Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 06-12.12.07
8 Palestinians, including 3 civilians, were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
5 of the victims were killed by IOF during an offensive against the southern Gaza Strip.
12 Palestinians were wounded by the IOF gunfire in the Gaza Strip, and 9 persons, including 5 journalists and an Israeli human rights defender, sustained bruises in the West Bank.
IOF conducted 22 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, invaded the south of the Gaza Strip and moved into its north.
IOF arrested 28 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, in the West Bank and one in the Gaza Strip.
IOF razed 133 donums of agricultural land in Khan Yunis.
IOF transformed a number of houses into military sites.
IOF raided a number of media institutions in Nablus, confiscated equipment and closed one of them.
IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.
IOF have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world and a humanitarian crisis has emerged.
The number of patients who died due to the denial of their access to medical treatment increased to 15.
IOF troops positioned at checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 7 Palestinian civilians, including a child and a girl.
IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.
IOF demolished a house in Jerusalem.
Israeli settlers uprooted 32 olive trees in Hebron.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (6 – 12 December 2007):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 8 Palestinians, including 3 civilians, and wounded 12 others in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, 9 persons, including 5 journalists and an Israeli human rights defender, sustained bruises by IOF in the West Bank.
In the Gaza Strip, on 6 December 2007, IOF shot dead a Palestinian civilian while he was hunting birds near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Jabalya. On 7 December 2007, IOF shot dead a Palestinian farmer in Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis. On 11 December 2007, IOF killed 5 Palestinians, including one civilian, during a wide scale offensive on the southern Gaza Strip. Nine Palestinians were also wounded. On the same day, an IOF air strike killed a member of the Palestinian resistance and wounded 3 others in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun.
In the West Bank, On 30 November 2007, 8 Palestinian civilians, including 5 journalists, and an Israeli human rights defender sustained bruises when IOF troops used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, and al-Ma’sara village, south of Bethlehem.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 22 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During those incursions, IOF arrested 28 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children. Thus, the number of Palestinians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has mounted to 2,553. During the reporting period, IOF transformed 3 Palestinian houses into military sites. IOF also raided a number of media offices in Nablus, confiscated media equipment and closed Afaq TV.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 2 incursions into al-Fukhari area in the southern Gaza Strip and Beit Hanoun town in the north. During those incursions, IOF killed 6 Palestinians, razed 133 donums of agricultural land, damaged a factory and arrested one Palestinian civilian.
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 of the Gaza Strip for nearly 17 months. The total siege imposed by IOF on the Gaza Strip has left disastrous impacts on the humanitarian situation and has violated the economic and social rights of the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. It has also paralyzed most economic sectors. Furthermore, severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the Palestinian civilian population. Moreover, the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip has severely impacted the flow of food, medical supplies and other necessities such as fuel, construction materials and raw materials for various economic sectors. IOF have further tightened the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip, and the living and economic conditions of Palestinian civilians have further deteriorated. On 19 September 2007, the Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip as “a hostile entity” and accordingly measures of collective punishment against Gaza escalated. Since that time, IOF have limited the goods exported to the Gaza Strip to only 9 basic materials. As a consequence, local markets ran out of many goods, which caused a sharp increase in prices, which mounted to 500% for some goods. Israeli occupation forces have banned the flow of some medicines, furniture, electrical appliances and cigarettes into the Gaza Strip, and have decreased the amounts of some goods allowed into the Gaza Strip, such as fruits, milk and some dairy products.
West Bank
IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied access to the city. IOF have established many checkpoints around and inside the city. Restrictions of the movement of Palestinian civilians often escalate on Fridays to prevent them from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque. IOF often violently beat Palestinian civilians who attempt to bypass checkpoints and enter the city. IOF have also tightened the siege imposed on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF also erected more checkpoints on the main roads and intersections in the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at checkpoints and border crossings in the West Bank arrested at least 7 Palestinian civilians, including a girl and child.
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 Tuesday morning, 11 December 2007, IOF demolished a house in the old town of Jerusalem claiming that it was built without a license. On 6 December 2007, Israeli settlers from “Sousia” settlement, south of Hebron, uprooted 32 olive trees from a tract of agricultural land belonging to Yasser Radhi al-Nawaj’a in Kherbat Sousia area, south of Hebron. On 7 December 2007, dozens of Israeli settlers, accompanied by IOF troops, arrived at al-Jumjoma Mount near bypass road #60, northeast of Hebron. They set up 3 tents and raised the Israeli flag. They remained in the area until night, when the Israeli police eventually evacuated them.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (6 – 12 December 2007)
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