Protection of Civilians Report | 20 September – 03 October 2016

06 Oct 2016

Weekly highlights

On 25 September, a Palestinian prisoner (40-years-old) from Ya’bad village (Jenin) died after 13 years in an Israeli prison. According to official Palestinian sources, the death was due to an aggravated medical condition and lack of medical treatment which is disputed by the Israeli authorities. On 29 September, one Palestinian member of an armed group (30-years-old) died and another three were reportedly injured, following an incident in a tunnel in Beit Hanoun (Gaza Strip). On 27 September, in Nablus city, Palestinian security forces shot and killed one Palestinian and injured three more during a search and arrest operation.
On 30 September, a Palestinian man carried out a stabbing attack against Israeli forces at Qalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem, injuring one Israeli soldier. The perpetrator (28-years-old), from Kafr ‘Aqab town (Jerusalem), was shot and killed during the incident. Another three alleged Palestinian attacks against Israelis were recorded over this two week reporting period: a 16-year-old Palestinian child was shot and killed after allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier at a flying checkpoint at the entrance of Bani Na’im village (Hebron); and another two Palestinian children (14 and 15-years-old) were injured, reportedly after they attempted to carry out stabbing attacks at Jaljoulia checkpoint (Qalqiliya) and near Kiryat Arba settlement (Hebron). No Israelis were reported as injured in either incident.
Overall, Israeli forces injured 75 Palestinians in the West Bank, mostly during clashes between Palestinian and Israeli forces. Two Israeli soldiers were reportedly injured by a Molotov cocktail during clashes in Ad Duheisha refugee camp (Bethlehem). Also in one incident, near Al Khalil School in the Israeli-controlled H2 area of Hebron city, 40 schoolchildren were injured due to tear gas inhalation that required medical intervention.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces shot and injured ten Palestinian civilians with live ammunition during clashes involving stone throwing that erupted during four different protests near the perimeter fence between Israel and Gaza. Additionally on at least 28 occasions, Israeli forces opened warning fire at people present, in or approaching the Access Restricted Areas (ARA) on land and at sea, with no injuries reported, although the work of farmers and fishermen was disrupted.
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted nearly 200 search operations and arrested around 300 Palestinians, including 18 children, in the West Bank; some of the operations triggered violent clashes. Bethlehem, Hebron and Jerusalem governorates accounted for the highest portion of the operations and arrests. In Jerusalem, Israeli police handed out orders banning 19 Palestinians from entering the Haram al Sharif/ Temple Mount compound, five for six month periods and the rest for two weeks.
On 22 September, Israeli forces at Gilbert Checkpoint in Hebron city, prevented 23 school girls from crossing to their school. Also, after an alleged stabbing attack near the checkpoint, Israeli forces declared a closed military zone in the area and denied two families access to their homes for ten days. Israeli forces also closed the main entrances of seven villages and impeded vehicular access to Road 60 for more than 40,000 people, mainly between Huwwara and Za’atara Checkpoints (Nablus).
During the reporting period across the West Bank, the Israeli authorities demolished 46 structures due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, including 16 which had been provided as humanitarian assistance in response to previous demolitions, including one classroom and playground in the Abu Nuwar Bedouin community (Jerusalem governorate). As a result, 56 Palestinians, including 25 children, were displaced and 185 people were otherwise affected. Two-thirds of these structures were demolished between 26 and 28 September in nine Palestinian communities. The largest single incident took place in Khirbet Tell el Himma (Tubas), while 10 of the 17 demolition incidents took place in Jerusalem governorate.
On 23, 29 and 30 September, a total of 14 Palestinian families (73 people, including 30 children) from Humsa al Bqai’a community in the northern Jordan Valley (Tubas) were temporarily displaced from their homes, for five hours each day, to make way for Israeli military training in the area. The Israeli Civil Administration delivered evacuation orders to these families on 22 September.
The Israeli Civil Administration delivered nine demolition orders against nine buildings in Al ‘Isawiya area of East Jerusalem for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, threatening to displace 40 Palestinian families. Another ten stop working orders were issued in Khirbet ad Deir (Bethlehem), Khallet al Hajar (Hebron), and Al Funduq and Jinsafut villages, both in Qalqiliya.
There were five suspected Israeli settler attacks recorded that resulted in damage to Palestinian property, including to Palestinian olive trees in As Sawiya and Yatma villages (Nablus); to 20 olive trees in Jinsafut (Qalqiliya); setting fire to cultivated land in Yanun village and to construction materials in Burin village, both in Nablus. According to Israeli media reports, there were also three incidents of stone-throwing by Palestinians against Israeli-plated vehicles, causing slight damage to the Jerusalem light train and another two vehicles, near Beit Liqya village on Road 443 and near the security fence of Psagot settlement, both in Ramallah.
The Egyptian-controlled Rafah Crossing was exceptionally opened on three days during the reporting period (21-23 September) in one direction only, primarily to allow a reported 2,290 pilgrims to return to Gaza. Approximately 27,000 people have previously registered and been waiting to exit Gaza via Rafah since the beginning of 2016, according to the Palestinian authorities in Gaza.