Israeli Forces Continue to Perpetrate
Crimes in the OPTs
· 17
Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 6 children and a woman were killed by
Israeli forces
· Israeli
forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
· 28
houses were destroyed and 8 Palestinian civilians were killed during Israeli
military incursions into Rafah
· Construction
of the separation wall in the West Bank continued
· Indiscriminate
shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued
· Israeli
forces used flechette shells against Palestinian civilians in Khan Younis,
killing 2
· 5
Palestinian houses in the West Bank were destroyed by Israeli forces as part of
the continued campaign of retaliation against the families of Palestinians
accused of involvement in attacks against Israeli targets
· Israeli
forces unlawfully transferred a Palestinian detainee from Hebron to the Gaza
Strip and issued an order to transfer another detainee
· Continued
siege on the OPTs
Introduction
This week, Israeli occupying forces have continued to
perpetrate violations of human rights against Palestinian civilians in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), including incursions into Palestinian
areas, willful shooting at Palestinian civilians and indiscriminate shelling of
residential areas, particularly in the southern of the Gaza Strip. Israeli
forces also continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPTs. This week, 17 Palestinians, including 6
children and a woman, were killed by Israeli occupying forces. 8 of the victims were killed during Israeli
military incursions into Palestinian areas and 6 were killed in instances of
willful killing by Israeli soldiers. In
addition, 3 Palestinian civilians died from previous injuries.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces conducted
5 incursions into Palestinian areas, mostly into Rafah in the southern Gaza
Strip. On 10 November 2003, Israeli occupying forces killed 1 Palestinian child
and demolished 23 Palestinian houses and 5 commercial properties during a
military incursion into Block O in the Rafah refugee camp. Approximately 250 Palestinians were left
homeless as a result and they also demolished 5 other houses in 3 other
incursions into the camp. On 7 November
2003, Israeli occupying forces moved into al-Maghazi refugee camp in the
central Gaza Strip, under cover of intense shelling. A number of members of the Palestinian
resistance clashed with Israeli forces, during which time 1 Palestinian was
killed by shrapnel. In addition, 5 Palestinian civilians from one family were injured
and a number of houses were destroyed or damaged.
In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces conducted
a series of incursions into Palestinian controlled areas, particularly in Jenin
and Nablus. These incursions were accompanied by intense gunfire, which
resulted in the deaths of 5 Palestinians civilians, including 3 children and a
woman. A number of Palestinian civilians were also wounded and Israeli
occupying forces also destroyed a number of houses and arrested dozens of Palestinians.
In violation of international humanitarian law, in
particular the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons
in Time of War of 1949, article 33 of which prohibits punishing any protected
person for “an offence he or she has not personally committed,” Israeli forces
took retaliatory measures against the families of Palestinians Israel alleges have ordered,
facilitated, or carried out attacks against Israeli targets. In this context, Israeli occupying forces
destroyed 4 Palestinian houses in Jenin and a fifth in Silwad village,
northeast of Ramallah.
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including Jerusalem. Recent reports in the Israeli media suggesting
that Israeli forces have scaled back the restrictions are misleading as Israeli
occupying forces have continued to restrict movement of Palestinian civilians.
They have also continued to close a number of main and branch roads in the Gaza
Strip, without any consideration for the special circumstances of the month of Ramadan
and Israeli forces continue to harass and humiliate Palestinian civilians
traveling through the military checkpoints and border crossings. Israeli
occupying forces claimed that they have eased the siege imposed on Palestinian
communities in the West Bank, excluding Jenin and Nablus, however, there have
been no marked improvements and restrictions remain in place. Israeli occupying forces have continued to
impose a strict siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank and have
continued to close military checkpoints and erected a number of temporary checkpoints
on the main, branch and dirt roads. This week, Israeli soldiers continued to
fire at Palestinian civilians, who resorted to dirt roads due to the Israeli
enforced closure of the main roads. In one instance, a 44-year-old Palestinian
civilian was killed by Israeli soldiers in Tulkarem, while traveling on a dirt
road.
