PALESTINE
The toll of Israel's war on Palestine
Kim Bullimore
3 March 2007
The Israeli military and security forces have killed more than 5000 Palestinians since the beginning of the Al Asqa intifada in September 2000, according to the Palestinian National Information Centre (PNIC).
A February 21 article issued by the Palestinian Authority’s International Press Centre revealed that, according to a PNIC study, 150 of the deaths were patients who died at Israeli military checkpoints; 36 were health workers and nine were members of the press. In addition, PNIC found that 66 Palestinians died as a result of attacks by Israeli “settlers”.
During the same period, some 50,000 Palestinians were wounded and more than 10,400 detained by Israeli security forces. Of those detained, more than 300 were under the age of 18 years.
The PNIC study revealed that since July 31, 2006, Israeli occupation forces had destroyed, either partially or completely, 72,437 Palestinian houses.
Data collected by the PNIC also revealed that 848 students and educational staff were shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces; 4792 students and educational staff were wounded. Another 106 teachers and 1175 students were imprisoned. During the same period, Israeli authorities sealed off 12 schools and universities, and curtailed the working/school hours of more than 1125 other schools and universities. The Israeli military shelled hundreds of educational facilities and 43 Palestinian schools were turned into Israeli military posts.
