Israeli settlers have escalated their attacks against Palestinian civilians across the OPT - in one incident a number of Palestinian civilians were shot and killed by Settlers. In other incidents Palestinians have been attacked and injured while in others settlers have attacked the property of Palestinian civilians. Israeli settlers attacked greenhouses belonging to Palestinian farmers in Tal Ziedan area in al Mawasi west of Khan Younis. Palestinian civilians in many communities remain under a state of complete siege and severe restrictions on freedom of movement remain in place. A report live from the field by PCHR’s fieldworkers in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Read more about Settler Attacks Escalate 

The Israeli military has begun to move Israeli settlers from their illegal settlements inside the Gaza Strip. At the same time settlers have attacked Palestinian civilians while the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) continue to arbitrarily arrest and detain Palestinian civilians. The Israeli military have continued to detain Palestinian civilians, imprison them and place communities under siege across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. At the same time they
have prevent human rights defenders from gaining access. Settlers have been present near the main roads and have obstructed the movement of vehicles. Palestinian ambulances have not been able to move between the two parts of al-Mawasi area in Khan Yunis and Rafah. Read more about Settler attacks, arrests and denial of access in the Gaza Strip 

Israeli settlers have been given a forty-eight hour grace period (beginning midnight 14th August), within which to leave their illegal settlements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Meanwhile the IOF is imposing increased closures across the OPT, severely restricting Palestinian civilians’ freedom of movement, while Palestinian civilians are also coming under attack from militant settlers. Israel is removing 8,500 settlers from the Gaza Strip, corresponding to only 2 percent of the total settler population (425,000) currently living in the OPT, including East Jerusalem, and this year alone Israel is building housing for 30,000 more settlers in the West Bank. The removal of settlers from Gaza must be viewed within this broader context of ongoing settler activity in the West Bank. Read more about Despite Israeli disengagement, Palestinians continue to endure closures, arrests and attacks 

As the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) begin to remove illegal Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip and redeploy their military forces along the border areas - Palestinian civilians are being affected by closures, arrests and attacks across the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Fieldworkers of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights report from Al Sayafa, a sealed Palestinian enclave between the Dogit and Elli Sinai settlements and from southern Gaza, Al Mawasi, a sealed Palestinian enclave inside the Gush Katif settlement bloc. Over the next three weeks, Israel plans to remove all 21 Jewish settlements from Gaza and four from the West Bank. Read more about Israel seals off Gaza, marks begin of disengagement 

This week, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including a child. Israeli forces conducted a number of incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli forces raided homes and arrested at least 45 Palestinians. Israeli forces turned ten Palestinian homes into military posts. Israeli forces continue to use Palestinian civilians as human shields during military operations. Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel closed al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip and Israeli forces prevent Palestinians aged 16-35 from traveling through the Rafah border. Israeli forces arrested at least 8 Palestinians at military checkpoints in the West Bank and Israel continues to construct the Wall in the West Bank. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations 

This week Israeli forces killed a Palestinian in an extra-judicial killing. Israeli forces wounded eight Palestinians, including five children and two women. Israeli forces conducted a number of incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and one incursion into the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces raided Palestinian homes and arrested 36 civilians. Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel has prevented Palestinian civilians aged 16-35 from traveling through Rafah International Crossing Point. Israel continues to construct the Annexation Wall in the West Bank and confiscated at least 800 donums of Palestinian land in Hebron and Qalqilya for this purpose. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations 

This week, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including a child who was run down by an Israeli settler vehicle. Israeli forces wounded 19 Palestinians among them a mother and child and seven other children. Israeli forces conducted various incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces raided Palestinian homes and arrested 33 Palestinian civilians. Israel imposed a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories and isolated the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Israel prevents Palestinians aged 16-35 from traveling through the Rafah crossing. Israel arrested twelve Palestinians, including two women and a child at military checkpoints in the West Bank. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations 

The Israeli High Court of Justice today, 25 July 2005, dismissed a petition submitted by PCHR on behalf of Mohammad Said Shaqqura, 32, from Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The petition sought to ensure that Shaqqura was given access to a lawyer during his interrogation in an Israeli prison. Mohammad Shaqqura is married with four children and has been held by the Israeli Security Services since 10 July 2005. Shaqqura was arrested at Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border and subsequently transferred to Ashkelon Prison. Since this time he has been held by the Interrogation Section of the Israeli Security Services and a PCHR lawyer has been continually denied access to visit Shaqqura. Read more about Israeli High Court denies Palestinian detainee access to lawyer 

Unidentified men today kidnapped a US citizen from an apartment inside a residential block in the centre of Rafah. Under threat of arms the suspect kidnapped Harry Borrey, 75 years old. He was ordered to get into a civilian car stopped near the building. Three other masked and armed individuals were inside the car. He was then taken to an unknown location. The reason for the kidnapping has not been made clear by the perpetrators. The unidentified kidnappers released their hostage after a short period. He was left in a school in Rafah, unharmed. The kidnappers have escaped. This is the second kidnapping in a couple of weeks. PCHR demands that the Palestinian Authority take effective measures, within the limits of the law, to immediately end this practice and to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. Read more about Kidnapped US citizen released in Rafah 

This week Israeli forces killed 14 Palestinians, including two children. Eight Palestinians were killed in extra-judicial executions. Israeli forces invaded various Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli forces raided homes and arrested 78 Palestinian civilians. Israeli forces used two Palestinian civilians as human shields during these raids. Israeli forces turned 21 homes into military sites. Israel continues to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. Israeli forces divided the Gaza Strip in three separate zones. Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian child near a checkpoint in the Gaza Strip. Read more about Weekly report on human rights violations