Shooting:

A Palestinian civilian from the Gaza Strip died of wounds that he sustained last week and three Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded in peaceful protests in the West Bank.  In addition, a Palestinian was wounded in a new attack launched by Israeli settlers in the south of Nablus.

In the Gaza Strip, on 14 April 2011, medical sources at Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, announced that Mahdi Jumaa Abu Athreh, 22, from al-Shouka village in the southeast oQ Rafah, died of his wounds. According to PCHR's investigations, at approximately 08:00 on Friday, 08 April 2011, IOF fired two artillery shells at the vicinity of Gaza International Airport. Four Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded as a result. Medical sources at Abu Yousif al-Najjar hospital described the wounds of two of them, including Abu Athreh, to be serious.

In the West Bank, during the reporting period, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank. As a result, 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were wounded in Bil'ein weekly protest in the west of Ramallah

On 16 April 2011, an IOF warplane fired a missile at Tunis training site which is used by members of the Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and which is adjacent to Tunis Primary School in the east of al-Zaytoon neighborhood, east OF Gaza city.  The windows of the school crashed as a result.  Another IOF plane fired a missile at Badr Site which is also used by members of the Izziddin Addin al-Qassam Brigades in the northwest of al-Shati refugee camp.  Windows of apartments in nearby apartment buildings crashed as a result.  No casualties were reported as a result of these bombardments that targeted the mentioned sites which had been previously targeted.

Also on 16 April 2011, IOF gunboats positioned off al-Waha resort in the west of Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip, fired shells and opened intensive fire at Palestinian fishing boats.  Palestinian fishermen escaped as a result in fear of being wounded or arrested.

On 17 April 2011, IOF positioned in observation towers along the border in the east of Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian farmers who were on their farms in the east of Beit Hanoun. Palestinian farmers escaped in fear for their lives.

On 17 April 2011, a Palestinian civilian was wounded in a peaceful protest organized by dozens of Palestinians and families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on the occasion of the Palestinian Prisoners' Day. This Palestinian civilian was wounded when IOF opened fire at the participants in the protest who gathered near Ofer prison, southwest of Ramallah, and walked towards the prison's gate.

In addition, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders participating in peaceful protests in the West Bank suffered from tear gas inhalation and bruises as they were beaten by IOF.

On 19 April 2011, approximately 20 Israeli settlers from "Givat Arousa" settlement outpost which as an extension of "Bracha" settlement, south of Nablus attacked Palestinian houses in Khelet al-Aqareb area in the east of Bourin village. A number of Palestinian civilians confronted with the Israeli settlers. The Israeli settlers and the Palestinian civilians stoned one another. One of the settlers moved forward and stopped between 10 and 15 meters far from Brucelee Eid, 36, and fired two bullets at Eid who was wounded in the right elbow and the pelvis.  

Incursions:

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 12 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children and two women.

During the reporting period, IOF have continued to attempt to prevent international human rights defenders from participating in peaceful assemblies against settlement activities and construction of the annexation wall. As part of these attempts, IOF arrested three participants in peaceful protests, including two international human rights defenders and a Palestinian civilian.

IOF also raided a house belonging to Ahmed Khalil Abu Hashem, 43, Secretary of the National Committee Against the Wall and Settlements in Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron.  IOF held Abu Hashem and his nine-member family in one room. They ill-treated two of his sons, one of whom is a child. Abu Hashem told the PCHR fieldworker that an IOF officer explicitly asked him to stop protests organized by the National Committee Against the Wall and Settlements especially in the vicinity of "Karmi Tsur" settlement, south of Beit Ummar. Abu Hashem also reported that this raid is the twenty second one conducted by IOF within fifty days and that these raids are aimed at forcing him to stop his peaceful activities against the wall and settlements.

Restrictions on Movement:

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 three years. The illegal Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. 

• On 05 April 2011, IOF totally closed Karm Abu Salem commercial crossing for alleged security reasons. Accordingly, necessary needs required for more than 1.5 million civilians were not allowed into Gaza. The crossing was reopened on 13 April 2011 and was closed again on 19 April 2011 for Passover.

According to PCHR documentation, during the closure of Karm Abu Salem crossing, which is Gaza sole commercial crossing, the signs of a real crisis have been witnessed in the health sector due to the severe shortage in medicines and medical supplies.  According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, more than 150 types of medications have run out, and another 44 types of medications are expected to run out within the next three months.  The medications that have run out are important to treat patients.  The shortage of these medications may lead to serious results and deaths.  Expired medications include medicines necessary for patients suffering from Thalassemia and patients suffering from hepatitis, psychiatric medications and other important types.  In the same context, 135 types of disposables and medical supplies have run out while 41 other types are about to run out and are barely enough for three months.  The types that have run out include supplies required for diagnostic cardiac catheterization and therapeutic cardiac catheterization, supplies required for chemotherapy, surgical suture and other supplies. 

In addition, the cooking gas crisis has been renewed due to the continued closure of Karm Abu Salem crossing.  Gaza's 29 cooking gas distribution stations have continued to be shut down and thousands of cooking gas cylinders have been accumulated in cooking gas distribution stations.  According to the General Petroleum Corporation, since the beginning of the current month, only 210 tons of cooking gas (20 tons per day in average, representing 6.6% of Gaza daily needs of cooking Gaza) have been supplied to Gaza.  Gaza needs 300 tons of cooking gas daily.  The Association of the Owners of Petroleum Products Companies stressed that the delivery of cooking gas to Gaza has been banned for 11 days and that cooking gas distribution stations ran out of cooking gas one month ago.  It should be noted that the cooking gas crisis has been affecting Gaza civilians since last November.  This crisis was created when the Israeli occupation authorities totally closed, on 04 January 2010, Nahal Oz crossing, which used to be dedicated for the delivery of fuel and cooking gas supplies to Gaza, and shifted fuel and cooking gas supplies to Karm Abu Salem crossing which is not technically equipped to receive Gaza's needs of fuel.  Karm Abu Salem crossing, with its maximum absorptive capacity, can receive only 200 tons of cooking gas per day.  In view of the current closure, the delivery of the limited quantities of cooking gas allowed into Gaza has been banned.

It should be noted that the Israeli occupation authorities have worked over the past three years to make Karm Abu Salem crossing, which is not appropriate for commercial purposes, as Gaza's major and sole crossing.  For this purpose, on 02 March 2011, the Israeli occupation authorities totally closed al-Mentar ("Karni") crossing which is the major and largest commercial crossing in the Gaza Strip in terms of its absorptive capacity to receive Gaza imports and exports.  In the beginning of 2010, the Israeli occupation authorities closed Nahal Oz crossing, east of Gaza city, which was dedicated for the supplies of fuel and cooking gas to Gaza, and shifted fuel supplies to Karm Abu Salem crossing.  Three years ago, these authorities totally closed Sofa crossing, southeast of Khan Younis, and shifted humanitarian aid and food items which were delivered via Sofa crossing to Karm Abu Salem crossing. 

• Approximately 80% of Gaza civilians have continued to depend on alimentary aid provided by UNRWA and other relief agencies, rates of families who are living below poverty line have continued to be on the rise and approximately 40% of Gaza's manpower has continued to suffer from permanent unemployment as a result of shutting down the majority of Gaza's economic establishments.
• IOF have continued to impose a total ban on the exportation of Gaza's products, especially industrial products, leading to undermining any real chances to rerun economic establishments.  Facts on the ground refute IOF's allegation that they daily allow the exportation of 10 truckloads of agricultural products.
• Recently, IOF allowed the exportation of very limited quantities of Gaza's agricultural products, including flowers and tomatoes, to European markers.
• For approximately four consecutive years, IOF have continued to ban the delivery of construction materials to Gaza. During the reporting period, IOF approved the delivery of limited quantities of construction materials for UNRWA, UNDP, ANERA and Coastal Municipalities Water Utility.
• Israel has continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing for Palestinian civilians from the Gaza Strip.  IOF only allow the movement of limited groups amidst severe restrictions, including long hours of waiting in the majority of cases.  IOF have also continued to adopt a policy aimed at reducing the number of Palestinian patients allowed to move via Beit Hanoun crossing to receive medical treatment in hospitals in Israel or in the West Bank and Jerusalem.  IOF denied new categories of Gazan patient permission to have access to hospitals via the crossing.
• Israel has imposed additional access restrictions on international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers seeking to enter the Gaza Strip.
• For approximately 45 months, IOF have continued to deny approximately 710 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza detained in Israeli jails their visitation rights without providing any justification to this measure, which violates the rules of the International Humanitarian Law.

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 in the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

• There are approximately 585 permanent roadblocks, and manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank.

• 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.

• There are approximately 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. Such 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.

Settlement Activities:  

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

As a part of Israel's ethnic cleansing policy applied in the OPT, IOF delivered new notices to a number of families in the south of Hebron to demolish agricultural establishments and to valuate farms.

On 14 April 2011, IOF delivered a military order to Yaser Salem Awawdeh from al-Bireh village in the southwest of Hebron to demolish a shelter and a water well claiming that they were constructed without obtaining a license. The shelter is established on an area of 200 m² and the well's capacity is 250 m³.  On the same day, IOF delivered military orders requiring Palestinians to evacuate at least 100 donums [1] of agricultural lands in al-Rayha village, southern Hebron, caliming that they are "lands belonging to the State to which people are not allowed to have access."

On 18 April, IOF forced many Palestinian farmers from al-Rayha village, south of Hebron, to leave their farms at gunpoint.

On 14 April, a number of Israeli settlers from "Bracha" settlement which is established on parts of Iraq Bourin village, southern Nablus, attacked farms and farmers in the east of Iraq Bourin village.

On 18 April, settlers from a settlement in the south of Yatta, southern Hebron, let their sheep, again, go into farms belonging to Palestinians in Um al-Khous village in the south of Yatta. IOF deployed on observation points in the area did not intervene to stop settlers. Mohammed Yousif al-Nawajaa said that Israeli settlers are intentional to let their sheep go into Palestinian farms cultivated with winter crops. He said that during the last couple of weeks, they attacked different areas in Yatta including al-Msafer, Sousia, Janba, Mneizel, Bir al-Ad and al-Twamin. He mentioned that by doing so, the settlers aim at destroy the crops in preparation for seizing the attacked lands.