PCHR Weekly Report

PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights http://www.pchrgaza.org
Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory	No. 18/2006 04 - 10 May 2006

Palestinian civilians checking damages to civilian property incurred by Israeli Occupation Forces during their incursion into the old town of Nablus on 8 May 2006.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

Israeli violations of international law continued in the OPT during the reported period (4–10 May 2006):

Killing: During the reported period, IOF killed 9 Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. On 5 May 2006, IOF extra-judicially executed 5 Palestinians in Gaza City. On the same day, IOF shot dead a Palestinian civilian near a checkpoint at the northeastern entrance of Nablus. On 6 May 2006, IOF shot dead another Palestinian civilian in Nablus. On 6 and 7 May 2006, two Palestinian civilians were killed by IOF artillery shelling that targeted the northern Gaza Strip.

During the reported period, 24 Palestinian civilians (14 in the Gaza Strip and 10 in the West Bank), including 7 children and 3 women, were wounded by IOF gunfire. During the reported period, IOF continued to shell Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip. A number of houses and civilian facilities were damaged.

Incursions: During the reported period, IOF carried out repeated incursions into Nablus. IOF conducted a total of 38 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF raided houses and arrested 61 Palestinian civilians, including 11 children. In addition, IOF transformed 8 houses and a school into military sites. IOF used undercover units and trained dogs during these incursions.

Restrictions on Movement: IOF have continued to impose a comprehensive siege on the OPT, in violation of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of Palestinian civilians.

IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the Gaza Strip, transforming it into a large prison. IOF have continued to monitor the movement of Palestinian civilians through Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border. Although IOF have allowed the transportation of food aid from Egypt into the Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, southeast of Rafah, the crossing has not yet been officially opened. IOF have also continued to prevent Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip from reaching their work places in Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. They have continued to prevent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip from traveling to the West Bank. IOF have partially operated al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing, east of Gaza City. As a result of the repeated closures of the crossing, the economic conditions in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated.

IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF have continued to separate the north and south of the West Bank. For this purpose, they have closed Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, and re-established their presence at ‘Attara checkpoint, north of Ramallah. They have also erected two new checkpoints near Ramallah. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints around Nablus imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank abused a number of Palestinian civilians. During the reported period, IOF at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 9 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children.

Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank. During the reported period, IOF re-closed an outlet in the Wall, which they had recently opened opposite the western entrance of the Dahiat al-Barid area, north of Jerusalem. This section of the Wall has divided al-Ram village into two parts. It has also separated residents of Dahiat al-Barid area and al-Ram village from educational and health institutions located to the west of the Wall. Students and patients must travel first to Qalandya crossing and then travel back to the south. Also during the reported period, IOF accelerated the construction of a section of the Wall around “Ariel” settlement in the north of the West Bank. On 8 May 2006, Israeli security officials pledged before the new Israeli Minister of Justice Haim Ramon to complete 95% of the Wall by the end of this year. These pledges followed discussions by Ramon concerning the construction of the Wall and judicial problems that “obstruct” the construction. It is worth noting that the Israeli High Court has so far considered 53 petitions submitted by Palestinian civilians against the construction of the Wall on their lands. The court has issued rulings that are consistent with the Israeli political decisions in this regard. The court has neglected the Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on 9 July 2004, which considered the construction of the Wall in the OPT illegal and called for its dismantling and the compensation of those who have been affected by its construction. IOF also used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest against the construction of the Wall. Two demonstrators and two journalists sustained bruises when they were violently beaten by IOF soldiers.

Illegal Settler Activities: Israeli settlers in breach of international humanitarian law continue to reside in the OPT and have launched a series of attacks against Palestinian civilians and property. During the reported period, Israeli settlers living in “Kiryat Arba” settlement, southeast of Hebron, and other settlement outposts inside the town, launched a series of attacks on Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 9 Palestinian children aged between 3 and 12 sustained bruises. One of these children was run down by a settler car. The settlers also burnt out two cars completely and a third car partially.

1. Incursions into Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-‘Obaidiya village, east of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to Ayoub Ya’qoub al-‘Asa, 21, and arrested him.

