Dear friends,
 I am writing just after the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. Millions of people in Gaza and southern Israel are still in trauma from living under the constant threat of missiles and rockets. In the week of the operation, dozens of civilians were killed in Gaza and four civilians were killed in Israel. Hundreds of people were injured. B’Tselem worked intensively during the operation itself to highlight the suffering of the civilian population on both sides of the border and to demand maximum protection for civilians. With the end of the fighting, we are now gathering testimonies and data on the harm to the civilian population, and will pursue accountability for any cases in which our findings suggest violations of human rights. Some of the testimonies we gathered during the operation are presented in this newsletter and others may be found on B’Tselem’s website. The fighting in the south also had repercussions in the West Bank – large-scale Palestinian protests that were met by the Israeli military with live ammunition and the illegal use of crowd control means, leading to the death of two Palestinians.
Jessica Montell |
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Testimony: Iyad Abu Khusah, a year-and-a-half-year old toddler, killed in bombing while playing in yard of his al-Bureij home with two 4-year-old cousins, both injured |
"I was in shock when I discovered that a missile [sic] had fallen right next to the wall surrounding the compound and destroyed it. I saw my grandson Iyad lying dead on the ground. He had been hit by shrapnel from the shell. My other grandson, Suhaib, was lying next to him but he was moving. Also my granddaughter Sarah was lying on the ground. I called an ambulance immediately. I picked up Iyad. We stood there crying for help." |
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Testimony: Civilians injured in rocket attack near Ofakim, 18 November 2012 |
On Sunday 18 November 2012, Judi Ronen, a 58-year-old resident of Sde Nitzan was on her way home from Soroka Hospital in Beersheba where she works as a midwife. On the road just outside the city of Ofakim, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip exploded near the car in which she was a passenger. The Magen David website reports that four people were injured in the rocket attack: one seriously, one moderately and two suffered mild injuries. Ronen relayed the description of events to B'Tselem. |
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Access eased for Gaza farmers and fisherman |
Media reports state that in the ceasefire negotiations to end Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel and Hamas reached understandings that include the easing of restrictions on the movement of farmers and fishermen in the Gaza Strip. Among other things, it was agreed that the Israeli military would permit Gaza farmers to cultivate plots located up to 100 meters from the Israel-Gaza perimeter fence. This is a change from the official Israeli prohibition of recent years which forbade any approach closer than 300 meters from the fence. In addition, Gaza fishermen may now fish up to six nautical miles (approximately 11 km) from the Gaza coast, compared with the 3-mile limit imposed prior to Operation Pillar of Defense. |
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Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip executed Palestinians suspected of collaboration with Israel |
It has been reported in the media that, since the beginning of Operation Pillar of Defense, members of Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip have killed seven Palestinians suspected of collaboration with Israel. These reports state that one man was shot to death on Friday, 16 November 2012, and the other six were shot to death on Tuesday, 20 November 2012. The body of one man was tied to a motorcycle and dragged through the streets. Photographs of the bodies, some of which had been mutilated, were published in the press. |
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Illegally fired tank shells kill four civilians in the Gaza Strip, 10 November 2012 |
According to media reports, on 10 November 2012 armed Palestinians fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli military jeep. Four soldiers were wounded, one seriously. In response, the Israeli military fired four tank shells - in short intervals - at a populated civilian area in eastern Gaza City, about 1.5 kilometers from the Gaza Strip perimeter fence. Four Palestinian civilians, including two minors, were killed. It is doubtful if firing a tank shell at a populated area constitutes a proportional response. An investigation by B'Tselem indicates that, after the first shell was fired, civilians came to aid the injured. Under such circumstances, the military should not have fired additional shells. |
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Learning the Lessons of the Past to protect Gaza civilians |
On 14.11.12, the Israeli military launched Operation Cloud of Defense in the Gaza Strip. Four years ago, Operation Cast Lead in Gaza caused unprecedented harm to the civilian population. B'Tselem called on policymakers to implement the lessons learned from Operation Cast Lead in order to minimize harm to civilians during the current hostilities in Gaza. |
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Two killed by soldiers’ live fire in the West Bank: Suspicion that the military permits lethal firing on stone throwers |
B'Tselem has written urgently to the IDF OC Central Command, the Commander of Military Forces in Judea and Samaria, and the Legal Advisor for Judea and Samaria, demanding that it be made unequivocally clear to soldiers and commanders in the West Bank that there is an absolute prohibition on shooting live ammunition at stone throwers. The letter follows the killing of two Palestinians and the wounding of dozens by live ammunition fired at stone throwers, and by the unlawful use of crowd control weapons, during clashes and demonstrations against operation "Pillar of Defense" in the past week. |
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