the project obtained its license from the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem. On
15 January, IOF They razed at least 40 donums of agricultural land planted with
olive and almond trees, and destroyed 6 wells and a number of fences and roads
in Beit Oula village near Hebron. On 12 January, dozens of Israeli settlers
attacked Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron. Twelve Palestinian
civilians were wounded, and IOF troops arrested 4 of them.

Israeli Violations Documented during
the Reporting Period (10 – 16 January 2008)

The
full report is available PDF format.