[News] Palestinian Centre for Human Rights - report on week's violations

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Human rights report on week's violations
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=965&Itemid=31

(Gaza City) PCHR
Friday, 10 November 2006

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights issued 
its report for the week of 2 through 8 November.

The group of four photos accompanied the report 
with the caption, "Photos of the massacre 
committed by Israeli Occupation Forces in Beit 
Hanoun on Wednesday, 8 November 2006."

The full text of the PCHR report follows.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Escalate Attacks 
on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the 
Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and Launch 
an Offensive on the Northern Gaza Strip

86 Palestinians, 52 of whom including 16 children 
and 10 women are civilians, were killed by IOF.

70 of the victims killed by IOF in Beit Hanoun 
and other areas in the northern Gaza Strip.

17 of the victims, most of them are children and 
women, are from one same family and were killed when IOF shelled their house.

12 of the victims were extra-judicially executed by IOF in 5 attacks.

254 Palestinians, including 71 children and 58 women, were wounded by IOF.

IOF have continued to launch air strikes on 
houses and civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip; 
a house was destroyed in Gaza City.

IOF conducted 34 incursions into Palestinian 
communities in the West Bank, and invaded Beit Hanoun town in the Gaza Strip.

IOF arrested 123 Palestinian civilians, including 
4 children,  3 women and the Palestinian Minister 
of Housing, in the West Bank.

IOF razed large areas and destroyed several 
civilian facilities in Beit Hanoun and neighboring areas.

IOF razed at least 20 donums[1] of agricultural 
land and destroyed two factories and a house in the east of Gaza City.

  IOF have continued to impose a total siege on 
the OPT; IOF arrested 7 Palestinian civilian, 
including two children, at checkpoints in the West Bank

  IOF have continued to construct the Annexation 
Wall in the West Bank; IOF have closed the 
entrance of Dahiat al-Barid suburb to the north 
of occupied Jerusalem; and Palestinian farmers 
have been denied access to their agricultural lands to cultivate olives.





Summary

IOF have escalated attacks on Palestinian 
civilians and their property in the OPT. Israeli 
political and military officials have implemented 
their threats to launch a wide scale military 
campaign on the Gaza Strip. IOF invaded the 
northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun and committed a series of crimes.

Israeli violations of international law continued 
in the OPT during the reported period (2 – 8 November 2006):

Killing: During the reported period, IOF killed 
86 Palestinians, 52 of whom including 16 
children, 10 women and two paramedics , are 
civilians. This increase in the number of 
casualties has followed orders by Israeli 
political and military officials to expand 
military operations in the Gaza Strip.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF killed 77 Palestinians, 48 
of them, including 16 children, 10 women and two 
paramedics, are civilians. In addition, 228 
Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 67 
children and 58 women, were wounded.

IOF continued their offensive (“Operation Autumn 
Clouds”) on the northern Gaza Strip town, which 
began on Wednesday morning, 1 November 2006. 
During the reported period, 70 Palestinians were 
killed, 48 of whom are unarmed civilians, 
including 16 children, 10 women, two old people 
and two paramedics. This number also includes 17 
members of one same family, who were killed when 
IOF shelled their houses on 8 November 2006. In 
addition, at least 221 Palestinians, mostly 
civilians, including 67 children and 58 women, 
were wounded. Thus, the number of Palestinians 
killed by IOF since the beginning of the 
offensive on Beit Hanoun has mounted to 78 
Palestinians, including 51 civilians. In 
addition, 262 Palestinians, mostly civilians, 
including 75 children and 60 women, have been 
wounded. IOF redeployed from the town on Tuesday morning, 7 November 2006.

During the reported period, IOF committed 4 
extra-judicial executions in the Gaza Strip, 
which killed 7 members of the ‘Izziddin al-Qassam 
Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and wounded 5 
others and a civilian bystanders.

IOF also launched an air strike on a houses in 
the Gaza City. As a result, the house was 
destroyed and a number of neighboring houses were severely damaged.

In the west Bank, IOF killed 9 Palestinians, 
including two children and an old women, and 
wounded 21 others, including 4 children.

On 3 November 2006, IOF killed a Palestinian 
child and wounded his brother in Balata refugee 
camp, east of Nablus. On the same day, IOF killed 
a woman, a child and a member of the Islamic 
Jihad, and wounded 6 other Palestinians in 
Bethlehem. On 7 November 2006, IOF 
extra-judicially executed 4 members of the 
al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Fatah 
movement, and a civilian bystander in al-Yamoun 
village, southwest of Jenin. Three civilians were 
also wounded and arrested by IOF. In addition,11 
Palestinians were wounded by the IOF gunfire in 
other incidents in the West Bank.

