Palestinian Center for Human Rights 2 September 2004
Palestinian women, children and men waiting at Huwara checkpoint near Nablus (Arjan El Fassed)
During this week Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continued their attacks against Palestinian civilians. The attacks included the killing of children, the elderly and women. These attacks were committed during incursions carried by IOF against Palestinian villages, towns and municipalities. The attacks included attempts at extra-judicial execution and random shelling. The week witnessed further closures and curfews being imposed on the Palestinian people as well as the continued construction of the “Annexation Wall”. In the Gaza Strip, three civilians, including one child and one old man, were killed. On the 30th August IOF committed two acts of wilful killing involving the excessive use of lethal force. These two acts left a 14 year old child from Rafah dead and also killed another Palestinian civilian, from Khan Yunis.
On the 26th of August, during an attempt on the life of a Palestinian wanted by the IOF, an Israeli Military helicopter fired a missile at Rafah Refugee camp, near the Egyptian border. The missile fell on a Palestinian home located near the home of the wanted person and killed an elderly Palestinian. The week witnessed four incursions into the Gaza Strip, three of which were in Rafah on the 26th 30th and 1st. The IOF demolished 15 homes over the course of the incursion, homes for 20 families, a total of 82 people. Furthermore 30 donums of agricultural land were razed during these incursions.
In the West Bank, the IOF, with the exception of Jerihco, made incursions into all cities and municipalities. The incursions saw the demolition of two houses in Hebron. The two houses were owned by the two suicide bombers who committed an attack in Beersheeva, in the south of Israel, on the 31st of August. In addition the incursions left dozens of civilians injured, while dozens of others arrested. On the 30th of August an unsuccessful assassination attempt was made in Jenin which left one child injured. Alongside this were attacks committed by Israeli settlers living in the illegal settlements in the oPt. On the 23rd of August an Israeli settler intentionally drove a car over a Palestinian woman, killing her.
In respect of the Annexation Wall the IOF accelerated their construction activities. The construction was concentrated on the area around East Jerusalem, where the IOF have completed the construction of the infrastructure for the Wall between Qalandia checkpoint, south of Ramallah and al Dahiya, north of Jerusalem. In addition the IOF continued to impose a comprehensive siege and closure on the whole oPt, including occupied East Jerusalem, denying thousands of Palestinians their right to freedom of movement. In the Gaza Strip they continued to restrict civilians from leaving through imposing partial closures as well as imposing partial closures on all internal movement such as al Matahen and Abu Houli checkpoint on the Salah al Din road (which connects the north and south of the Gaza Strip). The road has been closed daily from 20.00 until 03.00. During the opening hours there have been a number of spontaneous closures. The IOF, at this checkpoint, have opened fire against civilians waiting for the road to open. Four Palestinians were injured, including two medics, while waiting to pass through Abu Houli.
In the West Bank the IOF continued to impose restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians, this included both internal movement and movement between the West Bank and Gaza and the West Bank and Israel. In the aftermath of the two suicide bombs in Israel the IOF imposed comprehensive closures in Hebron. The closure was coupled with tightened restrictions on the movement of Palestinian from within the city and outside the city trying to enter.
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