Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

· 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed by IOF in the West Bank.

· IOF used excessive forced against peaceful Palestinian demonstrations in the West Bank.

· 16 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, and two Israeli peace activists were wounded by Israeli gunfire.

· Israeli warplanes bombarded a number of civilian targets in the Gaza Strip.

· 22 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and a woman, were wounded.

· 3 houses belonging to Palestinians were damaged by Israeli fire.

· IOF continued to fire at Palestinian farmers and workers in border areas of the Gaza Strip.

· IOF conducted 10 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 3 incursions into the Gaza Strip.

· IOF arrested 32 Palestinian civilians, including 9 children, two women and two journalists, in the West Bank, and 22 Palestinian workers, including 4 children, in the Gaza Strip. 

· Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

· Israeli troops stationed at military checkpoints in the West Bank arrested at least 6 Palestinian civilians, including a child and a woman.

· Israel has continued its settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

· The Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem approved the construction of 20 housing units for settlers in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

· IOF confiscated 49 donums of land in Bitounia, west of Ramallah.

· Israeli settlers uprooted 35 olive trees in Qaryout village, southeast of Nablus.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law continued in the OPT during the reporting period (18 – 24 March 2010):

Shootings: During the reporting period, IOF killed 4 Palestinian civilians, including a child, in the West Bank, and wounded 38 Palestinians, including 7 children and a woman, as well as two Israeli peace activists in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

On 20 March 2010, IOF killed two Palestinian civilians, including a child, in cold blood in Iraq Bourin village, south of Nablus. IOF intentionally fired at the two civilians from a close range.

Less than 24 hours later, IOF shot dead two Palestinian civilians from 'Awarta village, southeast of Nablus, while they were farming their land.

During the reporting period, 16 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, and two Israeli peace activists, were wounded when IOF used excessive force against peaceful demonstrations organized in protest of the construction of the Annexation Wall and settlement activities in the West Bank.

In the Gaza Strip, 22 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children and a woman, were wounded, when Israeli warplanes bombarded civilian targets and Israeli troops fired at workers and farmers near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Incursions: During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 10 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.  IOF arrested 19 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children and a woman. 

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 3 limited incursions into Palestinian areas, during which they leveled areas of land that they had previously razed, and arrested 22 Palestinian workers, including 4 minors. 

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

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over two and a half years. The illegal Israeli-imposed 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.  

· On Friday, 01 January 2010, IOF decided to close Nahal Ouz crossing permanently, and to allow the entry of fuels through Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing, southeast of Rafah, claiming security reasons. 

· 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.

· The main concern of the population of the Gaza Strip is to obtain their basic needs of food, medicines, water and electricity supplies.

· Israel has continued to prevent the entry of raw construction materials into the Gaza Strip for more than two and a half years.

· Israel has not allowed fuel supplies into the Gaza Strip, excluding limited amounts of cooking gas and energy fuel for Gaza Power Plant, since 10 December 2008.

· The Rafah International Crossing Point has been opened for a few days for a number of patients who received medical treatment abroad and needed to return home to the Gaza Strip.

· Israel had continued to close Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to Palestinian civilians wishing to travel to the West Bank and Israeli for medical treatment, trade or social visits.

· Israel has imposed additional restrictions on access of international diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers to the Gaza Strip. They have prevented representatives of several international humanitarian organizations from entering the Gaza Strip.

· Living conditions of the Palestinian civilian population have seriously deteriorated; levels of poverty and unemployment have mounted sharply.

· At least 800 Gazan prisoners in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than two and a half years. 

· IOF have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen along the coast of the Gaza Strip.

West Bank

IOF have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.

· IOF have established checkpoints in and around Jerusalem, severely restricting Palestinian access to the city. Civilians are frequently prevented from praying at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

· There are approximately 630 permanent roadblocks, manned and unmanned checkpoints across the West Bank. In addition, there are some 60 - 80 'flying’ or temporary checkpoints erected across the West Bank by IOF every week.

· When complete, the illegal Annexation Wall will stretch for 724 kilometers around the West Bank, further isolating the entire population. 350 kilometers of the Wall have already been constructed. Approximately 99% of the Wall has been constructed inside the West Bank itself, further confiscating Palestinian land.

· At least 65% of the main roads that lead to 18 Palestinian communities in the West Bank are closed or fully controlled by IOF (47 out of 72 roads).

· There are around 500 kilometers of restricted roads across the West Bank. In addition, approximately one third of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, is inaccessible to Palestinians without a permit issued by the IOF. These permits are extremely difficult to obtain.

· IOF continue to harass, and assault demonstrators who hold peaceful protests against the construction of the Annexation Wall.

· Palestinian civilians continue to be harassed by IOF in Jerusalem, and across the West Bank, including being regularly stopped and searched in the streets by IOF.

Settlement Activities: Israel has continued its settlement activities and Israeli settlers living in the OPT in violation of international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

On 18 March 2010, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem approved a construction plan in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. According to Israeli radio sources, licenses were issued for the construction of 20 housing units for settlers. 

Also on 18 March 2010, a number of Israeli settlers from "Elli" settlement uprooted 25 olive trees in Qaryout village, southeast of Nablus.

