OCHA: Israel displaced dozens of children and their families last August

[ 07/09/2010 - 04:38 PM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- The UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) reported that Israel last month displaced 50 Bedouin families at least, including 39 children and destroyed their tents in an area near Doma village in Nablus city.

OCHA's report, which covered the Israeli violations that took place between 25 and 31 August, said that Israel demolished these tents at the pretext that they were erected in the area classified as C which is used for military purposes.

The report added that Israel, since the beginning of this year, has demolished 247 homes and structures in area C.

Israel, according to OCHA, carried out during the reporting period 79 search and arrest operations inside the towns, villages and refugee camps in the third week of Ramadan compared with 95 similar operations since early 2010.

In Gaza, two Palestinians were injured when Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian civilians collecting scrap metal and rubble a little far from the security fence. Since the beginning of the year, 35 Palestinians have been injured in similar incidents.

Also, on a number of different occasions this week, Israeli forces launched incursions a few hundred meters into Gaza and withdrew after leveling land. Such incidents continue to take place in the context of Israeli-imposed restrictions on access between 500 and 1,000-1,500 meters from the fence dividing Gaza and Israel.

Similar restrictions continue to apply to Palestinian access to fishing areas beyond three nautical miles from the shore. In one incident, the Israeli navy fired ‘warning’ shots towards Palestinian fishing boats, forcing them ashore, the report said.

Although recent weeks have witnessed an increase in the imports into Gaza, reconstruction efforts and the revival of the private sector continue to be limited by Israeli restrictions on both construction materials and exports, it added.

In another context, the Palestinian independent committee for human rights (ombudsman office) expressed its deep concern over the ongoing mass arrest campaign being carried out by the Palestinian Authority's security apparatuses in all West Bank areas following Al-Khalil resistance operation.

In a statement on Tuesday, the committee explained that the PA's security apparatuses carried out widespread and collective arrests in the ranks of Hamas members and supporters without observing the law in force in West Bank areas.

The committee stressed the need for stopping the mass arrest of West Bank citizens and referring them all to the justice to consider their files.

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