March 17, 2012

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast twice today, forcing them to return to shore. In the evening, IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire on Palestinian residential and agricultural areas e. of Rafah, seriously wounding a 6-yr.-old Palestinian boy inside his home. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Qalqilya in the morning and in 1 village each nr. Jenin and Tulkarm late at night. Palestinians and international activists hold a nonviolent demonstration in Bayt Umar to protest nearby settlement expansion; IDF soldiers beat several protesters with their gun butts, moderately injuring 2. (PCHR 3/22; OCHA 3/23)