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
· Five Palestinians, including a child, were killed by IOF in
the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
· One of the victims was extra-judicially executed by IOF.
· Twenty six Palestinians, including six children and a woman,
were injured by IOF gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
· IOF warplanes bombarded targets in the Gaza Strip.
· Intensive air strikes on the border between the Gaza Strip
and Egypt, forced civilians to evacuate their homes in the area.
· IOF conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 54 Palestinian civilians.
· Eighteen houses were transformed by IOF into military sites.
· 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 one Palestinian civilian.
·IOF have continued
measures aimed at creating a demographic Jewish majority in east Jerusalem.
· IOF ordered the evacuation and demolition of 129 houses.
· 1,000 Palestinian civilians are threatened with having their
homes demolished by IOF.
· The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem forced two families to
demolish their homes in Jerusalem.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
· IOF confiscated 222 donumms[1]
of Palestinian land in Ramallah and Hebron.
· Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilian vehicles on
roads near Nablus.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (05 – 11 March 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF
killed 4 activists of the Palestinian resistance and wounded 7 Palestinians,
including a child and her mother, in the Gaza Strip. They also killed a child
and wounded 17 civilians, including five children, in the West Bank.
In the
Gaza Strip, on 05 March, IOF killed three armed Palestinian activists near the
border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of al-Maghazi refugee camp.
On 07
March, IOF extra-judicially executed an armed activist of the al-Quds Brigades
(the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) and wounded another in Beit Lahia town in the
northern Gaza Strip.
On 07 March 2009, a
woman and her child were injured when IOF gunboats opened fire at fishing boats
in Rafah.
On 10 March, four
police officers were injured when IOF gunboats shelled their vehicles in Beit
Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip. On the same day, a Palestinian civilian
was injured when IOF opened fire at houses in al-Maghazi refugee camp in the
central Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, on 11 March February, IOF shot dead a Palestinian
child and injured and arrested another near Ramallah. They claimed he had attempted
to throw a Molotov Cocktail bottle at Israeli vehicles.
On 6 March 2009, a Palestinian child was injured when IOF fired at
Palestinian demonstrators in Nablus.
On 8 March, a Palestinian civilian was injured when IOF fired at
Palestinian demonstrators in Jayous village, northeast of Qalqilya.
During the reporting period, 14 Palestinian
civilians, including three children, were wounded when IOF used force against
peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of the
Annexation Wall.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. IOF arrested 54 Palestinian civilians. IOF also transformed 18 houses
into military sites. During the house raids, IOF damaged a number of houses.
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
· 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 majority of the
civilian population lack continual access to safe drinking water.
· Hundreds of thousands
of civilians continue to endue power cuts, which affects their daily quality of
life.
· The Rafah
International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a limited number
of patients who received medical treatment abroad and subsequently needed to
return home to the Gaza Strip.
· IOF have continued to
close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to
the West Bank and Israel for medical treatment, trade or social visits.
· IOF have imposed
additional restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and
humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. They have also prevented
representatives of international humanitarian organizations from entering the
Gaza Strip in order to assess the humanitarian situation.
· The lives of premature
babies continue to be at risk as they depend on medical equipment, such as
incubators, that requires constant electricity.
· Standards of living
across Gaza have seriously deteriorated, whilst poverty and unemployment levels
have sharply increased.
· At least 900 Palestinian
prisoners in Israeli jails continue to be deprived of all family visits. The
visits were first suspended sixteen months ago, in June 2007.
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 arrested one Palestinian civilian at an IOF military checkpoint.
Creating a
Demographic Jewish majority in east Jerusalem: IOF continue to take arbitrary
measures against Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem in order to force them
out of the city. During the reporting period, IOF ordered 129 families counting
at least 1,000 individuals to evacuate their homes, which are scheduled to be
demolished. In addition, IOF forced two Palestinians in Jerusalem to demolish
their homes, claiming that they were built without licenses.
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
confiscated 222 donumms of land in Ramallah and Hebron. Israeli settlers also burnt
a house built by the Public Committee against the Wall in Bal’ein village, west
of Ramallah, and attacked Palestinian civilian vehicles on roads near Nablus.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (05 – 11 March
2009)
The full report is available PDF format.
