During the reporting period, IOF wounded 9 Palestinian civilians, including two children and 3 journalists, in the West Bank. Seven Palestinian civilians, including 3 journalists, were wounded when IOF used force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders, in protest of the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.

On 16 January 2010, a child was wounded in Yatta village, south of Hebron, while playing with an old explosive left in the area by IOF. On 19 January 2010, a child was wounded when IOF moved into Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank and fired at a number of children who demonstrated in the area. Two Palestinian civilians, including a child, were also wounded by Israeli troops stationed at military checkpoints.

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 22 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  IOF arrested 34, including 4 children.  Israeli forces also stormed houses of activists working against the construction of the Annexation Wall.    

Israel has continued to impose a tightened closure 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.

Zionist violations in the Gaza Strip

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip over two and a half years. The illegal Israeli-imposed siege of Gaza, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

·      1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.

·      The main concern of 1.5 million people living in the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

·      Israel has continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for the past two and a half years.

·      Israel has not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas, since 10 December 2008.

·      The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return to the Gaza Strip.

·      Israel has continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.

·      Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of poverty and unemployment have sharply mounted.

·      IOF have continued to prevent the entry of spare parts form water networks and sewage systems. Losses incurred to this sector are estimated at US$ 6 million.

·      Israel has imposed additional restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.

·      Palestinian prisoners from Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived for family visitation for more than two and a half years. 

·      IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the Gaza Strip coast.

Zionist violations in the West Bank

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.

·      IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

·      There are approximately 630 permanent roadblocks, manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are some 60-80 ‘flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West Bank by IOF every week.

·      When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

·      At least 65% of the main roads that leads to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).

·      There are around 500 kilometers of restricted roads across the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit issued by the IOF. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

·      IOF continue to harass and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.

·      Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by IOF.

On 14 January 2010, IOF forced Haoroun Zakaria Burqan, 39, to demolish his 45-square-meter house and two animal sheds.  The house, in which 8 individuals used to live, was built 5 years ago.  IOF ordered the demolition of the house 3 years ago and imposed a fine of 5,000 NIS (approximately US$ 1,250). 

During the reporting period, IOF continued excavations in the old city of Jerusalem.  According to residents of Silwan village and the old city, a ground collapse took place in the Wadi Hilwa area, on the main road between Silwan village and the old city on Monday, 18 January 2010.  The collapse created a crater with a  depth of more than 10 meters.  The collapse took place in a tunnel that was being created by Israeli excavations to link Silwan and "Givati" settlement.

Israel has 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 14 January 2010, a number of Israeli settlers from "Gilad" settlement, northeast of Qalqiliya, burned two cars and a tractor belonging to Palestinian civilians from Ematin village, east of Qalqiliya. 

On the same day, Israeli settlers living in the "Havat Ma'oun" settlement outpost to the east of Yatta village, south of Hebron, uprooted 70 olive trees in the east of al-Twana village.  On 19 January 2010, IOF demolished a house in Jaba' village, northeast of Jerusalem, claiming that it was built without a license.

On the same day, Israeli settlers, escorted by IOF, moved into 'Awarta village, south of Nablus.  They headed to the 'Eizairat area, which they claim is sacred, and performed prayers until the following morning.  When the settlers and IOF left the village, Palestinian civilians found that the cemetery of the village had been desecrated and that 3 grave stones were destroyed.  They also found hostile phrases in Arabic and Russian.