IOF Opens Fire at Northeast of Wadi As-Salqa Village

Al Mezan

30-3-2013

At approximately 8:00 pm on Saturday 30 March 2013, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) opened fire at the northeast part of Wadi As-Salqa village, southeast of Deir Al Balah. The IOF also fired flare bombs at the same area. The firing lasted for about 15 minutes. No casualties or injuries were reported.

IOF Opens Fire at a Demonstration East of Rafah Refugee Camp

Al Mezan

30-3-2013

On Friday, 30 March 2013, at approximately 12:00 pm, IOF positioned near the eastern separation fence opened fire toward civil demonstrations held in commemoration of Land Day, and organized by the Popular Refugees Committee in al Nahda “Jewish” neighborhood located in al Shawka town, east of Rafah. Demonstrators planted saplings during the protests. No causalities or injuries were reported.

Limited IOF Incursion East of Deir Al Balah

Al Mezan

28-3-2013

At approximately 7:30 am on Thursday 28 March 2013, two Israeli tanks and armored bulldozer moved about 100 meters into the eastern part of Deir Al Balah. Bulldozers then moved to the south and razed lands near the separation fence between Gaza Strip and Israel. At approximately 9:00 am on the same day, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) withdrew from the area.

Limited IOF Incursion East of Khan Yonis

Al Mezan

13-3-2013

At approximately 9:00 am, on Wednesday 13 March 2013, Israeli tanks and bulldozers moved beyond the separation border, into Al Qarara town and towards the southeastern town of Abbasan Al Kabira, east of Khan Younis. The Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) incursion lasted for several hours until it retreated back beyond the separation fence again.

IOF Opens Fire at Palestinian Civilians North of Beit Lahiya

Al Mezan

12-3-2013

At approximately 8:00 am on Tuesday 12 March 2013, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) opened sporadic fire at a number of Palestinians who were collecting rubbles and scrap from Buret Abu Samra area north of Beit Lahiya. Palestinians were about 150 meters away from the separation fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel when IOF opened fire at them. The firing lasted for about three hours. No casualties or injuries were reported.
According to Al Mezan’s field investigations, rubble and scrap collectors go to areas close to the separation fence to collect rubble and scrap as much as they can to sell it to brick factories which recycle it into bricks.

Limited IOF Incursion Northeast of Wadi Gaza Village

Al Mezan

11-3-2013

At approximately 5:30 am on Monday 11 March 2013, three Israeli tanks accompanied by five armored bulldozers moved under covering fire about 300 meters into agricultural lands northeast of Wadi Gaza village. Bulldozers razed lands that had been frequently bulldozed before. At approximately 12:45 pm on the same day, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) withdrew from the area.

Israeli forces shoot, critically injure man in north Gaza

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shot and injured a man in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday, medics said.

Omar Wady, 22, was shot east of Jabalia refugee camp and taken to hospital for treatment, medics told Ma'an.

Wady was shot in the chest and is said to be in a critical condition.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said "several Palestinians gathered near the security fence and damaged the fence. During attempts to distant rioters, one Palestinian was shot."

Last Friday, Israeli forces stationed in a military tower on the north eastern border with Gaza shot and injured three men, medics said.

Since the November ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces have shot and killed three people in the Gaza Strip and injured at least 50, amid numerous incursions into border areas of the coastal territory.

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Al Mezan

8-3-2013

IOF Opens Fire at Palestinians East of Jabalia, Injures One

At approximately 2:20 pm, on Friday 8 February 2013, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) opened sporadic fire and tear gas grenades at a number of Palestinian civilians, east of the Islamic Cemetery and at Abu Safiya area near the separation fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, east of Jabaliya. They were between at a distance of about 50 and 400 meters away from the separation fence when the IOF opened fire at them. As a result, a resident of Jabaliya, Omar Ismail Omar Wadi , 21 , was hit with a bullet in his chest. Medical resources at Kamal Adwan hospital described his injury as serious as he was transferred to Al-Shifaa Hospital.

