Israeli forces killed 4,698 Palestinians between September 2000 and February 2007, PLO reports

March 3, 2007

Nablus - Ma'an - The Palestine Liberation Organization has issued a report stating that the Israeli occupation forces have escalated their measures in the occupied Palestinian territories since the beginning of the intifada in September 2000 to the end of February 2007.

The PLO's department for national and international relations said in their report that the operations were stepped up against the Palestinian people in all the occupied territories, the latest operations being in the occupied West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin. In its statement, the department said that, in February, the Israeli forces killed 15 Palestinians, including two children and one woman. The Israeli military forces also injured 69 Palestinian citizens, including 13 children, and arrested 243 Palestinians. Furthermore, 10 houses were occupied by the Israeli army and converted into military posts. The Israeli army also destroyed 28 houses, uprooted 80 olive trees and confiscated 265 dunums of Palestinian land in February 2007, the PLO department reported.

The statement said that since 29 September 2000 (the start of the second, or Al-Aqsa, intifada) until the end of February 2007, the Israeli troops killed 4,698 Palestinians, including 899 children, 296 women and 360 members of the Palestinian security forces. 491 of the total were killed in extra-judicial assassination operations and 146 died at Israeli military checkpoints or barriers because the Israeli army obstructed their passage. 65 of the total died at the hands of Israeli settlers. In addition, ten journalists, 220 Palestinian sportsmen, six foreigners, and 36 medics, were killed by the Israeli forces during this period.

In addition, the report states that 38,689 Palestinians were injured during this period, including 7,600 who suffer life defects. More than 50,000 Palestinians were arrested during this time period, of whom most were released. However, 10,700 Palestinians remain in Israeli jails, including 112 women and 383 children. 65,728 houses were partially destroyed during this time period, the PLO reports, and 7,795 homes were totally destroyed. Furthermore, between September 2000 and February 2007, the Israeli forces uprooted some 1,300,000 trees and confiscated some 300,000 dunums of Palestinian land for the building of illegal Israeli settlements, the PLO reports.