This week, a number of protests took place throughout
the OPT and worldwide, in opposition to the construction of the “separation
wall” inside the West. A recent UN
report warned of the dangers posed by the wall on Palestinian civilians and
property, yet Israeli occupying forces continue to raze areas of Palestinian
land to facilitate the construction of the “separation wall.” According
to a recent report published by the Committee against the Wall in Jenin, so
far, the wall has isolated 16 Palestinian villages, in which 11,000 Palestinian
live, around Jenin, Tulkarem, Qalqilya and Salfit. Israeli military bulldozers
have demolished 218 housing units and commercial properties in the villages of
Nazalt ‘Eissa and al-Taiba, and destroyed 14,500 donums of agricultural land
and isolated 36 wells and 121,000 donums of land – 12% of the total area of the
West Bank – for the purpose of the construction of the wall, according to the
report.
On Monday, 10 November 2003, Israeli occupying forces
transferred Kamal Mohammed Hussein Edris, a resident of Hebron, to the Gaza
Strip, following an Israeli High Court ruling of 4 November 2003 which approved
his “assigned residence” to the Gaza Strip for a period of two years.
On Wednesday, 12 November 2003, the Israeli High Court also approved a military
order to transfer Taha Ramadan Rateb Dwaik, a resident of Hebron to the Gaza
Strip for 2 years.
The Israeli High Court issued decisions on October 24
and 29 2003 ordering a temporary halt to the transfer of 13 of the 18
Palestinian detainees against whom Israeli occupying forces had issued orders to
“assign residence” to the Gaza Strip for periods ranging from 1 to 2
years. The two decisions came in response to appeals submitted against the
orders by PCHR, in conjunction with the Addameer Association for Human Rights, to
the Israeli High Court.
Shelling of, and Encroachment into Palestinian Areas
and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property
Thursday, 6 November 2003
Early in the morning, Israeli occupying forces shot
dead a 40-year-old Palestinian woman during an incursion into the old town of
Nablus. The woman was shot by 2 live bullets fired by an Israeli sniper as she
stood at her window.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
01:45, 20 Israeli military vehicles and a helicopter entered Nablus through the
western entrance and moved towards the old town, surrounding the neighborhoods
of al-Qarioun, al-Yassamina and Bab al-Saha. They opened fire at houses and a number
of members of the Palestinian resistance clashed with Israeli forces, but no
casualties were reported. At approximately 02:30, after a period of quiet,
Emtiaz ‘Abbas Saleh Abu Ras, 40, looked from her bedroom window on the third
floor of her house in al-Qarioun neighborhood and immediately an Israeli
sniper, who took position from behind a civilian car approximately 100m away
from the house, fired at her. She was
hit in the neck and the sniper then fired another live bullet, hitting her in
the back. Her family called for an ambulance, but Israeli soldiers did not permit
the ambulance to attend her until 04:00. An ambulance evacuated her body to the
hospital, but Israeli soldiers stopped and searched it.
The Israeli incursion into the old town of Nablus
continued until 07:00, during which time Israeli soldiers sporadically fired at
Palestinian civilians and houses. A Palestinian woman, Amal Tayseer Rgheb
Hammoudha, 38, was wounded by a live bullet in the left leg, while she was
inside her house.
Also in the morning, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations and on tanks in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim”
settlement, west of Khan Yunis, shelled cemeteries and al-Nimsawi neighborhood
to the east. A number of shells hit a deserted apartment building in al-Nimsawi
neighborhood, wounding 4 Palestinian civilians by shrapnel:
1. ‘Ali
Isma’il Khaled al-Haddad, 27, wounded by shrapnel in the head;
2. Ahmed
‘Abdul Hamid Khaled al-Haddad, 20, wounded by shrapnel in the feet;
3. Saber
Ibrahim al-Ja’abeer, 30, wounded by shrapnel in the chest; and
4. Hassan
Hussein al-Mahrouq, 18, wounded by shrapnel in the limbs.
At approximately 07:30, an Israeli tank, an armored
personnel carrier and 2 military jeeps moved into the Palestinian controlled
Bala’a village, east of Tulkarm. Israeli soldiers opened fire at houses,
wounding a Palestinian child, Mohammed Sami Mohammed Rashid, 10, by a live
bullet in the left hand.
