OPT: Protection of civilians – OCHA Weekly report (11-17 July 2012)

PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS WEEKLY REPORT

11 – 17 JULY 2012

 A series of settler attacks throughout the West Bank resulted in property damage in five Palestinian communities; Palestinian attacks against Israeli vehicles were also recorded in the Jerusalem area.

 No demolitions were recorded in Area C and East Jerusalem, for the first week in three months; issuance of demolition orders continued.

 In the Gaza Strip, hundreds of patients are at risk due to the complete suspension of activities by the Referral Abroad Department of the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Each month, between 800 and 1,000 patients, requiring medical attention outside Gaza, benefit from the services provided by the department.

WEST BANK

Majority of injuries in clashes during a weekly protest against settlement-related activities; settler violence continues

The majority of this week’s Palestinian injuries (55) were sustained during a weekly demonstration in Kafr Qaddum village (Qalqiliya) against the prohibition on the use of the main road connecting the village to Nablus City, and to agricultural land in the vicinity of the nearby Qedumim settlement. Two other Palestinians were injured during two weekly demonstrations against the construction of the Barrier in Bil’in and against the expansion of Hallamish settlement on Nabi Saleh village’s land, both in the Ramallah governorate. Also in Ramallah, Israeli forces injured three Palestinians during clashes in the context of a demonstration in front of Ofer prison in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli forces also clashed with residents of ‘Iraq Burin (Nablus) and Tuqu’ (Bethlehem) villages in two search-and-arrest operations, injuring three of the residents, including a 17-year-old youth. In another incident, Israeli forces positioned at the observation tower at Halhoul Bridge (Hebron) opened fire on a civilian vehicle, injuring two Palestinians, including a woman. The Israeli DCL for the Hebron district expressed regret over the consequences of the incident and said the soldiers mistakenly identified the vehicle’s passengers as suspects.

Palestinian casualties by Israeli forces

Injured this week: 66; 59 in demonstrations

Injured in 2012: 1,698

2012 weekly average of injured: 59

2011 weekly average of injured: 28

Search and arrest operations by Israeli forces this

week: 109

A number of serious attacks by Israeli settlers were recorded during the week. In one incident settlers raided the Bedouin community of Umm al Kheir (Hebron) and injured one elderly woman (70); this community has been regularly targeted by settlers in the past few years. In the course of two additional settler attacks, four houses sustained damages in the villages of Jalud (Nablus) and Beitillu (Ramallah). In addition, reports from Burin, Burqa and Jalud villages (Nablus) indicate that Israeli settlers set fire to agricultural land, damaging 12 olive trees in Burin, and cut down around 40 other trees in the remaining two villages. Settlers also killed a sheep belonging to a Palestinian shepherd near Shilo settlement (Ramallah).

A number of Palestinian attacks against Israelis were also reported during the week. In one incident, Palestinians stoned an Israeli truck driver who mistakenly entered Qalandiya refugee camp (Jerusalem), injuring him. In two other incidents, Palestinians set two Israeli vehicles on fire near a house recently taken over by settlers in the Beit Hanina neighbourhood of East Jerusalem; and stoned an Israeli-plated bus travelling in the Bethlehem governorate, causing damage to the vehicles in both incidents.

No demolitions recorded during the week

For the first time in over three months, there were no demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures by the Israeli authorities recorded this week in Area C or East Jerusalem. However, stopwork orders were issued this week against 15 residences and 13 livelihood structures in the governorates of Jerusalem, Qalqiliya, Salfit and Hebron, as well as in the Jordan Valley and East Jerusalem. Some of the structures were funded by international organizations. A total of 127 people, including 65 children, might be affected, if these demolitions take place.

Settler-related incidents resulting in injuries or property damage:

This week: 9

2012 weekly average: 6

2011 weekly average: 8

Palestinians injuries by settler violence:

This week: 1

Injured in 2012: 70

2011 weekly average: 4

Israeli settlers injured by Palestinians:

This week: 1

Injured in 2012: 24

Injured in 2011: 37

Palestinian-owned structures demolished in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem

This week:

Demolished: 0

Demolished in 2012: 383

Of which residences: 120

People displaced in 2012: 615

2012 vs. 2011 demolitions (weekly av.): 13 vs. 12

2012 vs. 2011 people displaced (weekly av.): 21 vs. 21

GAZA STRIP

Sporadic clashes and shooting incidents around the fence

On 12 July, one armed Palestinian was killed and two others injured as a result of an armed clash between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed men during an Israeli incursion near the fence separating Israel and the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces conducted two other incursions inside the Gaza Strip, withdrawing from the area after leveling land. On 13 July, Israeli forces spotted and killed an unknown armed man near the fence. The deceased man has not yet been identified.

Also this week, Palestinian armed groups fired a number of projectiles from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli military positions near the fence separating Gaza and Israel and southern Israel; no injuries or damage were reported.

Gaza authorities execute three Palestinian prisoners

The Gaza authorities stated that three Palestinian men convicted of murder in 2004, 2009 and 2010 were executed by hanging on 17 July. According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in 2007, 14 death sentences have been carried out, including six following convictions on charges of collaboration with foreign bodies. Overall, 27 death sentences have been implemented throughout the oPt since 1994, when the Palestinian Authority (PA) was established. Human rights groups in Gaza expressed concern over the executions, which according to the organizations, violate Palestinian law and constitution and were implemented without the ratification of the President of the PA.

Shortages of power and fuel continue to disrupt daily life inside Gaza

The Gaza Power Plant (GPP) continued to operate two turbines, producing on average approximately half of its capacity due to ongoing fuel shortages. As a result, the majority of the population continues to experience power cuts of up to 12 hours per day, disrupting their lives, causing suffering in the high summer heat, and impeding the delivery of public services, including hospitals and water and wastewater treatment plants.

Fuel shortages continued despite the entry of fuel, partly supplied by the Qatari government and partly purchased from Israel. In addition, fuel supplied through the tunnels under Egypt-Gaza border for the private sector reportedly represent about half the amount of fuel that entered regularly each day prior to the onset of the fuel crisis in December 2011 (800,000 – one million liters of diesel and benzene). According to the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene cluster, over 70 percent of the Gaza population receives running water for only a few hours every three to four days.

Hundreds of Gaza patients are at risk by the closure of the Referral Abroad Department

On 17 July, disagreement between the ministries of health in Gaza and the West Bank resulted in a complete suspension of the activity of the Referral Abroad Department. The department assesses and processes referral applications submitted by Gaza patients for specialized hospital treatment outside Gaza. The World Health Organization indicates that such a development could put the lives of hundreds of patients, who can only receive medical treatment outside due to the unavailability of treatment in Gaza, at risk. Each month, between 800 and 1,000 patients in Gaza

require medical attention outside Gaza.

Palestinian casualties by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip:

Killed this week: 1

Killed in 2012: 46

Injured this week: 2

Injured in 2012: 241

2012 weekly average of injured: 8

2011 weekly average of injured: 9

Israeli casualties by Palestinian fire from Gaza

Injured this week: 0

Killed in 2012: 1

Injured in 2012: 18

Movement of goods (Kerem Shalom Crossing)

Imports:

Weekly average of truckloads (TL) entered this

week: 1,220

TL carrying food: 42%

Weekly average of TL since the beginning of

2012: 1,047

Weekly average of TL before the blockade:

2,807

Exports:

Truckloads this week: 0

Weekly average since the beginning of 2012: 6

Weekly average before the blockade: 240