During the reporting period, a Palestinian infant was killed and 3 civilians, including a child, were wounded by IOF in the West Bank. On 07 May 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and a number of international human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in the center of Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.  They moved towards the Zaher al-Barahish area in the south of the village near "Kermi Tsur" settlement, protesting against the closure and confiscation of Palestinian land for the purpose of settlement activities. 

Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the demonstrators.  As a result, 7-month-old Hamza Samar Muhanna Abu Maria suffered severely from tear gas inhalation, of which she died at Hebron Hospital 36 hours later.  According to her mother, Israeli troops chased the demonstrators into alleys and fired tear gas canisters at houses.  They fired at least 4 tear gas canisters at the balcony of Abu Maria's house.

During the reporting period, IOF used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Wall and settlement activities.  At least 13 civilians were wounded, and others sustained bruises or suffered from tear gas inhalation. 

On 11 May 2010, a Palestinian child was wounded in clashes between IOF and a number of children who threw stones at military vehicles. In the Gaza Strip, on 09 May 2010, IOF fired at a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting bricks and construction aggregate in the northern Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.  On the same day, Israeli warplanes bombed a tunnel under the Egyptian border, south of Rafah.  On 10 May 2010, Israeli warplanes bombed another tunnel at the Egyptian border. 

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 16 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 26 Palestinian civilians, including 12 children.  They also arrested 12 civilians, including 4 human rights defenders and a child, during peaceful demonstrations against the construction of the annexation wall and settlement activities.  

Israel had 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

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for 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.   

• On Friday, 01 January 2010, IOF decided to close Nahal Ouz crossing permanently, and to allow the entry of fuels through Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, southeast of Rafah, claiming security reasons.     

• 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 the population of 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 more than two and a half years.

• Israel has not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas and energy fuel for Gaza Power Plant, 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 home to the Gaza Strip.

• Israel had 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.

• 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.

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

• At least 800 Gazan prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than two and a half years. 

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

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 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 lead 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.

Measures Aimed at Creating a Jewish Demographic Majority in Jerusalem: 

IOF have continued to take measures at creating a Jewish majority in Jerusalem. On 11 May 2010, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem issued orders to evacuate 4 tracts of land in Nablus Street near the US Consulate-General central Jerusalem, claiming that the land is owned by the State of Israel. A petrol station, a workshop and a car park managed by Palestinians are located on the 3-donum plot of land.  It is worth noting that the land has been registered as an Islamic endowment for 400 years. 

During the reporting period, the Israeli organization Peace Now revealed in a recently published report that Israeli occupation authorities have begun to build at least 14 new housing units for settlers in the Ras al-'Aamoud neighborhood south of al-Aqsa Mosque.  The housing units are being built on a site that used to be an Israeli police station.  According to the report, there are 119 structures belonging to Jewish parties in Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, where at least 1,900 Israeli settlers live.

Israel has continued its settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.  

On 06 May 2010, one of the Israeli settlers who seized a house belonging to the al-Ghawi family in East Jerusalem slapped Nabeel al-Kurd, 12, when he was near his house in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.  The settler also boxed 'Abdullah Nasser al-Ghawi, 8, and then escaped. 

On the same day, an Israeli settler attacked Jamalat Hashima, 27, when she and her sister Eithar, 18 were on her way home in the 'Aqabat al-Khaldia neighborhood of Jerusalem's old city.  The settler hit Jamalat and pushed the Eithar.  Palestinian civilians intervened and protected the two women, while the settler ran away.

On the same day, dozens of Israeli settlers gathered in the 'Oyoun al-Haramiya area on the Ramallah-Nablus road, north of Ramallah, and blocked the road.  They set fire to tires and prevented the movement of Palestinian civilian vehicles. 

At the same time, dozens of Israeli settlers gathered near the road that links the 'Oyoun al-Haramiya area and Qalandya checkpoint, north of Jerusalem. On 07 May 2010, dozens of Israeli settlers from "Qedumim" settlement threw stones at Palestinian civilian vehicles traveling on the Nablus-Qalqilya road.  A number of vehicles were damaged.

On 08 May 2010, a number of Israeli settlers from settlement outposts in the center of Hebron sprayed wastewater on Palestinian civilians who organized a peaceful demonstration demanding the reopening of al-Shuhada Street for the movement of civilians.  Israeli troops were present in the area, but did not intervene to stop the settlers.

On 10 May 2010, Israeli settlers burnt 3 donums of land planted with wheat belonging to 'Aadel Hassan Ymin, 54, in Qalqilya.