Israeli forces continue systematic crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt)
(14– 20 April 2016)
Beit Jala: Israeli Forces Continues to Build the Annexation Wall.
- Israeli forces continued to use excessive force in the oPt
- A Palestinian civilian was killed at the entrance to al-‘Aroub refugee camp, north of Hebron.
- Eleven Palestinian civilians were wounded in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
- A woman was wounded in al-Shuja’iyah neighbourhood due to the explosion of a suspicious object of the Israeli military remnants.
- Israeli forces conducted 61 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 13 others in occupied Jerusalem and its suburbs.
- 79 103 civilians, including 24 children and 3 young women, were arrested.
- 59 of them, including 24 children and a young woman, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem.
- Al-‘Ajouli Company for Exchange was raided and burnt in addition to other shops in the centre of Ramallah and al-Bireh.
- Israeli forces continued to target Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip Sea.
- A fisherman was wounded, five others were arrested, a fishing boat was confiscated and another was sunk.
- Israeli forces continued their efforts to create Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem.
- A house in Qalendia refugee camp, north of the city, was demolished on grounds of collective punishments.
- The Israeli municipality distributed dozens of house demolotion decisions in Silwan village.
- A handicrafts Exhibition to be held in “al-Hakawati” Palestinian National Theatre was prevented upon an order from the Israeli Minister of Internal Security.
- Settlement activities continued in the West Bank.
- Two commercial facilities were demolished in East Barta’ah village, west of Jenin, and a well in al-‘Aroub refugee camp, north of Hebron
- Settlers attacked a Palestinian elderly.
- 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.
- 5 Palestinian civilians, including a university student, were arrested at military checkpoints.
- Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian Patient from Rafah at a checkpoint established in Jenin.
- Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian Patient at Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt continued during the reporting period (14 – 20 April 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 killed a Palestinian civilian from al-‘Aroub refugee camp, north of Hebron and wounded 12 Palestinian civilians; one of whom was wounded in the West Bank, 8 were wounded in the West Bank and the 3 others were wounded in the Gaza Strip. Moreover, a Palestinian woman was wounded due to the explosion of a suspicious object of the Israeli military remnants.
In the West Bank, in a new crime of excessive use of force, on 14 April 2016, Israeli forces killed Ibrahim Abu ‘Ayyash (54) from al-‘Aroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. Israeli forces claimed that Abu ‘Ayyash was carrying a sharp tool and heading towards the Israeli soldiers stationed at the camp entrance. His corpse was taken by an Israeli Magen David Adom (MDA) to an unknown destination after the Palestinian medical crews were denied access to him. On the following day afternoon, the corpse was handed to the Palestinian military liaison, and his funeral procession was held in the camp.
On 14 April 2016, a Palestinian boy was wounded when Israeli forces moved into East Barta’ah village, west of Jenin. They surrounded two different facilities in a prelude to demolish them. Dozens of Palestinian civilians gathered to prevent them from demolishing the facilities and threw stones at the soldiers. The Israeli soldiers in response fired ter gas canisters and sound bombs at the stone-throwers to disperse them. As a result one of them was directly hit with a gas canister.
On 20 April 2016, 8 Palestinian civilians were wounded in Qalednia refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem when the Israeli forces moved into the camp to demolish the house of Hussein Abu Ghosh. Three of them sustained live bullet wounds and were transferred to Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah while the five others sustained metal bullet wounds and received medical treatment.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces wounded 3 Palestinian civilians, including a fisherman and two protestors. Meanwhile a woman was wounded due to the explosion of a suspicious object of the Israeli military remnants.
As part of Israeli attacks on fishermen in the Gaza Strip Sea, On 19 April 2016, Israeli gunboats stationed off Rafah shore, south of the Gaza Strip, opened fire and fired metal bullets at a number of Palestinian fishing boats sailing within 8 nautical miles off the shore. As a result, one of the fishermen was hit with metal bullets throughtpuit his bodies while 5 others were arrested by Israeli forces. Moreover, Israeli forces confiscated a fishing boat and sank another.
As part of the use of force against Palestinian civilians participating in the protest s against Israeli forces in the vicinity of the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, on 14 April 2016, two Palestinian civilians were wounded; one of whom sustained a live bullet wound to the left leg, east of al-Shuja’iyah, east of Gaza City while the other one sustained a live bullet wound to the abdomen, east of al-Bureij in the central Gaza Strip.
On 18 April 2016, Ilham Abu ‘Aser (32) from al-Shuja’iyah neighbourhood, east of Gaza City sustained shrapnel wounds to the left foot due to the explosion of a suspicious object believed to be from the Israeli military remnants in al-Nazzaz Street in the aforementioned neighbourhood.
Incursions:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 61 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 13 ones in occupied East Jerusalem and its suburbs. During these incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 103 Palestinian civilians, including 24 children and 3 young women. Fifty-nine of them, including 21 children and a young woman, were arrested in occupied Jerusalem.
During the reporting period, on 13 April 2016, Israeli forces raided al-‘Ajouli Exchange Company in Souq al-Khodar building belonging to al-Bireh municipality. The Israeli soldiers forced the company’s owners to open the main door and raided and searched it. They also confiscated computers and documents before planting explosive materials in an attempt to open the big safe, which contains a lot of money and other documents related to their work. As a result, the safe was burnt and the office caught fire as well in adiition to nearby shops in the area and in the same building.
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 20 April 2016, Israeli moved into Qaelndia refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem. They raided and searched a house belonging to Hussein Abu Ghosh and destroyed the internal walls by a bulldozer. It should be mentioned that Abu Ghosh (17) was killed by Israeli forces on 25 January 2016 after he and Ibrahim ‘Allan (22) carried a stabbing attack in “Beit Horon” settlement, west of Ramallah. As a result, a settler was killed and another was wounded.
In the context of house demolitions and demolition notices, on 15 April 2016, Israeli forces accompanied with Israeli municipality staffs moved into a number of neighbourhoods uin Silwan village, south of East Jerusalem. The staff members distributed administrative demolition orders in the village after taking photos of some of its neighbourhoods and entrances in addition to houses and facilities. On 16 April 2016, joint crews from the Israeli municipality and Israeli forces moved into Silwan village again and distributed 18 administrative demolition notices in al-Bustan neighbourhood in the village in addition to taking photos of its neighbourhoods and streets.
As part of targeting the NGOs in the city, on 13 April 2016, Israeli forces raided al-Hakawati Palestinian National Theatre and handed its administration a decision signed by the Israeli Minister of Intenral Security, Gilad Ardan, to close it for one day under the pretext of holding an event sponsored by the Palestinian Authority. It should be mentioned that the final ceremony for the project of “An apprenticeship for the graduates of vocational and technical training in Jerusalem – project of employing the youth” was supposed to be held at Al-Hakawati. Moreover, handicraft items made by Jerusalemite females were supposed to be exhibited in Al-Hakawati hall.
Settlement activities:
On 14 April 2016, Israeli forces demolished two civil facilities in East Barta’ah, which isolated from its surrounding due to the annexation wall, west of Jenin. The first facility belongs to Basem ‘Aamrnah (34) while the second belongs to Mustafa Qabha (47).
On the same day, Israeli bulldozers levelled an 80-cubic-meter wall belonging to Saleh Nemer (34) in Abu Sawadah area, east of al-Arrouub refugee camp, north of Hebron.
On 14 April 2016, a group of Israeli settlers severely beat Zuhair Abu Khdeir (64) while being at work in West Jerusalem. His son said that his father sustained fractures in his nose, bruises in the head and face and his eyes were swollen. As a result, he was taken to the hospital and the wound in his nose required stitches
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian 
