Israeli Continue Their Offensive on the Gaza Strip
•Israeli forces launch a new offensive on the Gaza Strip.
- 24 Palestinians, including 20 civilians, and an Italian journalist were killed.
- The civilian victims include 5 children and a woman.
- 13 Palestinians, 12 of whom are civilians, including 3 children and 3 women, died of previous wounds.
•Israeli warplanes launched dozens of airstrikes targeting houses and civilian facilities.
- 36 houses were destroyed and dozens of others were damaged.
- 9 mosques were attacked and 4 of them were destroyed.
•Israeli forces continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.
- 2 Palestinian civilians killed in protests against the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.
- 62 Palestinian civilians, including 17 children, were wounded.
- 3 civilians were wounded in protests against the construction of the annexation wall.
•Israeli forces conducted 49 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
- 2 Palestinian civilians, including a child, were killed during Israeli incursions.
- 92 Palestinians were arrested, including 74 ones who were arrested in Jerusalem.
•A Palestinian child was killed and 2 others were wounded in 2 separate explosions of objects left by Israeli forces.
•Israel continued to impose a total closure on the oPt and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.
- Israeli forces established dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank.
- At least 2 Palestinian civilians were arrested at military checkpoints in the West Bank.
•Israeli forces continued to support settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers continued to attack
Palestinian civilians and property.
- Israeli settlers attempted to run down a Palestinian woman in Beit Safafa village, south of Jerusalem.
- Israeli settlers set fire to a car in Yassouf village, east of Salfit.
Summary
Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the oPt continued during the reporting
period (07 – 13 August 2014).
Killing, Shooting and Bombing:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces continued their wide-scale offensive on the Gaza Strip. They killed 24
Palestinians, including 20 civilians, and an Italian journalist in the Gaza Strip. The civilian victims include 5
children and a woman. They also wounded 95 Palestinians, including 92 civilians. The wounded civilians included 14
children and 8 women. Israeli warplanes launched dozens of airstrikes on civilian targets. Israeli naval forces carried
out several attacks on Palestinian areas. In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed 5 Palestinian civilians, including 2
children. Two of these civilians were killed in protest against the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, 2 others,
including a child, were killed in Israeli incursions into Palestinian communities and a child was killed by the
explosion of a suspicious object left by Israeli forces. Additionally, 73 Palestinian civilians, including 22 children
and a woman were wounded; 62 of these civilians, including 17 children, were wounded in protests against the Israeli
offensive on the Gaza Strip, 6 others, including 3 children, were wounded during Israeli incursions into Palestinian
communities, 2 children were wounded by the explosions of 2 suspicious objects left by Israeli forces and 3 others were
wounded in protests against the construction of the annexation wall.
Israeli forces continued their brutal and immoral offensive on the Gaza Strip before a 72-hour truce was declared. They
continued the policy of collective punishment in disregard for the international law and humanitarian law, which ensure
protection for civilians in times of war, and in violation of the principles of necessity, proportionality and
distinction. Israeli forces continued their aerial, ground and sea attacks throughout the Gaza Strip, causing more
civilian casualties and damaging civilian facilities. They destroyed several houses, mosques and other civilian
facilities.
Incursions:
During the reporting period, Israeli forces conducted at least 49 military incursions into Palestinian communities in
the West Bank. During these incursions, Israeli forces arrested at least 92 Palestinians, including 74 ones in
Jerusalem. During their incursions, Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinians, including a child, and wounded 6 others,
including 3 children and their mother.
Restrictions on movement:
Israel continued to impose a tight closure of the oPt, imposing severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
The illegal closure of the Gaza Strip, which has been steadily tightened since June 2007 has had a disastrous impact on
the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli authorities impose measures to undermine the
freedom of trade, including the basic needs for the Gaza Strip population and the agricultural and industrial products
to be exported. For 7 consecutive years, Israel has tightened the land and naval closure to isolate the Gaza Strip from
the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, and other countries around the world. This resulted in grave violations of
the economic, social and cultural rights and a deterioration of living conditions for 1.7 million people. The Israeli
authorities have established Karm Abu Salem (Kerem Shaloum) as the sole crossing for imports and exports in order to
exercise its control over the Gaza Strip’s economy. They also aim at imposing a complete ban on the Gaza Strip’s
exports.
Israeli forces have continued to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the West
Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Thousands of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
continue to be denied access to Jerusalem.
As part of using military checkpoints and border crossings as traps to arrest Palestinian civilians under the pretext
they are wanted, Israeli forces arrested 2 Palestinian civilians at a military checkpoint in the West Bank.
Settlement activities
Israel has continued its settlement activities in the oPt, in a direct violation of international humanitarian law, and
Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.
On 07 August 2014, an Israeli settler threw stones at Ritaj Ra'ed al-Hantouli, 16 months, when she was with her family
in front of their houses in Bab al-Magharba area in the south of the Old Town of Jerusalem. She sustained bruises and
cuts to her leg.
On 09 August 2014, an Israeli settler attempted to run down 'Ola 'Olayan when she was on her way back home in Beit
Safafa village, south of Jerusalem.
On 10 August 2014, a number of Israeli settlers from "Taffouh" settlement broke into Yassouf village, east of Salfit.
They set fire a Volkswagen Caravelle taxi belonging to 'Atallah Yassin Jouda, 52, which was parked in front of his
house. The settlers also wrote hostile phrases in Hebrew and signed them by "Price Tag" on the walls near the taxi.
Israeli soldiers stationed on the watchtower at the entrance of the settlement stated that they saw 4 Israeli settlers
in the area, and that the owner of the taxi could file a complaint against them. The taxi was extensively damaged.
Israeli Violations Documented during the Reporting Period (03 – 09 July 2014)
ENDS