On 19 March 2010, a number of Israeli settlers from "Beit 'Ain" settlement, north of Hebron, attempted to burn wooded areas in Safa village. A number of trees were burnt, but locals were eventually able to extinguish the fire.

On 21 March 2010, the Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported that the IOF have declared a plan to seize 49.2 donums of land in the town of Bitounia, west of Ramallah, to implement new security arrangements on road #443 before opening it to Palestinian movement two months and a half later. IOF plan to establish a checkpoint at Ofer crossing, west of Ramallah, and Palestinian vehicles will be allowed to travel on road #443 between Macavim checkpoint and the new checkpoint, in accordance with an Israeli High Court ruling. 

On 23 March 2010, Israeli settlers from "Elli", "Shilo" and "Ma'ale Levoni" settlements attacked dozens of Palestinian farmers in Senjel village, north of Ramallah, and prevented them from farming on their lands. The settlers threw stones at the farmers and attempted to take over a number of tractors. IOF arrived at the area and closed it off. 

Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (18 – 24 March 2010)

1. Incursions into Palestinian Areas and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip

Thursday, 18 March 2010

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Beita village, southeast of Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian children:

1. Ahmed 'Aaref Hamayel, 16;

2. Laith Saleh Hamayel, 17; and

3. Maher Fawzi Hamayel, 17.

· At approximately 11:30, Israeli troops stationed at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, to the east of 'Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis, opened fire at a peaceful demonstration organized by Palestinian civilians in protest to the establishment of a security fence and 'buffer zone' along the border. No casualties were reported.

Friday, 19 March 2010

· At approximately 01:00, Israeli warplanes fired five missiles at Saladin Gate, Yebna refugee camp and Block J, all of which are located in the south of Rafah, near the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, allegedly to destroy tunnels. As a result of the strike, Bader 'Oudet Allah al-Sha’er, 32, was wounded by shrapnel to the face and Salem Hamdan al-Sha’er, 48, sustained a fracture in the right foot. The wounded persons are workers in the tunnels below the Gaza-Egypt border. 

· At approximately 01:25, Israeli F-16 fighter jets dropped a bomb on a farm in the east of 'Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis. No casualties or material damage were reported.  The Israeli radio claimed that the Israeli Air Force had targeted a tunnel established for infiltration into Israel.

· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to activists of the Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements. They threatened those activists of detention. No arrests were reported. 

· At approximately 02:30, IOF moved into al-Fawar refugee camp, south of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Waleed Fayez al-Wawi, 16.

· At approximately 22:20, Israeli warplanes fired four missiles at Gaza International Airport, southeast of Rafah.  Thirteen Palestinian civilians, including two children, were wounded as a result. The wounded civilians, who are all residents of Rafah, were collecting raw aggregate from the destroyed runway of the Airport. They are:

1. Hazem Salman Abu Sitta, 24, seriously wounded by shrapnel to the chest and the back;

2. Mohammed Ahmed al-'Assar, 18, seriously wounded by shrapnel to the right elbow;

3. Mo'men Ahmed al-Debari, 15, seriously wounded by shrapnel to the right hand;

4. 'Areef Tarrash Rabee', 41, seriously wounded by shrapnel to the head;

5. 'Abdul Rahman Mohammed Abu Shalhoub, 22, seriously wounded by shrapnel to the head;

6. Mohammed 'Aatef Abu Hussein, 20, seriously wounded by shrapnel to the head;

7. 'Alaa' 'Areef Rabee', 20, wounded by shrapnel to the right forearm;

8. Na'el Riad Abu Tailakh, 20, wounded by shrapnel to the pelvis;

9. Suleiman Nabeel Mansour, 18, shocked;

10. Mohammed Hammad Abu Leila, 20, shocked;

11. Hussam Suleiman Abu Sitta, 23, sustained a fracture to the right elbow;

12. Mahmoud Mohammed Abu Shalhoub, 20, sustained a fracture to the right leg; and

13. 'Abdullah Hammad Hussein, 24, sustained bruises to the right elbow and knee.

Saturday, 20 March 2010

· At approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Qalandiya refugee camp, south of Ramallah. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Mo'tassem Ra'ed Mezher, 17.

· At approximately 11:30, IOF moved into the east of Iraq Borin village, south of Nablus. A number of Palestinian boys gathered and threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who immediately responded by firing, but no casualties were reported. The Palestinian boys withdrew into the village, while IOF took position in the east of the village. At approximately 15:00, a Palestinian civilian Ford transit minibus, driven by Zakareya 'Adel Qadous, arrived in the village from Nablus. In the meanwhile, Israeli soldiers were positioning themselves approximately 30 meters to the east of the intersection of Iraq Borin village and exited their jeeps. The driver drove to the western entrance to the village. Approximately 100 meters from the intersection, in front of the mosque of the village, the driver found out that there were burning tires and that the street was closed. He stopped and Mohammed Ibrahim Abdul Qader Qadous, 16, and Usaid Abdul Naser Qadous, 20, stepped out of the minibus. As the driver turned around to travel back to Nablus, Israeli soldiers opened fire at Mohammed, who was wounded by a bullet to the heart, and Usaid who was wounded by a bullet to the head. A number of young Palestinians who were