Limited IOF Incursion East of Wadi As-Salqa Village

Al Mezan

7-3-2013

At approximately 6:00 am on Thursday 7 March 2013, one Israeli tank and four armored bulldozers moved about 150 meters into the agricultural lands northeast of Wadi As-Salqa village southeast of Deir Al Balah. Bulldozers leveled lands that had been razed before. At approximately 9:00 am on the same day, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) withdrew from the area.

IOF soldiers raid southern Gaza

[ 07/03/2013 - 09:09 AM ]

KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) entered areas to the east of the southern Gaza Strip town of Qarara on Thursday morning. Local sources told the PIC reporter that IOF soldiers in a number of armored vehicles raided the area east of Khan Younis city and bulldozed land. They said that the soldiers then moved upwards towards areas east of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza. IOF troops routinely breach the calm agreement and launch raids into various border areas in the besieged enclave.

Limited IOF Incursion East of Wadi Gaza Village

Al Mezan

4-3-2013

At Approximately 7:00 am on Monday 4 March 2013, six Israeli tanks accompanied by armored bulldozers moved about 150 meters into the eastern part of Wadi Gaza village (Juhor Ad-deek). The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) then moved about 2 kilometers to the north. Israeli bulldozers razed lands near the separation fence. At approximately 5:30 pm on the same day, the IOF tanks and bulldozers withdrew from the area.

Israeli forces shoot, injure 3 people in north Gaza

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shot and injured three people in northern Gaza on Friday, a medical official said.

Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman of the Gaza health ministry, told Ma'an that three men aged 19-21 were shot by Israeli forces stationed in a military tower on the north eastern border with Gaza.

All three men were shot in their lower legs, he added.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said Palestinians hurled rocks and firebombs over the fence at army patrols in several locations and that militant gunfire damaged an army vehicle.

A military source said soldiers fired live rounds at the attackers.

Since the November ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces have shot and killed three people in the Gaza Strip and injured at least 40, amid numerous incursions into border areas of the coastal territory.

Reuters contributed to this report

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 Al Mezan

1-3-2013

IOF Opens Fire at Palestinian Civilians East of Jabaliya, Three Persons Injured

At approximately 2:00 pm on Friday 1 March 2013, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) opened heavy sporadic fire at a group of Palestinians who were east of the Islamic Cemetery, Abu Al Hassein, Abu Safiya, and Talet Abu Al Kas areas near the separation fence between Gaza Strip and Israel east of Jabaliya. They were between 50 and 400 meters away from the separation fence when the IOF opened fire at them. As a result, three persons were injured. Al Mezan has identified them as follows:

• Jihad Naser Hmeed, 18, sustained bullet wound in the legs and was referred to Shifa Hospital;
• Abdel Rahman Sayyd Abu Jalhoum, 23, sustained bullet wound in the left leg causing a fracture; and
• Ahmed Abdel Fattah Obied, 20, sustained bullet wound in the right leg.

Medical sources at Kamal Odwan Hospital described their injuries as moderate. According to Al Mezan’s field investigations, the firing lasted for about three hours.

Gaza Strip: Attacks in the border areas and their consequences

PCHR

Sunday, 03 March 2013 00:00

PCHR Fact Sheet  February 2013 

Following disengagement from the Gaza Strip in September 2005, Israel unilaterally and illegally established a so-called “buffer zone”, an area prohibited to Palestinians along the land and sea borders of the Gaza Strip. The precise area designated by Israel as a “buffer zone” is not clear and this Israeli policy is typically enforced with live fire. The establishment of the ‘buffer zone’ is illegal under both Israeli and international law.

Preventing Palestinians from accessing their lands and fishing areas violates numerous provisions of international human rights law, including the right to work, the right to an adequate standard of living, and the right to the highest attainable standard of health. Enforcing the “buffer zone” through the use of live fire often results in, inter alia, the direct targeting of civilians and/or indiscriminate attacks, both of which constitute war crimes.

