Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose a Total Siege on
the Gaza Strip
· 5 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, were wounded
by IOF in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
· 6 Palestinian civilians, including a journalist, and an
Israeli human rights defender, were wounded when IOF used force against
peaceful protest against the Annexation Wall.
· IOF conducted 18 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 28 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children,
in the West Bank.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and
have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF troops positioned at military checkpoints in the West
Bank arrested 3 Palestinian civilians.
· IOF have continued measures aimed at establishing a Jewish
majority in occupied east Jerusalem.
· IOF demolished a structure recently added to a house and
violently beat 5 women from the family.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
· 12 Palestinian civilians were injured by Israeli settlers.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting
period (25 June – 01 July 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, 5
Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire in the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
On 01 July 2009, 4 Palestinian civilians,
including 3 children, were wounded when IOF soldiers waiting in an ambush to
the south of Nablus fired at them.
During the reporting period, 6
Palestinian civilians, including a journalist, and an Israeli human rights
defender were wounded when IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations
organized by Palestinian civilians in protest to the construction of the
Annexation Wall in the West Bank.
In the Gaza Strip, on 29 June 2009,
a Palestinian child was wounded when IOF troops positioned at the border
between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at Palestinian communities.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 18 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. IOF arrested 28 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children.
Gaza Strip
IOF have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza
Strip for more than two years. The IOF siege of Gaza, 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 for Palestinian civilians wishing to travel
to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.
· Poverty had mounted to
approximately 80% and unemployment has mounted to 60% 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 have sharply mounted.
· At least 900
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been denied family visitation rights
for more than 24 months.
· 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 permanent 630 roadblocks, 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.
· During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at
military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 3 Palestinian civilians.
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. During the reporting
period, 12 Palestinian civilians were injured by Israeli settlers.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (25 June – 01
July 2009)
The full report is available PDF format.
