Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
Continue Systematic Attacks against
Palestinian Civilians in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Continue to Impose Total Siege on the
Gaza Strip
· Four Palestinians were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip and
the West Bank.
· One of the victims was extra-judicially executed by IOF.
· Five Palestinians, including one child, were wounded by IOF
gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
· IOF warplanes continued to bombard targets in the Gaza
Strip.
· Intensive air strikes also continued on the border between
the Gaza Strip and Egypt, forcing local people to evacuate their homes.
· IOF conducted 32 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank, and one into the Gaza Strip.
· IOF arrested 30 Palestinian civilians, including 10
children.
· IOF confiscated quantities of agricultural fertilizers in
Jenin.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and
have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF imposed a comprehensive closure on the OPT on the eve of
the Israeli elections.
· IOF troops arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including, at a
military checkpoint in the West Bank.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
· Israeli settlers razed 250 donumms[1]
of agricultural land in Yassouf village near Salfit.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (5 – 11 February 2009):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF
killed four Palestinians and wounded five others, including one child, in the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF
killed three members of the Palestinian resistance in two separate incidents in
Khan Yunis and Beit Hanoun towns on 5 and 9 February.
On 6 February, a
Palestinian fisherman was wounded when IOF naval troops opened fire at
Palestinian fishing boat in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip.
In the
West Bank, on 5 February, IOF extra-judicially executed a member of the al-Quds
Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) in Qabatya village, southeast of
Jenin. IOF raided his family’s house one month ago and threatened to kill him
if he did not surrender to them.
On 6 February, a Palestinian
civilian was wounded when IOF fired at a peaceful demonstration organized by
Palestinian civilians in Hebron.
During the reporting period, three Palestinian
civilians, including one child, were injured when IOF used force against
peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the
Annexation Wall.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 32 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. IOF arrested 30 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children.
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
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 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.
· Health conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated, and
all medical facilities are being affected by chronic power shortages.
· The lives of premature babies continue to be at risk as they
depend on medical equipment, such as incubators, that are electrically powered.
· Standards of living arcoss 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 three Palestinian
civilians at military checkpoints 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. On 6 February, Israeli settlers living in
“Ramat Yishai” settlement outpost in Tal al-Rumaida neighborhood in
the center of Hebron attacked Palestinian houses in the area. Also during the
reporting period, Israeli settlers from “Taffouh” settlement,
escorted by IOF, razed large areas of Palestinian land in Yassouf village,
northeast of Salfit. According to the local council of the village, the
settlers razed at least 250 donumms of land, and then replanted 200 donumms of
the same land with their own crops.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting
Period (5 – 11 February 2009)
The full report is available PDF format.
