Gaza, Palestine, (The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights):

Weekly Report: Israeli human rights violations in Occupied Palestinian Territory (16–29 August)

This week:

Two Palestinian civilians were killed

239 civilians, including 52 children, 6 women, and 5 paramedics, were wounded; 10 of those wounded sustained serious injuries.

14 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, were wounded and in the West Bank in addition to a foreign activist, who was wounded twice.

Israeli forces continued to open fire at the border areas in the Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.

Israeli forces continue collective punishment policy against Palestinians.

A house belonging to Mohammed Dar Yusuf in Kuber village, north of Ramallah, was demolished.

Israeli forces conducted 98 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and one limited incursion was conducted in the Gaza Strip.

92 civilians, including 14 children, a woman and a journalist, were arrested in the West Bank.

24 of them, including a child and a woman, were arrested in Jerusalem.

Israeli authorities continued to create a Jewish majority in occupied East Jerusalem.

A printing house was demolished in Silwan.

Settlers seized a land in Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.

Israeli forces continued their settlement activities in the West Bank.

A residential tent, 4 barracks and 15 electricity poles were demolished in Barta’a eastern village, southwest of Jenin.

Settlers wounded 3 civilians, including 2 children, uprooted 535 trees and caused damage to 35 vehicles .

4 shooting incidents were reported against the Palestinian fishing boats in the Gaza Sea, but no casualties were reported.

6 fishermen were arrested, 2 of them were wounded, and 3 fishing boats were detained in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces turned the West Bank into cantons and continued to impose the illegal closure on the Gaza Strip for the 11th consecutive year.

Dozens of temporary and permanent checkpoints were established in the West Bank and others were re-established to obstruct the movement of Palestinian civilians.

4 Palestinian civilians were arrested at the internal military checkpoints in the West Bank.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory continued during the reporting period (16 – 29 August 2018).

Shooting:

Israeli forces continued to use lethal force against Palestinian civilians, who participated in peaceful demonstrations organized within the activities of the “Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege” in the Gaza Strip, which witnessed peaceful demonstrations along the eastern and northern Gaza Strip border area since 30 March 2018.

During the reporting period in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinian civilians.

Moreover, the Israeli forces wounded 241 others, including 52 children, 6 women, a fisherman and 6 paramedics. Ten of those wounded sustained serious wounds.

In the West Bank, the Israeli forces wounded 14 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children. Moreover, a Norwegian female activist was wounded twice.

In the Gaza Strip, on 17 July, Israeli forces killed Sa’adi Abu Mo’amer (27), in the east of al-Shawkah village, east of Rafah, and Karim Abu Fatayer (28), in the vicinity of Um Hassiniyah Hill, east of al-Buraij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, during their participation in the Great March of Return and Breaking Siege activities. Both Sa’adi and Karim were hit with a live bullet to the head.

During the reporting period, the Israeli forces wounded 239 Palestinian civilians, including 52 children, 6 women and 5 paramedics. Ten of those wounded sustained serious wounds.

Injuries in the Gaza Strip in the period between 16- 29 August 2018

As part of targeting the border areas, the Israeli forces stationed along the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, opened fire 4 times at agricultural lands adjacent to the above mentioned border fence. As a result, the farmers, who were in their lands, were forced to leave them fearing for their lives, but no casualties were reported,

As part of targeting Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Sea, the Israeli forces continued to escalate their attacks against the Palestinian fishermen, pointing out to the ongoing Israeli policy of targeting their livelihoods.

During the reporting period, PCHR documented 4 shooting incidents against the fishermen, 2 of which were in the northern Gaza Strip, one in the central Gaza Strip and one in the southern Gaza Strip. As a result of these attacks, 6 fishermen were arrested, 2 of them sustained wounds and 3 fishing boats were confiscated.

In the West Bank, during the reporting period, the Israeli forces wounded 14 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children. In addition a Norwegian female activist was wounded twice during her participation in the weekly demonstration, which is organized in Kufor Qadoum village, northeast of Qalqiliyah.

Incursions:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 98 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and 10 similar ones into Jerusalem and its suburbs. During those incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 68 Palestinians, including 13 children and a journalist, in the West Bank. Meanwhile, 24 other civilians, including a child and a woman, were arrested in Jerusalem and its suburbs.

In the Gaza Strip, on 21 August 2018, the Israeli forces moved about 70 meters into the east of ‘Abasan al-Kabirah, east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. They levelled lands adjacent to the fence and repaired the security fence before redeploying along the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Collective punishment:

As part of the collective punishment policy applied by the Israeli forces against the Palestinian families of those accused of carrying out attacks against the Israeli forces and/or settlers, Israeli forces demolished a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Dar Yusuf (17) in Kuber village, north of Ramallah. The 100-square-meter house was comprised of one floor and sheltered 3 members, including a child. It should be noted that the Israeli forces killed the above mentioned child on 26 July 2018, when he carried out a stab attack in “Adam” settlement established on lands of Jaba’a village, northeast of occupied Jerusalem. The attack resulted in the killing of an Israeli settler and the injury of 2 others. The Israeli forces are still detaining the child’s corpse.

Israeli Forces Continued their Measures to Create a Jewish Majority in occupied East Jerusalem

As part of demolishing houses and civilian facilities, on 29 August 2018, the Israeli municipality vehicles demolished a commercial shop in ‘Ein al-Lawz neighbourhood in Silwan village, south of the Old city in the occupied East Jerusalem. Samarin Family said to PCHR’s fieldworker that the Israeli police along with special forces raided and searched a printing house belonging to ‘Ezz Eden Samarin in ‘Ein al-Lawz neighbourhood and demolished it claiming that it was built without a license. The family added that the printing house was built on an area of 70 square meters and they rented it from Omer ‘Awni Siyam, who is its owner. The family also said that the municipality crews came 2 months later and took photos of the printing house and then handed the family a demolition notice. The family confirmed that their lawyer stopped the demolition decision, but the municipality came and demolished the printing house.

As part of its Seizing Palestinian civilians property in favor of settlement associations, a group of settlers, under the Israeli forces protection, moved into al-Shiekh Jarrah neighborhood, north of occupied East Jerusalem and seized a land belonging to Abdel Raziq al-Shiekh. Hashem Bader, Member of al-Shiekh Jarrah Families Committee, said that Israeli forces accompanied with representatives of the so-called Absentee Property Custodian Department moved into al-Shiekh Jarrah neighborhood and seized a 50-square-meter land belonging to Abdel Raziq al-Shiekh, adjacent to his house and next to “Kabanyet Oum Haroun” area. He added that Israeli forces imposed a security cordon on the area and prevented Palestinian civilians from entering it. The Israeli forces then secured Israeli settlers and the bulldozer that levelled the land and uprooted the trees. It should be noted that the plot of land was seized without any judicial procedure, in which the “General Custodian “claims his ownership of the land. Bader added that ‘Abdel Raziq al-Shiekh owned the land for more than 50 years.

On 20 August 2018, Israeli forces levelled a residential tent belonging to Yusuf Ayoub Abu ‘Aram in Khirbat Kawakis, near the Street (317), southeast area of Yatta, south of Hebron, under the pretext of non-licensing.

On 29 August 2018, Israeli forces demolished 4 barracks built of of tin plates and a concrete floor in Barta’a al-Sharqyia village in the annexation wall, southwest of Jenin. One of those barracks was used as a poultry slaughterhouse and the 3 other barracks were used for breeding livestock and poultry. Moreover, 15 electricity poles feeding the area mentioned above were demolished.

As part of Settlement activities and attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians and property

In the reporting period, PCHR’s fieldworker in the West Bank documented 12 attacks by Israeli settlers, most of them were in the northern West Bank. As a result of these attacks, 3 civilians, including 2 children, were hit with stones and scattered glass. Moreover, 35 vehicles sustained material damage and 535 olive trees were uprooted, cut and broken.

[Photo: Israeli forces after they demolished 40 houses in Abu Al Nevvar district of Jerusalem on 4 july 2018. Photographer: Issam Rimawi/AA]