· At approximately 13:00, an IOF undercover unit moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya, traveling in two civilian cars with Israeli registration plates. In the meantime, three allegedly wanted Palestinians were waiting for a colleague of theirs in a car that was parked near his house. When their colleague got out of his house and moved towards the car, IOF soldiers surrounded the car and pointed their guns at the three Palestinians, forcing them to get out of the car. Soon after, at least ten IOF jeeps moved into the village. IOF got out of the jeeps and arrested the four Palestinians:

· At approximately 14:00, IOF moved into Kherbat Sousia area to the south of Yatta village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched two houses belonging to ‘Abdul Salam Hussein al-Nawaj’a, and Isma’il Salama al-Nawaj’a. No arrests were reported.

· At approximately 23:00, an IOF undercover unit moved into al-Sheikh neighborhood in the center of Hebron, traveling in a civilian car with a Palestinian registration plate. Soon, 4 IOF vehicles arrived at the area. They raided and searched stores belonging to ‘Ali al-Qawasmi searching for allegedly wanted Palestinians. No arrests were reported.

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into the Northern Mount neighborhood in Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Maher Eyad Qareeb, 16, and arrested him.

· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Beit Jala. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Wissam Michael Sansour, 21, and arrested him.

· At approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. They opened fire indiscriminately and closed entrances to the camp. They besieged a number of members of the Palestinian resistance near the Market and exchanged fire with them. Three members of the resistance were wounded:

Before their withdrawal from the camp, at approximately 09:30, IOF raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child:

· Also at approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Yatta village, south of Hebron. They besieged two houses belonging to the families of Ibrahim Hassan Shawaheen, 34, and Ahmed Bader Abu ‘Ali, 23, and opened fire near them. They forced the two families out and searched the two houses. No arrests were reported.

· At approximately 16:00, an IOF undercover unit moved into Nablus, traveling in two civilian cars with Palestinian registration plates. Soon after, 15 IOF vehicles moved into the city and besieged a house belonging to ‘Abdul Nasser Daoud al-‘Atayani, 34. A number of IOF soldiers raided the al-Sakhel apartment building near the house and transformed a flat on the sixth floor into a military site. IOF then raided al-‘Atayani’s house and forced 3 Palestinians out. They took the three Palestinians to a neighboring house and interrogated them.

In his testimony to PCHR on this raid, ‘Emad ‘Abdul ‘Aziz ‘Abdullah, 38, said:

“At approximately 16:00 on Friday, 5 May 2006, I was on my way to a house in Rafidya to give an English lesson to a child. I saw a gas oven in a shop of electrical sets, opposite to al-‘Atayani’s house. I went to the shop to ask about the oven’s price. I entered the shop and I was surprised by the presence of IOF soldiers. They pushed us onto the ground and raided al-‘Atayani’s house. They brought out Nasser Daoud al-‘Atayani, 34, and his bothers-in-law: Mohammed Yousef Abu Ghalma, 26; and Mufeed Yousef Abu Ghalma, 34. They handcuffed the three men and took us all to a neighboring house belonging to Fareed Sa’ada. An IOF soldier was carrying a mobile phone and he asked Mohammed Abu Ghalma to talk to the person on the line, and then asked Mufeed and Nasser to do likewise. The IOF soldier then gave the mobile phone to me and I discovered that I was talking to an IOF intelligence officer. He asked me about my name, age, my wife, my children and my address. Later, a masked person came into the house. He pushed our heads up and pointed at Nasser. Immediately, IOF handcuffed, blindfolded and arrested him, and released us all.”

· At approximately 16:45, a number of Palestinian civilians gathered in Rafidya neighborhood in Nablus and threw stones and empty bottles at IOF vehicles, which had moved into the city. Immediately, IOF fired at these civilians, killing Mohammed Mustafa Qassem al-Qutob, 19, with a live bullet to the chest, and wounding Ghassan Zaid Tabbalat, 23, with a live bullet to the buttocks.

“At approximately 16:45 on Friday, 5 May 2006, Mohammed al-Qotob, a number of other boys and I were standing near a garden at the main road in Rafidya neighborhood. We were throwing stones at IOF vehicles and then escaping towards the garden. An IOF jeep moved close to us, all the boys escaped, except al-Qutob and me. Al-Qutob was holding an empty bottle and was ready to throw it at the jeep. Suddenly, an IOF sniper positioned in al-Sakhel apartment building, nearly 150 meters away from us, fired a live bullet at us. It hit al-Qutob. I escaped. An ambulance arrived at the area but IOF soldiers obstructed the evacuation of the Qutob to the hospital. They allowed the ambulance later to evacuate him to the hospital but he was dead.”

