Reports
During the reporting period, 238 Palestinians were injured in a ‘Great March of Return’ (GMR) protest, which was held on Friday 14 June of whom 70 were hospitalized. For cumulative casualty figures and breakdowns, see here. According to Israeli reports, fires broke out in a number of locations in southern Israel as a result of incendiary balloons launched by Palestinians during the GMR demonstration, and on other days during the reporting period.
A total of 234 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces during the reporting period in demonstrations held in the context of the ‘Great March of Return’ (GMR), which have been taking place near the perimeter fence with Israel since 30 March 2018. Over 16 per cent of those injured were hospitalized. For cumulative casualty figures and breakdowns, see here.
In the Gaza Strip, one Palestinian, aged 24, was killed on 10 May east of Rafah, and around 425 others were injured, in protests that took place near Israel’s perimeter fence in the context of the ‘Great March of Return’ (GMR) demonstrations.Over 47 per cent of the reported injuries were hospitalized, including 56 people hit by live ammunition.
In April, 71 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished or seized, displacing 75 people and affecting the livelihoods of over 300 others. This month’s total is the highest number of structures demolished in a single month in more than two years.
All but four of the structures were demolished due to the lack of building permits, which are virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain, due to the restrictive planning regime applied by Israel in Area C and in East Jerusalem.
Longstanding restrictions on the movement of people and goods to and from the Gaza Strip have undermined the living conditions of about two million Palestinians in Gaza. Many of the restrictions, originally imposed by Israel in the early 1990s, were intensified after June 2007, following the Hamas takeover of Gaza and the imposition of a blockade. These restrictions continue to reduce access to livelihoods, essential services and housing, disrupt family life, and undermine people’s hopes for a secure and prosperous future.
New escalation in Gaza results in 25 Palestinians and four Israeli killed 16 families displaced from March escalation. Rising poverty in Gaza leads to increase in child labour. More people already displaced in East Jerusalem demolitions than in all of 2018.
Three days of intense hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel resulted in the killing of 25 Palestinians, including three children and two pregnant women, and four Israeli civilians; as well as the injury of 153 Palestinians and 123 Israelis. The escalation, which took place between 3 and 6 May, followed the wounding of two Israeli soldiers reportedly by a Palestinian sniper during the weekly “Great March of Return” (GMR) protests on 3 May, and the Israeli Air Force’s targeting of a Hamas post, which killed two Hamas members. Over the following days, Israeli forces struck around 320 targets in Gaza and Palestinian armed groups fired nearly 700 rockets and mortar shells at Israel. According to initial assessments, 41 housing units were destroyed in Gaza and another 16 were severely damaged and rendered uninhabitable. Some 13 education facilities, one health centre and various electricity networks were also damaged. An informal ceasefire understanding, achieved through Egyptian and UN auspices, came into effect in the early morning of 6 May and is holding, as of time of publication.
In March, 45 Palestinian-owned structures were demolished or seized, displacing 77 people and affecting at least 5,000 others. The total to the end of March shows an increase of 42 per cent in demolitions, and 115 per cent in the number of people displaced, compared to the same quarter in 2018. Of all the structures demolished/seized in the first quarter of 2019, 41 per cent were residences, 38 per cent livelihoodrelated and seven per cent water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). On a monthly average, the number of structures demolished so far in 2019 (46) is above the average rate in 2018 and 2017 (38 and 35 per month, respectively). All but one of the structures were demolished due to the lack of building permits, which are virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain, due to the restrictive planning regime applied by Israel in Area C and in East Jerusalem.
In the Gaza Strip, one Palestinian, aged 15, was killed on 12 April, and around 450 others were injured, in protests that took place near Israel’s perimeter fence in the context of the ‘Great March of Return’ demonstrations. Of all Palestinians injured in the protests during the reporting period, 200 were hospitalized, including 71 injured by live ammunition, according to Palestinian medical sources
Israel exercises direct control over the 20 per cent of Hebron City, known as H2, which is home to some 33,000 Palestinians and a few hundred Israeli settlers. This area has witnessed multiple cycles of violence in the context of continuing settlement activities, which are in contravention of international law. The latest escalation erupted in October 2015, following which, Israel tightened the access restrictions it imposes on Palestinians living in the vicinity of the settlement compounds. To better understand the specific vulnerabilities of this coercive environment on the protection, services, livelihoods and social life of affected residents, OCHA, along with humanitarian partners, conducted an inter-cluster needs assessment in summer 2018. This consisted of a survey carried out of a representative sample of 280 families living in the most affected areas of H2. The findings presented here have been used to prioritize humanitarian interventions that were subsequently incorporated into the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).