In the afternoon, Israeli occupying forces shot dead
a Palestinian civilian, while he was returning to Tulkarm from his work in
Ramallah.
According to PCHR’s investigations, a number of
Palestinian civilians were returning home to Tulkarem, to spend the weekend
with their families. At approximately 15:30, some of the civilians arrived at
an iron gate positioned by Israeli occupying forces on the Tulkarem-Nablus
road. As they were about to cross the gate, which is often left unmanned,
Israeli soldiers positioned in a military location overlooking the gate, opened
fire, forcing the civilians to enter Tulkarm via a dirt road. A number of the
civilians were able to avoid the gate, but they were fired upon by Israeli
soldiers, while they were in a taxi. The taxi driver stopped the car, but
Israeli soldiers continued to fire. During this attack 1 civilian, Fayez Ahmed
Mustafa Salama, 44, from ‘Anabta village, was killed by a live bullet to his
left side. In addition, another civilian Median ‘Abdul Karim Jabr, 30, from Dennaba
village, was injured by a live bullet in the left leg. Salama was an engineer with the Palestinian
Ministry of Housing and lived in close proximity to the gate with his wife and
6 children.
This killing was the second of its kind in the past
three weeks. In a similar incident on 15
October 2003, Israeli occupying forces shot dead Bilal Fahmi Suleiman Zaidan,
32, from Ramin village, east of Tulkarm, while he was traveling in his private
car on a dirt road between his village and the nearby ‘Anabta village.
At approximately 19:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations between “Gani Tal” and “Neve Dekalim”
settlements, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian residential areas
to the east. Some live bullets reached the center of the town, wounding 2
Palestinian civilians:
1. Ramadan
Kamel ‘Abdul Ghafour, 41, wounded by a live bullet in the left foot; and
2. Khalil
Fadhel ‘Aayesh ‘Omran, 23, wounded by a live bullet in the left shoulder.
At approximately 19:30, following clashes between
members of the Palestinian resistance and Israeli occupying forces positioned
on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of Khuza’a village in Khan Yunis,
a number of Palestinian civilians went to the area fearing that there may be
casualties. As they approached the area,
an Israeli tank fired 3 flechette shells at the civilians, killing 2:
1. Mohammed
Tawfiq al-Najjar, 19, hit by shrapnel throughout the body; and
2. Nazhmi
Fawzi al-Najjar, 20, hit by shrapnel from a flechette shell throughout the body.
In addition, 6 others were wounded
1. Wa’el
Mousa Mohammed al-Najjar, 21, seriously wounded by shrapnel from a flechette
shell throughout the body;
2. ‘Abbas
Khaled Mohammed al-Najjar, 21, wounded by shrapnel from a flechette shell in
the limbs;
3. Majed
Mohammed Salim al-Najjar, 22, wounded by a live bullet in the abdomen;
4. Mohammed
Joma’a al-Najjar, 32, wounded by a live bullet in the foot;
5. Hamdan
Suleiman Abu Mutlaq, 27, wounded by a live bullet in the left leg; and
6. Ahmed
Salem Qudaih, 21, sustained bruises and wounded by shrapnel in the limbs.
Israeli fire prevented ambulances from reaching the
area until the following morning.
Friday, 7 November 2003
Early in the morning, Israeli occupying forces moved
into al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, under cover of intense
shelling. A number of members of the Palestinian resistance clashed with Israeli
forces, during which time a Palestinian was killed by shrapnel. In addition, 5
Palestinian civilians from the one family were injured. A number of houses were destroyed or damaged.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
00:30, an Israeli military undercover unit, comprising of 15 soldiers moved
approximately 3km into al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip to
arrest allegedly wanted Palestinians. The unit moved from “Kfar Darom”
settlement, southeast of Deir al-Balah, and took up position in agricultural
areas in the south of the refugee camp. The undercover unit clashed with members
of the Palestinian resistance after they were spotted. Approximately an hour
later, 4 Israeli tanks, 4 military jeeps and 2 bulldozers, reinforced by a
helicopter and a surveillance aircraft, came to the area to secure the withdrawal
of the undercover unit. The Israeli tanks and bulldozers were positioned on the
cemetery road in the south of the refugee camp. The tanks and the helicopter
shelled Palestinian houses and a member of the Palestinian resistance, Mo’men
‘Omar Ahmed al-Mughari, 21, was killed by a shell. In addition, 5 Palestinian
civilians from one family were injured by shrapnel while inside their house:
1. Mohammed
Hussein ‘Abdullah Qandil, 51;
2. Wissam
Mohammed Hussein Qandil, 24;
3. Hussein
Mohammed Hussein Qandil 23;
4. Ahmed
Mohammed Hussein Qandil, 16, and
5. ‘Abdullah
Mohammed Hussein Qandil, 12.
In addition, 1 house was totally destroyed, 2 were
partially destroyed and 2 others were severely damaged:
1. A
120-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Salama Mousa Salem al-Rajoudi,
in which 2 people lived, was totally destroyed.
2. A
150-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by ‘Ali Mousa Salem al-Rajoudi, in which
3 families (13 people) live was partially destroyed.
3. A
150-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Huda ‘Abbas Khader Daoud, in which 2
families (14 people) live, was partially destroyed.
4. A
170-square-meter house owned by ‘Aadel Ahmed ‘Abdullah Abu Mandil and rented by
Jamal Mohammed Kamel al-Boubali was severely damaged.
5. A
120-square-meter house owned by Mohammed Hussein ‘Abdullah Abu Mandil, in which
7 people live, was severely damaged.
PCHR’s field worker in Rafah reported that ambulances
were not able to attend the wounded until 02:30, when Israeli occupying forces
withdrew from the refugee camp.
At approximately 02:00, 10 Israeli tanks and military
jeeps, accompanied by a bulldozer and a helicopter, moved into Jenin through the
northern and eastern entrances. They
raided al-Marah and Wadi ‘Ezziddin neighborhoods and the old town and opened
fire at houses and imposed a curfew on these areas. Israeli soldiers took up positions
on the roofs of a number of houses in the eastern part of the town, firing at
the areas. Israeli forces then surrounded a number of houses belonging to the al-Sa’di
family in the eastern part of the town, in which Amajd Ahmed ‘Eissa ‘Obaidi,
37, from Zabbouba village, west of Jenin, who is accused by Israeli occupying
forces of being the leader of the military wing of Islamic Jihad in Jenin, was reportedly
hiding. After 10 hours of shooting at the
houses and threats to destroy the house in which ‘Obaidi was hiding, ‘Obaidi
surrendered to the Israeli forces at approximately 17:00. Soon after, Israeli occupying forces
destroyed 3 houses owned by Taleb, Fawzi and Ibrahim al-Sa’di (see below).
It is worth noting that ‘Obaidi’s house was destroyed
by Israeli occupying forces on 5 October 2003. On 8 October 2003, they arrested his wife, Kamilia Mahmoud ‘Obaidi, 26. Israeli forces claim that ‘Obiadi planned the
bombing carried out by Hanadi Jardat in Haifa on 4 October 2003.
As a result of the Israeli shooting in Jenin, 3
Palestinian children were wounded:
1. Lu’ai
Khalil Ragheb al-Zaghir, 15, wounded by a live bullet in the left thigh;
2. ‘Alaa’
Jamal Tawfiq Eghbaria, 13, wounded by shrapnel in the left ear, shoulder and
foot; and
3. Mahmoud
Hakam Mahmoud ‘Abdul Khaliq, 10, wounded by shrapnel in the back.
In the morning, in an apparent instance of willful
killing, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a Palestinian child and injured
another civilian, while they were hunting for birds, approximately 2km from the
border with Israel, to the east of Gaza City.
