Palestine

Cluster Munition Ban Policy

Last updated: 03 August 2017

Summary: Palestine acceded to the convention on 2 January 2015 after participating as an observer in meetings of the convention. Palestine has stated that it does not possess any cluster munitions and says there had never been any use of cluster munitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by Israeli forces.

Policy

The State of Palestine acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 2 January 2015 and became a State Party on 1 July 2015.

In September 2016, Palestine announced that it has established a national body to look at whether specific legislation is needed to enforce its adherence to the convention.[1] 

As of 30 June 2017, Palestine had not yet provided its initial Article 7 transparency measures report for the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which was originally due by 27 December 2015. In September 2016, Palestine committed to provide the report soon.[2] 

Palestine did not participate in any meetings of the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The first meeting related to the convention that it attended was an international conference on cluster munitions in Santiago, Chile, in June 2010.

Palestine acceded after participating as an observer in meetings of the convention and expressing its support for the convention’s objectives.

Palestine participated in the convention’s Meeting of States Parties in 2010, 2011, 2013, and the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in September 2016. It attended the convention’s First Review Conference in 2015 and intersessional meetings in 2013 and 2014.

Palestine has not elaborated its views on certain important issues relating to its interpretation and implementation of the convention, such as the prohibitions on transit, assistance during joint military operations with states not party that may use cluster munitions, foreign stockpiling of cluster munitions, investment in the production of cluster munitions, and on the retention of cluster munitions for training and development purposes.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

In 2010, a Palestinian official told the Monitor that Palestine does not possess any cluster munitions and that Israeli forces have never used cluster munitions in the occupied Palestinian territories.[3]



[1] Statement of State of Palestine, Convention on Cluster Munitions Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 5 September 2016.

[2] Statement of State of Palestine, Convention on Cluster Munitions Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Geneva, 6 September 2016.

[3] Meeting with Col. Mohammad A.M. Ghanayiem, Palestinian Ministry of Interior, Vientiane, 9 November 2010.


Mine Ban Policy

Last updated: 26 October 2017

UPDATE: 2 January 2018 - On 29 December 2017, Palestine acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty, which will enter into force for it on 1 June 2018. Palestine becomes the 164th State Party to the treaty. (Material below will be updated at a later date)

----

Policy

The State of Palestine has occasionally attended Mine Ban Treaty meetings, most recently the Fifteenth Meeting of States Parties in Santiago, Chile, in November–December 2016, and the Third Review Conference in Maputo, Mozambique, in June 2014.

In September 2012, Palestine submitted a voluntary Article 7 report. The report states that a Higher Committee for Mine Action, within the Ministry of Interior, was established in 2012 as an interministerial body, which is currently developing and adapting legislation with regards to mine action. In February 2012, the committee mandated and allocated resources to the Palestinian Mine Action Centre (PMAC) to coordinate all mine action related aspects in the West Bank.[1] The PMAC was established in April 2012.[2] Palestine submitted an additional voluntary Article 7 report in 2013.

Palestine is party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), but not its Amended Protocol II on landmines or Protocol V on explosive remnants of war.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

The Monitor has not found any allegations of use of antipersonnel mines or mine-like devices by any Palestinian entity in recent years.[3]

In its 2012 voluntary transparency report, Palestine stated that it does not possess a stockpile of antipersonnel mines, that it will not retain any mines for training purposes, and only transfer mines for destruction. The report also stated that it never had production facilities for antipersonnel mines. The report listed mined areas and provideed information on the status of its risk education and victim assistance programs.[4]

Clearance efforts in Palestine are ongoing. In May 2016, the HALO Trust began clearing landmines around Christian holy sites in the West Bank.[5]

In February 2012, the Israeli army seized and surrounded land belonging to a Palestinian family in the southern West Bank town of Surif by placing yellow warning signs, claiming that the land was mine-ridden and that the area was a closed military zone. The owner claimed that the area was cleared of mines by the Palestinian Authority more than 20 years before; the owner said the mines had been laid by the Israeli army when the area was used for military training.[6]

In June 2012, the UN conducted training in landmine removal for three weeks. The training was held in Jericho under the auspices of the PMAC, and trained members of the public security forces.[7]



[2]The Palestinian Mine Action Center (PMAC),” On the Record, 26 June 2012.

