A group of twenty gunmen from the “Al-Yasir Brigades”, affiliated with Fatah, stormed the Rafah Governorate building in protest to the appointment of Zuhdi El-Qedra as the new governor of Rafah. El-Qedra, who is from Khan Yunis, was appointed to succeed Majied El-Agha, who was elected as a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council for the Khan Yunis district and represents Fatah. The gunmen requested Mahmoud Abbas to reconsider the appointment. Another armed group affiliated with Fatah stormed the Khan Yunis municipality building. This took place after the municipality had refused to provide the group with a bulldozer to level an area of land near the old Khan Yunis municipality butcher house, which the group intends to take over and turn into an outpost. Read more about Gunmen storm the Rafah Governorate and the Khan Yunis Municipality 

The city of Nablus and Balata refugee camp have been subject to a large-scale Israeli military operation for the past three days. Three Palestinians, including 2 children, have already been killed during these operations. Another 30 have been injured, some seriously. Severe restrictions on the movement of civilians have also been imposed. On Sunday, February 19th, Israeli forces, supported by armoured vehicles and helicopter gunships, moved into the city of Nablus and the nearby Balata refugee camp. Israeli forces went from house to house in the refugee camp. Over the course of the following two days, Israeli forces sent reinforcements into the city. Read more about Israeli forces launched military attack on Nablus 

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights followed with great interest and concern the proceedings of the final session of the outgoing PLC, held on 13 February 2006. This session was held 5 days before the scheduled constitutional oath taking of the new PLC, and 18 days following the election of a new PLC, signaling the transfer of delegation by voters from the old to the new PLC. PCHR expresses astonishment by the passing of new laws and taking new decisions at this time, which raises doubts over the true motives behind the session. The timing of the session contradicts with customary traditions in democratic systems. Read more about Final session of outgoing Palestinian legislators criticized 

This week Israeli forces killed two Palestinian civilians, a woman and a disabled young man, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Israeli forces wounded 13 Palestinians, including seven children. Israeli forces conducted incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. Houses were raided and 83 Palestinian civilians were arrested by Israeli forces. Ten Palestinian homes were turned into military posts. Israeli forces shelled an apartment building in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. The eastern part of the West Bank was cut off from the rest. Israeli forces arrested 11 Palestinians, including four children at checkpoints in the West Bank. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations 

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights strongly condemns the kidnapping of the Egyptian diplomat, Husam El-Mousili, in Gaza on 9 February 2006. This crime is another in a series of organized crimes, which have undermined the rule of law in the OPT, particularly since the announcement of the Palestinian Legislative Council election results. Similar crimes were carried out prior to the elections but failed to undermine or delay the elections. On Thursday, 9 February 2006, unidentified gunmen travelling in a “Volkswagen” stopped the car of the Egyptian diplomat, Husam El-Mousili, in Gaza city. They forced him out of the car and took him to an unknown location. Read more about Egyptian Diplomat Kidnapped in Gaza 

A Front Line delegation, including Front Lne�s Director, Mary Lawlor, is currently in Gaza launching a report on the situation of human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The report, which is written in conjunction with the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) examines killings, injury, arbitrary detention and arrests of human rights defenders over the past five years caused by both the Israeli military and by forces with links to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The report recommends, among other things, that Israel stops treating human rights defenders as terrorists and lifts the regime of checkpoints, closures and curfews which has imposed a siege across the OPT and prevented defenders from carrying out their work. Read more about Human Rights Defenders in Palestine At Risk 

Israeli forces committed two extra-judicial executions in less than 8 hours, leaving two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip dead and a third dead in the West Bank. This raises the total number of extra-judicial executions committed by IOF in the past two days to 4, killing 8 Palestinians. On Monday, Israeli forces fired an artillery shell at a civilian car in the Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinians. In the West Bank, an Israeli undercover unit moved into Nablus and surrounded a building in the Rafidya neighbourhood. Israeli forces opened fire on the building. When the Israeli forces withdrew, Palestinian medical personnel evacuated a body from the building. Read more about Israeli forces assassinate three Palestinians 

On Sunday evening, 5 February 2006, Israeli Occupation Forces extra-judicially executed two members of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, in Gaza City. This attack came less than 24 hours after a similar attack, also in Gaza City, which left 3 members of the Fatah movement dead. This escalation in violence represents a confirmation of the Israeli official statement vowing to continue to search for and target activists of Palestinian factions. on Sunday, 5 February 2006, IOF aircrafts launched two missiles at two civilian cars that were traveling near the Doula building in the densely populated al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the southeast of Gaza City. Read more about Second attack in 24 hours: Israel assassinates two Palestinians in Gaza 

On Sunday morning, 5 February 2006, Israeli forces extra-judicially executed three members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement. Israeli aircrafts attacked a car, in which two of the victims were traveling towards the hospital. They were evacuating a person who had been wounded, when Israeli aircrafts attacked a sports club in the densely populated Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in the south of Gaza City. The club was totally destroyed and one of its members, 30-year-old Hani Tal’at al-Qayed, was seriously wounded. When two members of the club offered to help and evacuate Qayed, their car was hit by a missile launched from an Israeli aircraft. The three men were immediately killed. Read more about Israeli air attack in Gaza kills three Palestinians