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. 34/2006 24 - 30 August 2006

IOF continue to raze agricultural land in Halhoul & Beit Omar to build sections of Annexation Wall.

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

As the international community has remained silent, IOF have continued to wage a full scale offensive on the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip. During the reported period, IOF have continued their attacks on Palestinian civilians and property.

PCHR, monitoring with utmost concern the developments of this offensive, calls upon the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and United Nations, to immediately intervene to force IOF to stop this offensive and lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

Israeli violations of international law continued in the OPT during the reported period (17 – 23 August 2006):

Killing: During the reported period, IOF killed 28 Palestinians, including 3 children, a mentally disabled young man and an old man. In addition, a man and a woman died from previous wounded. In the Gaza Strip, IOF killed 23 Palestinians, including 11 civilians. These civilians included 3 children and a mentally disabled young man. Twenty of the victims, including the three children, were killed by IOF during a 4-day offensive on al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. Two of the victims are from the Abu al-Qumboz family, and were killed while they were inside their houses. IOF also killed 3 Palestinian civilians, including an old man and a mentally disabled young man, in Khan Yunis, Rafah and Beit Lahia. A woman from Jabalya also died from a previous wound. In addition, 35 Palestinians, including 9 children, a woman and two journalists, were wounded by the IOF gunfire.

Thus, the number of Palestinians killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip since 25 June 2006 has increased to 217, including 46 children and 12 women. In addition, 755 others, mostly civilians, including 203 children, 28 women, 4 paramedics and 6 journalists, have been wounded.

IOF also launched 3 air strikes on two houses in the Gaza Strip belonging to Palestinian resistance activists. These houses were destroyed, and a number of neighboring houses and civilian facilities were severely damaged. IOF also shelled a house in ‘Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis, after they had killed the owner.

During the reported, IOF fired dozens of artillery shells at Palestinian residential areas and agricultural land in the Gaza Strip. A number of Palestinian civilians were killed or wounded and a number of houses were damaged.

In the West Bank, 5 Palestinians, including a child, were killed by IOF. A sixth Palestinian also died from a previous wound. On 26 August 2006, IOF shot dead a Palestinian child during an incursion into Nablus. On 27 August 2006, IOF shot dead a Palestinian civilian, who served as a guard of a school in Jenin. On 28 August 2006, IOF extra-judicially executed a Palestinian in Ramallah. On 29 August 2006, IOF extra-judicially executed two Palestinians in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. On 30 August 2006, medical sources at a Jordanian hospital declared that a Palestinian died from a prvious wounded he had sustained when IOF attempted to extra-judicially execute him.

In addition, 17 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children, were wounded by IOF gunfire. One of these children was wounded, when Israeli settlers fired at him in Beit Fourik village, east of Nablus.

Incursions: During the reported period, IOF conducted at least 40 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they raided dozens of houses and arrested 50 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children. IOF also arrested a member of the PLC in Ramallah, and a number of members of local councils representing the Change and Reform Bloc affiliated to Hamas. In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 4 incursions into Palestinian communities, the widest of which was into al-Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City. IOF moved into Rafah and Khan Yunis and arrested 7 Palestinian civilians, most of them were released later.

Restrictions on Movement: 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.

IOF have imposed a strict siege on the Gaza Strip. They have closed its border crossings as a form of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.

IOF have closed Rafah International Crossing Point, even though they do not directly control it. They have prevented European observers working at the crossing point form reaching it. IOF have closed commercial crossings of the Gaza Strip, especially al-Mentar (Karni) crossing. As a consequence, the economic situation inside the Gaza Strip has further deteriorated and many goods have been lacked in markets. IOF have also continued to close Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip. In addition, IOF have prevented Palestinian fishermen from fishing. As a result of the continued siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, poverty has increased to 70% and unemployment has mounted to 55%. The Gaza Strip has also suffered from shortages of basic foodstuffs, fuels and raw materials.

IOF have tightened the siege imposed on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have isolated Jerusalem from the rest of 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 between the north and south of the West Bank. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints around imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. During the reported period, IOF positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 5 Palestinian civilians, including a university professor.

