Shooting:

During the reporting period, IOF wounded seven civilians, including five children and a woman, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.  Three of the children were wounded in Bil'ein village, west of Ramallah, as two of them were wounded when IOF moved into the village on 28 April 2011 while the third child was wounded in Bil'ein’s weekly protest. The other four Palestinians, including two children and a woman, were wounded in an artillery shelling that targeted a house in the Gaza Strip

In the West Bank, on 28 April 2011, IOF moved into Bil'ein village, west of Ramallah. Some boys gathered and stoned IOF who immediately responded by firing bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and sound bombs. Two children were wounded as a result and many civilians suffered gas inhalation. 

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, a Palestinian child was wounded during the reporting period.  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.

In the Gaza Strip, on 28 April 2011, four Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF positioned on the border east of Gaza Valley (Juhor al-Dik) village fired six artillery shells at a house belonging to Jaber Ismail Abu Said, 66. Four of the shells directly hit the house. Four civilians, including two children and a woman, were wounded as a result. The shelling also caused damages to the house, especially the second floor.  

Incursions:

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 39 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 10 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children.  The arrested Palestinians included PLC member of Change and Reform Bloc, Ali Salim Suleiman Rumanin, 39, who was arrested from his house in Jericho, and former Minister Issa Khalil al-Jaabari, 51, who was arrested from his house in Hebron.

On 02 May 2011, IOF moved into Izbat al-Tabib village, east of Qalqilya. They raided and searched a house belonging to Bayan al-Tabib, Chairman of the Village Council. Al-Tabib told a PCHR fieldworker that IOF stole 1,000 Jordanian dinars from his house.

IOF have continued to attempt to prevent international human rights defenders from participating in peaceful assemblies against settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall. As part of these attempts, IOF arrested eight international human rights defenders, including three ones who were arrested on 29 April 2011 in a peaceful protest in Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah, and the other five ones were arrested on 01 May 2011 when IOF attacked a protesting tent in Izbat al-Tabib village, east of Qalqilya.

In the Gaza strip, at approximately 15:00 on Sunday, 01 May 2011, Israeli occupation authorities informed Khalil Mousa Issa al-Silawi, 41, that his son, Khaled Khalil al-Silawi, 21, is detained in Ashkelon prison in Beersheba in Israel. Al-Silawi said that his son disappeared on Saturday, 30 April 2011, and they searched for him until they were informed about his detention. He also said that the Israeli occupation authorities asked him to apppoint a lawyer for his son. They also told him that his son is denied visitation right until 08 May 2011. Silawi indicated that he does not know any detail as to how his son was captured by the Israeli occupation authorities.

Bulldozing Works and House Demolition Notices:

On 01 May 2011, IOF delivered two notices to demolish two houses belonging to two Palestinian civilians from Izbat al-Tabib village, east of Qalqilya, under the pretext of lacking licenses.

On 02 May 2011, IOF also delivered notices to two Palestinians from Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron, to demolish three industrial and agricultural establishments, including a bricks workshop, an agricultural shed and a vehicle spare parts shop, located along the main road in the south and the east of Beit Ummar, under the pretext that the establishments are close to the road which is used by Israeli vehicles. IOF gave the summoned Palestinians a deadline of one week.

Also on 02 May 2011, in the afternoon, IOF delivered notices to several Palestinian civilians from al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, to evacuate approximately 80 donums[1] where there are at least 13 agricultural wells, claiming that these lands are owned by the State.

Restrictions on Movement:

Israel has continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and has 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 been steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. 

• The cooking gas crisis which has erupted last November has continued to affect the Gaza Strip. 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.

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’s 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 used to be 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 export 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 a number of international organizations.
• 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 46 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, confiscating more 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 permits issued by 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.