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Israel committed 628 violations in Gaza during first half of 2019

July 20, 2019 at 2:19 pm

Israeli forces shower Palestinians with tear gas during a demonstration within the “Great March of Return” at Israel-Gaza barrier fence near Al Bureij Refugee Camp in Gaza City, Gaza on July 12, 2019 [Hassan Jedi / Anadolu Agency]

Israel committed 628 violations against Palestinians in the buffer zone east of the Gaza Strip during the first half of 2019, Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights announced on Thursday.

In a report – a copy of which sent to MEMO – Al-Mezan said that these Israeli violations included 261 attacks against workers and 183 against protesters.

The report also stated that the violations included the detention of 56 Palestinians, including 15 children, and 27 incursions into the besieged coastal enclave.

According to the report, the buffer zone includes 35 per cent of the Strip’s farmland.

Read: Gazans flock to fence for 67th week of protests

The violations also included the killing of 32 Palestinians, among them ten children and one woman.

Meanwhile, the rights group stated that the violations included wounding 3,610 Palestinian citizens, including 1,205 children and 168 women – most of them injured during the Great March of Return protests, which have been ongoing since March 2018.

The rights group said that Israel regularly opens tank and artillery fire at Palestinian farmers and people working in the construction and industrial sectors, as well as shepherds along the eastern edge of Gaza.

Those detained, the report said, are being attacked, as well as physically and verbally tortured, before being taken to detention centres for investigation. Some are released and some are kept in prison.

Read: Data refutes claims Israel easing Gaza blockade