The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently issued its weekly report on Israeli violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory for the period 9-15 of May, revealing that Israeli soldiers shot at least 370 Palestinians during the Nakba commemoration, and continued their violations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.The report indicated that the number of Palestinians injured by Israeli soldiers since the beginning of this year now totals 1339, a rate of 69 a week, comparing to 28 a week last year.
Most of the injuries last week took place when the soldiers attacked Nakba protests on May 15, Nakba Day, especially those held near the Qalandia checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, and the Ofer prison near Ramallah.
OCHA further stated that Israel demolished seven Palestinian buildings claiming that they were built without construction permits.
It said that 27 Palestinians were also injured during a weekly protest against Israeli restrictions preventing Palestinian farmers from reaching their lands near the Qadumim settlement which was built on lands that belong to residents of Qalqilia in the northern part of the West Bank.
OCHA also said that Israeli settlers rather than soldiers carried out several attacks leading to injuries against Palestinian residents and their lands, while Israeli settlers also cut more than 430 trees, including at least 280 olive trees, near Nablus, Salfit and Bethlehem.
The Office said that Israeli settlers have cut at least 3070 trees since the beginning of 2012, most of them olive trees, and injured 50 residents.
As for destruction of property, OCHA stated that, during this reporting period, Israel demolished seven Palestinian-owned structures affecting the livelihood of 40 Palestinians. The buildings are in Burqa in the Nablus district, Al-Jalama near Jenin, and Husan near Bethlehem, in addition to the destruction of a water cistern and the foundations of a house under construction in Beit Hanina neighborhood in East Jerusalem; Israeli also issued demolition orders against Palestinian houses in Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem.
According to OCHA, in 2012 so far, Israel has demolished a total of 285 Palestinian buildings displacing 477 Palestinians. This is a 25% increase compared to 2011.
In the Gaza Strip Israeli soldiers also shot and wounded more than eight Palestinians near the border with Israel during this last reported week. Residents were treated for the effects of teargas inhalation when the soldiers targeted them for “approaching the security fence” even though the residents were working on their own lands.
Again in the Gaza Strip, OCHA said that 29 Palestinians were killed and 155 were injured since the beginning of 2012.
The Israeli Navy also continued to limit the fishing area allotted to Gaza fishermen to only three nautical miles off the coast, and attack Palestinian fishermen. During the period of this weekly report, the Navy detained fishermen and confiscated their boats; the fishermen were released but the fishing boats remained with Israel.
Fuel shortages and power outages in Gaza continued to hinder the lives of 1.6 million Palestinians as the Gaza Power Plant could only produce 25 megawatts of the needed 80 megawatts.
Fuel smuggling into Gaza via siege-busting tunnels this last week was less than 15% of the 800,000 – one million liters of diesel and benzine that used to enter Gaza regularly each day prior to the onset of fuel crisis in 2011.
The Palestinian Fishermen Syndicate said that the number of fishing trips conducted in recent months showed a sharp decrease: less than four trips a month for each fishing boat compared to 15 trips a month previously.
It is worth mentioning that more than 65,000 Palestinians depend on fishing as the only source of livelihood in the Gaza Strip but are suffering due to increased Israeli restrictions. In April, Gaza fishermen fished 99.6 Tons.
Please follow the link for the comprehensive report issued by OCHA for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