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. On 25 August 2006, Israeli settlers living in “Sousia” settlement, south of Hebron, attacked Palestinian civilians, wounding two of them. IOF also arrested one of the wounded civilians. On 26 August 2006, Israeli settlers opened fire at a number of Palestinian children in Beit Fourik village, east of Nablus. One of the children was seriously wounded. On 27 August 2006, Israeli settlers broke into the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.

o 246 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 48 children and 12 women, have been killed by IOF.

o At least 887 Palestinian civilians, including 256 children and 30 women, have been wounded by the IOF gunfire.

o At least 241 air-to-surface missiles and hundreds of artillery shells have been fired at Palestinian civilian and military targets in the Gaza Strip.

o Buildings of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National economy, the office of the Palestinian Prime Minister and a number of educational institutions have been destroyed.

o The electricity generation plant, providing 45% of the electricity of the Gaza Strip, was destroyed, and electricity networks and transmitters have been repeatedly attacked.

o 6 bridges linking Gaza City with the central Gaza Strip and a number of roads have been destroyed.

o Hundreds of donums[1] of agricultural land and dozens of houses have been destroyed.

o Hundreds of Palestinian civilians, including 9 ministers and 31 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), including the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Secretary, have been arrested. Minster of Prisoners’ Affairs, Minister of Labor and Second Deputy Speaker of the PLC were released.

o Many families in Rafah, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia have been forced to leave their houses.

o IOF intelligence has warned some Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by phone to evacuate their houses, which would be attacked.

o 30 houses belonging to activists of Palestinian factions were destroyed by IOF warplanes.

o IOF have imposed a strict siege on the OPT, and have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (24 – 30 August 2006)

1. Incursions into Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the West Bank

On Sunday morning, 27 August 2006, IOF initiated a wide scale offensive on al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. They killed, wounded and arrested a number of Palestinians and damaged houses and agricultural land.

· At approximately 00:00, IOF, reinforced by heavy military vehicles and helicopters, moved nearly 700 meters into al-Mansoura areas in the east of al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. They opened fire indiscriminately. Half an hour later, Fadel Subhi Shana’a, 21, a cameraman of Reuters news agency, traveled to the area in the agency's white, armored "Land Rover" jeep report on the IOF incursion. Subhi Marwan Hmaida, 25, a journalist from the Palestinian Media Group, was accompanying Shana'a. The jeep was clearly marked with the "Press" and "TV." In addition, it had the Reuters name and logo clearly marked on it in Arabic and English. An IOF warplane fired a missile at the jeep when it reached the schools area on Salah al-Din Street, which is nearly 2 kilometers away from the affected area. The missile penetrated the jeep's roof and wounded the two journalists. Shana'a was wounded to the right hand and leg; and Hmaida was wounded by shrapnel to the right leg and foot. Both were evacuated to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

· At approximately 01:30, an IOF warplane fired a missile at a number of members of the Palestinian resistance near al-‘Abeed fuel station. One member of the resistance, 23-year-old Waleed Nasser al-Harazin, was killed buy shrapnel throughout the body, and two others were wounded. Al-Harazin’s body remained in the area for half an hour, as medical crews were not able to reach the area. IOF also transformed a house belonging top Hussam al-Batal near al-‘Abeed fuel station into a military site. At approximately 06:00, IOF ordered residents of a number of houses in the area to vacate their houses.

· At approximately 08:00, an IOF warplane fired a missile at a number of members of the Palestinian resistance in the same area. One member of the resistance, 27-year-old Tariq Ahmed Helles, was killed.

· At approximately 13:00, an IOF warplane fired a missile at a number of Palestinian civilians in al-Mansoura Street. As a result, 6 civilians, including a child, were wounded:

1. Hussam Ahmed al-Sirsawi, 6, seriously wounded by shrapnel throughout the body.

· At approximately 15:00, an IOF warplane fired a missile at a number of Palestinian civilians in the area. As a result, 4 civilians were wounded:

· In the evening, an IOF soldier opened fire at Sameh Muhannad Abu ‘Omar, 21, a member of the Palestinian resistance, who clashed with IOF. He was instantly killed by several live bullets throughout the body.

