Weekly Reports
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Weekly Reports A grocery shop that was bombarded by Israeli warplanes in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip – 03 February Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) A Palestinian civilian was wounded by IOF in Gaza City. 1 / 77 Weekly Reports Three civilians, including 2 children, were wounded by glass shrapnel, a woman suffered nervous trauma and a woman sustained wounds in the foot. An agricultural room, a shop and several warehouses were totally destroyed. Partial damages were caused to 28 houses, 2 shops, a legal firm, a sports club, a school and 4 civilian cars. A tunnel was destroyed in the south of the Gaza Strip. IOF have continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank. 7 protesters, including a child and a solidarity activist, were wounded in the al-Nabi Saleh weekly protest. IOF conducted 47 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and a limited one into the Gaza Strip. IOF arrested 22 Palestinians, including 2 children, in the West Bank. 2 / 77 Weekly Reports IOF arrested 3 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip while trying to infiltrate Israel. Israel has continued to impose a total closure on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world. Israeli soldiers arrested 2 Palestinian civilians at checkpoints in the West Bank. Israel has continued efforts to create a Jewish majority in East Jerusalem. IOF bulldozed 20 dunums, 3 natural caves, 2 walls and a dust road in al-Tour village, east of Jerusalem. A Palestinian family was forced by IOF to demolish a flat and 2 shops belonging to the family. IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property. IOF implemented bulldozing works in the north of Jayous village, northeast of Qalqilya, with the aim to annex these lands to "Tsufim" settlement. 3 / 77 Weekly Reports Israeli settlers organized provocative tours in Hebron under IOF protection. Israeli settlers raided Palestinian villages and wrote racist slogans against Arabs and offending the Prophet Mohammed. - IOF bulldozed lands in Kafr Qaddoum village with the aim to annex these lands to nearby settlements. Summary Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (02 – 08 February 2012): Shooting: During the reporting period, IOF wounded 7 protesters, including a child and a French solidarity activist, in al-Nabi Saleh weakly protest in the West Bank. In the Gaza Strip, three civilians, including 2 children, were wounded by glass shrapnel, a woman suffered nervous trauma and a woman sustained wounds in the foot when IOF warplanes fired a missile at a civilian target. 4 / 77 Weekly Reports In the West Bank, during the reporting period, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank. As a result, 7 protesters, including a child and a French solidarity activist, were wounded in al-Nabi Saleh weakly protest, northwest of Ramallah. Additionally, dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders participating in peaceful demonstrations suffered from tear gas inhalation. IOF also held Ali Dar Ali, 27, a reporter for Palestine TV, and Najib Allah Hussein Sharawna, 23, a cameraman of Palestine TV, in a military jeep for 4 hours. In the Gaza Strip, IOF warplanes attacked civilian targets, including residential houses. As a result, three civilians, including 2 children, were wounded by glass shrapnel, a woman suffered nervous trauma and a woman sustained wounds in the foot. The airstrikes also resulted in the destruction of an agricultural room, a shop, several warehouses and a tunnel. Additionally, the strikes resulted in damages to 28 houses, 2 shops, a legal firm, a sports club, a school and 4 civilian cars. At approximately 01:10 on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a tunnel in Yebna refugee camp near the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, south of Rafah. The targeted tunnel was totally destroyed and civilians were in panic as a result. No casualties were reported. At approximately 01:15 also on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at 5 / 77 Weekly Reports house in al-Shoka village, east of Rafah. The missile hit a tin-roofed room in the front yard of the house. The room was totally destroyed. No casualties were reported. At approximately 01:39 on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a farm in al-Zanna area, east of Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported. At approximately 01:50 on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a piece of land in the east of al-Nusseirat on Salah Addin Street in the middle of the Gaza Strip. A room built on the targeted land was destroyed and four neighboring houses were damaged as a result. At approximately 02:15 on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a grocery shop measuring 35 square meters in Beit Lahia in the north of the Gaza Strip. Three civilians, including two children, were wounded by glass shrapnel from windows crushed in their houses as a result of the attack. The targeted shop was totally destroyed. Additionally, 13 neighboring houses, 2 shops, a law firm and 4 civilian vehicles were damaged. At approximately 02:45 on Friday, 03 February 2012, an Israeli drone fired a missile at the roof of the house of Awad Ali al-Abed Meqdad, 46, near Jabalia al-Nazla Boys Elementary School, north of Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip. As a result of the attack, a part of the roof collapsed, some of the windows in the targeted house broken and a 1000 liter water tank was 6 / 77 Weekly Reports destroyed. No casualties were reported. At approximately 02:50 on Friday, 03 February 2012, IOF warplanes fired a missile at a warehouse in the house of Ammar Abu Warda, 35, north of Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip. The warehouse was totally destroyed and the house was heavily damaged as a result of the attack. Another 8 neighboring houses sustained damages. Additionally, the eastern external wall of Jabalia al-Nazla Sports Club was totally destroyed and some windows of Jabalia al-Nazla Boys Elementary School crushed. Najah Ibrahim Abed Safi, 52, suffered nervous trauma as she was in her house which is to the east of Abu Warda's house. Muna Yousif Ali Ghanim, 37, sustained light wounds in the left leg. At approximately 19:05 on Tuesday, 07 February 2012, IOF warplanes opened fire at open areas in Abu Rahma area in the north of the Agricultural School, north of Beit Hanoun. No casualties were reported as a result of this indiscriminate firing. Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 47 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 22 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a university professor. 7 / 77 Weekly Reports In a provocative operation on 04 February 2012, IOF moved into 'Arraba village, southwest of Jenin. They patrolled in the streets for some time and then positioned themselves in the eastern neighborhood, near a tent erected by Palestinians in solidarity with Khader Adnan Musa, a Palestinian prisoner holding an open-ended hunger strike in an Israeli jail. IOF raided the tent and removed some of the solidarity banners, flags of the Islamic Jihad movement and Musa's photos. They confiscated some of these materials and tore up others. Later, IOF raided houses near the eastern mosque. Palestinians living in these houses are actively engaged in the activities held in the solidarity tent. IOF questioned people from the raided houses. IOF withdrew later and no arrests were reported. It should be noted that the health condition of Musa, who is a prominent leader of Islamic Jihad in Jenin, has deteriorated as he has been on hunger strike since 17 December 2011. Semi-official sources reported that IOF are intentionally taking Musa from one hospital to another in order to hinder any contacts between Musa and his lawyers. A number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have begun hunger strike in solidarity with Musa and Palestinian lawyers have refrained from attending sessions in Israeli courts in protest against the continued detention of Musa. In the Gaza Strip, on 04 February 2012, IOF positioned at the border fence in the east of al-Bureij refugee camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip arrested three Palestinians who were trying to infiltrate Israel apparently to seek work. The families of the arrested Palestinians called the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) telling them about the relatives being missing. Later, ICRC told the calling families that their relatives were arrested by IOF. It should be noted that Palestinian young men try to infiltrate Israel to seek work. Restrictions on Movement: 8 / 77 Weekly Reports Israel had 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 Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over four years. The illegal Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. IOF have tightened the closure of the Gaza Strip and practically made Karm Abu Salem crossing as the sole commercial crossing of the Gaza Strip although it is not proper for commercial purposes in terms of its distance and operational capacity.