In its Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the week of 18– 24 Aug. 2011, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights found that Israeli forces killed 17 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. 5 of the victims are civilians, including two children and a physician.Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces launched a new military offensive on the Gaza Strip, which continued for 3 days. They bombarded civilian facilities and training sites of Palestinian resistance groups, and targeted a number of activists of resistance groups. A number of Palestinian civilians, including children and women, were killed were wounded, and a number of civilian facilities were damaged. This offensive came a few hours following armed attacks in the southern Israeli city of Eilat near the Egyptian border, which left 8 Israelis and 7 attackers killed, and injured a number of other Israelis, according to Israeli media reports.

During the reporting period, Israeli forces killed 17 Palestinians, including 5 civilians (two children, a physician, a worker and a farmers), in the Gaza Strip. They also wounded 20 Palestinians, including 6 children and two women in the Gaza Strip, and 3 others in the West Bank. Additionally, an activist of the Palestinian resistance died of a previous wound in the Gaza Strip.

In the Gaza Strip, a few hours following an armed attack in Eilat by Egyptian gunmen on Thursday evening, Israeli forces extra-judicially executed 5 members of the Popular Resistance Committees and the child of one of them in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah.

On Friday, 19 August, Israeli forces launched a series of air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip. As a result of these attacks, 5 Palestinian resistance fighters, a physician and a child were killed and 5 Palestinians, including two children and two women, were wounded.

On Saturday, 20 August 2011, 7 Palestinians, including a woman and a child, were wounded by Israeli attacks.

On Sunday, 21 August 2011, a Palestinian child was wounded and a number of civilians sustained bruises.

On Wednesday, 24 August 2011, Israeli forces extra-judicially executed a leader of the Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad) in Rafah. A passing child was wounded. On the same day, Israeli

forces killed a farmer in al-Boreij refugee camp. They also killed a resistance fighter in Gaza City. On the same day, a worker was killed and 4 others were wounded when Israeli forces bombarded a tunnel in Rafah.

During the last week, Israeli warplanes launched 41 air strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip. In addition to the killed and wounded, a number of civilian buildings and 6 training sites of Palestinian resistance groups were destroyed or damaged.

Israeli attacks in the West Bank:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 27 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they abducted 77 Palestinian civilians. Most of the detainees were abducted in Hebron. Two Palestinian civilians were wounded by Israeli forces in Hebron and Bethlehem.

In conjunction with the current escalation in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Occupation Forces (Israeli forces) launched in the early morning of Sunday, 21 August 2011, a large-scale military campaign against many neighbors and streets and dozens of houses in Hebron. During this campaign, Israeli forces abducted at least 53 Palestinians, mostly members and activists of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), including a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, two journalists, some academics and members of charitable associations.

Israeli Annexation Wall:

During the reporting period, Israeli forces used force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders in protest to the construction of the Wall and settlement activities in the West Bank. As a result, dozens of Palestinian civilians and human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation and others sustained bruises.

Following the Friday Prayer on 19 August 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Bil’in village, west of Ramallah, in protest of the construction of the annexation wall. They moved towards areas of Palestinian land, which the Israeli High Court ordered to be returned to their Palestinian owners. They placed chairs to make it a park for Palestinians. The demonstrators also used megaphones to call on Israeli settlers living in “Mitityaho Mizrach” settlement to leave it. Israeli soldiers stationed in the area fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. As a result, ‘Abdul Basset Mohammed Abu Rahma, 20, was wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right leg. Additionally, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation and fire broke out in some agricultural plots.

Also following the Friday Prayer on 19 August 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Ne’lin village, west of Ramallah, in protest against the construction of the annexation wall. They clashed with Israeli troops positioned near the annexation wall. Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at demonstrators. As a result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Also following the Friday Prayer on 19 August 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, in protest against land confiscations in the Wad al-Raya area between the villages of Nabi Saleh and Deir Nizam. When the demonstrators attempted to reach areas of land seized by Israeli settlers near ‘Halmish’ settlement, Israeli troops fired rubber-coated metal bullets, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at them. As a result, a number of demonstrators suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Also following the Friday Prayer on 19 August 2011, dozens of Palestinian civilians organized a peaceful demonstration in Kufor Qaddoum village, northeast of Qalqilya, in protest to Israeli settlement activities the continued closure of the entrance of the village by Israeli forces. Israeli soldiers prevented the demonstrators from getting close to the entrance and fired tear gas canisters and sound bombs at them. As a result, a number of Palestinian civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation. Because of the tear gas canisters and sound bombs, 750 birds in a bird farm belonging to Mohammed Nemer Eshtaiwi near the entrance of the village were killed.

Israeli settlement activities:

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

On 19 August 2011, many armed Israeli settlers from “Beit Eil” settlement, north of Ramallah, stormed al-Banabee’ area in Dawar Al-Qare’ village to the north of the settlement. They set fire to two cars belonging. Palestinian civilians were able to extinguish fire in one of the cars, but the other one was completely burnt.

On 20 August 2011, a number of Israeli settlers from “Ramat Magron” settlement, which stands on the lands of Mikhmas village, southeast of Ramallah, violently beat a Palestinian child, while he and another child were herding their sheep. The boy was seriously injured in the head.

On 23 August 2011, a number of Israeli settlers from “Bat Ain” settlement in the north of Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron, uprooted dozens of fruitful trees belonging to the Slaibi family in Wadi Abu al-Reesh area. They uprooted 5 olive trees, 25 grape trees and 22 plum trees.

Recommendations to the international community:

Due to the number and severity of Israeli human rights violations this week, the PCHR made several recommendations to the international community. The PCHR stated their appreciation for the efforts of international civil society, including human rights organizations, bar associations, unions and NGOs, and urged them to continue their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel’s respect for human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to demand Israel end its attacks on Palestinian civilians.

For the full text of the report, click on the link below: