United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories (OCHA) warned of the seriousness of the Israeli occupation’s recent practices targeting Palestinian children.
The UN said in its monthly report issued on Friday that the clashes that took place during demonstrations and military operations with Israeli forces across the West Bank caused the injury of 38 Palestinians, including ten children, this week.
The report said that the process of targeting the children has accelerated pointing out that "six Palestinian children and one adult were injured in four clashes with Israeli forces that erupted during Israeli military operations in the village of Anata and in Al Ezariya (both in Jerusalem), in the village of Silwad (Ramallah), and near Ayda Refugee Camp (Bethlehem)."
It added: "The injury of Palestinian children in clashes with Israeli forces has become a key protection concern during 2013, when the number of such injuries more than doubled compared to the previous year - from 526 to 1,185-."
OCHA said this increase in number of child injuries could be attributed to the increase in number of demonstrations.
It added: "Also of concern during 2013, has been the increase in the proportion of children injured by rubber-coated metal bullets; however, the proportion of those injured by tear gas inhalation has decreased."
OCHA monitored four settler-related incidents that have led to Palestinian injuries or property damage, while one incident led to casualties among the settlers.
It added that 36 Palestinian families, comprising 220 people, half of them children, from the Bedouin communities of Ibziq and Khirbet Yarza (Tubas), were affected by Israeli military training in the area close to their residential structures. During the exercise, Israeli forces fired tank shells and live ammunition, as a result of which the families had no alternative but to confine themselves to their homes for about 10 hours.
In 2013, OCHA has recorded 37 incidents of evacuation of Palestinians from their homes or localities in the West Bank by Israeli forces to make way for Israeli military training.
"As a result, a total of 343 households comprising over 1,700 persons, were temporarily displaced; some of them on several occasions."
In the Gaza Strip, the report stated that the Israeli airstrikes against various targets across Gaza resulted in the injury of five Palestinian civilians, including four children and one woman.
"An additional airstrike carried out on 19 January, targeting an alleged member of an armed group travelling on a motorcycle in Jabaliya, resulted in injury to the man, together with an 11-year-old bystander boy."
UN reported that the Rafah crossing remained closed during the entire reporting period, while approximately 5,000 people are currently waiting to leave Gaza, including medical and other humanitarian cases.
It stressed that the international organizations implementing projects approved by the Israeli authorities have continued to face restrictions, pointing out that UNRWA, was allowed to import materials for only six out of 14 projects, while other international agencies faced significant delays by the Israeli authorities, citing security reasons.
