In a new escalation of the collective punishment of Palestinian civilians, the Israeli forces have tightened the siege around the Gaza Strip and have isolated the town of Rafah, south of Gaza.
Eye-witnesses reported that at approximately 1:20 A.
M.
on Monday 5 August 25 Israeli tanks began to assemble near the Rafah Crossing before moving towards the Sofa crossing, northeast of the town, two hours later.
They entered the PA-controlled area at al-Umur area and blocked the arterial road which links Rafah with the rest of the Gaza Strip.
The main street between Rafah and Khan Yunis, the Salah ad-Din Street, was completely closed on 15 December 2000.
At about 5 A.
M.
, five other tanks and a bulldozer joined the force coming from the nearby settlement of Morag.
They searched many houses in the area and created sand barriers at several points on the road.
In the early morning hours, tanks opened fire on a taxi, which was on its way to Rafah Crossing, on the same street.
No casualties were reported in the incident.
In another incident at al-Birkeh area south of Deir al-Balah, 15-year-old Salameh Abu Khsaiwan was injured by a live bullet in the chest.
Salameh was on his way to the farm his family owns in the area to collect vegetables, according to eye-witnesses.
In the West Bank, Palestinian vehicular movement was banned between the northern towns of Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarem, and Qalqilia.
All of these towns, except Jenin, are still under curfew.
The Israeli forces announced that they lifted the curfew in Jenin, Bethlehem and Hebron and it will be imposed again on Monday 5 August in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Israeli Special Forces entered the village of Barqa near Nablus, murdered two Palestinians and arrested four others.
The Israeli authorities claimed that they were all wanted.
These developments accompanied Israeli senior officials announcements of  measures to ease the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Al Mezan believes that these claims are false, unless the Israeli government defines murdering and arresting Palestinians and isolating towns and villages as measures easing Palestinians daily life.
Further, Al Mezan suspects that the most recent isolation of Rafah augurs an extensive military incursion or the creation of a new permanent checkpoint in the area.
Accordingly, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights categorically condemns the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian civilians and their property in the OPTs.
The Center questions the international community’s silence in the face of the continued massive violations of Palestinians' human rights, which silence serves only to give tacit assent to such actions.
The Center calls for immediate international action to protect the civilian population of the OPTs and to work towards an end to the illegal Israeli occupation of these territories.
END