Following the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in November 2012, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Palestinian armed groups was brokered by the Egyptian government, which included terms related to access to land and sea. In an online statement on 25 February 2013, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) declared that fishermen could now access the sea up to six nautical miles offshore, and that farmers could now access lands in the border area up to 100m from the border fence. However, both references have since been removed from the statement.

                                                                                                                                

Dimensions

On land, inside Palestinian territory Distance from the border fence, up to which access is permitted: · Second Intifada (2000): 150 metres · According to Israel (2010) : 300 metres · 22 November 2012: unclear parameters · 25 February 2013: 100 metres · 11 March 2013: 300 metres In reality, attacks against civilians take place anywhere up to approximately 1.5 kilometres inside the border fence. This constitutes approximately 17% of the total territory of the Gaza Strip.

At sea, off the coast of the Gaza Strip Distance from the shore, up to which access is permitted: · Oslo Accords (1994): 20 nautical miles (nm) · Bertini Commitment (2002): 12 nm · October 2006: 6 nm · End of 2007 : 3 nm · 22 November 2012: 6 nm In addition, access is consistently denied in the following areas: · 1.5 nm in the north along the maritime boundary with Israel · 1 nm in the south along the maritime boundary with Egypt

Impact

On land · Approximately 27,000 dunums, 35% of the Gaza Strip's agricultural land, can only be accessed under high personal risk, as Israeli attacks may result in injury or death of civilians. · 95% of the restricted area is arable land. · After the evacuation of settlements (2005) and ‘Operation Cast Lead’ (2008-2009), the majority of Palestinian families living in the border areas abandoned their land and homes.

At sea · Palestinians are completely prevented from accessing 85% of the Palestinian maritime areas recognised in the 1994 Gaza Jericho Agreement. · Approximately 3,700 fishermen work under high personal risk every day at sea. · Approximately 8,200 persons work in the fishing industry. · Approximately 65,000 persons, including individuals who work in the fishing industry and their dependents, are affected by the “buffer zone” restrictions at sea. · The area near the coast is markedly over-fished.

Attacks

February 2013

Attacks	Total	“Buffer zone” on land	“Buffer zone” at sea
Shelling	0	0	0
Shooting	28	15	13
Incursions	3	3	0*
Land levelling	0	0	0
Detention incidents	8	6	2
Total incidents	39	24	15

* These numbers do not represent all the incursions into Palestinian waters by Israeli naval forces, only the reported incidents. More often, the reported incidents involve shooting, injury and/or killing.

Consequences of attacks

a. Deaths and injuries

February 2013

Consequences	Total	“Buffer zone” on land	“Buffer zone” at sea
Death of persons	0	0	0
Minors	0	0	0
Women	0	0	0
Injury of persons	10	7	3
Minors	2	2	0
Women	0	0	0

b. Property related violations

February 2013

Consequences	Total	“Buffer zone” on land	“Buffer zone” at sea
Property damaged	3	0	3
Property confiscated	2	0	2
Dunums razed	0	0	0

c. Detention

February 2013

Consequences	Total	“Buffer zone” on land	“Buffer zone” at sea
Detention incidents	8	6	2
Total persons detained	17	11	6
Minors detained	11	9	2
Women detained	0	0	0

IOF Opens Fire at Palestinian Civilians North of Beit Lahiya, One Person Injured

Al Mezan

1-3-2013

At approximately 3:30 pm on Friday 1 March 2013, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) opened sporadic fire at a number of Palestinians who were in Buret Abu Samra area near the separation fence between Gaza Strip and Israel north of Beit Lahiya. They were between 50 to 400 meters away from the fence when the IOF opened fire at them. As a result, Mohammed Samir At-Taramsi, 19, sustained bullet wound in the groin area. Medical sources at Kamal Odwan Hospital described his injury as minor. According to Al Mezan’s field investigations, the firing lasted for about two hours.