[3] Palestinian militias have produced and used command-detonated improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The Mine Ban Treaty prohibits use of victim-activated IEDs and booby-traps, which function as antipersonnel mines, but does not prohibit use of command-detonated IEDs. Media and other reports are not always clear whether devices involved in explosive incidents in the OPT are victim-activated or command-detonated, and reports often use a number of terms interchangeably, citing the use of bombs, landmines, booby-traps, and IEDs.

[6]Israeli Land Mines Still Pose Problems for Palestinian Communities,” Palestinian Solidarity Project, 29 February 2012.

[7]UN experts train Palestinian security to remove land mines,” Palestine TV, Ramallah (re-broadcast in English language translation on Mosaic News), 25 June 2012.


Mine Action

Last updated: 21 November 2017

Contaminated by: antipersonnel mines (medium contamination), antivehicle mines, and other explosive remnants of war (ERW).

Summary

The State of Palestine has almost 20km2 of mined area, of which 0.4km2 is confirmed. Clearance in the West Bank is largely constrained by political factors, including the lack of authorization granted by Israel for Palestine to conduct or oversee mine clearance operations. Land release was conducted by the HALO Trust. The total mined area released by clearance in 2015 was 34,057m2, a decrease from 2015. A total of 24 antipersonnel mines were destroyed. In Gaza, the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) interventions were conducted to reduce the threat and impact of ERW.

Contamination

In Palestine, hazards encompass minefields, military training zones, and areas of confrontation where many explosive devices remain. A 2013 survey by the Palestine Mine Action Center (PMAC) found that Palestine has mined areas covering a total of 19.9km2, marginally less than its previous estimate of 20.4km2.[1] A HALO Trust survey of the West Bank in 2012 identified 90 minefields, 13 of which were laid by the Jordanian military in 1948–1967, while the remaining 77 were laid by the Israeli military along the Jordan River after the 1967 war.[2]

According to HALO, as of August 2017, more than 0.4km2 of confirmed mined area exists (excluding the Jordan Valley) across seven minefields in Palestinian-controlled territory and two minefields are in no-man’s-land between the West Bank and Israel. All nine minefields (see table below) were laid by the Jordanian army.[3]

Confirmed mine contamination as of August 2017 (excluding the Jordan Valley)[4]

Governorate

Minefield Task Name

Contamination

CHAs

Area (m2)

Jenin

Araba

Antivehicle and antipersonnel mines

1

11,451

Qabatiya

Antivehicle and antipersonnel mines

1

11,300

Yabad

Antivehicle and antipersonnel mines

1

48,054

Deir Abu Daif

Antivehicle and antipersonnel mines

1

14,506

Tul Kareem

Nur a-Shams

Antivehicle and antipersonnel mines

1

37,810

Qalqiliya

Karne Shomron

Antivehicle and antipersonnel mines

1

66,726

Jinsafut

Antipersonnel mines

1

37,810

Ramallah

No Man’s Land Yalo

Antivehicle and antipersonnel mines

1

104,226

No Man’s Land -Canada Park

Antivehicle and antipersonnel mines

1

85,708

Total

   

9

417,591

Note: CHA = confirmed hazardous area

Four of the 12 governorates in the West Bank still contain mined areas, as of August 2017.[5] The governorates of Bethlehem and Hebron are no longer considered contaminated, after clearance of the Husan task, the sole remaining minefield in Bethlehem governorate, was completed on 19 January 2016, and clearance of the Um Daraj and Surif minefields in Hebron governorate was completed on 6 November 2016 and 1 June 2017 respectively.[6]

Most mined areas are located in Area C of the West Bank (see below) along the border with Jordan, which covers approximately 60% of the West Bank and is under full Israeli control for security, planning, and construction.[7]

According to the UN, of the estimated total of 90 minefields in the West Bank, those in more “central areas”—the governorates of Jenin, Qalqiliya, and Tulkarm—are priorities for clearance.[8] In addition to posing a risk to civilians, mines affect the socio-economic development of Palestinian communities. Mined areas are located in, or close to, populated areas,[9] mostly on privately owned agricultural and grazing land or along roads used daily by communities; and are either poorly marked or not marked at all. They are accessible to the population, and in some cases are even under cultivation. These minefields were laid by the Jordanian military and are all located in areas under Israeli security control. Clearance operations must therefore be coordinated with the Israeli authorities,[10] in addition to PMAC.

