The Israeli army has renewed plans to demolish hundreds of Palestinian homes in Rafah at the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli media. Army sources say the purpose of the demolitions is to create an artificial canal to prevent Palestinians from digging underground tunnels which could be used to smuggle weapons into Gaza from Egypt. A report published in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Wednesday said Israeli officials were worried the demolitions would trigger widespread international indignation, especially in light of the gradual restoration of calm and the imminent ceasefire. Read more about Israel plans to raze more Gaza homes
Israeli occupation soldiers have shot and killed a three-year-old girl inside her home in central Gaza, eyewitnesses and medical sources said. Rahma Abu Shamas was reportedly inside her home in Dair al-Balah in central Gaza on Wednesday when a bullet struck her in the head, killing her instantly. Israeli soldiers manning an army watchtower at the nearby colony of Kfar Darom opened machinegun fire randomly on Palestinian homes around dawn on Wednesday. An Israeli army spokesman acknowledged the killings, saying the army was looking into the “incident”. The Israeli-state run radio, Kol Yisrael said no Palestinian fighters were present in the area when the shooting took place. Read more about Israeli troops kill Palestinian girl in the Gaza Strip
The parents of 13-year-old Iman al-Hams, who was shot to death by Israeli forces in early October, petitioned the High Court of Justice on Sunday to order an investigation of the shooting. Iman was shot on her way to school, as she approached the Girit military outpost in the south Gaza area of Rafah. The lawyers maintain that there is evidence that the soldiers were given blatantly illegal orders stating that they must shoot to kill anyone, including civilians who do not endanger anyone’s life, without even resorting to the procedure regulating the arrest of suspects. They also demand that the supervision of the investigation be taken out of the hands of the Military Attorney’s office because of its involvement in the drafting of the open fire regulations. Read more about Parents petition Israeli High Court over daughter killed by Israeli army
Rafah Terminal, located on the Egyptian/Gaza Strip border, has been closed by the Israel armed forces since 12 December 2004. The terminal is effectively the only access point for Gaza Strip residents to areas outside the Gaza Strip. It has now been closed for 39 consecutive days, by far the longest period of uninterrupted closure in the last four years of the Intifada. Between 18 July and 5 August 2004, Rafah Terminal was closed for 19 consecutive days. This closure attracted widespread international attention because of the deteriorating humanitarian situation faced by as many as 2,500 people stuck south of the border. Read more about Rafah border closed for 39 consecutive days
At least seven Palestinian refugees stranded at the Egypt-Rafah border crossing closed by Israel for the past six weeks have succumbed to various illnesses. The dead men were part of 7000 people stranded somewhere between Cairo and the Rafah border crossing - the only crossing they can use to travel in and out of Gaza - since an explosion in a tunnel beneath the border killed six Israeli occupation soldiers on 12 December. Medical sources in Gaza and security sources in Egypt have spoken of families waiting to bury their dead in their hometown of Gaza, but forced to resort to the Egyptian border town of al-Arish after being turned back at the crossing. Read more about Rafah crossing closure takes tragic toll
The Israeli State Prosecutor has filed an indictment to the Tel Aviv district court against a Border Police officer who shot Salah Amer, a Palestinian citizen of Israel from Kufr Qassem on September 11, 2003. The indictment followed a detailed letter of complaint sent by Adalah soon after the shooting to the director of Mahash, demanding that Mahash immediately open an investigation, and recommend the criminal prosecution of any officer found responsible. The indictment charged the Border Police officer with causing grievous harm. A sentence of up to seven years’ imprisonment can be imposed for this criminal offense. Read more about State Prosecutor Indicts Border Police Officer who Shot Palestinian in Kufr Qassem
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights is gravely concerned at the Israeli closure of al-Mentar (Karni) crossing, east of Gaza City, under which the flow of goods, medicines and other supplies out and into the Gaza Strip is totally prohibited. The crossing is the only commercial outlet for the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, Israel and the outside world. With this closure, Israel has completed the cycle of economic and social stranglehold of the Gaza Strip, as all border crossings, in particular, the Rafah and Erez crossing, have been closed for a long time, contrary to Israeli claims that these crossings were closed following an armed attack earlier this week. Read more about Growing concerns about humanitarian consequences of Israeli closure of Gaza Strip
Since Saturday morning, Israeli forces have launched a wide scale offensive on Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza city. Israeli forces killed 5 Palestinians and injured five others. This latest attack has come following the closure of all border crossings of the Gaza Strip and decrease the time of opening al-Matahen and Abu Houli checkpoints on Salah al-Din Street, the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip, as an indicator of escalation by Israeli forces in the occupied Palestinian territories. PCHR warns that the presence of Israeli forces in al-Zaytoun neighborhood may cause more casualties among Palestinian civilians and more damage to civilian property. Read more about Israeli forces kill 5 Palestinians in Gaza attack
The human rights situation in Israel and the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip remained grave throughout 2004, as armed clashes continued to exact a high price from civilians. While many see the period after Arafat’s death on November 11 as the beginning of a new era in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, few changes have occurred on the ground where the wall regime Israel is building inside the West Bank and the illegal Israeli settlements continue to expand. On December 3 a top Hamas leader said that the group would accept the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and a long-term truce with Israel. It remains to be seen whether Israel will make reciprocal declarations and whether words will be translated into action. Read more about Human Rights Watch World Report 2005: Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories
Palestine has been in the headlines of the Western mainstream media again. The preparations leading up to the elections on January 9 have given everyone enough news to cover — or rather: they have given the media enough news to cover up what is actually developing on the ground. But it is this current situation on the ground that will, if it is not stopped in time, more effectively shape the future for the Palestinian people than any electoral process ever could. Jamal Juma’, coordinator of the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, comments. Read more about Trapped Like Mice: Palestinians under the New Israeli "Disengagement Plan"
