OPT: Protection of civilians – OCHA Weekly report (25 – 31 July 2007)

Of note this week

Gaza Strip:

• Seven Palestinians, including Islamic Jihad and Hamas members, were killed and seven others were injured from IDF military operations and IAF air strikes.

• Three Palestinians were killed, including two females, and nine others were injured in family disputes and other forms of internal violence. One Palestinian died due to illness on the Egyptian side of the closed Rafah crossing and another died in an Israeli prison.

• 17 mortars were fired at IDF bulldozers during IDF incursions into the Gaza Strip (Gaza and Khan Younis). In addition, 29 Qassam rockets, 31 mortar shells, and one RPG were fired towards Israel. These included two rockets and 12 mortars fired towards IDF Kissufim military base, eight rockets towards Sderot, one rocket and five mortars towards Kerem Shalom crossing, and five mortars towards Erez crossing, among others. As a result, one Israeli woman was lightly injured by shrapnel (Sderot), one deserted home was severely damaged (Sderot), and several other homes were damaged (Western Negev).

• The IDF continued to conduct levelling and excavating operations in the Gaza Strip, thereby uprooting 120 dunums of olive and citrus trees.

• Between 29 and 31 July, 901 Palestinians—out of the estimated 6000 Palestinians on the Egyptian side of Rafah crossing—entered the Gaza Strip through Erez crossing.

• The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has called for investigations of alleged torture practiced by the Executive Support Force (ESF) and ‘Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) against a number of Palestinian detainees. PCHR has also called for an investigation of an incident where nine Palestinians, including a child and two women, were injured during ESF arrest campaigns.

West Bank:

• There was an increase in checks at IDF checkpoints surrounding the Ramallah governorate; the Israeli DCL reported that these procedures were due to security alerts about potential attacks in Israel by Palestinians coming from the northern West Bank.

• The IDF killed one Palestinian (Bethlehem) and injured 11, including seven children.

• One Palestinian was killed and two injured in a family feud (Qalqiliya), two were injured by unidentified persons (Jenin and Nablus), and one died of wounds sustained during factional clashes on 24 July (Nablus).

• 81 IDF search campaigns, 65 arrests, and 113 flying checkpoints were reported, which are similar to last week’s figures.

• 27 July: Although the time period given by the IDF for their eviction ended at noon, the two settler families remained in the vegetable market in the H2 area of Hebron City. They vowed to resist the eviction, especially after receiving a religious decree from Rabbi Mordachi Elyaho allowing them to defy the eviction order (Hebron).

• 29 July: The IDF started to dismantle the Road Barrier along Road 317 south of the towns of Yatta, As 'Samu and Adh Dhahiriya. On 24 July, the Israeli High Court ruled that the barrier be dismantled within two weeks.

full report: