OCHA Weekly Briefing Notes – (28 July – 03 August 2004) – OCHA report

OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

P.O. Box 38712 East Jerusalem Phone: (972) 2 – 5829962 / 5825853, Fax: (972) 2 – 5825841 ochaopt@un.org, www.ochaopt.org 

OCHA Weekly Briefing Notes Update for oPt (28 July – 03 August 2004)

INSIDEINSIDE:   Casualties — Incidents involving ambulances — Curfew — House demolition/Demolition orders/People displaced — Land levelling/confiscation — Closures/restrictions on movement — Labour movement to Israel — Other —  Appendix

1. Casualties

Palestinians: 10 deaths, 100 injured (approx.)

Israelis: 0 deaths, 2 injured

Sources: OCHA FCU, PRCS, UNRWA, IDF website, Israeli MoFA.

2. Incidents involving ambulances and medical teams

Gaza

Both PRCS and the MoH report experiencing significant difficulties operating inside Beit Hanoun. Neither PRCS ambulances nor MoH could reach the areas of As Sika, Sultan Abdel Hamid, Al Farrata, An Nazaza and Al Masria to deliver health care services and/or to evacuate patients.

Since 18 July 2004, MoH ambulances have been denied access to and from Rafah terminal transporting Palestinian patients from the Gaza strip for further treatment abroad.

West Bank

28 July: A PRCS ambulance was delayed for 55 minutes at Huwara checkpoint, Nablus district.

29 July: A PRCS ambulance was delayed for 55 minutes at Huwara checkpoint, Nablus district.

28 July: Despite prior co-ordination through the ICRC, a PRCS ambulan ce was delayed for one hour and 40 minutes at the Habla gate in Qalqilya district on its way to return a medical case. The gate was finally open by the IDF at 1150 hrs only 10 minutes before the gate officially would open.

30 July: A PRCS ambulance was denied access to Tulkarem refugee camp by IDF for one hour and 25 minutes. The PRCS was on its way to collect an injured person.

31 July: After midnight, a PRCS ambulance was stopped and detained by the IDF at the DCO checkpoint in Qalqilya for approximately three hours. The ambulance was on route to Nablus transporting two injured persons.

02 August: A PRCS ambulance was delayed for 55 minutes in Al Mawassi, Rafah district.

03 August: A PRCS ambulance was delayed for one hour and 25 minutes at Bet Iba checkpoint, Nablus district.

Summary:

Delay (up to 1.5 hour): Five incidents

Delay (more than 1.5 hour): Two incidents

Shooting/Damage to Ambulance: 0 incidents

Detention of Patient: 0 incidents

Abuse of Medical Crew: 0 incidents

Sources: OCHA FCU, PRCS

3. Curfews

Curfew was reported in the following location:

Sources: OCHA FCU

4. House demolitions/Demolition Orders/People Displaced

• 27 July: 20 empty houses at Qizan Al Najjar and Al Sha’er areas in Khan Younis were demolished.

• 28 July: One house was demolished in Beit Hanoun.

• 28 July: One house was demolished in Rafah.

• 28 July: One three-storey building was demolished in Tulkarm refugee camp during an IDF operation. The house belonged to a wanted person who was arrested by the IDF.

• 29 July: At 0230 hrs, IDF demolished a house in Beit Liqya belonging to the prisoner Saleh Dar Mousa. The demolition took place at 0330 hrs. Nine people were made homeless – elderly parents, wife and six children. Belongings were not allowed to be removed.

• 29 July: Two buildings, of three and five storeys, were demolished in Rafah. Additionally, one other house was demolished and six other houses were damaged .

• 30 July: IDF bulldozer demolished two houses in the Palestinian area west of Salah Ed-Din Street near Beit Lahia junction.

• 30 July: One house was severely damaged when it was targeted by IDF helicopters missiles in Gaza City.

• 01 August: IDF demolished seven houses in Block I in Khan Younis south of Toufah checkpoint.

• 02 August: A widow and three children are without shelter following the demolition of their house and two water cisterns by the IDF, east of Ad Dahariya, in Hebron . The house and cisterns were demolished for lack of a building permit.

Sources: OCHA FCU, UNRWA

5. Land levelling/Confiscation¹

West Bank:

Gaza:

Extensive land levelling operation i s still ongoing in Beit Hanoun, in the eastern and western areas in particular. To date there are no exact figures for the total area of land levelled as access to these areas remains difficult due to security.

Sources: OCHA FCU

__________________

¹ 4 dunums = 1 acre

6. Closure²/Restrictions on movement

Tulkarm/Qalqilya/Salfit governorates:

In general, last week saw a relaxation in the movement across the checkpoints in both Tulkarm and Qalqilya governorates with no additional restrictions imposed on the local population. In Salfit district, the movement between the villages is still hampered by the existence of road blocks and earth mounds and the prohibition to travel on the main roads. No major incidents have been reported in regard to the barrier gates apart from usual delays in the general opening hours.

________________

² For a reference West Bank checkpoint map please check the following link: http://www.reliefweb.int/hicopt/maps/Closure/mar/checkpoints_march04.pdf

Nablus/Jenin/Tubas governorates:

Daily IDF incursions continued throughout the week in the districts of Nablus and Tubas.

Ramallah/al-Bireh/Beituniya governorates:

Jerusalem/Jericho governorates:

The Barrier around Jerusalem:

Bethlehem/Hebron governorates:

Gaza:

Enclosed Areas in Gaza:

As-Seafa: Movement remains restricted by the IDF; the entry-exit gate opens twice daily for As -Seafa ID holders from 06:30 to 08:30 and 14:00 to 16:30. Vehicles have not been permitted to enter since November 2000, with the exception of international agencies that have undertaken prior coordination with the IDF. Since 17 April 2004, the As -Seafa gate has been largely closed, with very restricted movement. Since 22 April 2004 the IDF has allowed only 3-4 people to go in and out, for one time only, with prior coordination, in order to bring food in.

Since 03 June, nobody aged below 30 is permitted to enter or leave. Since 17 April, all males aged less than 30 years are not permitted to enter or leave. As – Seafa checkpoint was completely closed on 1 and 2 August.

Al-Mawassi: IDF restrictions remain, with the entry-exit gate at Al Tuffah checkpoint opening twice daily for Al Mawassi ID holders from 08.00 to 13.00 and 14.30 to 17.00. Since 10 May 2004, males aged below 30 years, are required to have prior coordination to move though Al Tuffah checkpoint. Since 06 June 2004, prior coordination i s required for unmarried females aged 18 -25. Vehicles are not allowed to pass, with the exception of international agencies that have undertaken prior coordination with the IDF.

Tel As-Sultan checkpoint closed all week. Toufah checkpoint has been closed between 25 to 31 July. On 01 August, Toufah checkpoint was reopened.

Kfar Darom: The Palestinian area adjacent to Kfar Darom settlement was declared a Closed Military Zone following a suicide attack on 27 February 2004. Since 20 July 2002 no vehicular movement has been allowed and the IDF erected a fence around the area. Movement restricted by the IDF with the entry-exit gate opening four times daily for Al Maa’ni ID holders only from 06:30 to 07:30, 10:30 to 11:30, 13:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 17:00.

Beit Hanoun:

On 29 June 2004, the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun was declared a closed military area following a Qassam rocket attack on Sederot on 28 June, which killed two Israelis. All roads leading in and out of Beit Hanoun are blocked by sand barriers and or trenches. Salah Ed Din Street is blocked by two large sand barriers at Beit Lahia – Jaballia junction and at the by pass road south of Erez. As a result, vehicles are not allowed to enter with the exception of international agencies that have undertaken prior coordination with the IDF. People are allowed to leave and enter Beit Hanoun town only on foot or by donkey cart via the road opposite Erez Industrial Zone which is controlled by an IDF tank. Local commercial vehicles can cross with prior coordination, via the municipality, with the IDF.

IDF installed four rows of sand mounds on Salah Ed Din Street to the south of Erez Industrial zone. Each mound has a small opening to allow only one vehicle to pass at one time.

Between 29 July and 1 August, IDF closed the only entrance to Beit Hanoun and prevented all vehicles from crossing, including UN vehicles.

Source OCHA FCUs, UNSCO and UNRWA

7. Labour movement to Israel

Sources: OCHA FCU, UNSCO, PMG

8. Other:

• 28 July: Palestinians and Internationals demonstrated against the closure in Ya'bad, Jenin district . Clashes occurred between the demonstrators and IDF. Seventeen demonstrators were injured, among them three internationals.

• 29 July: Two alleged Abu Al-Rish brigades activist were killed when their car was targeted by IDF helicopter missiles in Gaza.

• 30 July: IDF helicopters fired two rockets at a workshop producing car batteries in Zaitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City on Salah Ed-Din road. One missile hit a workshop that caught fire and was severely damaged. Two injuries were reported

• 31 July: Israeli settlers from Beit Hadassa, H2 in Hebron city, forced entry into a Palestinian house adjacent to the settlement and encircled the top floor with barbed wire before exiting the premises.

• 02 August: At around 04.00 hours a 13- year old child (Mus’ab Ali Assi) from Beit Liqya was injured by a shot in his leg.

END