This week in Palestine -51 incursions into Palestinian communities, IOF arrested 23 Palestinians, incl. 10 children.

Israeli settlers from "Yesh Koudesh" settlement uprooting fruitful trees in Palestinian farms in Qasra village in Nablus.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

IOF continued to attack Palestinian fishermen in the Gaza Strip.

Two fishermen were wounded.

IOF arrested and interrogated 8 fishermen, including two children, but released later.

IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.

Dozens of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

IOF conducted 51 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

IOF arrested 23 Palestinians, including 10 children.

IOF arrested and interrogated 3 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip, but released them later.

Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

IOF arrested at least 3 Palestinian civilians at military checkpoints and border crossings in the West Bank.

IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

IOF demolished an under-construction house and shop of car parts in Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron.

IOF handed notices to 8 Palestinian families ordering them to evacuate their farms in Hebron.

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilian vehicles traveling on the main roads, and a Palestinian civilian was injured.

Israeli settlers uprooted 222 trees.

Israeli settlers attempted to burn two cars in Burqa village, east of Ramallah.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (08 – 14 September 2011):

Shooting:

During the reporting period, IOF wounded two Palestinian fishermen and arrested them together with another 6 fishermen in the Gaza Strip, but released them later.

On 11 September 2011, two Israeli gunboats surrounded two Palestinian fishing boats, on board of which were 8 Palestinian fishermen, including two children, opposite to Beit Lahia beach in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli naval troops opened fire at the boats wounding two fishermen lightly. Israeli naval troop then arrested the eight fishermen, but released them several hours later.

During the reporting period, Israeli gunboats fired at Palestinian fishing boats in the northern Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.

IOF positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel opened fire at Palestinian civilian communities, but no casualties were reported.

On 10 September 2011, IOF arrested 3 Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip who attempted to infiltrate into Israel to search for jobs. They interrogated the children and released them several hours later.

During the reporting period, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall in the West Bank. As a result, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Incursions:

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 51 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 23 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children and two members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Restrictions on Movement:

Israel had continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza Strip

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over three years. The illegal Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

IOF have tightened the closure of the Gaza Strip and practically made Karm Abu Salem crossing as the sole commercial crossing of the Gaza Strip although it is not proper for commercial purposes in terms of its distance and operational capacity.

IOF have continued to apply their policy aimed at tightening the strangulation of the commercial movement in the Gaza Strip, including imposing total control over the flow of imports and exports.

The total closure of al-Mentar "Karni" crossing on 02 March 2011 has created a bitter situation that has seriously affected the Gaza Strip. Following this closure, all the economic and commercial establishments in Gaza Commercial Zone were shut off. It should be noted that al-Mentar crossing is the biggest crossing in the Gaza Strip in terms of its operational capacity to absorb the flow of imports and exports. The decision of al-Mentar crossing was the culmination of a series of decisions to totally close Soafa crossing, east of the Gaza Strip, in the beginning of 2009, and Nahal Oz crossing, east of Gaza City, which was dedicated for the delivery of fuel and cooking gas to the Gaza Strip, in the beginning of 2010.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL REPORT: Palestinian Center for Human Rights