Weekly report on human rights violations

November 28 - December 3, 2002

This week, Israeli occupying forces have perpetrated more human rights violations against Palestinian civilians, including willful killings, shelling of, and incursions into Palestinian areas and agricultural land leveling. Between November 28 and December 3, 2002, Israeli forces killed 7 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and an old woman.

During the week, the Gaza Strip was subjected to various kinds of attacks by Israeli forces.  On Saturday night, 30 November 2002, two Palestinian civilians were killed and 20 people wounded when Israeli forces late at night moved into Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. During the incursion they also demolished three houses. 

The body of one of the victims, a 70-year-old man, was discovered in the morning among the ruins of his house that was destroyed by Israeli forces. The other victim was a 32-year-old man who was traveling home in his car when he for no apparent reason was shot dead by Israeli forces. 

These Israeli measures are a continuation of the policies of retaliatory collective punishment adopted by the Israeli government against families of Palestinian activists.  In a similar incident, Israeli forces destroyed two Palestinian houses in Jenin on Friday, 29 November 2002. 

In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces have maintained complete control over, and imposed curfew on: Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus and Tulkarm, and encroached into Ramallah, Jenin and Qalqilya.  They have also raided houses and arrested many Palestinians. 

During the week, the southern Gaza Strip towns of Rafah and Khan Yunis were subjected to indiscriminate shelling by Israeli forces in military locations in the vicinity of settlements surrounding the two towns.  A number of Palestinian civilians were wounded and a number of houses damaged.  In Deir al-Balah, Israeli forces razed more areas of Palestinian agricultural land.

Also, the Israeli forces have carried out a number of apparent willful killings that have left 5 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and an old woman, dead, in addition to the two who were killed in the Israeli invasion of Beit Lahia.  On Saturday, 30 November 2002, Israeli forces at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of Gaza City, shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian boy while he was walking with his friends, more than 1km away. 

On Monday, 2 December 2002, Israeli forces carried out three apparent willful killings.  In the morning, they shot dead an 18-year-old Palestinian civilian in Jenin.  At noon, they shot dead a 19-year-old Palestinian civilian in Tulkarm.  In the afternoon, they shot dead a Palestinian worker, when they fired at a number of Palestinian workers at Beit Hanoun crossing, who were on their way home. In addition, 11 workers were wounded. 

On Tuesday, 3 December 2002, Israeli soldiers at the northern entrance of al-Bireh shot dead a 95-year-old Palestinian woman and wounded another 41-year-old woman.     

In a continuation of the policy of extra-judicial assassinations officially adopted by the Israeli political and military establishments against Palestinian activists, the Israeli occupying forces carried out a failed assassination attempt that targeted a commander of the military wing of the Islamic Jihad in Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip.  The commander, his guard and a passing child were wounded. 

Israeli forces have maintained the total siege imposed on the OPT, collectively punishing the Palestinian people. Israeli forces have partitioned Palestinian areas, transforming them into cantons, violating Palestinian civilians’ economic, social and cultural rights.  They have also imposed curfew on several different areas.  In the West Bank, a Palestinian civilian, who suffered from a heart attack, died as Israeli forces obstructed his evacuation to hospital.

To access the full report click here.