Other explosive remnants of war

Palestine is also contaminated with explosive remnants of war (ERW) though the precise nature and extent of the problem are not known. Hostilities between Israel and Gaza in 2008–2009, 2012, and 2014 resulted in significant ERW contamination.[11]

Program Management

Mine action is subject to the 1995 Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, under which the West Bank is divided into three areas: Area A is under full Palestinian civilian and security control; Area B is under full Palestinian civil control and joint Israeli-Palestinian security control; and Area C refers to areas where Israel has full control of security, planning, and construction.[12] Clearance operations must therefore be coordinated with the Israeli government.[13]

An authorisation from the Palestinian Authority’s prime minister on 25 March 2012 set up Palestine Mine Action Center (PMAC), appointed its director, and created a Higher Committee for Mine Action as an interministerial body, with 27 members representing the ministries of education, foreign affairs, health, intelligence, interior, justice, and military liaison, as well as the police and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. The Higher Committee for Mine Action, which serves as the national mine action authority, is tasked to develop mine action legislation and allocate resources for the sector.[14] PMAC, which is located in the Ministry of Interior in Ramallah, is mandated to coordinate all aspects of mine action in the West Bank. It receives technical advice from UNMAS.[15] The committee has established a number of sub-committees to deal with technical issues, risk education, legal affairs, foreign affairs, and health and safety.[16]

PMAC currently has 10 employees[17] and is staffed with personnel from the Palestinian National Security Forces, Civil Police, and Civil Defense. PMAC also has a team of 30 personnel who were trained by UNMAS for demining a few years ago, but to date, have not been authorized or equipped to do so, and no agreement has been reached with Israel on this matter.[18] The Civil Police have an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) unit with 42 personnel in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Tulkarm, who conduct rapid response to locate and remove items of unexploded ordnance (UXO). The EOD unit is only permitted to work in Area A of the West Bank.[19]

UNMAS reports that its intervention in Gaza seeks to reduce the threat and impact of ERW and mitigates the impact of future conflicts on Gaza communities by addressing the following: (i) protection of civilians from current and future ERW threats; (ii) support to reconstruction through ERW risk mitigation measures and EOD support; and (iii) emergency preparedness to respond to escalation in conflict.[20]

Strategic planning

According to PMAC, a three-year strategic mine action plan up to 2020 has been drafted for Palestine,[21] but as of September 2017, the details of the plan had not yet been shared with mine action partners.[22]

Survey and clearance in the West Bank, which is conducted by HALO, is prioritized by HALO’s donors, in conjunction with the Israeli Mine Action Authority (INMAA) and PMAC.[23]

Legislation and standards

In November 2016, Palestine announced that it was seeking to adopt and enact a mine action law. Palestine was hopeful that it would complete the legal procedures within a year and present the draft law to the legislative council for endorsement, followed by signature by the president.[24] As of May 2017, however, no further development had been made regarding the draft law.[25]

HALO’s standing operating procedures (SOPs) are approved by INMAA and are based on national standards. Once a year, HALO submits its SOPs, including any necessary amendments, to INMAA for approval.[26]

Quality management

HALO’s work in the West Bank complies with the Israeli Standard Institute for Standards, in particular ISOs 9001, 14001, and 18001. HALO carries out its own internal quality control (QC), which is conducted by senior program staff, and which complies with the ISO standards and HALO’s SOPs.[27] In addition, as required by INMAA, 4CI Security, an external INMAA-certified quality assurance (QA)/QC company, is contracted to monitor HALO’s clearance in accordance with Israeli National Mine Action Standards.[28]

Operators

To date, Israel has not authorized demining operations by Palestinian deminers and no clearance operation has been conducted by PMAC.[29] In September 2013, however, the INMAA gave formal authorization for HALO to clear two of the 11 minefields deemed high priority by PMAC. Following INMAA authorization, HALO began mine clearance in the West Bank in April 2014.[30]

HALO works under the auspices of both the INMAA and PMAC.[31] In 2016, it employed 22 manual deminers for its operations in the West Bank, and deployed mechanical assets including three front-loading shovels, an armored excavator, and a rock crusher.[32]

Land Release

The total mined area released by clearance in 2016 was 34,057m2, compared to 63,411m2 in 2015.

Survey in 2016

No land was reduced by technical survey in 2016 or canceled by non-technical survey.

HALO performs survey as part of its clearance operations of the Jordanian-laid minefields in Area C of the West Bank, which includes joint site visits with PMAC and INMAA, but it is part of pre-clearance task preparation, and is of CHAs already recorded in PMAC’s database and on maps.[33]

Clearance in 2016

In 2016, HALO cleared 34,057m2 of mined area in 2016.

This included completion of clearance of the Husan minefield, in the governorate of Bethlehem, which had been partially cleared by Quadro in 2013, before HALO commenced clearance on the remainder of the site in 2015. In January, HALO’s mechanical team excavated the final 1,109m2 and destroyed one antipersonnel mine, before completing the task.[34]

In addition, HALO cleared 32,948m2 of mined area in Um Daraj, in the governorate of Hebron in the West Bank, with the destruction of 23 antipersonnel mines and 14 items of UXO.[35]

HALO Trust mine clearance in 2016[36]

Province

Governorate

Areas released

Area cleared (m²)

AP mines destroyed

UXO destroyed

Husan

Bethlehem

1

1,109

1

0

Um Daraj

Hebron

1

32,948

23

14

Total

 

2

34,057

24

14

 

Following completion of clearance at Um Daraj minefield in November 2016, the start of clearance at Surif minefield (also in Hebron governorate), was delayed until January 2017. This was due to the external QA company’s need to recruit international QA inspectors for the Surif task, as longstanding security arrangements by the Israeli authorities preclude Israeli nationals working on site as QA inspectors.[37]

Progress towards completion

In May 2017, PMAC’s director stated that clearance of antipersonnel mines in Palestine would be completed in 2020.[38] Clearance in the West Bank is however, largely constrained by political factors, including the lack of authorization granted by Israel for Palestine to conduct mine clearance operations.

As of August 2017, HALO had completed clearance of four minefields in Area C of the West Bank.[39] HALO has now completed its survey of the Jordanian-laid minefields in the West Bank, and as of August 2017, five Jordanian-laid minefields in the governorates of Jenin and Tul Kareem, which fall within HALO’s donor agreement, remained to be cleared. HALO planned to complete clearance of the four minefields in Jenin governorate and the one minefield in Tul Kareem governorate by the end of 2018.[40]

Furthermore, the INMAA reported that at the start of 2017, it had begun survey of the Jordan Valley minefields in the West Bank, using national budget and operating with Israeli companies. The INMAA sees significant potential for cancelation and reduction of land in the Jordan Valley, and is using various technologies and scientific tools to measure mine drift possibilities. The INMAA planned to invest around NIS 900,000 (approximately US$250,000) on this project in 2017–2019.[41]

Mine clearance in 2012–2016[42]

Year

Area cleared (m2)

2016

34,057

2015

63,411

2014

21,832

2013

7,000

2012

0

Total

126,300

 

PMAC does not have its own budget, and the Palestinian authority only provides funding for the salary of PMAC employees and the PMAC office.[43]



The Monitor acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review (www.mineactionreview.org), which has conducted the mine action research in 2017, including on survey and clearance, and shared all its resulting landmine and cluster munition reports with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.



[1] Email from Brig. Joma Mousa, Director, PMAC, 31 March 2014.

[2] HALO Trust, “West Bank, The problem,” undated.

[3] Emails from Ronen Shimoni, Programme Manager, HALO Trust, 22 April and 3 August 2017.

[4] Ibid. Table 1 refers to Jordanian-laid minefields. The two minefields in no-man’s land are located west of the separation barrier in an Israeli controlled area. There were inconsistencies between PMAC and HALO’s data on the number and location of mined areas. As of end 2016, PMAC reported three confirmed mined areas, totalling 0.12km2, across the governorates of Bethlehem, Hebron, and Qalqiliya. Email from the Planning Department, PMAC, 24 May 2017. PMAC’s list, though, appears to contain inaccuracies.

[5] Emails from Ronen Shimoni, HALO Trust, 22 April and 3 August 2017.

[6] Ibid., 3 August 2017.

[7] Email from Celine Francois, Programme Officer, UNMAS, Jerusalem, 5 July 2012; and UNMAS, “Annual Report 2013.”

[8] Ibid.; and UNMAS, “State of Palestine,” undated.

[9] Emails from Sonia Pezier, UNMAS, 14 April 2015; from Brig. Joma Abdeljabbar, PMAC, 12 March 2015; and from Tom Meredith, HALO Trust, 11 May 2015; UNMAS, “State of Palestine,” undated; and statement of Palestine, Mine Ban Treaty 15th Meeting of States Parties, Santiago, 29 November 2016.

[10] Email from Sonia Pezier, UNMAS, 14 April 2015; UNMAS, “State of Palestine,” undated; and email from Tom Meredith, HALO Trust, 23 October 2015.

[11] UNMAS “State of Palestine,” undated.

[12] Email from Celine Francois, UNMAS Jerusalem, 5 July 2012.

[13] Emails from Sonia Pezier, UNMAS, 14 April 2015; and from Tom Meredith, HALO Trust, 23 October 2015; and UNMAS, “State of Palestine,” undated.

[14] Emails from Celine Francois, UNMAS Jerusalem, 19 July 2012; and Imad Mohareb, Planning Department, PMAC, 31 March 2013.

[15] Emails from Celine Francois, UNMAS Jerusalem, 5 and 19 July 2012; and UN, “2012 Portfolio of Mine Action Projects,” New York, 2013.

[16] Email from the Planning Department, PMAC, 9 May 2016.

[17] Ibid., 24 May 2017.

[18] Ibid.

[19] Ibid.

[20] UNMAS, “State of Palestine,” August 2017.

[21] Emails from the Planning Department, PMAC, 28 September and 1 October 2017.

[22] Email from Sasha Logie, UNMAS, 28 September 2017.

[23] Email from Ronen Shimoni, Programme Manager, HALO Trust, 22 April 2017.

[24] Statement of Palestine, Mine Ban Treaty 15th Meeting of States Parties, Santiago, 29 November 2016.

[25] Email from the Planning Department, PMAC, 24 May 2017.

[26] Email from Ronen Shimoni, HALO Trust, 22 April 2017.

[27] Ibid.

[28] Ibid.

[29] Email from the Planning Department, PMAC, 24 May 2017.

[30] Email from Tom Meredith, HALO Trust, 11 May 2015.

[31] HALO Trust, “West Bank,” undated.

[32] Email from Ronen Shimoni, HALO Trust, 22 April 2017.

[33] Email from the Planning Department, PMAC, 9 May 2016; and telephone interview with Ronen Shimoni, HALO Trust, 3 August 2017.

[34] Emails from Tom Meredith, HALO Trust, 23 October 2015; and from Ronen Shimoni, HALO Trust, 22 April, 3 August, and 10 August 2017.

[35] Emails from Ronen Shimoni, HALO Trust, 22 April and 10 August 2017.

[36] Emails from Ronen Shimoni, HALO Trust, 22 April, 3 August, and 10 August 2017: and Michael Heiman, Director of Technology and Knowledge Management, INMAA, 23 July and 10 August 2017. There were discrepancies between HALO Trust’s data, and that provided by PMAC. PMAC reported HALO Trust clearance of 30,000m2 at Um-daraj, with the destruction of 23 antipersonnel mines and one item of UXO. Email from the Planning Department, PMAC, 24 May 2017.

[37] Email from Ronen Shimoni, HALO Trust, 22 April 2017.

[38] Email from the Planning Department, PMAC, 24 May 2017.

[39] Email from Ronen Shimoni, HALO Trust, 3 August 2017.

[40] Ibid., and 12 September 2017.

[41] Emails from Michael Heiman, INMAA, 23 July and 10 August 2017.

[42] See Landmine Monitor and Mine Action Review reports on Palestine in 2012–2015. HALO Trust previously reported 12,226m2 of clearance in 2014, but it was subsequently found that this only included manual clearance and excluded 9,606m2 of mechanical clearance that also took place. The correct revised total for 2014 is 21,832m2. Email from Ronen Shimoni, HALO Trust, 18 October 2016.

[43] Email from the Planning Department, PMAC, 24 May 2017.


Support for Mine Action

Last updated: 11 December 2017

In 2016, 12 donors contributed US$4 million toward mine action in the State of Palestine, a level similar to international assistance provided in 2015.[1]

 The largest contribution was provided by the United States (US) with two additional donors—Japan and Belgium—each contributing more than $800,000. Contributions from these three donors accounted for 68% of all international assistance received by Palestine in 2016.

International contributions: 2016[2]

Donor

Sector

Amount (national currency)

Amount (US$)

US

Clearance and risk education

$1,000,000

1,000,000

Japan

Clearance and risk education

¥98,407,929

905,650

Belgium

Risk education and victim assistance

€747,000

827,078

United Kingdom

Clearance

£293,529

397,879

Italy

Clearance, risk education, and victim assistance

€200,000

221,440

Netherlands

Clearance

€170,096

188,330

Luxembourg

Risk education

€100,000

110,720

South Korea

Victim assistance

N/A

100,000

OFID (OPEC Fund for International Development)

Victim assistance

N/A

80,000

Slovenia

Capacity-building

N/A

72,851

Poland

Various

€45,476

50,351

Switzerland

Clearance

CHF47,500

48,233

Total

 

 

4,002,532

Note: N/A = not applicable.

 

Since 2012, Palestine has received more than $22 million in international assistance for mine action, some 46% of which was provided in 2014.

Summary of international contribution: 2012–2016[3]

Year

Amount ($)

2016

4,002,532

2015

3,797,649

2014

10,251,124

2013

1,722,474

2012

2,390,358

Total

22,164,137

 



[1] Belgium, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 30 April 2017; Italy, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form I, 20 April 2017; Japan, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 30 April 2017; responses to Monitor questionnaire by Frank Braun, Desk Disarmament, Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, 13 March 2017 and by Olivia Douwes, Policy Officer, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2017; ITF Enhancing Human Security, “Annual Report 2016,” April 2017, p. 25; UNMAS, “Annual Report 2016,” March 2017, p. 32; South Korea, Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Amended Protocol II Annual Report, Form B, 26 April 2017; Switzerland, Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 7 Report, Form I, 28 April 2017; United Kingdom, Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 Report, Form J, 30 April 2017; and email from Steve Costner, Deputy Office Director, Weapons Removal and Abatement, United States (US) Department of State, 30 October 2017.

[2] Average exchange rate for 2016: €1=US$1.1072; £1=US$1.3555; CHF0.9848=US$1; ¥108.66=US$1. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 4 January 2017.

[3] See previous Monitor reports. Totals for international support in 2014 and 2013 have been rectified as a result of revised US funding data. 


Casualties

Last updated: 04 October 2017

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2016

3,625

Casualties in 2016

15 (2015: 74)

2016 casualties by outcome

1 killed; 14 injured (2015:6 killed; 68 injured)

2016 casualties by device type

15 explosive remnants of war (ERW)

 

In 2016, 15 mine/ERW casualties were recorded for the State of Palestine. As in 2015, almost half of the casualties in 2016 (7) were children.[1] All the casualties in 2016 were male. Of the total casualties for 2016, six occurred in the West Bank and nine in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Mine Action Center (PMAC) managed casualty data for the West Bank, while the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Palestine collected and managed casualty data updates for the Gaza Strip.

The 2016 data represented a significant decrease from the 74 recorded for 2015 and the 69 recorded for 2014. Therefore 2016 marked a point of departure from the spike in casualties that followed the destruction in Gaza caused by 50 days of conflict in mid-2014, also referred to as Operation Protective Edge. Forty-nine casualties were reported in 2013,[2] 35 in 2012,[3] 24 in 2010, and 46 casualties reported for 2009, following Operation Cast Lead.[4]

The total number of mine/ERW casualties in Palestine is not known. Defense for Children International Palestine (DCI/PS) recorded more than 2,500 mine/ERW casualties occurring between 1967 and 1998.[5] Between 2000 and the end of 2016, the Monitor identified 1,125 casualties (172 killed; 940 injured; and 13 unknown).



[1] Emails from Doran Bahadur Sunuwar, Officer in Charge, UNMAS, 17 and 28 August 2017; and from the Palestine Mine Action Center (PMAC), 13 September 2017.

[2] Emails from Planning Department, PMAC, 2 April 2015; and from Sonia Pezier, UNMAS Palestine, 7 April 2015.

[3] Email from Imab Mohareb, PMAC, 4 October 2012.

[4] Emails from Celine Francois, UNMAS, 22 July 2011; from Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Program Manager, Defense for Children International Palestine (DCI/PS), 26 July 2011; and from Brig. Omran Sulaiman, PMAC, 25 September 2012. In addition to the 16 casualties reported by the Monitor for 2010, another eight mine/ERW casualties (one killed; seven injured) in the West Bank for 2010 were added to the previous 2010 total based on PMAC casualty data updates provided in 2012. The rise in casualties in Gaza in 2009 was attributed to contamination by explosive remnants during and following Operation Cast Lead, which ended on 18 January 2009.

[5] DCI/PS, “The Problem of Landmines, Unexploded Ordnance and Munitions Remnants in the Palestinian Territories: A Seminar Report,” 25–26 March 1998, p. 14.


Casualties and Victim Assistance

Last updated: 21 February 2017

Casualties Overview

All known casualties by end 2015

3,618

Casualties in 2015

74 (2014: 69)

2015 casualties by outcome

6 killed; 68 injured (2014:13 killed; 56 injured)

2015 casualties by device type

72 explosive remnants of war (ERW); 2 unknown devices

 

In 2015, 74 mine/ERW casualties were recorded for the State of Palestine; of which almost half were children (36). Of the 74 casualties that occurred in Palestine in 2015, 67 were recorded in Gaza and seven in the West Bank.[1]

The Palestinian Mine Action Center (PMAC), which was reestablished in 2012 and collected information on incidents in the West Bank, managed casualty data updates during 2013.[2] The UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) Palestine collected and managed casualty data updates for the Gaza Strip.

The 2015 data represented an increase from the 69 ERW casualties identified in 2014 and a continued spike in casualties following the destruction in Gaza caused by 50 days of conflict in mid-2014, also referred to as Operation Protective Edge;with 49 casualties reported in 2013,[3] 35 in 2012,[4] 24 in 2010, and 46 casualties reported for 2009, following Operation Cast Lead.[5]

The total number of mine/ERW casualties in Palestine is not known; at least 3,475 casualties had been reported by the end of 2013. Defense for Children International Palestine (DCI/PS) recorded more than 2,500 mine/ERW casualties occurring between 1967 and 1998.[6] Between 2000 and the end of 2012, the Monitor identified 975 casualties (153 killed; 809 injured; and 13unknown).[7]

Victim Assistance

There were at least 1,253 mine/ERW survivors in Palestine.[8]

Palestine reported that there was no specific strategic framework for victim assistance in place in the country. Mine/ERW survivors received the same support as other persons with disabilities. This support is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Affairs,[9] in partnership with the various ministries and institutions of civil society and with relevant authorities, guided by the National Strategy of Disability Rights 2013–2016.[10]

The Ministry of Health continued to be responsible for the rehabilitation sector in the Gaza Strip.The International Coordination Department (ICD) coordinates cooperation between the ministry and international organizations working in the field of physical rehabilitation in the Gaza Strip.[11]

Persons with disabilities in Palestine were often overlooked and underrepresented in development and relief efforts. Since the 2014 conflict, the situation in Palestine has continued to deteriorate. Vulnerable Palestinians faced increasing difficulty in accessing electricity, education, and healthcare, and struggled to meet basic needs. Key infrastructure was destroyed and many hospitals were not equipped. Unemployment increased as did restrictions on the movement of goods and people.[12]

The Artificial Limb and Polio Center (ALPC), managed by the Municipality of Gaza, is the only center of its kind in Gaza that provides prosthetic and orthotic services. Services are provided free of charge. The ICRC, with the support of the Norwegian Red Cross, continued to support the ALPC.[13] In 2015, 3,070 people received rehabilitation services, including prosthetics, at the ALPC, which continued improving its operations with technical/material support from the Norwegian Red Cross/ICRC. Staff in direct contact with patients were trained in providing basic psychosocial care and referrals to other providers. Some 120 persons with disabilities, including ALPC patients, were coached in wheelchair basketball at sessions co-organized by the Palestinian Paralympic Committee.[14]

Handicap International (HI) provided post-emergency operations to improve access to essential services for persons with disabilities in Gaza. HI also promoted the inclusion of isolated persons with disabilities, improved access to essential services, and gave support for disabled peoples’ organizations and multidisciplinary rehabilitation services, including rehabilitation and psychosocial support services.[15]

In 2016, existing rehabilitation services in Gaza did not meet the needs of amputees. The Palestinian Medical Relief Society estimated that all providers of rehabilitation services in the Gaza Strip combined were only able to address some 15% of the rehabilitation requirements of the population. Many organizations, registered as rehabilitation services providers, were not active in the sector. Al-Wafa hospital, the main rehabilitation hospital in Gaza, was bombed in 2014. The rehabilitation system was already weak and unstable before the war and since its destruction, there has been no central body in charge of coordination between the Palestinian healthcare system and other NGOs and centers providing services. This lack of coordination results in some services being duplicated at times, while others were not provided. Other factors contributing to the deterioration in rehabilitation services were the lack of adequate funding on the part of the Palestinian Authority. Medical treatment available to amputees in the Gaza Strip was of poor quality. Hastily performed amputations often resulted in a stump that cannot fit a prosthesis.[16]

Assistance for persons with physical disabilities was supported by the efforts of UN agencies and NGOs.[17]

In 2016, ITF Enhancing Human Security (ITF) continued a school-based psychosocial program and a project promoting community-based rehabilitation in Gaza. ITF delivered rehabilitation materials, including prosthetic components, to three centers in Gaza: ALPC, Palestinian Forum for Promoting Community Development Palestine Avenir for Childhood Foundation (PACF), and Democratic Empowerment (PALFD).[18]

The Palestine Trauma Centre in Gaza offered support from psychologists, psychiatrists, and specialist trauma counselors.[19]

The Palestinian Disability Law was ratified in 1999.



[1] Emails from Planning Department, Palestinian Mine Action Center (PMAC), 15 March 2016; and from Jean-Guy Lavoie, Chief of Operations, UNMAS Palestine, 22 March 2016.

[2] Emails from Celine Francois, Programme Officer, UNMAS, Jerusalem, 5 September 2013; and from Sonia Pezier, UNMAS Palestine, 24 June 2014.

[3] Emails from Planning Department, PMAC, 2 April 2015; and from Sonia Pezier, UNMAS Palestine, 7 April 2015.

[4] Email from Imab Mohareb, PMAC, 4 October 2012.

[5] Emails from Celine Francois, UNMAS, 22 July 2011; from Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Program Manager, Defense for Children International Palestine (DCI/PS), 26 July 2011; and from Brig. Omran Sulaiman, PMAC, 25 September 2012. In addition to the 16 casualties reported by the Monitor for 2010, another eight mine/ERW casualties (one killed; seven injured) in the West Bank for 2010 were added to the previous 2010 total based on the PMAC casualty data updates provided in 2012. The rise in casualties in Gaza in 2009 was attributed to contamination by explosive remnants during and following Operation Cast Lead, which ended on 18 January 2009.

[6] DCI/PS, “The Problem of Landmines, Unexploded Ordnance and Munitions Remnants in the Palestinian Territories: A Seminar Report,” 25–26 March 1998, p. 14.

[7] See previous editions of the Monitor at on the Monitor website. Information for 1999 was not available.

[8] Including 320 people injured before 2000 identified through a random sample survey and 809 people injured since 2000. See Landmine Monitor Report 2000, and previous country reports and profiles on Palestine.

[11] ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Programme (PRP), “Annual Report 2014,” Geneva, 2015, pp. 80–81.

[12] HI, “Palestine 2016,” August 2016.

[13] ICRC PRP, “Annual Report 2014,” Geneva, 2015, pp. 80–81.

[14] ICRC, “Annual Report 2015,” Geneva, May 2016, p. 497

[15] HI, “Palestine 2016,” August 2016.

[17] See for example, “Caring for and Working with People with Disabilities,” This Week in Palestine, Issue 221, September 2016.

[18] ITF, “Annual Report 2015,” Ljubljana, 2016, pp. 105–106; and ITF, “Activities: Gaza strip,” undated.