4 - 11 December 2002

Israeli occupying forces have perpetrated more war crimes and human rights violations against Palestinian civilians, including willful and extra-judicial killings, shelling of, and incursion into Palestinian areas as well as agricultural land leveling. This week, 20 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 3 women and 2 children, were killed by Israeli forces.

On Friday, 6 December 2002, the second day of the Islamic feast (‘Eid al-Futter), Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles and combat helicopters, invaded al-Boreij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip to destroy a house of a wanted Palestinian.

The Israeli invasion left 10 Palestinians, mostly civilians, dead. The invasion apparently aimed at destroying the house of Ayman al-Shishnia, who is wanted by the Israeli forces. Seven of the victims were killed by a missile launched by an Israeli combat helicopter. Six Palestinians, including 5 brothers, were also wounded.

Israeli forces also destroyed al-Shishnia’s house and 2 neighboring houses. In addition, 12 houses were severely damaged. This operation is a part of the Israeli policy to carry out retaliatory attacks against families of wanted Palestinians and those who have carried out attacks against Israeli targets. Within the same context, Israeli forces destroyed a Palestinian house in al-Mughraqa village, south of Gaza City, on 5 December 2002.

In a continuation of the policy of extra-judicial assassinations of Palestinian activists officially adopted by the Israeli government, Israeli forces, this week, perpetrated 4 extra-judicial assassinations that left 4 wanted Palestinians dead.

On Wednesday, 11 December, Israeli occupying forces assassinated a Palestinian in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, inside his house. The day before, Israeli forces assassinated a Palestinian in Khan Yunis. There are suspicions that he may have been liquidated by Israeli forces after he was arrested.

On 4 December, Israeli combat helicopters assassinated a Palestinian in the center of Gaza City. On 6 December 2002, Israeli forces assassinated a Palestinian in Seilat al-Harthia veillage near Jenin. Israeli forces admitted responsibility in all these cases.

In 4 cases of apparent willful killing, this week, Israeli forces killed 5 Palestinians, including 2 women and a child who died from an injury sustained previously.

On 8 December 2002, a Palestinian woman was killed and three of her children were wounded when Israeli forces fired at them in Rafah for no apparent reason.

On 9 December 2002, Israeli forces shot dead a mentally handicapped Palestinian civilian in Tulkram. On the same day, Israeli soldiers on a tank shot dead a Palestinian woman and wounded her husband and his mother in Nablus. On the same day, a Palestinian child from Khan Yunis died in a Jordanian hospital from a wound he sustained by Israeli forces about two months ago.

On 4 December 2002, two Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces in Hebron. Israeli forces claimed that the two Palestinian civilians tarried to fire at them when those forces came to arrest them. The two were hiding in a room adjacent to a cow farm.

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 curfews 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.

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