OPT: Protection of civilians – OCHA Weekly report (26 September – 2 October 2012)

PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS WEEKLY REPORT

التقرير الأسبوعي لحماية المدنيين

26 SEPTEMBER – 2 OCTOBER 2012

Key issues

  Israeli forces kill one Palestinian and injure another, while they were fishing offshore next to the perimeter fence in the northwestern corner of Gaza.

  Authorities in Gaza demolish 12 residential structures built on state-owned land, displacing around 60 residents.

  Two children die in Gaza in accidents related to the power cuts implemented due to the fuel and electricity shortages.

WEST BANK

Decline in Palestinian injuries

This week saw a decline in the number of Palestinian injuries (16) compared to the weekly average of 60 injuries recorded since the beginning of 2012. Fifteen people required treatment after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli forces at a weekly demonstration in Kafr Qaddum (Qalqiliya). This regular protest is held 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. A Palestinian woman also suffered from tear gas inhalation during an Israeli search-and-arrest operation in Ras al Amud neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.

Four Israeli soldiers were wounded this week near Neve Daniel settlement (Bethlehem), when a Palestinian-owned taxi collided with their vehicle, in an incident reported by the Israeli media as a hit and run accident.

Palestinian casualties by Israeli forces

Killed this week: 0

Killed in 2012: 4

Injured this week: 16 (15 in a demonstration)

Injured in 2012: 2,219

2012 weekly average of injured: 60

2011 weekly average of injured: 30

Search and arrest operations by Israeli forces this week: 56

Also this week, Israeli settlers physically assaulted and injured two Palestinian farmers who were working their land next to ‘Einabus village (Nablus). An Israeli settler also sustained injuries when Palestinians hurled stones towards Israeli-plated cars travelling in Wadi el Joz area in East Jerusalem.

In the Bethlehem area, next to Neve Daniel settlement, Israeli settlers installed four caravans on six dunums of private land belonging to Palestinians from Al Khader village. Reports from the ‘Ein al Hilweh community in the Jordan Valley indicate that Israeli settlers damaged a fence and stole 40 iron posts that were part of a livestock pen. In addition, anti-Christian and price tag graffiti by Israeli settlers were found on the walls of the Franciscan Dormition monastery in East Jerusalem. On 25 September (unreported last week), settlers cut down around 60 olive trees owned by Burin village (Nablus), in the vicinity of Bracha settlement. 

Settler-related incidents resulting in injuries or property damage:

This week: 4

2012 weekly average: 6

2011 weekly average: 8

Palestinian injuries by settler violence:

This week: 2

Injured in 2012: 129

2011 weekly average: 4

Israeli settlers injured by Palestinians:

This week: 1

Injured in 2012: 34

Injured in 2011: 37

On 2 October, on the occasion of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, over 100 Israelis entered the Al Aqsa mosque compound under the protection of Israeli forces. While this resulted in confrontations with Palestinian worshippers, no injuries were recorded. Some Palestinians and Israelis involved in the incident were arrested.

No demolitions or demolition orders recorded

For the fourth consecutive week, there were no reports of demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures by the Israeli authorities in Area C and East Jerusalem. In addition, there was no record of issuance of demolition orders during the week.

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

This week:

Demolished: 0

Demolished in 2012: 465

Of which residences: 136

People displaced in 2012: 676

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

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

Further restrictions on access in Barta’a enclave

On two days during the week, on the occasion of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the Israeli authorities prohibited movement through the main Barrier checkpoint (Rekhan) controlling access to and from the Barta’a ash Sharqiya enclave (Jenin). Residents employed outside the enclave, students and humanitarian cases (including patients) were allowed, following ‘prior coordination’ with the Israeli military, to pass through an alternative Barrier Gate that is located two and half kilometers away. More than 1000 merchants and workers running shops or employed inside the Barta’a enclave were not allowed to use the gate. The Barrier in this part of Jenin governorate was completed in 2003, leaving seven communities inside the enclave, and in September of that year the area was declared closed so that residents have since been required to obtain permits to remain in their homes.

