During this reporting period, the Israeli Army has continued to violate International Humanitarian Law and Fundamental Human Rights, by restricting freedom of movement to Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulances and its medical teams. Delays & denial of access and arbitrary searches had a negative impact on the sick and wounded in Ramallah and Gaza Strip.

Ramallah, 03/01/2005 (22:12PM): A PRCS ambulance was stopped by the Israeli soldiers in Beituniya city, near the West Bank city of Ramallah, in order to evacuate a wounded person. When the ambulance reached the location of the incident, the soldiers denied the crew access. Twenty minutes later, the crew was allowed access and first aid treatment was provided to the wounded person.

The crew transferred the wounded person into the ambulance for transport to hospital, however, the soldiers, using the threat of force ordered the crew to follow them. The soldiers also detained one of the PRCS volunteer medics and used him as a human shield. When the soldiers and the PRCS ambulance reached Ofar Israeli Detention Camp near Beituniya, an Israeli military ambulance arrived and its crew moved the wounded person from the PRCS ambulance into the Israeli military ambulance. The crew was then released and returned back to base.

In a separate incident, on 01/01/2005, at 18:45PM, Israeli Army Patrol raided the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s Emergency Medical Station (EMS) and the Maternity Hospital in the West Bank city of Tulkarem. The soldiers conducted a search campaign inside and outside the station and the hospital, which has lasted for 30 minutes.

The following table lists incidents of delay of access during this reporting period.

PRCS Branch	Date	Checkpoint	Delay of access (unless indicated 'denied access')
Al Mawasi	05/01/2005	Al Tuffah	60 minutes

During this reporting period, a total of 16 deaths and 27 injuries were reported in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

These practices constitute a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the First Additional Protocol of the Geneva conventions, which are legally applied to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In particular, they violate articles 20 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which guarantees the protection and respect of persons who engage in the search for, removal and transport of and caring for wounded and sick civilians, and article 63 which stresses that ” Subject to temporary and exceptional measures imposed for urgent reasons of security by the Occupied Power, recognized National red cross and red crescent societies shall be able to pursue their activities in accordance with Red Cross principles, as defined by the international Red Cross Conferences…”. In addition to articles 12 and 15 of the First Additional Protocol of the Geneva conventions which guarantees that “ Medical units shall be respected and protected at all times and shall not be the object of attack and shall have access to any place where their services are essential” and article 16 which stresses that, “Under no circumstances shall any person be punished for carrying out medical activities compatible with medical ethics, regardless of the person benefiting there from.”, in addition to article 21, which stresses that,” Medical vehicles shall be respected and protected in the same way as mobile medical units under the Conventions and this Protocol.”