· At approximately 18:00, an IOF soldiers positioned atop of a house opened fire at Fathi Maher Abu al-Qumboz, 55, when he was in the balcony of his house. He was killed by a live bullet to the chest. His body remained the house as medical crews were not able to reach the area due to the intensive IOF gunfire.

· At approximately 08:00, an IOF drone fired a missile at a number of members of the Palestinian resistance in al-Mansoura Street, killing 4 of them:

· At approximately 10:00, IOF shelled houses in the area. As a result, 3 Palestinian civilians, including a woman and a child, were wounded:

· At approximately 10:00, an IOF drone fired a missile at a number of Palestinian civilians in al-Mansoura Street in the east of al-Shojaeya neighborhood. As a result, 7 civilians, including 3 children, were wounded:

5. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Sa’di ‘Abdul Qader, 16, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;

· At approximately 12:00, IOF shelled houses in al-Manaoura Street again. Two Palestinian civilians were wounded:

· At approximately 17:00, an IOF soldier positioned atop of a house in the area fired at Suleiman Sayed Abu al-Qumboz, 25, when he was inside his house, killing him instantly. Abu al-Qumboz’s body remained in the house until the following day morning, as medical crews were not able to reach the house until then. Three other civilians were also wounded by the IOF gunfire in the same area:

1. Mohammed Yousef Abu ‘Ajwa, 5, wounded by a live bullet to the left forearm;

· At approximately 18:30, an IOF drone fired a missile at a number of Palestinian civilians near al-Qubba Park in the east of al-Shojaeya neighborhood. As a result, 3 civilians, including a child, were killed:

· At approximately 08:00, a number of members of the Palestinian resistance clashed with IOF soldiers positioned inside a number of houses in al-Mansoura Street in the east of al-Shojaeya neighborhood. These armed clashes left dead 4 members of the Palestinian resistance:

· At approximately 10:00, an IOF drone fired a missile at a number of Palestinian civilians in al-Manoura Street in the east of al-Shojaeya neighborhood. One of these civilians, 42-year-old Hussam Tawfiq Jundiya, was wounded by shrapnel throughout the body.

· At approximately 17:00, an IOF soldier positioned atop of a house in al-Mansoura Street opened fire at a number of Palestinian civilians. As a result, two civilians, including a child, were killed:

· At approximately 20:00, an IOF tank fired a shell at a number of members of the Palestinian resistance in the area, killing one of them, 32-year-old Hamdi Salah al-Banna.

· At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-Jilda, ‘Ein Deir Bahha and Abu Sunaina neighborhoods in Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

· Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Dura village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Mahmoud al-Darabee’, 19, and arrested him.

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Nablus. They patrolled in the streets, and raided and searched a number of houses. They withdrew from the city a few hours later, and no arrests were reported.

· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Tubas village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. They withdrew from the village a few hours later, and no arrests were reported.

· At approximately 02:50, an IOF special unit, supported by drones and helicopters, moved nearly 800 meters into ‘Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis. The unit besieged two houses belonging to Younis and Yousef Mohammed Abu Daqqa. IOF soldiers then raided and searched the first house and arrested Younis, 40, who is a lab technician at the Islamic University in Gaza City and an activist of Hamas. In the meantime, the other brother, 55-year-old Yousef, opened a window to check what was going on. Immediately, an IOF fired at him from a close range. He was instantly killed by a live bullet to the head. While IOF soldiers were leaving the area, one of the victim’s sons fired at them. Soon after IOF soldiers had withdrawn from the area, IOF helicopter gunships fired 5 missiles at the victim’s two-storey house. The missiles hit the second floor. The 17 residents of the house survived the attack as they were on the first floor.

· At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Qalqilya. They besieged dozens of houses and forced their residents out. They raided and searched a number of those houses. They then verified the identities of the residents, and arrested 10 of them:

· Also at approximately 03:00, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They raided and searched a house belonging to ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Hamdan, and arrested his two sons: Ahmed, 29; and Mohammed, 27.

