Incursions by the Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) and Settler Attacks Increase in a Week of Violence

· A number of Palestinian civilians, including five children,
were injured by IOF.

· IOF conducted 38 incursions into Palestinian communities in
the OPT, including 3 incursions into the Gaza Strip.

· Eight Palestinian civilians were wounded by the Israeli
gunfire in the West Bank territory.

· Houses were raided and 20 Palestinian civilians, including 4
children, were arrested by IOF. 

· 19 houses were transformed by IOF into military sites.

· IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT; in
Gaza IOF have imposed severe restrictions on travel through Rafah International
Crossing Point and continued to close a number of roads and border crossings
since the beginning of the current Intifada; IOF have imposed more restrictions
on movement in East Jerusalem; and IOF arrested 10 Palestinian civilians at
military checkpoints in the West Bank.

· IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the
West Bank; IOF attacked Palestinian civilians and international solidarity
activists who demonstrated in protest to the construction of the Wall; 22
demonstrates including 20 Palestinians and one Israeli and one British national
were injured; 5 journalists were beaten; and 19 civilians, including one
journalist, were arrested. 

· Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; an old Palestinian
woman was ran over by an Israeli settler vehicle and 33 houses were demolished
in the context of settlement activities.

Summary

Israeli violations of international
law continued in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) during the reporting
period (30 June – 06 July 2005):

Shooting at Palestinian Civilians: During the reported period, 10
Palestinian civilians (8 in the West Bank territory and 2 in the Gaza Strip),
including 5 children, were wounded by the Israeli gunfire. Five of these were wounded during an Israeli
military incursion into Nablus on Thursday, 30 July 2005. 

Incursions: Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
conducted 35 military incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank and 3
incursions into the Gaza Strip (in total 38 incursions were conducted into the
OPT). During these incursions, IOF raided houses and arrested 20 Palestinian
civilians, including 4 children. IOF
also seized 19 houses and transformed them into military sites.  In the Gaza Strip, IOF opened fire at
Palestinian residential areas in Khan Yunis, wounding two children. Flash bombs fired by IOF burnt a room in a
house in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip. 30 Palestinians from the village of Ein a’Beida to the east of the city
of Jenin were forcefully evicted from their homes to an unknown area on 05 July
2005.

Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a
tightened siege on the OPT, including Jerusalem.  In the Gaza Strip, even
though IOF eased the restrictions imposed on the movement of Palestinian
civilians through Abu Houli and al-Matahen checkpoints on the main road, they
have continued to impose severe restrictions at checkpoints erected at the
entrances to Palestinian communities located near Israeli settlements. IOF have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the travel of Palestinian civilians through Rafah International
Crossing Point on the Egyptian border, in violation of their economic, social
and cultural rights, under security claims. The crossing point remains the only outlet for Palestinian civilians
living in the Gaza Strip to the outside world. IOF often close the crossing point and prevent young men from
traveling. Contrary to recent Israeli
claims regarding easing restrictions on movement at crossing roads, since the
beginning of June, IOF have imposed more restrictions on travel through the
crossing point. Thousands of Palestinian
civilians have faced extreme difficulties while traveling back to the Gaza
Strip. For instance, since Thursday, 22
June 2005, approximately 2000 Palestinian civilians, mostly children, have been
held at the Egyptian side of the crossing point in an 800-square-metre hall as
IOF did not allow their passage to the Gaza Strip. They spent the night there. Some civilians, including patients, were
forced to spend three or four days under severe conditions waiting to be allowed
to cross towards the Gaza Strip. At the
same time IOF continued to impose further restrictions on the entry of
Palestinians workers into Israeli resulting in further economic crisis in the
Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, IOF have imposed
severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. Since Friday evening, 24 June 2005, IOF have
imposed a strict siege on Hebron district. They imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians and severely beat five of residents. IOF positioned at checkpoints arrested 10 Palestinian civilians in the
OPT. They also imposed a curfew on a
number of Palestinian communities. 

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the
Annexation Wall inside the West Bank territory. For the second consecutive week, IOF have continued to level Palestinian
land between Shu’fat refugee camp and “Psgat Ze’ev” settlement, east
of Jerusalem, for the purpose of the construction of a section of the Wall in
the area. According to local sources,
the construction of this new section of the Wall will likely lead to the
destruction of at least 115 houses in the nearby refugee camp. In addition, IOF used force to disperse
peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international
and Israeli solidarity activists in protest to the construction of the Wall. 22 demonstrates including 20 Palestinians and
one Israeli and one British national were injured, a further 5 journalists were
beaten and 19 civilians, including one journalist, were arrested.  

Illegal Settler Activities: Israeli settlers in breach of international humanitarian
law continue to reside in the OPT on mass and have launched a series of attacks
against Palestinian civilians and property. In one of these attacks, an Israeli settler ran down an old Palestinian
woman in a vehicle. She was seriously
injured. IOF also demolished 33 houses
in Jerusalem (7), Hebron (6) and Nablus (19) in the context of settlement
activities.

……………………………………………………………

Israeli Violations
Documented during the Reporting Period (30 June – 06 July 2005)

The full report is available PDF format.