Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
- 29 Palestinians, including 10 children and a journalist, were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip.
- 13 of the victims, including 8 children, 2 brothers and a journalist, were killed by IOF in Juhor al-Dik village in the central Gaza Strip.
- 2 of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF.
- 81 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 41 children, 3 women and a journalist, were wounded by IOF in IOF in the Gaza Strip.
- 8 Palestinian civilians and an Israeli journalists were wounded by IOF in the West Bank.
- IOF conducted 48 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 6 ones into the Gaza Strip.
- IOF arrested 52 Palestinian civilians, including 14 children, in the West Bank, and held and arrested 56 others in the Gaza Strip.
- IOF destroyed 11 houses and razed at least 320 donums (1) of agricultural land in the Gaza Strip.
- IOF used Palestinian civilians as human shields during incursions into Palestinian communities in the Gaza.
- IOF confiscated machines of a bakery and raided a mosque in Hebron.
- IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.
- The fuel crisis in the Gaza Strip has escalated.
- 5 Palestinian civilian were arrested by IOF at military checkpoints in the West Bank.
- IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.
- Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian civilian vehicles on the main roads.
- Israeli settlers uprooted 30 trees in Til village, southwest of nablus.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law seriously escalated in the OPT, especially in the Gaza Strip, during the reporting period (10 - 16 April 2008):
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 29 Palestinians, including 10 children and a journalist, and wounded 81 others, including 41 children, 3 women and a journalist in the Gaza Strip.
On 11 April 2008, IOF killed 2 activists of the Palestinian resistance in Khuza'a village, east of Khan Yunis. On the same day, IOF killed an activist of the Palestinian resistance and 6 civilians, including 2 children, and wounded 27 others, including 12 children, in al-Boreij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. On 14 and 15 April 2008, IOF extra-judicially executed 2 members of the Palestinian resistance and wounded a third one and 5 civilians bystanders, including a child, in the northern Gaza Strip. On 15 April 2008, 4 activists of the Palestinian resistance were killed and 4 others were wounded during armed clashes with IOF troops that moved into al-Shoja'eya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. On 16 April 2008, IOF killed 13 Palestinian civilians, including 8 children and a journalist, and wounded 32 others, including 17 children, a journalist and a woman, during an incursion into Juhor al-Dik village in the central Gaza Strip. On the same day, IOF killed a Palestinian farmer and wounded 2 others in the northern Gaza Strip. Additionally, 12 Palestinians, including a child and 2 women, were wounded by IOF in separate attacks throughout the Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, 8 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, were wounded by IOF in Taffouh village, west of Hebron, and 'Azzoun 'Atama village, south of Qalqilya. Additionally, an Israeli journalist was wounded when IOF used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal'ein village, west of Ramallah.
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 48 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF arrested 52 Palestinian civilians, including 14 children. Thus, the number of Palestinian civilians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of 2008 has mounted to 927. During the reporting period, IOF raided confiscated machines of a bakery and raided a mosque in Hebron.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 6 incursions into Palestinian communities. During these incursions, IOF razed at least 320 donums of agricultural land, destroyed 11 houses and damaged civilian properties, including a mosque.
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 more than one year and a half. 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 nearly 1.5 million 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. 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. In September 2007, the Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip as "a hostile entity," which implies imposing more restrictions and measures of collective punishment against the Palestinian civilian population. Since then, IOF have sharply decreased food and fuel supplies allowed into the Gaza Strip. IOF have continued to prevent the entry of raw materials into the Gaza Strip, and subsequently many factories have stopped their industrial activities. Concerning the movement of persons, IOF allow a few Palestinian civilians to pass through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to travel to the West Bank. Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border is the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world. IOF have closed Rafah International Crossing Point, even though they do not directly control it. They have prevented European observers working at the crossing point form reaching it.
The continued Israeli ban on fuel supplies required for civilian life in the Gaza Strip has led to paralyzing 50% of the educational sector as half the students in all educational levels have been unable to reach their schools and universities. In addition, educational sector employees have been unable to reach their work. Furthermore, the transportation sector has nearly stopped functioning throughout the Gaza Strip. As a result, all basic functions of civilian life have come to a near standstill, including drinking water delivery, sewage water disposal, and garbage collection. In addition, healthcare facilities registered a 25% drop in clients due to the transportation crisis, and hundreds of healthcare professionals have been unable to reach their work places.
The closure of border crossings deprives the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip of their right to freedom of movement, education and health. IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on fishing in the Gaza Strip. Fishermen have been subjected to intensive monitoring by IOF, which use helicopter gunships and gunboats to monitor the fishermen. The Oslo Accords allow Palestinian fishermen to go fishing up to 20 nautical miles away from the Gaza seashore.
West Bank
Contrary to Israeli claims of easing restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians, IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have 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. In a report submitted to the Quartet Envoy, OCHA asserted that Israel dismantled 44 sand barriers out of 61 it committed to the United Sates to dismantle. Only 5 of those barriers are major ones. In some cases, according to the report, IOF troops re-established some sand barriers in order to remove them before the media. During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children.
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 12 April 2008, IOF handed notifications to 3 Palestinians from Nazlat 'Eissa village, north of Tulkarm, that their shops would be demolished, claiming that they were built without licenses and are located near the Annexation Wall. These shops provide sources of income for more than 20 families counting more than 100 individuals. On 13 April 2008, dozens of Israeli settlers from "Gilad" settlement, east of Qalaqila, gathered near the road leading to the town and threw stones at Palestinian civilian vehicles. A number of vehicles were damaged. On 14 April 2008, dozens of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilian vehicles traveling on Nablus-Ramallah road, south of Nablus. The settlers gathered near Hawara checkpoint and threw stones at civilian vehicles. On the same day, at least 40 Israeli settlers from "Gilad" settlement, southwest of Nablus, uprooted at least 30 almond trees in Til village.
Notes:
(1) 1 donum is equal to 1,000 square meters.