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

• 2 Palestinian farmers were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip.

• 2 activists of the Palestinian resistance died from previous wounds.

• 5 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and a paramedic, were wounded by IOF in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.   

• IOF conducted 48 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 3 ones into the Gaza Strip.

• IOF arrested 82 Palestinian civilians, including 15 children, and 7 others in the Gaza Strip.

• IOF demolished 4 houses, razed 94 donums[1] of agricultural land and destroyed 2 bird farms in al-Qarara village in the Gaza Strip.

• IOF raided and searched offices of a number of NGOs, charities and radio stations in the West Bank.   

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

• IOF have isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

• 7 Palestinian civilian were arrested by IOF at military checkpoints in the West Bank.

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

• IOF razed area of Palestinian land in Hebron.

• IOF demolished 4 houses in Jerusalem and Hebron.

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

• IOF demolished 7 houses in Jerusalem and Hebron.

• 3 Palestinian civilians were injured by Israeli settlers in Hebron.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law seriously escalated in the OPT, especially in the Gaza Strip, during the reporting period (19 – 26 March 2008):

Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 2 Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip. Two members of the Palestinian resistance died from previous wounds. Additionally, IOF wounded 5 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children and a paramedic, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF killed 2 Palestinian civilians in 2 separate attacks in al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis, on 20 and 24 March 2008. They also wounded a 4-year-old child in Wadi al-Salqa villag in the central Gaza Strip. Also during the reporting period, 2 members of the Palestinian resistance died from previous wounds.

In the West Bank, IOF wounded 4 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a paramedic, in Beita village, south of Nablus; ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya; Hawara village, south of Nablus, and Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 48 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IOF arrested 82 Palestinian civilians, including 15 children and a girl. Thus, the number of Palestinian civilians arrested by IOF in the West Bank since the beginning of 2008 has mounted to 777. During the reported period, IOF also raided and searched offices of a number of NGOs, charities and radio stations.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 3 incursions into Palestinian communities. During these incursions, IOF killed a Palestinian farmer, arrested 7 Palestinian civilians, demolished 4 houses, razed 94 donums of agricultural land and destroyed 2 bird farms.   

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 more than one year and a half. 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 nearly 1.5 million 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. 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. In September 2007, 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. Since then, IOF have sharply decreased food and fuel supplies allowed into the Gaza Strip.  IOF have continued to prevent the entry of raw materials into the Gaza Strip, and subsequently many factories have stopped their industrial activities. Concerning the movement of persons, IOF allow a few Palestinian civilians to pass through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to travel to the West Bank. 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 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. Fishermen have been subjected to intensive monitoring by IOF, which use helicopter gunships and gunboats to monitor the fishermen. The Oslo Accords allow Palestinian fishermen to go fishing up to 20 nautical miles away from the Gaza seashore.

West Bank

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been denied access to Jerusalem. 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 various checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 7 Palestinian civilians.

Annexation Wall: On 19 March 2008, IOF razed large areas of Palestinian agricultural land in the villages of al-Burj, Deir al-‘Assal, Sikka and al-Majd, southwest of Hebron, to establish a settler road between the Negev inside Israel and Israeli settlements established on Palestinian land to the northwest of Hebron. During the reporting period, IOF demolished 4 houses in Jerusalem and Jenin near the Annexation Wall.

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. During the reporting period, IOF demolished 7 houses in Jerusalem and Hebron. Israeli settlers living in the center of Hebron attacked Palestinian civilians in the town and injured 3 of them.

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (19 – 26 March 2008)

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

Wednesday, 19 March 2008

·      At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Sarra village, southwest of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child:

1.      Ameen Mohammed Turabi, 19;

2.      Qais Ziad Turabi, 17; and

3.      Tariq Ziad Turabi, 19.

·      At approximately 00:30, IOF moved into al-Hawouz area in the southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Tariq Ahmed Sayed Ahmed, 30.

·      Also at approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Halhoul town, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to Khader Deeb Mubarak, 45, and arrested him.

·      Also at approximately 00:30, IOF moved into Jabal al-Mawaleh area in Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Ali Ibrahim Abu Basma, 32, and arrested him.

