OPT: Protection of civilians – OCHA Weekly report (2-8 April 2008)

OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS

P.O. Box 38712, East Jerusalem, Phone: (+972) 2-582 9962 / 582 5853, Fax: (+972) 2-582 5841 ochaopt@un.org, www.ochaopt.org

Protection of Civilians Weekly Report

2 – 8 April 2008

Of note this week

Gaza Strip: 

– The IDF killed three Palestinians and injured 14 others. These include a five-year-old boy killed and two injured by IDF tank shells east of Al Bureij Camp.

– An assistant to the Israeli Internal Security Minister, Avi Dichter, was lightly injured by shots fired from the Gaza Strip towards southern Israel when the minister and his entourage were visiting.

– On 7 April 2008, the Economic Crisis Management Committee declared a strike to protest the Israeli restrictions on the import of benzene and diesel.

– The IDF carried out five levelling and excavation operations in the Gaza Strip.

– Due to the lack of fuel supplies, the Gaza City Municipality has been forced to decrease the frequency of solid waste collection rounds, resulting in the accumulation of 400-600 tons of solid waste in the streets.

– Three hundred and forty eight (348) Palestinians, including 94 patients, and 63 vehicles returned to Gaza, and ten Egyptians returned to Egypt, via Rafah crossing.

– 18 rudimentary rockets and 25 mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. No injuries were reported. Palestinians also fired 40 mortars at IDF soldiers inside Gaza.

West Bank: 

– Four Palestinians were injured by Israeli settlers and eight by the IDF. Those injured by Israeli settlers include a man and a child who were herding their sheep (Qalqiliya and Hebron) as well as a man and his wife who were working in their own field (Ramallah).

– Two Israeli Border Police officers and two IDF soldiers were injured by Palestinians in the West Bank. One IDF soldier was injured by settlers during the evacuation of ‘Shvut Ami’ outpost near Qedumim settlement in the Qalqiliya governorate.

– The IDF arrested 13 Palestinians at ‘Azzun ‘Atma checkpoint, 12 of whom were hiding in a water tanker trying to sneak into the closed area behind the Barrier in order to reach Israel in search for work. The driver was also arrested (Qalqiliya).

– The IDF raided the Al Bireh municipality building, broke some doors and brought two municipality employees from their houses to log on to the municipality’s computers. The IDF left after confiscating files, papers and the server of the security cameras. On the same day, the IDF also broke into the Chamber of Commerce and MA’AN Development Center in Ramallah City but did not confiscate any property (Ramallah).

– A Palestinian family from Abu Dis was denied a burial permit to bury their 77-year-old deceased relative in the family graveyard in the old city of Jerusalem (Jerusalem).

– One house was demolished in ‘Anata (Jerusalem) due to the lack of building permit, resulting in the displacement of 12 people, including five children.

– Nine curfew hours, 67 flying checkpoints, 112 search operations and 120 arrests/detentions were reported.

/…

Full report: