|2016

WORLD REPORT 2016
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Closure
Israel’s punitive closure of the Gaza Strip, particularly the near-total blocking of
outgoing goods, continued to have severe consequences for the civilian population
and impeded reconstruction of the 17,000 housing units severely damaged
or destroyed during the 2014 conflict.
Egypt also blocked all regular movement of goods at the crossing it controls, and
imposed increased restrictions on the movement of people. More than 70 percent
of Gaza’s 1.8 million people are forced to rely on humanitarian assistance.
Israel allowed incoming goods to Gaza that amounted to less than half of 2006
pre-closure levels. From the August 2014 ceasefire until September 2015, 2 million
tons of construction material entered the coastal strip through the only functioning
crossing point for goods—about 9 percent of the total need, according to
the Israeli rights group Gisha. As of September, Gaza was unable to build some
250 new schools needed to adequately serve the population, according to
Gisha.
Egypt’s military-backed government maintained tight restrictions on the movement
of Palestinians at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Sinai, citing attacks
by armed groups in the Sinai against Egyptian security forces. The crossing
has been closed, including for humanitarian assistance, since October 24, 2014,
except for 37 days of partial openings, according to the UN.
A monthly average of about 2,000 Gaza residents passed through the crossing,
down from 20,000 in 2013. Egypt did not permit regular imports or exports of
goods through Rafah and destroyed or closed many of the tunnels beneath the
border that have been used for smuggling, leading to increased prices and unemployment,
particularly in the construction sector.
Hamas and Palestinian Armed Groups
The UN Commission of Inquiry report released in June regarding the 2014 Israel-
Gaza war found that Palestinian armed groups committed serious violations, including
firing mortars and rockets into populated areas of Israel, and
unnecessarily firing from within or near civilians in Gaza, putting them at risk.
In 2015 Palestinian armed groups launched 20 rockets into Israel from Gaza as of
October 31, causing no casualties but generating fear in affected cities and
towns. These rockets cannot be accurately aimed at military objectives and
amount to indiscriminate or deliberate attacks on civilians when directed at Israeli
population centers. Hamas, which has internal control over Gaza, is responsible
for policing the border and acting to ensure that illegal attacks do not take
place.
The Hamas internal security agency and police allegedly tortured or ill-treated
258 people as of July 31, according to complaints received by the Independent
Commission for Human Rights (ICHR), a Palestinian rights body.
West Bank
Israel
In the West Bank, as of November 27, Israeli security forces and settlers fatally
shot at least 96 Palestinian civilians and wounded at least 10,854, including
those suspected of attacking Israelis, according to UN and Human Rights Watch
monitoring.
In July, an Israeli colonel fatally shot Mohammed al-Kasbeh, 17, apparently while
he was fleeing after throwing a rock at the colonel’s vehicle. In August, Israeli
forces killed Falah Abu Marya and shot his son in the legs during a raid on the
family’s home in Beit Ummar. According to witnesses, the soldiers did not face
serious danger at the time of the shooting.
During an escalation in violence that began in October, Israeli security forces
and settlers killed 8 protesters and 28 others suspected of attacking Israelis. In
some cases, video footage and witness accounts strongly suggest that excessive
force was used. In some cases, security forces appeared to shoot multiple times
suspected attackers who were lying on the ground, apparently neutralized, raising
concerns of extrajudicial killings.
Israeli authorities took inadequate action against Israeli settlers who injured
Palestinians and destroyed or damaged Palestinian mosques, homes, schools,
olive trees, cars, and other property. As of November 23, the UN reported 130
such attacks in which settlers injured 84 Palestinians.
In July, an arson attack, apparently carried out by Israelis, against two houses in
the Palestinian village of Duma killed a toddler, Ali Dawabshe, and both his par-
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