In its Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 18– 24 Aug. 2011, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that Israeli forces killed 17 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. 5 of the victims are civilians, including two children and a physician.In addition, 3 workers went missing when Israeli warplanes bombarded a tunnel in Rafah. A Palestinian resistance fighter died of a previous wound in Gaza City.
14 Palestinians, including 5 children and two women, were wounded by Israeli forces the Gaza Strip.
Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:
During the last week, Israeli warplanes launched 41 air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip, killing 17 Palestinians, including 5 civilians (two children, a physician, a worker and a farmer), in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded 20 Palestinians, including 6 children and two women in the Gaza Strip, and 3 others in the West Bank. Additionally, a Palestinian resistance fighter died of a previous wound in the Gaza Strip.
In the Gaza Strip, a few hours following an armed attack in Eilat by unknown gunmen in which 5 Israeli civilians and 3 soldiers were killed on Thursday evening, Israeli forces extra-judicially executed 5 members of the Popular Resistance Committees and a 2-year old child in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah.
Avichai Adraee, Israeli forces spokesman, stated the Israeli forces targeted senior PRC leaders ‘as a first step in response to the attack in Eilat.’ The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated in a press conference he held to comment on Eilat attack that ‘the leaders of the organization responsible for the attack are no longer alive.’ He appreciated Israeli military commanders and the Internal Security Services (ISS) who ‘liquidated senior leaders of the organization responsible for the attack in Eilat,’ as he claimed.
The Popular Resistance Committees did not claim responsibility for the attack, and Egyptian forces later arrested three Egyptians for involvement in the attack.
On Friday, 19 August, Israeli forces launched a series of air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip. As a result of these attacks, 5 activists of the Palestinian resistance, a physician and a child were killed and 5 Palestinians, including two children and two women, were wounded.
On Saturday, 20 August 2011, 7 Palestinians, including a woman and a child, were wounded by Israeli attacks.
On Sunday, 21 August 2011, a Palestinian child was wounded and a number of civilians sustained bruises.
On Wednesday, 24 August 2011, Israeli forces extra-judicially executed a leader of the Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) in Rafah. A passing child was wounded. On the same day, Israeli forces killed a farmer in al-Boreij refugee camp. They also killed a resistance fighter in Gaza City. On the same day, a worker was killed and 4 others were wounded when Israeli forces bombarded a tunnel in Rafah.
In the context of such escalation against the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces launched at least 41 air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip. They destroyed or damaged a number of civilian buildings and 6 training sites of Palestinian resistance groups.
A number of civilian buildings and 6 training sites of Palestinian resistance groups were destroyed or damaged.
Israeli attacks in the West Bank:
Israeli forces conducted 27 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
Two Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli forces in Hebron and Bethlehem.
Israeli forces abducted 77 Palestinians, including a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, two journalists, academics and social figures. .
In conjunction with the escalation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Occupation Forces (Israeli forces) launched in the early morning of Sunday, 21 August 2011, a large-scale military campaign against dozens of houses in Hebron. During this campaign, Israeli forces abducted at least 53 Palestinians, mostly members and activists of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), including a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, two journalists, some academics and members of charitable associations.
Israeli Annexation Wall:
Israeli forces continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.During the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.
Following the Friday Prayer on 19 August 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Bil’ein village, west of Ramallah, in protest to the construction of the annexation wall. They moved towards areas of Palestinian land, which the Israeli High Court ordered to be returned to their Palestinian owners. The placed chairs to make it a park for Palestinians. The demonstrators also used megaphones to call on Israeli settlers living in “Mitityaho Mizrach” settlement to leave it. Israeli soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. One civilian was wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right leg. Additionally, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and fire broke out in some agricultural plots.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 19 August 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest against the construction of the annexation wall. They clashed with Israeli troops positioned near the annexation wall. Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at demonstrators. As a result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 19 August 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, in protest against land confiscations in the Wad al-Raya area between the villages of Nabi Saleh and Deir Nizam. When the demonstrators attempted to reach areas of land seized by Israeli settlers near ‘Halmish’ settlement, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. As a result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Also following the Friday Prayer on 19 August 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians organized a peaceful demonstration in Kufor Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest to Israeli settlement activities the continued closure of the entrance of the village by Israeli forces. Israeli soldiers prevented the demonstrators from getting close to the entrance and fired tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. As a result, a number of Palestinian civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation. Because of the tear gas canisters and sound bombs, 750 birds in a bird farm near the entrance of the village were killed.
Israeli settlement activities:
Israeli forces have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
On 19 August 2011, many armed Israeli settlers from “Beit Eil” settlement, north of Ramallah, stormed al-Banabee’ area in Dawar Al-Qare’ village to the north of the settlement. They set fire to two cars belonging. Palestinian civilians were able to extinguish fire in one of the cars, but the other one was completely burnt.
On 20 August 2011, a number of Israeli settlers from “Ramat Magron” settlement, which stands on the lands of Mikhmas village, southeast of Ramallah, violently beat a Palestinian child, while he was grazing animals with another child. He was injured in the head.
On 23 August 2011, a number of Israeli settlers from “Bat Ain” settlement in the north of Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, uprooted dozens of fruitful trees belonging to the Slaibi family in Wadi Abu al-Reesh area. They uprooted 5 olive trees, 25 grape trees and 22 plum trees.
Recommendations to the international community:
Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. Among these were a recommendation that
For the full text of the report, click on the link below:
