PCHR Weekly Report: 8 killed, 21 wounded, 28 abducted by Israeli forces

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) Weekly Report, in the week of the 6th to 12th of December, 2007, 8 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces, 21 were wounded, and 28 were abducted by Israeli forces.

Five of the eight killed this week were killed during an Israeli invasion of the southern Gaza Strip.  Five of those injured were journalists, covering a non-violent demonstration in the West Bank, and one was an international human rights activist.

 

Israeli attacks in the West Bank:

 

Israeli forces conducted 22 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and abducted 21 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, during those incursions.  Israeli troops positioned at checkpoints in the West Bank abducted 7 Palestinian civilians, including a child and a girl.  Thus, the number of Palestinians arrested by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the beginning of this year has mounted to 2,553.

 

In addition, Israeli forces raided a number of media institutions in Nablus, confiscated equipment and closed one of the institutions.

 

Israeli forces 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. Israeli forces 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. Israeli forces often violently beat Palestinian civilians who attempt to bypass checkpoints and enter the city.

 

Israeli occupying forces continued to maintain nearly 700 checkpoints and roadblocks throughout the West Bank, in addition to increasing restrictions at several existing checkpoints.  On Thursday and Saturday, 6 and 8 December 2007, Israeli forces troops positioned at Hawara and Za’tara checkpoints, south of Nablus, imposed additional restrictions on the movement through the two checkpoints and conducted prolonged checking on Palestinian civilians. On Saturday evening, Israeli forces closed Hawara checkpoint. On Sunday morning, 9 December 2007, Israeli forces imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians to and from Nablus.

 

Israeli settlement activities:

 

Israeli forces have continued settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the West Bank in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

 

On 6 December 2007, Israeli settlers from “Sousia” settlement, south of Hebron, uprooted 32 olive trees from a tract of agricultural land belonging to Yasser Radhi al-Nawaj’a in Kherbat Sousia area, south of Hebron.

 

On 7 December 2007, dozens of Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli forces troops, arrived at al-Jumjoma Mount near bypass road #60, northeast of Hebron. They set up 3 tents and raised the Israeli flag. They remained in the area until night, when the Israeli police eventually evacuated them.

 

On Tuesday morning, 11 December 2007, Israeli forces demolished a house in the old town of Jerusalem claiming that it was built without a license.

 

Israeli Annexation Wall

 

Israeli forces have continued to construct the Annexation Wall inside West Bank territory. During the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilian in protest to the construction of the Wall in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, and al-Ma’sara village, south of Bethlehem.

 

Following the Friday Prayer on 7 December 2007, scores of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders demonstrated in Bal’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the Wall. Israeli forces troops had placed barbwires in the area to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the Wall. The demonstrators attempted to move forward. Immediately, Israeli forces troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators, and violently beat them. As a result, 3 demonstrators and a journalist sustained bruises.

 

Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:

 

Israeli forces killed 8 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip this week.  On 6 December 2007, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian civilian while he was hunting birds near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Jabalya.

 

On 7 December 2007, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian farmer in Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis.

 

On 11 December 2007, Israeli forces killed 5 Palestinians, including one civilian, during a wide scale offensive on the southern Gaza Strip. Nine Palestinians were also wounded. According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at midnight, Israeli forces heavy military vehicles moved into al-Fukhari areas in the southeast of Khan Yunis. Israeli forces troops raided a number of houses and transformed them into military sites. A few hours later, Israeli forces troops ordered through megaphones Palestinians aged 15-50 to get out of houses and gather on a yard in the area. Israeli forces troops took a number of those civilians to military sites, but released most of them in the evening.

 

On the same day, an Israeli air strike killed a member of the Palestinian resistance and wounded 3 others in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun.

 

In addition, Israeli forces 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 15.  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.

 

Also, during the invasion of the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli forces razed 133 dunums of agricultural land in Khan Yunis, and transformed a number of houses into military sites.

 

 

 

The PCHR condemned the ongoing attacks and siege, and called on the international community to intervene.