ISRAELI BREACHES OF
"CEASE-FIRE"
Palestine Media Center (PMC)
Wednesday June 6, 2001
18:00 (Palestine) / 1500 GMT
June 3 - 6, 2001
In the early morning hours of June 3, 2001, the Israeli Government declared all the Palestinian territories under military closure. The Israeli Army’s imposition of a tight military and economic closure, has restricted the movement of people and supplies, and barred entry of food, fuel and fuel-related supplies into Palestinian areas. The internal and external siege has completely severed all Palestinian cities, town and villages from one another, isolating them into areas besieged by tanks, armored vehicles, cement blocks and trenches. Hundreds of military check posts repress, maltreat and detain Palestinians, randomly and without regard for human rights.
As a result of this siege, schools, universities, hospitals and public institutions have not been accessible to the Palestinian population and thus have suffered de facto closure. International crossing points, the airport and the fishing port have been closed with the sole intention of isolating the Palestinian Territories from the outside world, exacerbating the shortage of food supply, increasing the desperation of civilians, and paralyzing the Palestinian economy.
In addition to the comprehensive siege imposed upon the Palestinian people, the movement and concentration of Israeli troops continues, as does the circling of war planes in Palestinian air space, the shelling of Palestinian neighborhoods, heavy machine gun fire on Palestinian targets, land razing, destruction of Palestinian property, assassinations, and detentions. Below is a summary of Israeli “cease-fire” violations:
Saturday June 3, 2001
09:00: Gunfire from the Israeli military checkpoint on the Surda-Ramallah road injures two citizens.
09:30: Israeli Occupation Army fires at the Bedouin village near the Shuhada intersection (Gaza)
10:20: Firing from an Israeli tank positioned near the Maghraqa Mosque (Gaza)
10:30: Gunfire in the direction of the National Security guard post, south of Soufa (Gaza)
10:33: Gunfire from the Kfar Darom Settlement (Gaza) aimed at Palestinian citizens in the Deir Al Balah dairy factory.
10:56: Gunfire from Israeli Army positions at population in the Mawasi area (Khan Younis, Gaza)
22:00: Gunfire from the Netzarim Settlement in the direction of the tower buildings in Al Zahra (Gaza)
23:14: Gunfire from the roof of the occupied home of Abu Khousa in the Sheikh Ajaleen area (Gaza)
23:30: Gunfire from the Mirage Settlement (Gaza) aimed at the Palestinian National Security guard post
Sunday June3, 2001
09:50: Killing of two brothers and serious injury of a third brother as a result of gunfire shots emanating from a settler’s car. The victims’ vehicle capsizes and crashes at the Baraqa-Ramallah intersection.
11:15: Gunfire from Nahal Ouz Settlement (Gaza) aimed at Palestinian positions north.
12:13: Five (5) shells aimed east from Burj Tel Za’rab (Gaza) cause damage to Palestinian National Security guard post
Monday June 4, 2001
11:45: Settler gunfire injures Nathmy Queider on the Baqa’a-Hebron road
11:52: Israeli soldiers open fire on Palestinian citizens at the Salah Eddine crossing (North and East, Gaza). Ensuing clashes result in 22 Palestinian injuries.
12:15: Israeli tanks and plows enter Yibna Refugee Camp in Rafah. Thirteen (13) shellsfired from Tel Za’rab eastward injures 25 Palestinian civilians, 3 critically (Gaza)
13:15: Two tanks fire at civilian areas near the Egyptian border (Gaza)
16:30: Israeli Army fires one tank shell eastward from a position in Tel Za’reb (Gaza)
16:50: Gunfire aimed at Palestinian National Security guard post near the Soufa Crossing (Gaza)
20:15: Israeli tank shell fired from a position on Jabal ‘Ibal-Nablus at the town of Asira, destroys the wall around the house of Mr. Imad Abu Arab
22:20: Settlers open fire at civilian homes in the town of Hares (Salfit), causing damage to a number of Palestinian houses
22:30: Heavy gunfire from the Kfar Darom Settlement (Gaza) aimed at civilian homes in the area
Tuesday June 5, 2001
04:50: Gunfire from Burj Tel Za’reb and from Salah Eddine Crossing (Gaza)as well as from a position close to the Egyptian border, aimed at the refugee camps of Yibna and Za’reb.
