ISRAEL KILLED RECORD NUMBER OF PALESTINIANS IN 2014, UN REPORT

Israel Killed Record Number of Palestinians in 2014, UN Report

© AP Photo/ Adel Hana

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Israel killed more than 2,000 Palestinian civilians in 2014, the most in any year since the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip began in 1967, according to a United Nations report.

Israel’s activities in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem resulted in the deaths of 2,314 Palestinians and 17,125 injuries last year, compared with 39 deaths and 3,964 injuries in 2013, according to the annual report by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, left, speaks during a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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The conflict in Gaza in July and August mainly accounted for the dramatic increase in fatalities – claiming the lives of 2,220 Gazans, of whom 1,492 were civilians, 605 militants and 123 unverified.

At the height of the conflict, more than 11,000 people were injured and about 500,000 Palestinians were internally displaced at the height of the conflict. About 100,000 have yet to return home, or remain without one.

In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, 58 Palestinians were killed and 6,028 injured – the most fatalities in incidents involving Israeli forces since 2007 and the highest number of injuries since 2005.

Most of the incidents took place following the abduction and murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, a 16-year-old Palestinian, which led to daily riots and protests in East Jerusalem. Khdeir’s killing followed the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers the previous month.
In this July 29, 2014 photo, smoke and fire from an Israeli strike rise over Gaza City. A fierce debate is raging within Israel's military over the extent to which soldiers should be held legally accountable for their actions during last year's Gaza war, with commanders increasingly at odds with military lawyers.

© AP Photo/ Hatem Moussa
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The UN report, entitled Fragmented Lives, documents an increase in the number of Palestinians injured, incarcerated and displaced, compared with the two previous years.

The sharp rise in casualties and injuries correlates with an increase in the Israeli armed forces’ use of live ammunition, which accounted for almost all fatalities and 18% of injuries.

Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians – mostly settlers – and security forces also rose in 2014, with Israeli fatalities increasing from four to 12. Likewise, incidents of settler violence resulting in Palestinian casualties and injuries increased.

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