According to an annual report of the United Nations office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian territories, ‘the number of Palestinians killed in security related incidents in 2016 has decreased, while the number of homes and shops that were deemed illegal by Israel’s judicial system and demolished, has increased.’
The report, which compared figures to 2015, noted that the number of Palestinians that were killed by conflict related violence declined by 37%. The report further states that there was a 48% drop in the number of Israeli fatalities in terror related incidents with Palestinians, which is consistent with the gradual decline of violent incidents since a violent uprising that started in October of 2015.
The report also notes that the number of house demolitions in the West Bank during 2016 was the largest in comparison to all the years in which the UN has been documenting the demolitions, which is since 2009. It is important to note that the report included houses that were demolished or sealed as punishment for the families of Palestinians that committed acts of terror against Israelis; an Israeli policy implemented as means of deterrence. The report also referred to the restrictions on the movement of people from the Gaza Strip, including access to basic and humanitarian services, but also noted that the volume of goods exported from the Gaza Strip has significantly increased. It also said that Israel tightened restrictions on the entry and exit of aid workers from the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave. 31% of the requests submitted by the aid-organizations were refused, a fact that may be related to cases in which the Israeli Security Services arrested aid-workers whom exploited their role and status, allegedly assisting Hamas.