Palestinian Center for Human Rights 16 September 2004
Israeli soldiers aiming their guns near Haram as-Sharif in Jerusalem. (Arjan El Fassed)
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have perpetrated more human rights violations against Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt). This week was the bloodiest week in the last two months, as 24 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 6 children, were killed and dozens of other civilians were injured by Israeli troops. Human rights violations perpetrated by IOF included willful and extra-judicial executions, incursions into Palestinian areas, indiscriminate shelling, house demolitions and land raising. Israeli troops have also continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. In addition, they have continued to construct the annexation wall inside the West Bank, in violation of international humanitarian law and international Human Rights law.
In the Gaza Strip, 10 Palestinians, 8 of whom were civilians, including 3 children, were killed by Israeli troops. Eight of the victims were killed during an Israeli offensive on the northern Gaza Strip from 9 to 11 September 2004. The other two victims died from previous injuries they had sustained by Israeli troops in Gaza City and Rafah.
During their offensive on the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli troops destroyed 43 houses and razed at least 90 donums of agricultural land. They also largely destroyed the civilian infrastructure of the area. On 14 and 15 September 2004, Israeli troops conducted 5 military incursions into Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip. During these incursions, Israeli troops destroyed 10 houses, leaving 259 Palestinian civilians (71 families) homeless, and razed 20 donums of agricultural land.
In the West Bank, this week, Israeli troops killed 14 Palestinians, 8 of whom were civilians, including 3 children. One of the children was run down by an Israeli military jeep on 9 September 2004. Seven of the victims, including a child, were killed in two extra-judicial executions committed by Israeli troops in Jenin on 13 and 15 September 2004. On 15 September 2004, Israeli troops killed 5 Palestinians, after having surrounded them in a garden in Nablus. A child was also killed as Israeli troops continued to fire at the area after the operation had ended. In addition, Israeli troops arrested dozens of Palestinian civilians throughout the West Bank. Israeli troops also destroyed 2 houses in the context of retaliatory measures against families of Palestinian activists.
Israeli occupation troops have continued to construct the annexation wall inside the West Bank territory. This week, this construction took place mainly in East Jerusalem and Hebron. This week, Israeli troops continued to raze areas of Palestinian land to construct sections of the wall in Hebron.
IOF have continued to impose a tightened siege on the oPts and have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem. On 9 September 2004, Israeli troops imposed a total closure on the oPts. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli troops have continued to close Erez crossing for the third consecutive week, and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. In the West Bank, Israeli troops have continued to impose a strict siege on Palestinian communities. They have also imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians and arrested some of them while crossing military checkpoints. Israeli troops also imposed a curfew on a number of Palestinian communities.
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