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

• 20 Palestinians, including one civilian, were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

• 18 of the victims are members of the military wing of Hamas and were killed by missiles and tanks shells.

• 22 Palestinians, including a woman, were wounded by IOF in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

• IOF conducted 19 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 2 ones into the Gaza Strip.

• IOF arrested 56 Palestinian civilians, including a child, in the West Bank and 3 others in the Gaza Strip.

• IOF have continued to impose a total siege on the OPT.

• IOF have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world and a humanitarian crisis has emerged.

• The number of patients who died due to the denial of their access to medical treatment increased to 13.

• The Gaza Strip is suffering a serious shortage of fuels.

• IOF troops positioned at checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 2 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children.

• IOF have continued to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank.

• 4 Palestinian civilians were wounded IOF used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized in protest to the construction of the Wall.

• IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (29 November – 5 December 2007):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 20 Palestinians, including one civilian, and wounded 222 others, including a woman, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF killed 18 members of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) and 17 others were wounded in 7 separate attacks throughout the Gaza Strip. A Palestinian civilian was also wounded and arrested by IOF that had moved into Wadi al-Salqa village in the central Gaza Strip on 3 December 2007.

In the West Bank, on 2 December 2007, IOF killed a Palestinian civilian near Ramallah, when they deliberately fired at him when he was having a picnic together with 2 of his relatives. On 5 December 2007, an IOF undercover unit shot dead a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces in Bethlehem. On 30 November 2007, 4 Palestinian civilians were wounded when IOF troops used force to disperse a peaceful demonstration organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 19 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During those incursions, IOF arrested 56 Palestinian civilians, including a child. Thus, the number of Palestinians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has mounted to 2,525. During the reporting period, IOF transformed 3 Palestinian houses into military sites.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 2 incursions into Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip, and Wadi al-Salqa in the central Gaza Strip. During those incursions, IOF wounded and arrested a Palestinian civilian, and arrested his two sons.

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.

Gaza Strip

IOF have continued to close all border crossings of the Gaza Strip for nearly 17 months. The total siege imposed by IOF on the Gaza Strip has left disastrous impacts on the humanitarian situation and has violated the economic and social rights of the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. It has also paralyzed most economic sectors. Furthermore, severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the Palestinian civilian population. Moreover, the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip has severely impacted the flow of food, medical supplies and other necessities such as fuel, construction materials and raw materials for various economic sectors. IOF have further tightened the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip, and the living and economic conditions of Palestinian civilians have further deteriorated. On 19 September 2007, the Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip as “a hostile entity” and accordingly measures of collective punishment against Gaza escalated. Since that time, IOF have limited the goods exported to the Gaza Strip to only 9 basic materials. As a consequence, local markets ran out of many goods, which caused a sharp increase in prices, which mounted to 500% for some goods. Israeli occupation forces have banned the flow of some medicines, furniture, electrical appliances and cigarettes into the Gaza Strip, and have decreased the amounts of some goods allowed into the Gaza Strip, such as fruits, milk and some dairy products. During the reporting period, IOF sharply decreased the amounts of fuels allowed entry into the Gaza Strip (for more details, see PCHR’s press release on 29 November 2007).

West Bank

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied access to the city. IOF have established many checkpoints around and inside the city. Restrictions of the movement of Palestinian civilians often escalate on Fridays to prevent them from praying at the al-Aqsa Mosque. IOF often violently beat Palestinian civilians who attempt to bypass checkpoints and enter the city. IOF have also tightened the siege imposed 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 also erected more checkpoints on the main roads and intersections in the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF troops positioned at checkpoints and border crossings in the West Bank arrested at least 2 Palestinian civilians.

Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. On 29 November 2007, at least 10 Israeli settlers from “Ma’oun” settlement, south of Hebron, closed the road that links Yatta town with Kherbat Touba areas with rocks and sand. IOF troops were present in the area, but did not intervene to prevent the settlers from closing the road.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (22 – 28 November 2007)

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

Thursday, 29 November 2007

·      At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Sourif village, northwest of Hebron. They raided and searched 2 houses in the village, but no arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 00:15, an IOF aircraft fired 3 missiles at 2 militants from the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas), who were near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis, monitoring the movement of IOF to prevent them from moving into the village. The two militants were instantly killed:

1.      ‘Abdullah Ameen al-Astal, 22; and

2.      Hani Hasan Abu Roumiya, 18.

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Um al-Dalya neighborhood in the southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Ma’ath ‘Abdul Hamid Abu Snaina, 22;

2.      Ramadan Mohammed Erfa’iya, 20; and

3.      Dirar ‘Ali Erfa’iya, 22.

·      At approximately 02:05, an IOF aircraft fired 2 missiles at a number of militants from the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) who were stationed near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Khan Yunis. Two militants were killed:

1.      Shaher ‘Abdul Karim Shaheen, 25; and

2.      ‘Emad Khalil Abu To’aima, 22.

A third militant was also wounded.

Saturday, 1 December 2007

·      At approximately 00:50, IOF warplanes fired 3 missiles at a number of militants from the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas), who were stationed on agricultural land in ‘Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis, hundreds of meters away from the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Ten minutes later, IOF warplanes fired 2 additional missiles at another group of militants in the east of ‘Abassan village. As a result if the two air strikes, 5 militants were killed:

1.      Mohammed Suleiman Ibrahim Abu ‘Anza, 23;

2.      Ziad Suleiman Ibrahim Abu ‘Anza, 36;

3.      Ibrahim As’ad Mohammed al-Buraim, 20;

4.      Tamer Mahmoud Abu Jame’, 20; and

5.      Jihad Fawzi Qudaih, 19.

Additionally, 3 militants were wounded.

·      At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring Balata refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Hasan Ahmed ‘Aamer, 22.

·      Also at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Zawata village, northwest of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 7 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Zaidan Zaidan Abu Jouda, 20;

2.      ‘Alaa’ Bassam Zawatiya, 27;

3.      Wafa Mohammed ‘Olaiwi, 20;

4.      Zaher Sidqi Mousa, 32;

5.      Mohammed ‘Ali Zawatiya, 24;

6.      Ibrahim Jouda, 19; and

7.      Yasser Mohammed al-‘Aklik, 24.

·      At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into al-Yamoun village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Khalil Mohammed Fraihat, 26.

·      At approximately 11:00, IOF moved into Marda village, north of Salfit, and imposed a curfew. They fired at houses and shops. A number of Palestinian children gathered and threw stones at IOF military vehicles. IOF troops chased the children and arrested 14-year-old Mohammed Hasan Hammad.

·      At approximately 13:40, IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, southeast of Gaza City, fired a surface-to-surface missile at a number of members of the Palestinian resistance in the east of Jabalya town, wounding 4 of them.

Sunday, 2 December 2007

·      In the afternoon, IOF troops fired at 3 Palestinian civilians who were in a picnic in al-Teera areas in the west of Ramallah. One of these civilians was seriously wounded, and he died from his wound on the following day.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 13:00, Jameel Jebril al-Mtawar, 26, his brother Bahaa’, 17, and their brother-in-law Firas Mousa Mohammed Qasqas, 31, who was visiting the family, left the family’s house in the west of al-Teera area to have a picnic. At approximately 14:30, they were surprised by IOF troops who were nearly 300 meters away from them firing at them without warning. As a result, Qasqas was wounded by a gunshot that entered the left thigh and exited the abdomen. The two brothers were able to hide behind rocks. IOF troops did not offer Qasqas any help. The two brothers evacuated their brother-in-law to Ramallah Hospital, but medical efforts to save his life failed and he was pronounced dead on the following day morning.

