Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the OPT
and Continue to Impose a Total Siege on the Population of the Gaza Strip
· Two Palestinians were killed by IOF and two others died of
previous injuries sustained in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
· One of the victims was extra-judicially executed by IOF.
· A member of the Palestinian resistance was killed by IOF and
a Palestinian civilian in the Gaza Strip died of injuries sustained by IOF.
· Fourty four Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 22
children, a pregnant woman, and an international human rights defender, were
wounded by IOF gunfire in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
· IOF warplanes bombarded targets in the Gaza Strip.
· A workshop was completely destroyed and a number of civilian
houses were damaged.
· IOF carried out intensive air strikes on the border area between
the Gaza Strip and Egypt, forcing local residents to evacuate the area.
· IOF conducted 28 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· IOF arrested 42 Palestinian civilians, including three
children.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and
have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
· IOF troops arrested a Palestinian civilian at a military
checkpoint in the West Bank.
· IOF have continued to take measures aiming at the
Judaization of Jerusalem.
· IOF demolished four civilian houses in al-‘Eissawiya and
Sho’fat.
· IOF demolished commercial facilities in the Jabal al-Tour
area.
· IOF declared the completion of infrastructure of the E1
settlement project.
· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank
and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and
property.
· 90 donums[1]
of agricultural land were razed in Qalqilya in the West Bank.
· At least 100 olive trees were uprooted in Hebron.
Summary
Israeli violations of
international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting
period (29 January – 4 February 2009).
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF
killed two Palestinian civilian and wounded 44 others, including 22 children, a
pregnant woman, and an international human rights defender in the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip. In addition, two Palestinians died of wounds sustained during
the IOF offensive on the Gaza Strip.
In the Gaza Strip, on 2
February 2009, IOF extra-judicially executed a Palestinian activist and wounded
two others and two passing children in Rafah. An IOF drone fired a missile at
the car in which the activists were traveling.
On 29 January 2009, an
IOF drone fired a missile at a Hamas member who was riding a motorcycle near
Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. He and 17 civilian bystanders, including 11
school children and a pregnant woman, were wounded.
During the reporting
period, two Palestinians died of wounds they had sustained during the IOF
offensive on the Gaza Strip.
IOF warplanes also
launched a series of air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip, including
two sites of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas, the border strip
between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, a police station and a workshop.
In the West Bank, on 2
February 2009, IOF shot dead a Palestinian civilian in Hebron, claiming that he
fired at a military checkpoint.
On 29 January 2009, a
man and a woman was wounded when IOF moved into Beit Ummar village and opened
fire indiscriminately.
On 30 January 2009, IOF
fired at a Palestinian peaceful demonstration in Hebron. As a result, 9
Palestinian civilians, including 6 children, were wounded.
On 2 February 2009, a
Palestinian child was wounded when IOF troops fired at Palestinian children who
threw stones at military vehicles in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah.
During the reporting period, 10
Palestinian civilians, including two children, and an international human
rights defender, were wounded when IOF used force against peaceful
demonstrations organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall
west of Ramallah.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF
conducted at least 28 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the
West Bank. IOF arrested 42 Palestinian civilians, including 3 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 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.
· The majority of the civilian population lack access to drinking
water.
· Electricity is cut off for 100,000s of civilians from 8-12
hours daily, which has impacted at least 500,000 students or various stages of
education who are currently having exams./
· The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was repeatedly forced
to suspend it humanitarian aids program for at least 750,000 Palestinian
refugees in the Gaza Strip.
· 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.
· IOF have imposed additional restrictions on access of
international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers to the Gaza
Strip. They have prevented representatives of several international
humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.
· Health conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated and
all medical facilities have been impacted as scores of medical sets are
operated by electricity. Dozens medicines have been lacking.
· The lives of newly born babies, whose development has not
been completed, is endangered as they need medical equipments in neonatal units
that are operated by electricity.
· 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 deprived for family visitation for more than 16 months.
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 a checkpoint in the West Bank.
Judaization of
Jerusalem: IOF have
escalated arbitrary measures against Palestinian civilians in East Jerusalem to
force them to leave the city. During the reporting period, IOF demolished 4
houses and a number of civilian facilities in Jerusalem. IOF also declared the
completion of works on the infrastructure of a settlement project known as
“E1”, and that they would start to build Jewish settlement
neighborhoods that can ensure geographical contiguity between “Ma’ale
Adomim” settlement bloc, east of Jerusalem and the areas of al-‘Eissawiya,
al-Za’im, Sheikh Jarrah and Jabal al-Tour
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. On 3 February 2009, a number of Palestinian
civilians from Sa’ir village, northeast of Hebron, were violently beaten by IOF
and settlers, when these civilian attempted to confront leveling of their land.
IOF and Israeli settlers razed 50 donums of agricultural land planted with
olives in al-‘Odaisiya area in the southwest of Sa’ir village. In the same
context, IOF confiscated 3 fuel tanks belonging to Taj Mohammed Karaja in
Halhoul town, northeast of Hebron. They claimed that the tanks are illegal. On
4 February 2009, IOF continued to raze large areas in Mas’ha village behind the
Annexation Wall, west of Qalqilya, near “Eit Ephraim”, “Sha’ri
Tikva” and “Alkanah” settlements. According to local sources,
the area of this land is estimated at 90 donums.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (29 January –
4 February 2009)
The full report is available PDF format.