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Tammoun village, southeast of Tubas. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Yousef ‘Abdul Majid Bani ‘Ouda, 27;

2.      Adam ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Bani Matar, 28; and

3.      Mohammed Diab Bisharat, 28.

·      At approximately 01:10, IOF moved nearly 800 meters into the east of Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. They raided and searched 2 houses belonging to the Abu Salah family and arrested 7 members of the family:

1.      As’ad Fahmi Abu Salah, 45;

2.      Sa’id Fahmi Abu Salah, 42;

3.      Fahmi As’ad Abu Salah, 21;

4.      Salah As’ad Abu Salah, 18;

5.      Mohammed As’ad Abu Salah, 19;

6.      ‘Eid Sa’id Abu Salah, 22; and

7.      Ghassan Sa’id Abu Salah, 18.

·      At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring Balata refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Aayat Rasmi al-Qaissi, 19.

·      At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into al-Saf Street in the center of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Abed Khader al-Hraimi, 17, and arrested him.

·      Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Qiffin village, north of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Ahmed Waleed Sabbah, who is allegedly wanted. They intended to arrest him, but he was not at home.

·      In the morning, medical sources in Gaza declared that Mahmoud Rabee’ ‘Abed Rabbu, 27, from Jabalya town, died from a previous wound. According to PCHR’s documentation, ‘Abed Rabbu was seriously wounded by shrapnel from a missile fired by an IOF aircraft. He had received medical treatment at an Egyptian hospital.

Thursday, 20 March 2008

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Sourif village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 6 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Ayman Mohammed al-Hour, 30;

2.      Khader Mahmoud Ghnaimat, 30;

3.      Ibrahim Mahmoud ‘Othman, 28;

4.      Mohammed Ibrahim Abu Saleh, 29; and

5.      Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qadhi, 28.

·      At approximately 01:15, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring Balata refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Yazeed Ayoub Eshtaiwi, 20.

·      At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Beit Sahour town. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Fadi Shukri Sarhan, 25, and arrested him.

·      At approximately 01:45, IOF moved into Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinian civilians:

1.      ‘Ammar Saleh Tazaz’a, 22;

2.      Mohammed ‘Adnan Saba’na, 22;

3.      Mohammed Ameen Nazzal, 38;

4.      Nadeem Mohammed Abu Kmayel, 24; and

5.      Nazeem Mohammed Abu Kmayel, 22.

·      At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Khader village, southwest of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child:

1.      Ahmed Mohammed Salah, 16;

2.      Mahmoud Hassan Salah, 19; and

3.      ‘Abdullah Yousef al-Knouri, 18.

·      At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Jenin refugee camp. They raided and searched a house belonging to Zakaria ‘Afeef Jaleel, 25, and arrested him.

·      At approximately 08:00, IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian agricultural areas in al-Qarara village. A Palestinian farmer, Hussein Hamdan Mohammed Abu ‘Aabed, 75, from Bani Suhaila village in Khan Yunis, was killed by a gunshot to the abdomen, when he was on his agricultural land nearly 700 meters away from the border.

·      At approximately 12:00, IOF moved into Ramallah and al-Bireh towns. They stopped and checked a number of Palestinian civilians. No arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 19:00, IOF moved into Beita village, southeast of Nablus, and imposed a curfew. A number of Palestinian children and young men gathered and threw stones at IOF military vehicles. Immediately, IOF troops opened fire at them. Mahdi Ghaleb al-Jaghoub, 25, was wounded by a gunshot to the abdomen. He was evacuated to the hospital in a Palestinian ambulance, but IOF troops positioned at Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus, arrested him. He was then taken in an Israeli ambulance to an unknown destination. During the incursion into Beita village, IOF raided and searched a number of houses and arrested ‘Assaf Badran Hamayel, 17.

Friday, 21 March 2008

·      At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Ras al-Joura neighborhood in the north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses belonging to the al-Junaidi family. They arrested Ayman Shaker al-Junaidi, 37, who suffers from cancer. They also confiscated 2 computer sets and 3 mobile phones.

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Nidal Ja’far Ja’far, 21; and

2.      ‘Odai Zuhair Ba’jawi, 20.

·      Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Rummana village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

·      Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Bourqin village, southwest of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Mahmoud Khalil ‘Anteer, 28.