·      At approximately 22:40, an IOF infantry unit moved nearly 2 kilometers into the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia. Three militants from the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) attempted to stop the unit from moving forward. IOF troops fired at the three militants killing them:

1.      Islam ‘Abdul Qader ‘Abdul Nabi, 24;

2.      ‘Azizi Sabri Tari, 23; and

3.      Mohammed ‘Abdul Fattah Abu Mahadai, 22.

·      At approximately 23:00, IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Gaza City, fired an artillery shell at a number of militants from the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas), who were in the east of al-Shaoja’eya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, nearly 2 kilometers away from the border. One of the militants, 29-year-old Bassam Mahmoud al-Hilu, was killed.  Three other militants were wounded:

1.      Yassin Faraj al-‘Ar’eir, 32, wounded by shrapnel to the chest and the limbs;

2.      Rami ‘Ouda Bakroun, 30, wounded by shrapnel to the thighs;

3.      Haitham ‘Ouda Bakroun, 26, wounded by shrapnel to the right leg.

Additionally, 3 civilian bystanders, including a woman, were wounded:

1.      Rihab ‘Ayada Bakroun, 55, wounded by shrapnel to the left leg;

2.      Salama Salem Helles, 19, wounded by shrapnel to the abdomen; and

3.      Ahmed ‘Othman Khalil, 45, wounded by shrapnel to the right leg.

Monday, 3 December 2007

·      At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into al-Shawawra village, east of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Shareef Mohammed Salama, 33, and arrested him.

·      Also at approximately 00:30, IOF moved into several areas in Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 13 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Dr. ‘Adnan ‘Abdul Hafez Msawdi, 63;

2.      Mohammed Fawzi al-Khatib, 49;

3.      ‘Aadel al-Natsha, 45;

4.      Najeh Mohammed Abu Snaina, 33;

5.      Nader Msawdi, 26;

6.      Ghassan Ahmed al-Qawasmi, 30;

7.      Taher Mohammed Dandis, 55;

8.      Bilal ‘Abdul Jawad al-Qudsi, 35;

9.      ‘Otham Khalil Erfa’iya, 44;

10.  Ibrahim al-Khatib, 28;

11.  Tahseen Shawar, 48;

12.  Hatem Hussein Zalloum, 33; and

13.  Mohammed Ref’at Rusrus, 57.

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Marah Rabah village, south of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Malek Ahmed al-Shiekh, 18;

2.      Baker ‘Ali al-Sheikh, 21; and

3.      Ibrahim Yousef al-Sheikh, 20.

·      At approximately 02:00, an IOF aircraft fired 2 missiles at 3 militants from the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas), who were guarding a site of the brigades in the west of Deir al-Balah town in the central Gaza Strip. The three militants were instantly killed:

1.      Sameer ‘Ali al-Digran, 18;

2.      ‘Abdul Rahman ‘Abdul Hamid Abu Ghazza, 38; and

3.      Salman Fu’ad al-Houli, 20.

·      At approximately 05:00, IOF moved into al-Jalazoun refugee camp, north of Ramallah. They raided and searched a house belonging to Jamal ‘Abdul Hafez Abu Sharifa, 43, and arrested him.

·      At approximately 22:30, an IOF infantry unit moved nearly 600 meters into Wadi al-Salqa village, east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. IOF troops besieged and fired at a house belonging to Mousa ‘Abdul Karim Abu Meghassib, 42. He was wounded by a gunshot to the right thigh. IOF troops then raided the house and arrested Abu Meghassib and his two sons: Bassem, 18; and Jamal, 17. Abu Meghassib’s wife claimed that IOF troops stole some jewelry from the house. A neighboring house was also damaged.

Tuesday, 4 December 2007

·      At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Hisham Ahmed al-Krunz, 21;

2.      Mohammed Yousef Nabat, 19; and

3.      Mo’ammar Is’haq Nabat, 18.

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Rafidya neighborhood in Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Nayef ‘Omar Fadda, 30; and

2.      Mohammed Qanaze’, 21.

·      Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Tubas town. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Sameh Ibrahim Sawafta, 23.

