Israeli forces continue systematic crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt)
(24– 30 March 2016)
- Israeli forces continued to use excessive force in the oPt
- 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded and then shot dead in Hebron, south of the Gaza Strip.
- 6 Palestinian civilians were wounded in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
- Israeli forces continued to target the border areas along the Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.
- Israeli forces conducted 83incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and a limited one in the central Gaza Strip.
- 76 Palestinian civilians, including 27 children and 2 women, were arrested.
- Fifteen of them, including 9 children and a woman, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem.
- A Palestinian from Rafah was arrested in mysterious circumstances.
- Israeli forces continued their efforts to create Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem.
- A room and a playground in Silwan village were demolished, paving the way for the confiscation of 14 dunums for the interest of “national parks”.
- Settlement activities continued in the West Bank.
- A house, a farm, a playground and 2 electricity and water networks at the northern entrance to Bethlehem were demolished.
- Israeli forces turned the West Bank into cantons and continued to impose the illegal closure on the Gaza Strip for the 9th
- Dozens of temporary checkpoints were established in the West Bank and others were re-established to obstruct the movement of Palestinian civilians.
- 4Palestinian civilians were arrested at military checkpoints.
- Israeli forces arrested 2 Palestinian patients at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing, north of the Gaza Strip.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in theoPt continued during the reporting period (24 – 30 March 2016).
Shooting:
Israeli forces have continued to commit crimes, inflicting civilian casualties. They have also continued to use excessive force against Palestinian civilians participating in peaceful protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the majority of whom were youngsters. During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed2 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and wounded6 others; 3 of whom in the West Bank and the 2 others in the Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces extra-judicially executed 2 Palestinian civilians in Hebron, south of the West Bank,and wounded 3 others.
In a crime that amounts to an extra-judicial execution, on Thursday, 24 March 2016, Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinian civilians in Hebron. Israeli soldiers opened fire at both of them after the latter stabbed an Israeli soldier in his shoulder. After the 2 Palestinians were wounded, Israeli soldiers opened fire again at them and shot them dead. Following a video was published displaying the crime, Israeli forces announced they have detained the soldier that opened fire and initiated an investigation. PCHR stresses that this crime was committed because the Israeli military and political leaders allowed the soldiers to shed the Palestinians’ blood. It should be noted that the 2 killed Palestinian were identified as Ramzi Aziz Qasrawi (20) and Abul Fattah al-Sharif (20).
On 25 March 2016, a Palestinian old man was hit with a bullet to the head during his participation in Kufor Qaddoum weekly protest, northeast of Qalqilya.
On 26 March 2016, Israeli forces wounded 2 Palestinian when the former opened fire at al-Naqqar neighbourhood, west of Qalqilya, where a number of Palestinian youngsters gathered and threw stones at Israeli soldier.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces wounded 3 Palestinian civilians in the northern and central Gaza Strip. On 25 March 2016, Israeli forces wounded 2 Palestinian civilians, who were participating in a peaceful protest, north of the Gaza Strip. The first was wounded by a bullet to the right leg and the second was hit with a tear gas canister to the face. On the same day, in a similar protest in the east of al-Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, a civilian was hit by a gas canister to the left thigh.
In the context of targeting border areas along the Gaza Strip, on 25March 2016, Israeli forces stationed behind a sand barrier at the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip, opened fire at the border area. On 26 March 2016, Israeli forces stationed at the border fence, east of Abu Safya area, east of Jabalia too, opened fire sporadically at the border area. On 29 March 2016, Israeli forces stationed at the border fence, east of Gaza Valley, opened fire towards shepherds and farmers. As a result, they fled fearing for their lives, but neither casualties nor material damage were reported.
Incursions:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 83 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 6 ones in occupied East Jerusalem and its suburbs. During these incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 76 Palestinian civilians, including 27 children and 2 women. Fifteenofthem, including 9 children and a woman, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem.
In the Gaza Strip, on 29 March 2016, Israeli forces conducted a limited incursion, east of al-Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip. They levelled lands adjacent to the border fence and withdrew later.
Restrictions on movement:
Israel continued to impose a tight closure of the oPt, imposing severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
The illegal closure of the Gaza Strip, which has been steadily tightened since June 2007 has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli authorities impose measures to undermine the freedom of trade, including the basic needs for the Gaza Strip population and the agricultural and industrial products to be exported. For 9 consecutive years, Israel has tightened the land and naval closure to isolate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and other countries around the world. This resulted in grave violations of the economic, social and cultural rights and a deterioration of living conditions for 1.8 million people. The Israeli authorities have established Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shaloum) as the sole crossing for imports and exports in order to exercise its control over the Gaza Strip’s economy. They also aim at imposing a complete ban on the Gaza Strip’s exports. The Israeli closure raised the rate of poverty to 38.8%, 21.1% of which suffer from extreme poverty. Moreover, the rate of unemployment increased up to 44%, which reflects the unprecedented economic deterioration in the Gaza Strip.
Jewish Majority:
In the context of house demolitions, on 29 March 2016 , Israeli authorities used the municipality bulldozers accompanied by officers from the Israeli Nature Authority demolished a playground, a room and walls belonging to Khaled al-Zeer in al-Abasiya neighbourhood in Silwan village, south of the Old City of East Jerusalem, under the pretext of non-licensing.
It should be noted that the Nature Authority threatens to confiscate the land of the abovementioned person to turn it into national parks for settlement projects.
In a similar context, Israeli bulldozers surrounded a house belonging to Mohammed Samreen in al-Abasiya neighbourhood in Silwan village and then levelled his land without warning. The aforementioned person said that the family turned the land from a landfill to an agricultural land.
Settlement activities:
On 29 March 2016, Israeli forces demolished a house, a farm, 2 playgrounds and 2 electricity and water networks for non-licensing. They cut off also a number of trees and levelled lands at the northern entrance to Bethlehem near the military checkpoint “300”. The abovementioned demolished property belong to Khader al-Jarashi.
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