JERUSALEM, February 18, 2010 (WAFA)- Israeli forces entered into the Gaza Strip east of al Maghazi in the middle area and conducted extensive land levelling operations in agricultural areas along the border, said United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Protection of Civilians Weekly Report, Feb 10 – 16.
During the week, one Palestinian and one Israeli soldier were killed and another six Palestinians were injured throughout the West Bank, compared to a weekly average of 15 injuries in 2010. Since the beginning of 2010, Israeli forces have killed one Palestinian and injured 93 others.
On February 10, an Israeli soldier was stabbed to death by a Palestinian man near Tappuah checkpoint, south of Nablus City. The perpetrator was subsequently run over by an Israel settler at the scene and slightly injured. He was later arrested by the Israeli police. Following the incident, the Israeli army raided Al Khuljan village (Jenin), where the perpetrator lives and arrested six of his relatives.
On February 12, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man in the Israeli controlled area of Hebron City (H2). According to the Israeli army, the man tried to stab a soldier. According to Palestinian eyewitnesses, the man did not attempt to stab the soldier and the knife he was one used for shoe repair, as he worked in a nearby shoe–making shop. Confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians took place in the aftermath of the killing; no injuries were reported.
Also during the week, Israeli forces injured six Palestinians in various incidents, including two Palestinians injured by rubber coated metal bullets during the weekly demonstration held by Palestinian residents of Deir Nidham and An Nabi Saleh villages (against the expansion of Hallamish settlement in the Ramallah area); two were wounded when Israeli forces tried to disperse Palestinian and international activists while planting seedlings on village land located near the fence of the settlement of Karmi Tzur (Hebron); and two in other incidents involving physical assault (Hebron).