· At approximately 17:00, IOF moved into Jenin. They patrolled the streets but no arrests were reported.

· Also at approximately 17:00, IOF, reinforced by a helicopter, moved into the east of Yatta village, south of Hebron. They searched agricultural areas, caves and animal farms, opening fire indiscriminately. IOF withdrew from the area later and no arrests were reported.

· At approximately 22:30, IOF moved into ‘Anabta village, east of Tulkarm. A number of Palestinian children gathered and threw stones at IOF vehicles. Immediately, IOF fired at the children, wounding 16-year-old Khalil Ghassan Abu Raya with a live bullet to the face. According to his father, he did not throw stones at IOF vehicles.

· At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Dura village, southwest of Hebron. They besieged a house belonging to ‘Abdul Raheem Musbah al-Nammoura, and opened fire at it. They then ordered the family through megaphones to get out. They interrogated members of the family and violently beat 3 of the owner’s son: Shamekh, 28; Shaddad, 24; and ‘Odai, 19.

· At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Bethlehem and the neighboring al-Duhaisha refugee camp. They patrolled the streets but no arrests were reported.

· At approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including two children:

· At approximately 10:30, IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Jabalya, fired a number of artillery shells at Beit Lahia town. A shell hit a tract of agricultural land belonging to Hamdi Khudair, wounding Majdi Mustafa Ghaben, 25, with shrapnel throughout the body, while he was working on the land.

· At approximately 11:00, another shell fired by IOF landed near Balsam Hospital in Beit Lahia. Three Palestinian farmers were wounded by shrapnel throughout the body:

· At approximately 11:30, IOF shelled Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. As a result, Ahmed Sameer Sababa, 19, was wounded by shrapnel to the left foot, while he was near his house in the southeast of the town.

· At approximately 19:15, IOF positioned at the Gaza Strip border, east of Jabalya, fired a number of artillery shells at Beit Lahia town. One of the shells fell near an elderly Palestinian civilian, 65-year-old Mousa Salim Mousa al-Sawarka, while he was grazing his camels in the al-Khousa area to the north of Beit Lahia. He was killed instantly by shrapnel to the head.

· At approximately 00:20, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring Balata and ‘Askar refugee camps. They patrolled the streets and damaged a number of shops. They raided an UNRWA school and transformed it into a military site. They also raided and searched a number of houses but no arrests were reported. IOF withdrew from these areas at 06:00.

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Dura village, southwest of Jenin. They raided a house belonging to Nasser Mohammed Abu Zunaid. They forced the family out and searched the house but no arrests were reported.

· At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into ‘Atteel village, north of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

· At approximately 08:45, IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired a number of artillery shells at Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. As a result, Fatema Mohammed Sahweel, 59, was wounded by shrapnel to the right eye, when a number of shells landed near her house in the east of Beit Hanoun.

· At approximately 09:00, IOF resumed artillery shelling of Beit Lahia town. A shell landed on agricultural land in the north of Beit Lahia. As a result, Hassan Hussein Khader al-Shaf’ei, 55, was killed by shrapnel throughout the body, while he was farming his land. The location of the attack was only 500 meters from the area where the first victim was killed.

· At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into al-Sawahra village, east of Jerusalem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Sofian ‘Essam Zahaika, 27, and arrested him.

· At approximately 01:20, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring Balata refugee camp. They patrolled the streets and an IOF bulldozer destroyed doors and umbrellas in Granada Street in Nablus. IOF also raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinian civilians:

· Also at approximately 01:20, IOF moved into Beit Fourik village, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Nassariya village, northeast of Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Aadel Ibrahim Balawna, 22, and arrested him.

· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Bourin village, south of Nablus. They raided and searched a house belonging to Fu’ad Hussein Barakmi, and arrested his daughters: Ramia, 25; and Rania, 24.

· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Deir al-Sudan village, northwest of Ramallah. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Ali Rafeeq Nakha, 24, and arrested him.

· Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Shareef Khamees Ahmed, 30, and arrested him.

· At approximately 11:50, IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired a number of artillery shells at Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip. One of the shells fell near Balsam Hospital, wounding two Palestinian civilians, including a child:

· At approximately 14:00, IOF permanently positioned in the center and south of Hebron raided a number of shops and offices of institutions, including the offices of the General Union of Palestine Workers and the Union of Ex-Combatants, in Palestine Compound at Bab al-Zawia Square.