GAZA STRIP

One fisherman killed and another injured in Gaza

On 28 September, Israeli troops deployed next to the perimeter fence in the northwestern corner of Gaza, shot and killed a Palestinian man and injured another while they were fishing on the beach, at close proximity to the fence. This is the first fisherman fatality recorded since September 2010. Since the beginning of the year, six Palestinian civilians were killed and 86 others were injured in the context of the access restrictions imposed by the Israeli army, as well as clashes with Palestinian factions, in areas up to 1.5 kilometers from the perimeter fence around Gaza. During the week, Israeli forces detained three children (aged 13, 16 and 17) near the fence, reportedly while they were trying to infiltrate into Israel; the children remain in detention inside Israel.

Also this week, two Palestinian militants were killed in two separate incidents; one died when an explosive device he was handling exploded prematurely, and the other as a result of a tunnel collapse. An eight year-old child was injured while playing with a gun and another man while mishandling weapons.

Palestinian casualties by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip:

Killed this week: 1

Killed in 2012: 56

Injured this week: 1

Injured in 2012: 258

2012 weekly average of injured: 8

2011 weekly average of injured: 9

Israeli casualties by Palestinian fire from Gaza

Injured this week: 0

Two workers killed in tunnel collapse

In one incident on 26 September, a Palestinian worker was killed and two others injured when a tunnel under the Gaza-Egypt border collapsed while they were working inside. Another worker was killed in a similar incident on 2 October. In total, 14 Palestinian workers were killed and 44 injured in tunnel-related incidents since the beginning of 2012. Tunnels are used to transfer goods into Gaza, including goods such as construction materials that are restricted through official crossing with Israel, and fuel which, is significantly cheaper in Egypt than in Israel.

Two children died in electricity-related incidents; long power cuts continue

In two separate incidents on 1 October, two children were killed inside their homes during power outages. One of the children (aged 8 months) died of injuries she sustained after her home accidentally caught fire from candles last week. Another child, aged seven, died after being electrocuted by an electric generator.

As a result of electricity shortages, the majority of the population in the Gaza Strip has continued to experience power cuts of up to 12 hours per day, which disrupt daily life and hinder the delivery of basic services. In recent weeks, the Gaza Power Plant (GPP) has only been operating two out of its four turbines, reportedly due to the ongoing fuel shortage, and producing only 60 out of 110 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

Authorities in Gaza demolished alleged illegal structures

On 2 October, the Land Registration Authority in Gaza demolished 12 residential structures near Um al Nasser village in northern Gaza, displacing some 60 residents. The demolitions were carried out on grounds that the land is designated as “state land”. The residents claim that they did not receive any eviction notice before the demolition. Clashes which erupted between the police and the residents resulted in the injury of two children and one woman. Similar demolitions took place in Gaza City and northern Gaza area, in July and September 2012, respectively, during which approximately 100 residential and livelihood-related structures were demolished and around 700 people were displaced.

Four truckloads of school furniture exited Gaza to the West Bank

This week, on an exceptional basis, the Israeli authorities allowed the transfer of four truckloads carrying furniture manufactured in the Gaza Strip to the West Bank. The shipment of the furniture was coordinated with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah and intended for PA schools in the West Bank. The transfer of goods from Gaza to the West Bank and Israel has been extremely restricted since 2007; until this week, only 20 truckloads of date bars had been allowed so far this year from Gaza into the West Bank, following coordination with the World Food Programme.

Movement of goods (Kerem Shalom Crossing)

Imports: 23-29 September

Number of truckloads (TL): 987

TL carrying food: 41%

Weekly average of TL since the beginning of 2012: 1,078

Weekly average of TL before the blockade: 2,807

Exports:

Truckloads this week: 4

Weekly average since the beginning of 2012: 5 Weekly average before the blockade: 240

Please note that the figures in this report are subject to changes upon the receipt of additional information.

For more information, please contact Mai Yassin at yassinm@un.org or +972 (0)2 5829962.

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