·      Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Taffouh village, west of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Yousef Erzaiqat, 31, and arrested him.

Wednesday, 5 December 2007

·      At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Beit Siera village, southwest of Ramallah, and imposed a curfew. They raided and searched several houses and arrested at least 15 Palestinian civilians, including:

1.      Ayoub Mohammed al-Hajj, 25;

2.      Mousa Mohammed al-Hajj, 46;

3.      Tha’er ‘Ata al-Hajj, 24;

4.      Mohammed ‘Ata al-Hajj, 29;

5.      Mutawakkel ‘Ata al-Hajj, 16;

6.      Mohammed Ahmed Khattab, 16;

7.      Suleiman ‘Ouda al-Hajj, 40;

8.      Jihad Mohammed al-Hajj, 23; and

9.      Mohammed Fakhri ‘Ankawi, 22.

·      Also at approximately 00:30, IOF moved into al-Majd village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Yousef ‘Amru, 24, and arrested him.

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Jenin refugee camp in the north of the West Bank. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Eihab Nafe’ al-Sa’di, 22;

2.      Khaled Saleh Abu Zaina, 47; and

3.      Sayaf Ahmed Mqasqas, 20.

·      Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-Shyoukh village, northeast of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Fadi Mohammed ‘Ayaida, 22, and arrested him.

·      Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Ethna village, northwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Samer Ahmed Matar, 23, and arrested him.

·      At approximately 07:45, IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, northeast of Beit Hanoun, launched 4 surface-to-surface missiles at a number of militants from the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas), who were near al-Shaimaa’ School in the north of Beit Lahia, nearly 3 kilometers away from the border. Two militants were instantly killed:

1.      Eyad ‘Abdul Wahab ‘Aziz, 28; and

2.      Mohammed ‘Ali Subeh, 26.

Two other militants were wounded:

1.      Sa’id ‘Awadh al-Najjar, 22; and

2.      ‘Omar Suhail Hassan, 27.

·      In the evening, an IOF infantry unit shot dead a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces in Bethlehem. An IOF spokesman claimed that the IOF military operation in Bethlehem “aimed at arresting wanted Palestinians, but IOF troops were fired at by militants and they returned fire.” He further claimed that IOF initiated an investigation into the incident.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 16:15, a vehicle of the Palestinin Customs Department was patrolling on Hebron – Bethlehem road, southeast of Bethlehem. A civilian van with a Palestinian registration plate chased the vehicle and demanded the driver to stop, but he proceeded towards the Palestinian security compound. Members of the Palestinian National Security Forces positioned in the area attempted to stop the suspicious van. Immediately, IOF troops traveling in the van opened fire at members of the National Security Forces, wounding Mohammed Khalil Suleiman Salah, 36, with 4 gunshots to the head, the abdomen and the right thigh. He died at Beit Jala Hospital and hour later. Soon after, IOF military vehicles moved into the town, and IOF troops opened fire at Palestinian security sites, houses and shops. They withdrew from the town at approximately 17:30.

2.      Continued Siege on the OPT

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.

Gaza Strip

IOF have continued to close all border crossings of the Gaza Strip for nearly 17 months. The total siege imposed by IOF on the Gaza Strip has left disastrous impacts on the humanitarian situation and has violated the economic and social rights of the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. It has also paralyzed most economic sectors. Furthermore, severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the Palestinian civilian population. Moreover, the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip has severely impacted the flow of food, medical supplies and other necessities such as fuel, construction materials and raw materials for various economic sectors. IOF have further tightened the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip, and the living and economic conditions of Palestinian civilians have further deteriorated. During the reporting period, the Israeli government declared the Gaza Strip as “a hostile entity,” which implies imposing more restrictions and measures of collective punishment against the Palestinian civilian population. 

·      Rafah International Crossing Point: Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border is the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world. 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. The crossing point has been closed since 25 June 2006. During the reporting period, the crossing point was not reopened.  There are approximately 6,000 Palestinians held at the Egyptian side of the border awaiting to return to their homes in the Gaza Strip. Most of them have run out of money and are living on assistance. In addition, 19 of them have died in Egypt. The bodies were returned to Gaza through the Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing. In addition, thousands of travelers have allowed to return to the Gaza Strip through al-Ojah crossing, 8 kilometers to the east of Rafah International Crossing Point. From there, they were transported to Erez Checkpoint to enter the Gaza Strip.  Hundreds of Palestinian civilians who have residencies in other countries were allowed to travel out of the Gaza Strip the same way. The problem has emerged again as at least 1,500 Palestinians have been stuck at the Egyptian side of Rafah International Crossing Point waiting to be allowed to travel back to the Gaza Strip. Additionally, 30 Palestinians have been stuck at al-‘Areesh Airport in Egypt. On 3 December 2007, the Egyptian authorities allowed 550 Palestinian pilgrims to pass through Rafah International Crossing Point to travel to Saudi Arabia. On the following day, 1,650 pilgrims were allowed to travel through the crossing point.

·      Beit Hanoun (Erez) Crossing: IOF have completely closed Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, which links the Gaza Strip with Israel and the West Bank.  Before this latest closure, IOF had prevented Palestinian workers from reaching their work places inside Israel through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing.  Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip had been prevented from traveling through this crossing. A few Palestinian patients have been able to travel to hospitals in Israel and the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF allowed hundreds of Palestinian civilians to pass through the crossing to travel towards al-‘Ouja crossing on the Israeli – Egyptian border and then travel abroad, following coordination with the Palestinian Civil Affairs Department. These civilians were allowed to travel in 3 groups on 3 days as shown in the following table:

A few Palestinian patients have been able to travel to hospitals in Israel and the West Bank. The following table the number of patients who were allowed to pass through the crossing during the reporting period to travel to hospitals in Israel and the West Bank:

·       Al-Mentar (Karni) Commercial Crossing: During the reporting period, IOF partially reopened the crossing for several hours on one day only to allow the entry of 40 containers of animal feeds.

·      Nahal Ouz crossing: It is designed for the entry of fuels into the Gaza Strip. On 28 November 2007, IOF decided a new reduction in the supply of fuel to the Gaza Strip, which already suffers from serious shortages in fuel. It is noted that this decision preempted a pending decision by the Israeli High Court on a petition submitted by PCHR and several human rights organizations against the IOF decision on 25 October 2007 to reduce the fuel and electricity supplies to the Strip. The Israeli High Court held a session on 30 November to review the petition and it rejected it. Statistics indicate that the Strip’s fuel supply was reduced by more than 50% since the IOF decision was issued on 25 October 2007. Gasoline supplies dropped 90,000 liters a day (73% decrease); benzene supplies dropped to 25,000 liters a day (67% decrease); whereas natural gas supplies dropped to 100 tons (56% decrease).  The daily fuel needs of the Gaza Strip are 350,000 liters of gasoline, 120,000 liters of benzene, and 350 tons of natural gas. Sources in the Association of Owners of Petrol and Gas Companies and Fuel Stations indicated that the Association rejected receipt of the fuel amounts delivered on Wednesday, 28 November 2007, due to the new reductions implemented by the Israeli supplier, Dor Alon Company. The Israeli company informed the Association of reducing the daily fuel supply to Gaza. The Association’s board held a meeting and replied to the Israeli supplier that it rejects receipt of such amounts, citing that the reduction wwould result in a humanitarian crisis on all aspects of civilian life.

·      Sofa Crossing: During the reporting period, IOF partially reopened the crossing for 4 days allowing the entry of limited amounts of aggregate into the Gaza Strip.  

·      Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom): During the reporting period, the crossing witnessed active movement. On 28 November 2007, 47 contain