· At approximately 16:00, IOF permanently positioned in the center and south of Hebron moved into Qaitoun quarter in the old town of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and violently beat two Palestinian civilians:

· At approximately 22:00, IOF, reinforced by a helicopter, moved into Kherbat Zabboud to the west of Halhoul town, north of Hebron. They besieged a number of houses, firing live bullets and sound bombs at them. They forced residents of these houses out. They then tightened their siege on two houses belonging to Hani ‘Ali Melhem, 61, a retired police officer, and Mohammed Nasser Hunaihen, 40. They raided and searched two houses and arrested Melhem; his son-in-law, Nasser Ibrahim ‘Ebayat, 38, and activist of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement; and Hunaihen, who was hosting them in his house.

· At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Kufor Ne’ma village, west of Ramallah. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Taghreed Khalil Hannouni, 22, and arrested her.

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Jericho. They fired sound bombs and tear gas canisters. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Ahmed Fathi al-Bali, who is allegedly wanted by IOF for being a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement. They did not find him.

· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Harmala village, southeast of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Emad Khalil ‘Atallah, 25, and arrested him.

· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring ‘Askar refugee camp. A number of members of the Palestinian resistance exchanged fire with IOF. One member of the resistance, 26-year-old Ramadan al-‘Addasi, was wounded by shrapnel to the lower part of the body. IOF raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinian civilians:

· Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses in the camp and arrested 4 Palestinian civilians:

· At approximately 02:40, IOF moved into Za’tara village near Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

· At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Za’tara village, southeast of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mas’ab Ibrahim Dwaib, 18, and arrested him.

· At approximately 07:00, IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel shelled Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip. A Palestinian child, 17-year-old Rami Mustafa Abu Hasheesh, from the Bedouin village, was wounded by shrapnel to the face, while he was on his way to school.

· At approximately 22:10, a shell fired by IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fell near a tract of agricultural land in Beit Lahia. A Palestinian child, 17-year-old Shadi As’ad Subeh, was wounded by shrapnel to the back while he was on the land, which belongs to his family.

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-Khader village, southwest of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

· Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Wadi Abu Katila and Abu Sunaina neighborhood in the west and south of Hebron respectively. They raided and searched a number of houses and violently beat a number of their residents. They also arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into ‘Allar village, north of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian civilians:

· Also at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into ‘Atteel village, north of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Ma’awia ‘Abdul Latif ‘Aashour, 22, and arrested him.

· Also at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Bani Na’im village, east of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and transformed 7 of them into military sites. A few hours later, clashes erupted between IOF and a number of Palestinian school children. IOF fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at the children, wounding two of them:

1. Mas’ab Mousa Harahsha, 13, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the chest;

2. Ahmed Haitham Taraira, 15, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the thigh.

In addition, Najah ‘Ezzat Abu Sakout, 42, suffered from tear gas inhalation. IOF also arrested Khalil ‘Othman Zaidan, 47, a Palestinian intelligence officer.

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Beit Fourik village, east of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children:

· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Beit Reema village, northwest of Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

· At approximately 07:15, IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Jabalya, fired a number of artillery shells at Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip. One of these shells fell near an animal cart near Oasis Tourist Resort to the northwest of the town. Two Palestinian women, who were traveling on the cart, were wounded:

1. Nawal Faraj al-Sawarka, 20, wounded by shrapnel to the right hand and a number of her fingers were cut; and

· At approximately 22:30, IOF air force launched two missiles at a training site belonging to Ahmed Abu al-Reesh, a military wing of the Fatah movement, in the west of Khan Yunis. One missile hit the site, the other fell outside the area. No casualties were reported.

On Friday, 5 May 2006, IOF extra-judicially executed 5 members of the Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, and wounded two other members.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 18:45 on Friday, 5 May 2006, IOF air force launched two missiles at a number of members of the Popular Resistance Committees, who were sitting on a playground they use for military training in the al-Sabra neighborhood in the south of Gaza City. Four members of the Committees were killed instantly and a fifth died shortly after being brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City:

An IOF spokesman admitted responsibility for the attack, and claimed that the IOF air force targeted a group from the Salah al-Din Brigades responsible for launching locally made rockets at Israeli targets.

IOF have 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.

Although IOF have been redeployed around the Gaza Strip, they have maintained the occupation of the Gaza Strip through controlling all outlets and crossings.

