"PLO: "Israel killed 274 residents, including 50 children, 18 women, since the beginning of 2008""
"The National and International Department of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) reported that the Israeli army killed 274 Palestinians, including 50 children and 18 women since the beginning of 2008.
The report documents the Israeli violations against the Palestinian people. It stated that the Israeli army carried war crimes during its offensive against the Gaza Strip, and explained that the army used different sorts of weapons against civilians, who were the vast majority of the casualties in the latest offensive.
The report indicated that two infants (20 days old and 7 months old) were among the Palestinians who were killed by the army. Eighteen women were also killed and one resident was shot and killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
The report added that 979 Palestinians were shot and injured in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the year, among them were 35 residents who suffered permanent disabilities.
32 patients died in the Gaza Strip due to the siege after the Israeli Authorities refused to allow them to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment abroad, most of them were children. Five more residents died at roadblocks in the West Bank after the army obstructed their transfer to hospitals and medical facilities.
The Israeli army kidnapped nearly 1500 Palestinians, including 10 children, since the beginning of the year, and one detainee died due to medical negligence.
The report also stated that the Israeli government continued its violations in Jerusalem by expanding settlements, annexing lands and constructions in the Old City.
The Israeli government illegal grabbed 1500 Dunams of Palestinians lands in Al Esawiyya and Anata towns, near Jerusalem.
The government also released bids for constructing more than 1100 houses for settlers in Abu Ghneim settlement, and continued its excavations under the Al Aqsa Mosque.
Settlers in Jerusalem illegally occupied several Palestinian houses, while the government registered some of these houses to the settlers.
The Israeli authorities bulldozed and shelled 43 houses, most of them were in Jablia, in the Gaza Strip, and 40 other houses were partially destroyed. Other houses were demolished in Jerusalem.
Israel continued the construction of the Annexation Wall in the West Bank and confiscated 1676 Dumans of land which belong to Palestinian residents of Al Thahiriyya, Doura, Arab Al Ramadeen towns near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
1500 Dunams were annexed from Palestinian towns east of Jerusalem as Israel continued to construct the settler-only roads surrounding the city.
The PLO department warned that the ongoing Israeli violations and the ongoing siege in the Gaza Strip would only create further tension and lead to further civilian casualties.
It demanded the International Community to intervene and stop the Israeli violations and attacks against the Palestinian people and their lands."
