Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
www.pchrgaza.org

  Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)
 
• 11 Palestinians, including 2 children and an elderly man, were killed by IOF in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
 
• 25 Palestinians, including 9 children and 5 women, were wounded by IOF in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
 
• IOF conducted 32 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 4 into the Gaza Strip.
 
• IOF razed 240 donums[1] of agricultural and destroyed a house in the southern Gaza Strip.  
 
• IOF transformed 3 houses in the West Bank into military sites.
 
• IOF arrested 39 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, in the West Bank, and detained 12 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.
 
• IOF imposed a comprehensive closure on the OPT for 3 days.
 
• 6 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a woman, were arrested by IOF at military checkpoints in the West Bank.
 
• IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.
 
• IOF demolished 3 houses in East Jerusalem.
 
• IOF started to establish a new settlement outpost to the southwest of Hebron.
 
• 4 Palestinian civilians, including an elderly man and his wife, were injured by Israeli settlers.
 
 
 

Summary
 
Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT, especially in the Gaza Strip, during the reporting period (5 – 11 June 2008):
 
Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF killed 11 Palestinians, including 2 children and an elderly man, and wounded 25 others, including 9 children and 5 women, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
 
In the Gaza Strip, IOF killed 10 Palestinians, including two 8-year-old children, and wounded 16 others, including 5 children and 3 women.
 
On 5 June, IOF killed an 8-year-old child in Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis, when they fired a missile that fell near her family’s house. The child’s mother was also wounded. Additionally, a Palestinian civilian was wounded by IOF during an incursion into ‘Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis.
 
On 6 June, 5 Palestinians (3 children and 2 police officers) were wounded when IOF aircrafts bombarded a police station of the dismissed Palestinian government in the northern Gaza Strip.
 
On 7 June, IOF shot dead a Palestinian civilian in al-Shoja’eya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, when he attempted to offer help to a number of activists of the Palestinian resistance who had been wounded by IOF. On the same day, IOF killed an activist of the Palestinian resistance, when they fired a tanks shell at a number of activists in al-Shoja’eya neighborhood. In addition, a Palestinian civilian was wounded by IOF in Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis.
 
On 8 June, 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded by IOF near Khan Yunis town in the southern Gaza Strip and near al-Boreij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
 
On 10 June 2008, IOF killed 3 activists of the Palestinian resistance in al-Tuffah neighborhood in the east of Gaza City.
 
On 11 June, IOF killed an 8-year-old girl and 2 activists of the Palestinian resistance during an incursion into al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. The girl’s aunt and another girl were also wounded. On the same day, IOF killed an elderly Palestinian man and wounded his grandchild, when an IOF helicopter gunship fired a missile at a tent that serves as a site for the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
 
In the West Bank, IOF killed a Palestinian civilian and wounded 9 others, including 4 children and 2 women.
 
On 5 June, IOF killed a Palestinian civilian, when they opened fire at members of two clans who were exchanging fire in the context of a dispute between the two clans in Hebron. On the same day, 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child and 2 women, were wounded when IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.
 
On 7 June, 2 Palestinian children were wounded when IOF fired at a number of children who demonstrated when IOF moved into al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas.
 
On 9 June, a Palestinian child was wounded by IOF in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.
 
On 10 June, a Palestinian civilian was wounded when IOF fired at a number of Palestinian children who demonstrated in Deir Abu Mash’al village, northwest of Ramallah.
 
Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 32 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, IOF arrested 39 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children. Since the beginning of the year, 1,306 Palestinian civilians have been arrested by IOF in the West Bank. IOF also closed two offices belonging to the ‘Islamic Charity’ in Hebron, and transformed 3 houses into military sites.   
 
In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 4 incursions into Palestinian communities. During these incursions, IOF razed at least 240 donums of agricultural land, destroyed 2 green houses, demolished a house and a bird farm, and detained 12 Palestinian civilians for some time, but released 11 of them 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. During the reporting period, IOF imposed a comprehensive closure on the OPT from Sunday morning to Tuesday morning, 8-11 June 2008.  
 
Gaza Strip
 
IOF have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for almost two years. The IOF siege of Gaza, which has tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and has violated the human, economic and social rights of the approximately 1.5 million Palestinian civilian population, particularly their rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. The siege has also paralyzed the Gazan economy. In addition, the siege 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 continued to prevent the entry of raw materials into the Gaza Strip, and many factories have been forced to close. Severe restrictions have been imposed on the movement of the entire Palestinian civilian population. Regarding civilian movements, IOF permit very few Palestinian civilians to pass through Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing in order to travel to the West Bank or Israel. Rafah International Crossing Point in the southern Gaza Strip is the sole outlet for the Gaza Strip to the outside world via a country other than Israel. 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 from reaching it. The closure of these border crossings deprives the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip of their inalienable right to freedom of movement, education and health. IOF also imposes restrictions on the access of fishermen to sea, using force to impose severe restrictions on their rights to fish on their own coastline.
 
West Bank
 
Contrary to Israeli claims of easing restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians, IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank. 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 harass 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 6 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a woman.
 
Settlement Activities: IOF have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT have, in violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. During the reporting period, IOF demolished 3 Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem, claiming that they were built without licenses. IOF also started to establish a settlement outpost on the land of Arab al-Ramadin village, south of Hebron. IOF named the new settlement outpost “Sinsana B”, and it would be constructed only a few meters away from “Sinsana A” settlement outpost. In the meantime, Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. During the reporting period, 4 Palestinian civilians, including an old man and his wife, were injured when Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron district.  

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (5 – 11 June 2008)
 
The full report is available online at:
html format:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/12-06-2008.htm
pdf format:
www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2008/pdf/weekly%20report%2024.pdf
 
  Public Document
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[1] 1 donum is equal to 1,000 square meters.