07:40: Israeli army gunfire at Palestinian check post in Ras Al Jourah (Hebron). One security officer sustains bullet wound in the thigh
13:00: Explosion of Fatah cadre, Ashraf Bardawil’s car leaves him critical injured
15:00: Palestinian policeman Nassim Al Agha injured by two bullets in the head and the back, in the Balou’ area (Ramallah). Mr. Al Agha is presently in intensive care
Continued Israeli aggression in the Rafah area; gunfire from positions in Tel Zareb aimed at residential areas causes damage to a number of Palestinian homes
Israeli gunfire in Khan Younis, near Al Tuffah check post, aimed at convoy of cars of the European fact-finding mission. No injuries
ISRAELI ACTIONS AND AGGRESSIONS
Saturday June 2, 2001
The Israeli army has been razing land in the towns of Shoufa and Azba (Gaza), cutting off water supplies. Settlers have been uprooting trees in the Baka’a area in Hebron. Thirty-five (35) trees have been uprooted in Tulkarem and 200 in the village of Sartah.
Three (3) national guard personnel have been detained in Hebron
Israeli Army infiltrates the Area “A”--designated town of Quabatiah
Sunday June 3, 2001
The Israeli Army:
Levels 15 dunums of land in Deir Al-Balah in order to annex this area to the settlement of Kfar Darom
Damages 4 houses in Rafah and 2 houses in Silat Al Thahr, occupies a three (3) level home in Beit Jala and turns it into a military outpost
Establishes a new settlement outpost in the area of Baqa’a Al Sharqiyya
Settlers occupy a 400 dunum valley near Bethlehem
Four Palestinian civilians from Hebron and Jenin are arrested and held in detention
Monday June 4, 2001
Israeli shelling causes damage to eight (8) houses in Rafah and Khan Younis (Gaza)
Israeli shelling completely destroys one home in the town of Asirah
Israeli forces infiltrate Palestinian areas in Rafah, Deir Al Balah and Gaza
50 dunums of land is leveled in Deir Al Balah and annexed to the settlement of Kfar Darom
Tens of trees are uprooted in Rafah. UNRWA ambulance is damaged
Six (6) Palestinian civilians are arrested by the Occupation Forces in the West Bank
Tuesday June 5, 2001
Israeli Army is imposing a curfew on the village of Deir Sharif
Settlers set fire to fields of wheat and olive trees in the village of Jeet, in Nablus
Settlers burn three (3) floors of grain storage in the West Bank town of Huwwara
Ten (10) Palestinian civilians are arrested in the city of Nablus
Israeli Army surrounds the city of Nablus at dawn, positioning tanks and digging trenches at the entrance of the city
Wednesday June 6, 2001
Israeli soldiers use tear gas and rubber-coated steal bullets against university students demonstrating for access to Birzeit University. At least 25 injuries reported.
Israeli settlers from the illegal settlement of Shilo rampage the Palestinian village of Al-Sawia, setting fire to 3 homes, a greenhouse and destroying property. Israeli soldiers and police sent to the area open fire with rubber bullets and tear gas on the Palestinian villagers who turned out to protect their property. Two Palestinians injured, one by a bullet and the other after being beaten.
Settlers set fire to greenhouses and homes in the Palestinian village of Luban Sharkiyeh in the northern West Bank (Agence France Press)
Ten's of settlers enter a Palestinian neighborhood in Hebron and attack Palestinians with rocks and their hands. Israeli forces join in, beating Palestinians with their guns. (AFP)
Two photojournalists, AFP photographer Hossam Abu Alan and Reuters photographer, injured by the settlers.
Since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s declared “cease-fire” of May 23, the Israeli Army has killed 21 Palestinians and wounded over 491. This is in addition to continued Israeli incursions into territories under complete Palestinian control, a tight siege imposed on Palestinian territories and continued Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian towns and villages. Israel’s policy of opening fire on unarmed demonstrators has also not changed. Sharon’s “cease-fire” is a farce and has only served to distract from continued Israeli violations of international and humanitarian law.
Palestine Affairs Council