Weekly Report - January 2

18 Palestinians were killed by the IDF in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Another was killed by an Israeli settler. 25 were wounded by gunfire.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights reported that thousands of West Bank residents continue to be denied access to Jerusalem; restrictions are especially stringent on Fridays to prevent Muslims from praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestinians who are caught attempting to bypass checkpoints are frequently beaten.

The IDF conducted 30 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 4 in the Gaza Strip. A total of 35 Palestinian civilians were arrested; 160 dunams of land near Khan Younis were razed. PCHR stated that Israel’s blockade on Gaza has “had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian situation, and in addition, has violated the economic and social rights of the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the rights to appropriate living conditions, health and education. It has also paralyzed most economic sectors.”

1,500 residents of Gaza were stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafa crossing after it was closed on June 25 2007. The government of Egypt did, however, allow 2,200 Gazans to cross Rafah in early December in order to make the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Other crossings between Gaza and Israel has remained mostly closed; minimal amounts of humanitarian supplies were let through, and hundreds in need of medical treatment remained trapped in Gaza.