Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in in the Occupied Palestinian Territory 27.12.07-02.01.08
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18 Palestinians, including a pilgrim, were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
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5 Palestinians were extra-judicially executed by IOF.
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25 Palestinians, including 4 children and 2 women, were wounded by IOF gunfire.
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IOF conducted 30 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 4 into the Gaza Strip.
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IOF arrested 35 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children.
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IOF razed 160 donums of agricultural land in ‘Abasan village near Khan Yunis.
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IOF raided a hospital and a school in Hebron, and the office of an NGO in East Jerusalem.
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IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.
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IOF have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world and a humanitarian crisis has emerged.
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2 Palestinian pilgrims died in Egypt when they were on their way back to the Gaza Strip.
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IOF troops positioned at checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 3 Palestinian civilians.
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IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.
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A Palestinian civilian was run down and killed by an Israeli settler.
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Israeli settlers attacked 3 members of the Public Committee against the Annexation Wall in Bil’in village, west of Ramallah.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (27 December 2007 – 2 January 2008):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 18 Palestinians, including a woman, and wounded 25 others, including 4 children and 2 women.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF killed 17 Palestinians, including a woman.
On 27 December 2007, IOF carried out 2 extra-judicial executions, during which they killed 3 members of the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) and one civilian, In addition,
6 civilian bystanders were wounded, including 2 children, in al-Boreij refugee camp and al-Mughraqa village in the central Gaza Strip. On the same day, IOF killed 3 members of the Palestinian resistance and wounded 5 others, and a civilian child, during an incursion into ‘Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis. On 28 December 2007, 2 members of the Palestinian resistance were wounded by an IOF air strike in Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis. On 30 December, IOF killed a member of the Palestinian resistance and wounded one civilian during an incursion into al-Shouka village, southeast of Rafah. On the same day, IOF opened fire at a number of Palestinian pilgrims who were en route back to the Gaza Strip via Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. One woman was killed, and her husband was wounded. On 1 January 2008, IOF killed a member of the Palestinian resistance and wounded two civilians in al-Boreij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. On the same day, IOF killed a Palestinian near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, north of Beit Hanoun town. On 2 January, IOF killed 6 members of the Palestinian resistance and wounded a seventh. In addition, four civilians, including two women, were wounded during an IOF incursion into al-Shoja’eya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. On 2 January, a member of the Palestinian resistance was wounded by an IOF air strike in the central Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, On 27 December 2007, IOF extra-judicially executed a member of the Palestinian Presidential Guard in Bitounia town, west of Ramallah. On 2 January 2008, IOF wounded a Palestinian child during an incursion into Shwaika suburb, north of Tulkarm.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 30 military incursions into Palestinian communities across the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 35 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children. IOF also raided a hospital and a school in Hebron, and an NGO’s office in East Jerusalem.
At least 2,800 Palestinians were arrested by IOF in the West Bank during 2007.
In the Gaza Strip, on 27 December, IOF moved into ‘Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis. They destroyed a house and razed at least 160 donums of agricultural land. On 30 December, IOF moved into al-Shouka village, southeast of Rafah. On 31 December, IOF moved into Beit Hanoun. They damaged 15 donums of agricultural land planted with wheat. On 2 January 2008, IOF moved into al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. A number of Palestinians were killed by IOF during those incursions.
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
To date, IOF have closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for almost 18 months continuously. The total siege imposed by IOF on the Gaza Strip has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and has violated the economic and social rights of the Palestinian civilian population, particularly their rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. The siege has also paralyzed most economic sectors. Furthermore, severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the Palestinian civilian population. The siege imposed on the Gaza Strip has also severely affected 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 in June 2007, and the living and economic conditions of Palestinian civilians in Gaza have continued to deteriorate. On 19 September 2007, the Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip “A hostile entity,” and at this point measures of collective punishment against the civilian population escalated. Since September 2007, IOF have limited the goods exported to the Gaza Strip to just nine basic materials. As a direct consequence, local markets ran out of many goods, causing a sharp increase in prices, which in some cases amounted to 500%. The IOF have also banned the import of some medicines, furniture, electrical appliances and cigarettes, as well as decreasing the amounts of some other goods being imported into the Gaza Strip, such as fruits, milk and some other dairy products. During the reporting period, Palestinian pilgrims were stranded in Egypt and prevented from returning to the Gaza Strip for several days. Two of the pilgrims died whilst stranded in Egypt.
West Bank
IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have systematically been denied access to Jerusalem. 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 3 Palestinian civilians.
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. During the reporting period, on 29 December, IOF ran down and killed a Palestinian civilian from al-Qebya village, northwest of Jerusalem. On 30 December, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilian vehicles on the Hebron–Bethlehem road. On 1 January, 2008, Israeli settlers attacked 3 members of the Public Committee against the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah. All three were injured.
Israeli violations documented during the Reporting Period (27 December 2007 – 2 January 2008)
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