Incursions: During the reported period, IOF 
conducted at least 34 military incursions into 
Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during 
which they raided dozens of houses and arrested 
123 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children 
and 3 women. On Tuesday, 7 November 2006, IOF 
arrested Eng. ‘Abdul Rahman Zaidan, Minister of 
Housing and Public Works, in Ramallah. Thus, the 
number of Palestinian Ministers arrested by IOF 
since 25 June 2006 has increased 10. IOF also 
transformed two houses into military sites.

In the Gaza Strip, in addition to the offensive 
of Beit Hanoun, IOF conducted two military 
incursions into al-Tuffah neighborhood in the 
east of Gaza City. During these incursions, IOF 
killed a number of Palestinians, razed at least 
250 donums[2] of agricultural land; destroyed 136 
houses, including 16 ones completely and a 
mosque; damaged 3 mosques, a number schools and a 
hospital;  and arrested 22 Palestinians. They 
also razed at least 20 donums of agricultural 
land and destroyed two factories and a house in 
al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City

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 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 since 25 June 2006, even though they do not 
directly control it. During this period, the 
crossing has been opened for 18 separate days. 
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. During the 
reported period, IOF partially reopened al-Mentar 
(Karni) crossing, east of Gaza City, and Sofa and 
Kerem Shalom crossings near Rafah. IOF have also 
continued to close Erez crossing in the northern 
Gaza Strip.  Hundreds of thousands of 
Palestinians from the Gaza Strip had been 
prevented from traveling through this 
crossing.  IOF have allowed international workers 
to pass through the crossing.  With this closure, 
only few Palestinian patients have been able to 
travel to hospitals in Israel and the West 
Bank.  IOF have also continued to close Sofa and 
Kerem Shalom crossings near Rafah. In addition, 
IOF have continued to prevent Palestinian fishermen from fishing for 4 moths.



West Bank

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. 
They have further prevented Palestinians from the 
West Bank and the Gaza Strip from entering 
Jerusalem to pray in al-Aqsa Mosque in the Holy 
Ramadan. IOF positioned at various checkpoints 
around Jerusalem imposed severe restrictions on 
the movement of Palestinian civilians. During the 
reported period, IOF positioned at various 
checkpoints in the West Bank arrested 7 Palestinian civilians.



Annexation Wall: IOF have continued to construct 
the Annexation Wall inside the West Bank. During 
the reported period, IOF resumed the construction 
of sections of the Wall to the north of occupied 
Jerusalem. IOF placed high cement blocks near 
Dahiat al-Barid suburb and al-Ram village and. 
They closed the entrance to Dahiat al-Barid 
suburb with cement block, thus linking it with a 
section of the wall extending from Qalandya 
checkpoint on Ramallah – Jerusalem road to a 
checkpoint near Nsaiba neighborhood to the north 
of Beit Hanina suburb. Thus, IOF completely 
separated Dahiat al-Barid suburb and al-Ram 
village from Jerusalem, even though their 
residents have Israeli identity cards. 
Palestinian traders from the West Bank, who 
established businesses in the two areas in light 
of restrictions imposed by IOF on the movement of 
Palestinians in other areas to the West Bank, 
have been forced to close their businesses. 
Furthermore, IOF razed areas of agricultural land 
and uprooted hundreds of grape and almond trees 
in the west of Jourat al-Sham’a village, south of 
Bethlehem. They also dug foundations to construct 
a section of the Wall in the area. IOF also used 
forced to disperse a peaceful demonstration 
organized in protest to the construction of the 
Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah 
Wall.  IOF fired rubber-coated metal bullets, 
tear gas canisters and sound bombs at the 
demonstrators.  As a result, 8 demonstrators, 
including a child and a French solidarity 
activist, were wounded.  While they have 
continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside 
the West Bank, IOF have prevented Palestinian 
farmers in the north and south of the West Bank 
from reaching their agricultural lands, which are 
planted with olives, located behind the Wall. 
According to these farmers, IOF have refused to 
issue permits for them to be able to reach their 
lands. The farmers have expressed their concerns 
that they may lose the current olive season. IOF 
often fire at Palestinian farmers to drive them away from their lands.


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