30-08-2011,21:02

Summary

During the reporting period, IOF launched a new military offensive on the Gaza Strip, which continued for 3 days. They bombarded civilian facilities and training sites of Palestinian resistance groups, and targeted a number of activists of resistance groups. A number of Palestinian civilians, including children and women, were killed were wounded, and a number of civilian facilities were damaged.  This offensive came a few hours following armed attacks in the southern Israeli city of Eilat near the Egyptian border, which left 8 Israelis and 7 attackers killed, and injured a number of other Israelis, according to Israeli media reports. 

Shooting:

During the reporting period, IOF killed 17 Palestinians, including 5 civilians (two children, a physician, a worker and a farmers), in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded 20 Palestinians, including 6 children and two women in the Gaza Strip, and 3 others in the West Bank. Additionally, an activist of the Palestinian resistance died of a previous wound in the Gaza Strip.

In the Gaza Strip, a few hours following the armed attack in Eilat, on Thursday evening, IOF extra-judicially executed 5 members of the Popular Resistance Committees and the child of one of them in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. 

On Friday, 19 August, IOF launched a series of air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip. As a result of these attacks, 5 activists of the Palestinian resistance, a physician and a child were killed and 5 Palestinians, including two children and two women, were wounded.

On Saturday, 20 August 2011, 7 Palestinians, including a woman and a child, were wounded by Israeli attacks.

On Sunday, 21 August 2011, a Palestinian child was wounded and a number of civilians sustained bruises.

On Wednesday, 24 August 2011, IOF extra-judicially executed a leader of the Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) in Rafah. A passing child was wounded. On the same day, IOF killed a farmer in al-Boreij refugee camp. They also killed a resistance activist in Gaza City. On the same day, a worker was killed and 4 others were wounded when IOF bombarded a tunnel in Rafah.

In the context of such escalation against the Gaza Strip, IOF launched at least 41 air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip. They destroyed or damaged a number of civilian buildings and 6 training sites of Palestinian resistance groups.

Additionally, on 19 August 2011, a resistance activist died from a previous wound he sustained by IOF in Gaza City. 

In the West Bank, two Palestinian civilians were wounded by IOF during incursions into Hebron and Bethlehem. 

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, a Palestinian civilian was wounded and dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation.  

Incursions:

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 27 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 77 Palestinian civilians. Most of the detainees were arrested in Hebron.  

In conjunction with the current escalation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) launched in the early morning of Sunday, 21 August 2011, a large-scale military campaign against many neighbors and streets and dozens of houses in Hebron.  During this campaign, IOF arrested at least 53 Palestinians, mostly members and activists of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), including a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, two journalists, some academics and members of charitable associations

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. 

IOF have tightened the closure of the Gaza Strip and practically made Karm Abu Salem crossing as the sole commercial crossing of the Gaza Strip although it is not proper for commercial purposes in terms of its distance and operational capacity.

IOF have continued to apply their policy aimed at tightening the strangulation of the commercial movement in the Gaza Strip, including imposing total control over the flow of imports and exports.

The total closure of al-Mentar "Karni" crossing on 02 March 2011 has created a bitter situation that has seriously affected the Gaza Strip. Following this closure, all the economic and commercial establishments in Gaza Commercial Zone were shut off. It should be noted that al-Mentar crossing is the biggest crossing in the Gaza Strip in terms of its operational capacity to absorb the flow of imports and exports. The decision of al-Mentar crossing was the culmination of a series of decisions to totally close Soafa crossing, east of the Gaza Strip, in the beginning of 2009, and Nahal Oz crossing, east of Gaza City, which was dedicated for the delivery of fuel and cooking gas to the Gaza Strip, in the beginning of 2010.

These statistics which were made available to PCHR by the Border and Crossings Department indicate a continued drop in the number of truckloads of Gaza imports and exports

IOF have continued to impose total ban on the delivery of raw materials to the Gaza Stri, except for very limited items and quantities. The limited quantities of raw materials allowed into Gaza do not meet the minimal needs of the civilian population 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.

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. The situation has been aggravated especially after making Karm Abu Salem crossing as Gaza sole commercial crossing and the repeated closure of this crossing which negatively affected the quantity of Gazan products which were allowed to be exported during last April.

IOF have continued to prolong the implementation of their decision to allow 60 cars into Gaza weekly although more than 11 months have passed since they announced this decision after three years of ban imposed on the delivery of cars to Gaza. As a result, the prices of cars in Gaza have been on the rise and local markets experience serious shortage in spare parts.

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 48 months, IOF have continued to deny approximately 700 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.

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. 

On 19 August 2011, many armed Israeli settlers from “Beit Eil” settlement, north of Ramallah, stormed al-Banabee’ area in Dawar Al-Qare’ village to the north of the settlement. They set fire to two cars belonging. Palestinian civilians were able to extinguish fire in one of the cars, but the other one was completely burnt. 

On 20 August 2011, a number of Israeli settlers from “Ramat Magron” settlement, which stands on the lands of Mikhmas village, southeast of Ramallah, violently beat a Palestinian child, while he was grazing animals with another child. He was injured in the head. 

On 23 August 2011, a number of Israeli settlers from “Bat Ain” settlement in the north of Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, uprooted dozens of fruitful trees belonging to the Slaibi family in Wadi Abu al-Reesh area. They uprooted 5 olive trees, 25 grape trees and 22 plum trees.