Notes on a week in the Holy Land

Caritas Jerusalem have sent us these briefing notes drawn up by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Between 20-26 September 2006: Eight Palestinians were killed, (of which five were children and one was a woman) 46 were injured. No Israelis were killed 10 Israelis were injured.60 Palestinians were arrested in the West Bank, 16 in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian Authority employees including teachers and health care workers continued a strike against the nonpayment of their monthly salaries since March 2006. The strike is worsening conditions in the health sector; the majority of the hospitals in the West Bank have stopped most of their medical interventions. In the Gaza Strip: - Three Palestinian boys were killed in an IAF air strike. - A Palestinian girl died of wounds sustained in an earlier IDF operation. More than 132 Palestinians were displaced by house demolitions. - The IDF conducted 11 incursions into various locations in the Gaza Strip. - At the end of the reporting period IDF soldiers remain inside the Gaza Strip. - At least 22 homemade rockets were fired by Palestinian militants from inside the Gaza Strip towards targets inside Israel injuring two Israelis. More than 49 artillery shells were fired by the IDF, mainly into northern Gaza. The IAF conducted five air strikes. - The first shipment of electricity transformers needed to repair the Gaza power plant entered the Gaza Strip. The impact of IAF 28 June air strike on the plant continues to be felt by the entire population who are receiving on average 6-8 hours of electricity per day. - A UN vehicle was hijacked by a group of gunmen in Gaza city after UN staff member was stopped at gunpoint and told to leave the vehicle. - Palestinian-Palestinian (internal) violence continued in the Gaza Strip leaving seven Palestinians dead. In the West Bank: - 129 flying checkpoints were observed. - The IDF forcibly entered 14 money changing shops and a branch of the National Jordanian Bank in cities across the central and northern West Bank and confiscated NIS 6 million (1.5m). - Between 22 - 24 September, the IDF prevented all West Bank Palestinians with valid permits from entering East Jerusalem and Israel over the Jewish holiday. Exceptions applied to urgent medical cases and staff of international organizations. - Palestinian security forces clashed with masked armed Palestinians who tried to attack the Catholic church in Rafedya (Nablus). Source:Caritas