· Rafah International Crossing Point: Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border is the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world. Daily working hours at the crossing point have been increased to 10 hours. It is noted that Kerem Shalom commercial crossing to the southeast of Rafah, which is designated for imports under joint Israeli-Palestinian control has not been operated. The crossing was opened a few weeks ago to allow the transportation of food aid from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, as a result of the economic crisis in the Gaza Strip caused by repeated closures of al-Mentar (Karni) commercial crossing. On Friday, 5 May 2006, IOF closed the crossing in violation of the Israeli-Palestinian agreement on border crossings.

· Al-Mentar (Karni) Commercial Crossing: This crossing is the only commercial crossing serving the Gaza Strip. IOF frequently close the crossing as a means of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians. During the reported period, IOF partially operated the crossing and allowed the importation of a limited amounts of goods, but prohibited the exportation of goods from the Gaza Strip. On Sunday, 7 May 2006, IOF closed the crossing from the morning until the afternoon.

· Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing: IOF have prevented Palestinian workers from reaching their work places inside Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have been prevented from traveling through this crossing. During the reported period, IOF decreased the number of patients permitted to travel to Israeli hospitals from 50 to 20. IOF have allowed international workers and Palestinian National Authority officials who have VIP cards to pass through the crossing, but without their private cars. Concerning patients who suffer from serious diseases, and who need medical care in Israel, IOF prevented them from traveling to Israel and Jerusalem on Sunday and Monday, 7 and 8 May 2006. IOF have prevented patients under 35 from entering Israel, and imposed a condition that patients must be transferred to hospital rather than to clinics and private medical centers. Patients are subjected to prolonged and complicated checking that extends up to 6 hours. IOF have also prevented Palestinian ambulances from entering Israel, and thus, families of patients have been forced to hire Israeli ambulances at high prices. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, since the beginning of April, IOF have refused to issue permits to 274 patients to receive medical treatment in Israeli hospitals, and have allowed only 38 out of 178, who have permits to enter Israel, to pass through the checkpoint. Contrary to Israeli claims concerning the easing of restrictions imposed at the crossing, IOF have allowed only 11 traders who have VIP cards to pass through the crossing, and have continued to prevent workers from traveling to their work places in Israel.

· Sofa crossing: IOF also control Sofa crossing, northeast of Rafah, which is designated for the transportation of construction raw materials. IOF repeatedly close this crossing for unclear reasons. On Sunday, 7 May 2006, IOF closed the crossing. On Tuesday, 9 May 2006, the Palestinian side requested IOF not to allow wheat to be imported into the Gaza Strip through this crossing but to allow its importation though Karni crossing, east of Gaza City, due to the bad transportation methods used for this product. IOF have allowed the temporary importation of some basic foodstuffs, including wheat, through Sofa crossing due to the repeated closures of Karni crossing and flour shortages in the Gaza Strip.

The closure of border crossings deprives the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip of their right to freedom of movement, education and health.

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on fishing in the Gaza Strip. Approximately 35,000 people in and around Gaza’s coastal communities rely on the fishing industry, including 2,500 fishermen, 2,500 support staff and their families. Fishermen have been subjected to intensive monitoring by IOF, which use helicopter gunships and gunboats to monitor the fishermen. On a number of occasions the Israeli military has opened fire against the civilian fishermen in order to enforce the 9 nautical mile limit imposed on them. The Oslo Accords make provision for Gaza’s sea to be fished to 20 nautical miles.

IOF have continued to impose a strict siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians and imposed curfews on a number of Palestinian communities.

· Jerusalem: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in occupied Jerusalem. During the reported period, IOF imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians through various checkpoints around the city. IOF also reinforced their presence at these checkpoints. They stopped and searched Palestinian civilian vehicles. IOF have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Jerusalemites since the operation of Qalandya crossing on 4 April 2004. These restrictions coincided with Easter celebrations. During the reported period, and in the context of measures taken to separate the north of the West Bank from the center and south, IOF erected a number of checkpoints at the entrances of Qalandya refugee camp, which are devoted, in addition to Qalandya crossing, to the movement of Palestinian civilians. According to eyewitnesses, IOF positioned at these checkpoints prevented Palestinian civilians coming from the north of the West Bank from entering Ramallah. These latest measures prove that IOF’s claims concerning easing restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians are untrue. IOF have allowed Palestinian patients who have permits to enter Jerusalem through Qalandya crossing, but only following prolonged and humiliating checks. On their way back from the city, patients are forced by IOF to pass through the crossing on foot.