· At approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Bilal Mohammed Jawarish, 24, and arrested him.

· At approximately 11:30, IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Gaza Valley village in the central Gaza Strip, opened fire at a number of Palestinian farmers, who were on their agricultural land nearly 400 meters to the west of the border. As a result, 11-year-old Hafez Mahmoud Dalloul was wounded by a live bullet to the left foot, while he was on his father’s land.

· At approximately 16:00, IOF permanently positioned in the center and south of Hebron raided and searched a house and a clinic belonging to Dr. Mohammed Tayseer Zahda. They held the eight residents of the house in one room and transformed the roof into a military site, allegedly to secure the movement of Israeli settlers. IOF left the house at midnight.

· At approximately 00:05, an IOF fighter jet dropped two bombs on a 220-square-meter, 4-storey house, in which 12 people (3 families) live, belonging to ‘Abdul Rahman Salem Thabet, 65, in the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya. The house was destroyed and 3 neighboring houses were severely damaged. According to the owner’s wife, they received a phone call less than half an hour earlier from a person who identified himself as an Israeli intelligence officer. He ordered the family to vacate the house as soon as possible as it would be bombarded. The wife informed her family and neighbors about the phone call, and they vacated the houses. The owner’s son, Isma’il, is a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a military wing of Fatah movement.

· At approximately 01:40, IOF moved into Sa’ir village, northeast of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

· At approximately 02:50, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring Balata refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses, and arrested Mahmoud ‘Ata Abu Sabiha, 22, from Balata refugee camp, and arrested him.

· At approximately 03:50, IOF moved into Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets and opened fire at houses. They then raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinian civilians:

· At approximately 11:30, IOF permanently positioned in the center and south of Hebron. They again raided a house and a clinic belonging to Dr. Mohammed Tayseer Zahda in Jabal al-Rahma neighborhood. As soon as they entered the house, IOF soldiers violently beat Dr. Zahda, claiming that he was late in opening the door for them. They then transformed the roof into a military site. According to Dr. Zahda, he sustained bruises throughout the body, and his daughter, 14-year-old Rawan, fainted when IOF soldiers were beating him. IOF soldiers stayed on the roof of the house until the following day evening.

· At approximately 23:10, an IOF fighter jet dropped two bombs onto a 240-square-meter, 3-storey house, in which 7 people live, belonging to Ziad Mohammed Tamboura, 35, in the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalya. Tamoboura is a member of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. The house was destroyed and 3 neighboring houses were severely damaged. According to the owner, he received a phone call on his mobile phone from a person who introduced himself and an officer of “Israel Defense Forces.” The officer ordered him to vacate the house in a few minutes as it would be bombarded, and he did.

· At approximately 23:45, IOF gunboats positioned opposite to Gaza beach opened fire at a fishing boat belonging to Fadel Yousef Salah. The fishing boat burnt and drowned in the sea, but Salah survived the attack. It is worth noting that IOF have prevented fishing in the Gaza Strip since 25 June 2006, in the context of the total siege imposed on the Strip.

· At approximately 02:20, an IOF infantry unit moved into the Northern Mount area in Nablus. IOF soldiers besieged a 450-square-meter, 5-storey apartment building belonging to Shawkat Fares Libbada and his brothers, and 3 neighboring houses. Soon, IOF military vehicles, accompanied by two bulldozers, moved into the area to reinforce the infantry unit. They ordered residents of the building and houses through megaphones to get out. The 105 residents (20 families), including 40 children, got out. IOF soldiers interrogated men, claiming that a number of Palestinian resistance activists were hiding in the buildings. The residents denied such claims and asked IOF soldiers to search the building in their presence, but they refused. IOF soldiers even opened fire at the building. At approximately 04:30, IOF started to demolish the northern part of the building and continued to fire at it. By 19:30, the building had become uninhabitable. IOF also demolished the three neighboring houses:

1. A 100-square-meter, two-storey house, in which 6 people lived, rented by Mohammed Rushdi al-Sayeh;

2. A 140-square-meter house, in which 5 people lived, belonging to Bashar Waleed Libbada; and

3. A 110-square-meter house, in which two people lived, belonging to ‘Emad Shawkat Libbada.

At approximately 08:30, a number of Palestinian civilians gathered in the area and threw stones at IOF vehicles. Immediately, IOF soldiers fired live and rubber-coated metal bullets at these civilian. One civilian, 15-year-old Muntasser Suleiman Mohammed ‘Akka, was instantly killed by a live bullet the entered the back and exited the abdomen. In addition, 12 civilians, including 7 children and an old man, were wounded:

1. Ahmed Ziad Suleiman, 15, wounded by a live bullet the entered the back and exited the abdomen;

8. ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Khalil Jebril, 18, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right hand;

10. Ramadn Hussam al-‘Ajjouri, 13, wounded by a live bullet to the right foot; and

11. Fadi Ahmed al-Khushashi, 18, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the head.

· At approximately 03:00, IOF, reinforced by helicopters and drones, moved into al-Shouka village, east of Rafah. They raided a house belonging to Mohammed Hamdan Abu Shammala, 50, nearly two kilometers away from the border. They ordered the 13 residents of the house through megaphones to get out. Nearly 20 minutes later, IOF soldiers arrested 4 of the owner’s sons: Khaled, 23; Rani, 20; Nour al-Din, 15; and Mohammed, 14. The two children were released later after IOF soldiers had beaten and interrogated them, while their brothers remained in custody.

· At approximately 22:00, IOF moved into Ras ‘Atiya village, southeast of Qalqilya. They opened fire at houses. A number of houses were damaged. IOF soldiers then held and verified the identity cards of a number of young men, who were sitting near a house belonging to Yousef Mohammed Mara’ba, 28. They arrested Mara’ba.

· At approximately 23:20, IOF gunboats positioned opposite to Gaza beach opened fire at a fishing boat belonging to ‘Ammar Najeeb Baker, 25. Baker fell from the boat. He sustained bruises throughout the body.

· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Sa’ir village, northeast of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

· At approximately 17:00, IOF moved into Um al-Sharayet neighborhood in Ramallah. They besieged a house belonging to Mahmoud Ibrahim Musleh, 60, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) representing the Change and Reform Bloc, which is affiliated to Hamas. They demanded him through megaphones to get out. When he got out, they arrested him. Thus, the number of PLC members arrested by IOF since 26 June 2006 has increased to 31, including the Speaker and the Secretary of the PLC.

· At approximately 20:00, IOF permanently positioned in the center and south of Hebron raided a house belonging to Rasheed Mahmoud Abu Hamdiya in Abu Sunaina neighborhood in the south of the town. They pointed their guns at the residents and searched the house, claiming that they were looking for children who threw stones at their vehicles. IOF held the residents in one room and transformed the roof of the house into a military site until 23:30. IOF also violently beat 3 of the residents:

· At approximately 22:00, IOF moved into al-Jabriyat area in the south of Jenin. They opened fire at an under-construction school at the edges of Bourqin village. As a result, the guard of the school, Sabri ‘Abdul Ghani Ahmed Khalil, 60, from Jenin refugee camp, was killed by a live bullet that entered the back and exited the abdomen. Israeli military sources claimed that IOF soldiers noticed a Palestinian, who was carrying a lamp, on the roof of a building in Bourqin village, and shot him dead.

· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Dura village, southwest of Jenin. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Waleed Mohammed ‘Amru, who died 3 years ago in an Israeli jail. They arrested his son, 17-year-old Khaled.

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into al-Khader village, west of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

· Also at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Nablus. They patrolled in the streets and opened fire at houses. They withdrew from the city a few hours later. No casualties or arrests were reported.

· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Zababda village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a house belonging to Mufeed Saleh Turkman, 35, and arrested him.

· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They patrolled in the streets and opened fire indiscriminately. They withdrew a few hours later, an no casualties or arrests were reported.

· Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinian children: