OCHA Weekly Briefing Notes – OPT (5-11 Nov 2003) – OCHA report

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OCHA Humanitarian Weekly Briefing Notes

Update for oPt (05 – 11 Nov 2003)

INSIDEINSI==INSIDE: Casualties  — Incidents involving ambulances — Curfew — House demolition — Land levelling/confiscation — Checkpoints/roadblocks/Separation Wall/restrictions on movement — Access to Schools — Labour movement to Israel — Other incidents

1. Casualties

Palestinians: 18 deaths, 31 injured
Israelis: 0 deaths, 1 injured

2. Incidents involving ambulances and medical teams

Denial of access: 5 incidents (in one incident an injured woman died as a result)
Delay (45-120 min.): 2 cases
Attack/abuse of ambulances and staff: 1 incident
Damage/Shooting at ambulance: 6 incidents

3. Curfews

Curfews were reported in the following locations: Jenin city, Jenin refugee camp, Beit Rima, Deir Ghassana, and Kafr Ein (2 days), Maithaloun, Jalbun, Marda, Kafr ad Dik, Deir Sharaf and al Yamun (1 day)

4. House demolitions

Demolished: 27
Partially Demolished: 10
Other: 1 dental laboratory and 1 farm house

5. Landlevelling/confiscation 

West Bank: 

• DF confiscated orders for 424 dunums (104.77 acres) of fertile farm land in Bardala and Kardala in Tubas district.

• 5 November: 10 dunums (2.471 acres) of land have been levelled north of Ramadin, close to the settlement of Sansana (Hebron district), currently being expanded. A water reservoir has been built in the area.

• IDF are levelling land at the intersection of Tarqumiya and Idna on route 35 in Hebron District.

• Ongoing levelling of land between Zeita and Qaffin through Nazlat Isa for construction of the wall. The levelling has reached approximately 100 metres inside the town of Nazlat Isa across the area where more than 100 shops/workshops were demolished in August 2003.

Gaza: 

6. Checkpoints/roadblocks/Separation Wall/restrictions on movement

– Tulkarm/Qalqiliya governorates:

• A new observation tower has been installed at the junction between the Israeli settlement of Enav and the Palestinian village ‘Anabta on the road coming from Nablus. 3-4 weeks ago the observation tower didn’t exist.

• During the last week, one road block and three earth mounds have been removed at Kfar ad Dik village, which eased access to Salfit town from road 55 through al Funduq.

• Ongoing construction of the Wall near the Israel settlement of Elqana in Salfit district. The Wall now stretches west of Masha approximately 500 meters further south of the village.

• 8 (4 in Tulkarem and 4 in Qalqiliya) out of 12 agricultural gates (6 in Tulkarm and 6 in Qalqiliya) have been reported open for farmers who hold green-coloured permits only. The gates are open 2-3 times a day. The village of Beit Amin in Qalqilya has collectively refused to receive a total of 160 new green permits, which the Israeli soldiers issued. The village has a population of some 1,000 persons. In Jbara, the villagers are still allowed to move freely in and out of the village, even for those who do not hold a green card.

– Nablus/Jenin/Tubas governorates:

• 05 November: earth mounds around Nablus district were enhanced in particular on road 57 leading to the Jordan Valley.

• 7and 8 November: All checkpoints inside Jenin city were closed during the curfew.

• Palestinians residing between the green line and the Wall were subjected to restrictions on quantity of foodstuff they were allowed to bring in through Umm ar Rihan checkpoint.

Ramallah governorate (Ramallah/Al-Bireh/Beituniya):

• Ein Arik roadblock was removed in the Ramallah area.

• Long delays were reported throughout the week at the Qalandiya checkpoint, particularly during late afternoons and early evenings before the Ramadan breakfast “iftar”.

• 6 November: A military patrol closed the An Nabi Saleh gate (the only access to Bani Zeid cluster of villages) at c.16.30, preventing over 100 villagers from returning home in time for the “Iftar” to break the Ramadan fast. According to the military, the area was a temporary closed military zone and Palestinians were told to find alternative routes home.

Jerusalem governorate:

• Construction of the Wall is continuing in different sections in Khallet an Nu’man, Ash Sheikh Sa’ad, As Sawahriya ash Sharqiya, Abu Dis and Al-‘Eizariya.

• The construction in the Sur Bahir area has ceased, waiting for a ruling from the High Court.

Bethlehem/Hebron governorates:

• 08 November: Gates between Sair and Halhul have been opened to allow passage of private vehicles between the two and across route 60. A Police flying CP has been seen on the Sair side and there is a new military observation tower at the crossing

• 08 November: The IDF removed the earth mound between the villages of Dura and Fawwar allowing vehicles to cross from Yatta to Hebron. The gate at the other entrance to Yatta (on route 60) has now been closed.

• Four new military observations posts have been erected within the last month (entrances to Husan and Wadi an Nis, in Bethlehem, and at the Sair/Halhul and Dura/Fawwar junctions in Hebron district) at crucial intersections used by Palestinians to move north-south and east-west

Gaza crossings/checkpoints

• 10 November: A new observation tower is being constructed 100 meters to the east of the Beach road across Netzarim settlement

7. Access to Schools:

• 07 November: School children in Jbara in Tulkarm are still confronted with irregular opening hours of the gate. The gate has been manned by Israeli soldiers since 07 November.

• 08 November: 8-year old child was killed on his way back from school after IDF entered Birqin villages west of Jenin city.

• 08 November: Israeli soldiers entered Beit ar Rush boys’ basic school causing minor damages and searching the garden of the school. No injuries were reported.

• 09 November: Israeli soldiers entered al Burj girls’ basic school before starting the lessons, throwing sound bombs. No injuries were reported.

• Israeli soldiers denied school girls in al Luban ash Sharqiya to use the road to their school located on the main road (road 60). Israeli soldiers explained that the girls posed a security threat on the soldiers in this area.

• UNRWA reported continuous disruption in teachers’ access to schools in different districts due to closure, curfew and lack of permits.

8. Labour movement into Israel

West Bank:

• No work permits allowed in the Nablus, Jenin and Tubas districts.

• 28 work permits were issued to Palestinians to work in Israel from Bethlehem; none was issued in the Hebron District. In addition 280 trade permits were issued in Hebron for one month, and 150 trade permits were issued in Bethlehem for three months.

• Additional 260 trade permits in Tulkarm and 150 trade permits in Qalqiliya were issued. In the last two weeks a total of 436 trade permits in Tulkarm and a total of 350 trade permits in Qalqiliya were issued.

Gaza

9. Other incidents

Gaza

• 05 November: Israeli tank fired seven shells at a Palestinian house being built to the south of Netzarim settlement, close to the area in which the three towers were blown up last month. No injuries were reported

• 07 November: Israeli gunboat opened fired at Palestinians fishing boats in the Gaza north area forcing them to head towards Beach refugee camp. No injuries were reported.

• 7 November: An Israeli undercover unit supported by tanks and helicopter moved into the Al Maghazi refugee camp (Gaza middle). Tanks fired shells at the houses, as a result a 21-year old man was killed and four people sustained wounds. Six houses were partially demolished.

• 10 November: Israeli bulldozer and two tanks moved into Rafah totally destroying 19 Palestinian houses.

Qalqiliya/Tulkarm governorates:

• 06 November: A public mini-van returning from Ramallah was stopped by a patrolling IDF jeep near the village of Ramin. The IDF fired randomly inside the van, 1 person was dead and another injured.

Nablus/Jenin/Tubas governorates

• 05 November: Settlers from the Yitzhar settlement cut 230 olive trees belonging to the villages of Huwwara and ‘Ein Yabus.

• 06 November: Tens of Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles entered the Al Qarioun district of the old city of Nablus. A 38-year man was killed by a sniper, and another was injured.

• 07 November: Israeli forces entered the Balata camp, occupied seven houses and closed the entrances of the camp. One person was killed during subsequent clashes.

• 10 November: Israeli forces entered around thirty houses in Balata camp arresting seven Palestinians, one of them having been shot in the stomach.

• 7 November: Israeli forces entered Jenin city and Jenin camp imposing curfew in a search operation for an alleged member of the armed wing of Islamic Jihad. Israeli forces demolished 6 houses, one dental laboratory and 1 farm house, 1 house was partially demolished. As a result this alleged member was arrested and one person killed during the clashes.

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¹A look out tower had been constructed next to the An Nabi Salih gate and not Umm Safa gate as reported earlier.

(Source: OCHA field units, UNRWA, UNSCO, PRCS, MoH, Governors’ office, Israeli MoFA & IDF web sites, Al Mizan, PCHR)

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