11-02-2012,13:05

Shooting:

During the reporting period, IOF wounded 7 protesters, including a child and a French solidarity activist, in al-Nabi Saleh weakly protest in the West Bank. In the Gaza Strip, three civilians, including 2 children, were wounded by glass shrapnel, a woman suffered nervous trauma and a woman sustained wounds in the foot when IOF warplanes fired a missile at a civilian target.

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, 7 protesters, including a child and a French solidarity activist, were wounded in al-Nabi Saleh weakly protest, northwest of Ramallah.  Additionally, dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders participating in peaceful demonstrations suffered from tear gas inhalation.  IOF also held Ali Dar Ali, 27, a reporter for Palestine TV, and Najib Allah Hussein Sharawna, 23, a cameraman of Palestine TV, in a military jeep for 4 hours.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF warplanes attacked civilian targets, including residential houses. As a result, three civilians, including 2 children, were wounded by glass shrapnel, a woman suffered nervous trauma and a woman sustained wounds in the foot.  The airstrikes also resulted in the destruction of an agricultural room, a shop, several warehouses and a tunnel.  Additionally, the strikes resulted in damages to 28 houses, 2 shops, a legal firm, a sports club, a school and 4 civilian cars.

At approximately 01:10 on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a tunnel in Yebna refugee camp near the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, south of Rafah.  The targeted tunnel was totally destroyed and civilians were in panic as a result.  No casualties were reported.

At approximately 01:15 also on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at house in al-Shoka village, east of Rafah.  The missile hit a tin-roofed room in the front yard of the house.  The room was totally destroyed. No casualties were reported. 

At approximately 01:39 on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a farm in al-Zanna area, east of Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip.  No casualties were reported. 

At approximately 01:50 on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a piece of land in the east of al-Nusseirat on Salah Addin Street in the middle of the Gaza Strip. A room built on the targeted land was destroyed and four neighboring houses were damaged as a result.

At approximately 02:15 on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a grocery shop measuring 35 square meters in Beit Lahia in the north of the Gaza Strip. Three civilians, including two children, were wounded by glass shrapnel from windows crushed in their houses as a result of the attack. The targeted shop was totally destroyed.  Additionally, 13 neighboring houses, 2 shops, a law firm and 4 civilian vehicles were damaged. 

At approximately 02:45 on Friday, 03 February 2012, an Israeli drone fired a missile at the roof of the house of Awad Ali al-Abed Meqdad, 46, near Jabalia al-Nazla Boys Elementary School, north of Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip. As a result of the attack, a part of the roof collapsed, some of the windows in the targeted house broken and a 1000 liter water tank was destroyed.  No casualties were reported.

At approximately 02:50 on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a warehouse in the house of Ammar Abu Warda, 35, north of Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip.  The warehouse was totally destroyed and the house was heavily damaged as a result of the attack. Another 8 neighboring houses sustained damages.  Additionally, the eastern external wall of Jabalia al-Nazla Sports Club was totally destroyed and some windows of Jabalia al-Nazla Boys Elementary School crushed. Najah Ibrahim Abed Safi, 52, suffered nervous trauma as she was in her house which is to the east of Abu Warda's house.  Muna Yousif Ali Ghanim, 37, sustained light wounds in the left leg.

At approximately 19:05 on Tuesday, 07 February 2012, IOF warplanes opened fire at open areas in Abu Rahma area in the north of the Agricultural School, north of Beit Hanoun. No casualties were reported as a result of this indiscriminate firing. 

Incursions:

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 47 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 22 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a university professor.  

In a provocative operation on 04 February 2012, IOF moved into 'Arraba village, southwest of Jenin.  They patrolled in the streets for some time and then positioned themselves in the eastern neighborhood, near a tent erected by Palestinians in solidarity with Khader Adnan Musa, a Palestinian prisoner holding an open-ended hunger strike in an Israeli jail.  IOF raided the tent and removed some of the solidarity banners, flags of the Islamic Jihad movement and Musa's photos.  They confiscated some of these materials and tore up others.  Later, IOF raided houses near the eastern mosque.  Palestinians living in these houses are actively engaged in the activities held in the solidarity tent.  IOF questioned people from the raided houses.  IOF withdrew later and no arrests were reported.  It should be noted that the health condition of Musa, who is a prominent leader of Islamic Jihad in Jenin, has deteriorated as he has been on hunger strike since 17 December 2011.  Semi-official sources reported that IOF are intentionally taking Musa from one hospital to another in order to hinder any contacts between Musa and his lawyers.  A number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have begun hunger strike in solidarity with Musa and Palestinian lawyers have refrained from attending sessions in Israeli courts in protest against the continued detention of Musa.

In the Gaza Strip, on 04 February 2012, IOF positioned at the border fence in the east of al-Bureij refugee camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip arrested three Palestinians who were trying to infiltrate Israel apparently to seek work.  The families of the arrested Palestinians called the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) telling them about the relatives being missing.  Later, ICRC told the calling families that their relatives were arrested by IOF.  It should be noted that Palestinian young men try to infiltrate Israel to seek work.

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 four 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 Sofa 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 Strip, 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, on 04 January 2012, the Israeli occupation authorities totally closed 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 export of Gaza's products, especially industrial products, leading to undermining any real chances to revive 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 delay 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 55 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 completed, 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