·      At approximately 01:40, IOF moved into Bani Na’im village, east of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Ra’ed ‘Abdul Hamid Taraira, 22;

2.      ‘Abbas ‘Ali Taraira, 28; and

3.      Mustafa ‘Ali Taraira, 25.

·      At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring Balata refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Muntaha Ya’qoub al-Khatib, 17.

Saturday, 22 March 2008

·      At approximately 15:00, IOF moved into ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya, and imposed a curfew. They opened fire at Palestinian civilians and property. As a result, Zakaria ‘Abdul Hadi Swaidan, 17, was wounded by a gunshot to the right side, when he was in front of his house. IOF troops also raided and searched a number of houses.

Sunday, 23 March 2008  

·      At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Jenin town and refugee camp. They raided offices of Jenin Charity in al-Bassatin neighborhood in the north of the town and blowing up doors. They confiscated a computer set and some documents.

·      At approximately 04:00, IOF moved into Beita village, southeast of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 6 Palestinian children:

1.      Akram Kamel Jarawan, 16;

2.      ‘Alaa’ Nasser Naji, 16;

3.      Tha’er Tal’at Naji, 15;

4.      Saleem Mustafa Hamayel, 16;

5.      Najeh Jaber Khtaibi, 15; and

6.      ‘Aassem Rebhi Hamayel, 16.

IOF troops also raided and searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Assaf Badran Hamayel, whom they arrested on 21 March. Following the house raid, the family noticed that an amount of money, a health insurance card and a driving license were missing.

·      At approximately 16:30, IOF moved into Talfit village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses. They withdrew from the village on the following day morning and no arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 17:00, medical sources at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City declared that Nidal haidar Shaqqura, 22, from Beit Lahia, an activist of the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) died from a previous wound. According to PCHR’s documentation, Shaqqura was wounded on 18 March 2008, when an IOF aircraft fired a missile at him and 2 other activists. He and 6 civilian bystanders were wounded.

Monday, 24 March 2008

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into ‘Ein al-Sultan refugee camp, north of Jericho. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Tha’er ‘Eissa Jerbril, 18.

·      Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into ‘Aqabet Jaber refugee camp, south of Jericho. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Jamal Mohammed al-Slemi, 23.

·      At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Tubas town. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Jihad Hussein Daraghma, 25.

·      Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Tammoun village, southeast of Tubas. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Mo’ath ‘Ayash Bani ‘Ouda, 22; and

2.      Isma’il Ibrahim Bisharat, 22.

·      At approximately 11:00, IOF moved nearly 150 meters into al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. They leveled areas of land which they hard already razed. They opened fire at houses. As a result, Yousef Mohammed Abu Zhaher, 60, was killed by a gunshot to the abdomen, when he was near his house, approximately 150 meters away from IOF troops. Ambulances were not able to evacuate his body for a long time.

·      At approximately 17:30, IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of Wadi al-Salqa village in the central Gaza Strip opened fire at houses in the village. Aaya Nour al-Din Abu Mandil, 4, was wounded by a gunshot to the right thigh, when he was playing near her house, approximately 1,500 meters away from the border.

Tuesday, 25 March 2008

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into ‘Eissi neighborhood in the west of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Talal Mohammed Nasser al-Din, 52.

·      Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Jameel Mahmoud ‘Alqam, 62; and

2.      ‘Emad Hamdi Abu Maria, 30.

·      At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Nablus and the neighboring Balata refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 4 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Mohammed Ibrahim Sharai’a, 20;

2.      Sameer Nemer Hashash, 20;

3.      Diaa’ Kamal Hwaiti, 20; and

4.      Bashar Bassam Hamdan, 23.

·      At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Kamal Kamel Ekmayel, 21.

·      Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Deir Samet village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Khalil ‘Ouda al-Hroub, 27, and arrested him.

·      At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Nidal Mahmoud Khalawi, 27; and

2.      Hamza Hussein al-Kamel, 25.

·      Also at approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Taqqou’ village, south of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Na’el Ayman Abu Mefreh, 22.

·      At approximately 12:00, IOF moved into Beit Kahel village, northwest of Hebron. They chased a number of Palestinian children and arrested one of them, 17-year-old Wajdi Jamal al-Zohour, for several hours, claiming that stones were thrown at their vehicles.

·      At approximately 16:00, IOF moved into Qiffin village, north of Tulkarm. They stopped and checked dozens of Palestinian civilians. They also raided a number of houses and arrested 7 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children:

1.      Muhab Khaled Hersha, 15;

2.      Amal Mohammed Hersha, 17;

3.      Mohammed Jameel ‘Ammar, 18;

4.      Nihad Ahmed Hersha, 23;

5.      Jameel Jihad Khsaib, 18;

6.      Khaled Mohammed ‘Ajjouli, 20; and

7.      Rashwan Nasrallah ‘Ajjouli, 20.

·      At approximately 17:00, IOF troops in training site in Hawara village, south of Nablus, fired at 2 Palestinian children who attempted to bypass the site to travel to their village, ‘Awarta, southeast of Nablus. One of the children, 17-year-old Sa’ad Ghazi ‘Ouda, was seriously wounded by a gunshot to the chest, and IOF troops arrested the other child, 17-year-old Saddam ‘Abdullah Shurrab.

·      At approximately 21:00, IOF moved into Yatta village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses, but no arrests were reported.

Wednesday, 26 March 2008

·      At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into ‘Ajoul village, north of Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of houses and took the number of mobile phones and identity cards of a number of Palestinian civilians for no apparent reason.

·      At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Jenin. They raided and searched a number of buildings in the center of the town after blowing up their doors. No arrests were reported.

·      At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Bal’a village, northeast of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

1.      ‘Omar Daoud Jaber, 45; and

2.      Hani Mohammed Barabra, 39.

·      Also at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Qalqilya. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:

1.      Mahmoud Sa’id Abu al-Sheikh, 26; and

2.      Saleh Sameer al-Yassin, 24.

·      At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to ‘Omar Sami al-Harimi, 37, and arrested him.

·      At approximately 11:00, IOF moved nearly 700 meters into al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. During this incursion, IOF demolished 4 houses belonging to the families of Midyaf and Abu ‘Eid, and razed 94 donums of agricultural land. They also destroyed a 2-donum bird farm and an animal farm.

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 more than one year and a half. 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 nearly 1.5 million 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. 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. In September 2007, 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. Since then, IOF have sharply decreased food and fuel supplies allowed into the Gaza Strip.  IOF have continued to prevent the entry of raw materials into the Gaza Strip, and subsequently many factories have stopped their industrial activities. Concerning the movement of persons, IOF allow a few Palestinian civilians to pass through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to travel to the West Bank. 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. 

IOF has also maintained the effective closure of the commercial crossings of al-Mentar (Karni), Sofa, and Nahal Ouz. IOF have sporadically opened these crossings in order to facilitate the passage of some humanitarian aids into Gaza.

During the reporting period, IOF partially reopened al-Mentar (Karni) crossing, east of Gaza City, and 134 containers of seeds and feeds were allowed into the Gaza Strip.

Concerning fuels, the amounts allowed into Nahal ‘Ouz crossing, which is designed for entering fuels in the Gaza Strip during the reporting period were as shown in the following table:

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. Following the attack on IOF on 25 June 2006, IOF prevented fishing. 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. The Oslo Accords allow Palestinian fishermen to go fishing up to 20 nautical miles away from the Gaza seashore.

The West Bank

IOF have imposed a tightened siege on the West Bank. During the reporting period, IOF imposed additional restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians.

·      Jerusalem: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from the city. 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 impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians on Fridays to restrict their access to the al-Aqsa Mosque.

·      Nablus: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. On Wednesday morning, 19 March 2008, IOF closed Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus, following a debate between a Palestinian civilian and an IOF soldier. On Friday morning, 21 March 2008, IOF closed the entrances of Beita village, south of Nablus, with sand barriers and rocks after an IOF jeep had been fired at.

On Wednesday noon, 19 March 2008, IOF troops positioned at Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus, arrested Khalil al-Atrash, 25, from Hebron.

·      Tulkarm: IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have continued to prevent Palestinians aged below 35 from passing through checkpoints. On Thursday, 20 March 2008, IOF troops positioned at Wad al-Teen checkpoint, south of Tulk