PCHR weekly report 11/2-17/2/2010: 4 children injured by IOF gunfire, 6 civilians abducted, 2 incursions

extracts from PCHR weekly report 11/2-17/2/2010

Thursday, 11 February 2010

At approximately 06:30, IOF stationed along the Gaza Strip border to the east of Juhor al-Dik village, east of Gaza City, opened fire indiscriminately at Palestinian houses in the village. They then fired several artillery shells at the village. One of the shells landed on the house of Isma’il Suleiman al-Tarabin, 42, and three of his daughters were lightly wounded as a result. The house of the al-Tarabin family is located approximately one kilometer to the east of the border. The wounded girls are: 
1. ‘Afaf Isma’il al-Tarabin, 12, wounded by shrapnel to the face and the head;  
2. Ahlam Isma’il al-Tarabin, 11, wounded by shrapnel to the head; and  
3. Muna Isma’il al-Tarabin, 5, wounded by shrapnel to the head and the neck. 
After the firing, an IOF ground force moved approximately 400 meters to the west of the border strip.  The force stationed in the vicinity of the waste garbage dumping site in the area. Lorries that transfer garbage to the site were not able to access the site for several hours as a result.


Also at approximately 06:00, a special unit of IOF moved nearly 250 meters into the al-Ghoul family’s land, north west of the evacuated "Dogit" settlement to the northwest of Beit Lahia, northern the Gaza Strip. The unit arrested 6 Palestinian civilians who were collecting and breaking rubble from destroyed houses to sell it to brick factories. It should be noted that Israel has imposed a ban on the delivery of construction materials into the Gaza Strip since its imposition of total closure on the Strip in June 2007. Brick factories in Gaza use the rubble of destroyed houses to make bricks.  Rubble collection has created job opportunities for many Palestinian workers, and is one of the most dangerous jobs as the rubble is collected from areas near the border of the Gaza Strip.  Ghassan Rajab Mohammed Ma’rouf, 34, is one of the workers who were arrested and released later.  He stated to PCHR that an IOF force fired at them and surrounded them.  The force arrested 6 workers, including 2 of Ghassan’s brothers who are Khamis, 29, and Jebril, 18; his nephew Rajab Mohammed Rajab Ma’arouf, 20; Hemmat ‘Aziz ‘Ayesh Tawfiq al-Sous, 34, and Na’el Mansour Tanbourah, 34. The force led the arrested workers to Israel where they were questioned about the reason of their presence in the area. They were released at approximately 16:00 on the same day through Beit Hanoun “Erez” crossing.  

Saturday, 13 February 2010

At approximately 16:45, Israeli troops stationed on observation towers along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of Jabalya town in the northern the Gaza Strip opened fire at a number of Palestinian farmers who were working in their farms located to the east of al-Karama street (the eastern street).  The farmers were forced to flee in fear for their lives and no casualties or damages were reported. 

 Sunday, 14 February 2010

At approximately 15:00, Israeli soldiers stepped down from a military jeep that was traveling behind the border strip opposite to Gaza Valley village in the central Gaza Strip, and fired at Yousef Mohammed Ahmed al-Atrash, 17, wounding him with a bullet to the left thigh. Al-Atrash who is a student in the secondary school told the PCHR fieldworker that he was going on a picnic and as he became 300 meters to the west of the border, the soldiers opened fire at him. 

Wednesday, 17 February 2010  

At approximately 06:15, IOF stationed on observation towers along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the north of al-Seyafa area, northwest of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at a group of Palestinian workers who were collecting bricks and aggregate from destroyed buildings and roads. The workers were forced to flee the area and no casualties were reported.