PCHR Weekly Report: 18 Palestinians injured, including 9 children

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights, based in Gaza, reports that 18 Palestinians were injured during the week of August 28th to September 3rd.  Nine of those injured were children, and two were fishermen who were wounded by Israeli naval troops whilst near the Gaza seashore.

Palestinian abducted by Israeli forces

Israeli attacks in the West Bank:

 

15 civilians were wounded when Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall.  During that attack, Israeli forces used a liquid with a disgusting smell to target demonstrators.

 

On 1 September, a Palestinian civilian was seriously wounded, when Israeli forces fired at him as they went to his house to arrest his son.  At approximately 03:45, Israeli forces moved into Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah. They raided and searched 2 houses belonging to ‘Awad Sadiq Sorour, 40, and his brother ‘Aqel, 33. Israeli forces abducted Aqel. They then demanded to know the whereabouts of the son of ‘Awad Sorour. As he was attempting to tell Israeli forces that his son was not at home, Israeli forces fired several rubber-coated metal bullets at ‘Awad Sorour. He was seriously wounded by three bullets to the face. He subsequently lost one eye as it was directly hit by one of the bullets. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli forces fired at ‘Awad Sorour from a range of just three metres. 

 

Israeli forces conducted 35 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  During those incursions, Israeli forces abducted 29 Palestinian civilians, including five children.

 

Israeli forces abducted 7 Palestinian civilians and 8 human rights defenders near the Annexation Wall.

 

Israeli troops positioned at various checkpoints in the West Bank abducted at least four Palestinian civilians.

 

 

Israeli Annexation Wall:

 

During the reporting period, 15 Palestinian civilians were wounded when Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest at the construction of the Annexation Wall in N’elin and Bil’in villages, west of Ramallah. Israeli forces also used a liquid with a disgusting smell to target the demonstrators.  

 

On Thursday noon, 28 August, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders gathered in the center of Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah. They moved towards the area where Israeli forces were razing land to construct a section of the Wall in the village. Immediately, Israeli forces fired rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, 11 demonstrators, including 7 children, were wounded.

 

 

Israeli settlement activity:

 

Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attacks Palestinian civilians and property.  During the last week, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron.

 

Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:

 

In the Gaza Strip, on 1 September, 2 Palestinian fishermen were wounded when an Israeli forces gunboat fired a shell at their boat opposite Beit Lahia seashore in the northern Gaza Strip.

 

Israeli forces have continued to close all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for more than two years. The Israeli forces siege of Gaza, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

 

1.5 million people are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.

 

Israeli forces have repeatedly closed border crossings of the Gaza Strip claiming that home-made rockets were launched at Israeli towns.

 

The Gaza Strip had been suffering from chronic shortages of fuel supplies, especially cooking gas, and electricity is still being cut-off for long periods of time.

 

There are at least 900 Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in jails in Israel who have been denied all visitation rights since 6 June 2007.

 

 

Recommendations to the international community:

 

Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made a number of recommendations to the international community.  Among these were a recommendation that PCHR calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to comply with its legal obligations detailed in Article 146 of the Convention to search for and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches, namely war crimes.

 

For the text of the full report, click on the link below: