Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate
Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT)
· 10 Palestinians were killed by IOF.
· 7 of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in the
Gaza Strip.
· 34 Palestinian civilians, including 17 children, were
wounded by IOF.
· IOF attacked civilian targets in the Gaza Strip.
· IOF conducted 40 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank.
· Houses were raided and 91 Palestinian civilians, including 4
children, were arrested by IOF.
· IOF closed the Moslem Youth Association in Hebron for two
years.
· A house was transformed by IOF into a military site.
· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; border
crossing of the Gaza Strip were partially reopened; IOF imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the West Bank; and IOF
arrested 12 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and two girls, at
various checkpoints in the West Bank.
· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the
West Bank; IOF used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in
protest to the construction of the Wall; a child was wounded by a rubber-coated
metal bullet and 6 demonstrators sustained bruises.
· Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property in the OPT.
Summary
Israeli
violations of international law continued in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
(OPT) during the reporting period (8 – 14 December 2005):
Killing:
During the reported
period, IOF killed 10 Palestinians. Seven of the victims were extra-judicially executed in two separate
attacks in the Gaza Strip. On 8 December
2005, IOF extra-judicially executed 3 members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades,
the military wing of Fatah movement, in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit
Lahia. On 14 December 2005, IOF
extra-judicially executed 4 members of Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing
of the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees, in Gaza City. On 10 December 2005, IOF gunboats shot dead a
Palestinian civilian opposite to Rafah, claiming that he attempted to cross the
border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. On 11 December 2005, IOF killed a Palestinian who exchanged fire with
them during their incursion into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. On 13 December 2005, IOF shot dead a
Palestinian civilian as they opened fire to disperse Palestinian demonstrators
in Nablus. In addition, 34 Palestinians,
including 17 children, were wounded by the IOF gunfire.
Incursions: IOF
conducted 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses
and arrested 91 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, a number of
university professors and a number of candidates for the upcoming Palestinian
parliamentary elections. IOF used undercover
units and trained dogs during these incursions.
Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a
comprehensive siege on the OPT, in violation of civil, political, economic,
social and cultural rights of Palestinian civilians.
IOF have continued to impose a
tightened siege on the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a big jail. Rafah
International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border, the sole outlet for the
Gaza Strip to the outside world, was partially reopened following a two-month
closure. An agreement was reached regarding the operation of the crossing
point. The crossing point is operated
for 4-5 hours a day only. During the
reported period, the crossing point was closed for several hours due to an
operation failure in the monitoring cameras. In the meantime, IOF have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for
Palestinian workers and patients. They have allowed a few workers and
patients to pass through the crossing. IOF
have also continued to impose severe restrictions at commercial border
crossings and on fishing in the Gaza Strip. In addition, IOF have continued to impose
severe restrictions on fishing through chasing and firing at Palestinian
fishing boats.
IOF have continued
to impose a tightened siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. On Thursday, 8 December 2005, IOF closed
Qalandya checkpoint, south of Ramallah. This closure continued until Monday morning, 12 December 2005. Only Palestinian civilians from Jerusalem and
humanitarian cases were allowed to pass through the checkpoint. IOF have
continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians through checkpoints. During the reported period, IOF positioned at
various checkpoints arrested 13 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and
two girls.
Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank territory. During the reported
period, IOF used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized by
Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli solidarity activists in
protest to the construction of the Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah. A Palestinian child was wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet, and 6 demonstrators sustained bruises. A number of other demonstrators also suffered
from tear gas inhalation.
Illegal
Settler Activities:
Israeli settlers in breach of international humanitarian law continue to reside
in the OPT and have launched a series of attacks against Palestinian civilians
and property. During the reported period, IOF issued two military orders
confiscating areas of Palestinian land, and demolished a house for the purpose
of settlement expansion. On 8 December
2005, IOF issued a military order confiscating 10 donums[1] of
land in Beit Ta’mor village, east of Bethlehem. On 9 December 2005, IOF issued
a military order confiscating areas of Palestinian land near “Nahal Nagahot”
settlement, southwest of Hebron. On 12
December 2005, IOF demolished a house in Jabal al-Mukabber neighborhood, east
of Jerusalem. As a result, 30
Palestinian civilians have become homeless.
Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (8 – 14 December 2005)
The full report is available PDF format.