In his testimony to PCHR, Nemer Salah Mahmoud Abu
‘As’ous, 22, who was wounded in the incident, said:
“At approximately 08:30, while I was with
Mohammed Ali Al Qayed and his son, Mahmoud, 11, hunting for birds in
agricultural areas near the border with Israel, east of Gaza City, an Israeli
tank positioned at the border fired 2 shells at a number of farmers who were
cultivating olives in a nearby field. The farmers fled from the area. Mahmoud and I sat on the ground, while his father moved to another
place, a distance from where we were. A
few minutes later, we noticed that 7 Israeli soldiers were approximately 100m
away from us. One of the soldiers
ordered us to stop and we obeyed the order. However, the other Israeli soldiers opened fire at us. Mahmoud was hit by gunshots and fell onto the
ground. I was injured by a live bullet
in the right foot, but I ran away. Israeli soldiers chased me, but I was able to escape. Later, a young man was able to evacuate me to
the hospital. I did not know what
happened to the child who was with me.”
Later, medical sources at Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza
City confirmed that the child’s body had been moved to the hospital. Mahmoud
died after he was hit by 2 live bullets in the chest and the abdomen.
At approximately 10:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by 4 heavy military vehicles, including a bulldozer, moved
approximately 300m into ‘Oraiba area in the northwest of Rafah. They leveled areas of Palestinian
agricultural land, which they had already razed. They also destroyed a 1-donum[1]
greenhouse planted with vegetables owned by Bashir Hamad Abu Sitta.
At approximately 11:30, Israeli occupying forces
positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian
houses in al-Salam neighborhood, adjacent to the border. 2 Palestinian civilians, including a child,
were wounded:
1. Mousa
Ahmed Sabbah, 4, wounded by a live bullet in the right leg, while he was inside
his house; and
2. Salama
Jaddou’ al-Qadhi, 45, wounded by shrapnel in the left shoulder, while he was
near his house.
At approximately 15:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian
houses in Block O in Rafah refugee camp. A Palestinian civilian, ‘Abdul ‘Aziz
Ibrahim Hamdan, 18, was wounded by shrapnel in the left hand, while he was near
his house.
At the same time, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by 5 heavy military vehicles, moved approximately 200m into Block J
in Rafah refugee camp, adjacent to the Egyptian border. They demolished a 200-square-meter house
owned by Mahmoud ‘Abdul ‘Aziz al-Jazzar, in which 5 families (22 people)
lived.
In the evening, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a
Palestinian civilian during an incursion into Balata refugee camp, east of
Nablus. They fired at a number of
Palestinian civilians who were on their way to a mosque for Ramadan
prayers.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
18:00, an Israeli tank and 2 military jeeps entered Nablus through the southern
entrance and moved forward into al-Quds Street, taking up position at the entrance
to Balata refugee camp. For no apparent reason, Israeli soldiers opened fire at
houses and streets in the camp. Mohammed
Nazhmi Mahmoud al-Hashash, 24, who was among a number of Palestinian civilians
on their way to a mosque for Ramadan prayers, was killed by a live bullet. PCHR’s field worker in Nablus reported that
the area was completely quiet when Israeli soldiers opened fire.
At approximately 23:00, Israeli occupying forces in a
military location in Tal Zao’rob area in the southwest of Rafah opened fire at
Tal al-Sultan neighborhood in the west of the town and a Palestinian civilian,
Nasser Mohammed al-Najadi, 26, was wounded by a live bullet in the right
thigh.
The same night, Israeli occupying forces shot dead 2
Palestinian children near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel,
southeast of Beit Hanoun. No efforts were
made to arrest the children or use less lethal means against them.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
23:00, Israeli soldiers fired at 2 Palestinian children who were attempting to
infiltrate into Israel through the border located southeast of Beit
Hanoun. The 2 children were reportedly
seeking employment in Israel. They were
killed instantly by several live bullets. PCHR’s field worker in the northern Gaza Strip reported that Palestinian
medical personnel who were permitted access to the area following coordination
with Israeli forces, found the victims’ bodies at approximately 10:30 Saturday
morning, 8 November 2003. At 14:00 the
victims were identified as:
1. Shadi
Rafiq Sa’id Habboub, 15, from Beit Lahia, killed by several live bullets in the
head and the body; and
2. Mahmoud ‘Omar Hassan Abu Shakal, 17, from Beit
Lahia, killed by several live bullets in the head and the body.
Saturday, 8 November 2003
At approximately 03:30, medical sources at Ramallah
Hospital declared that Ramiz Mohammed Ahmed Jaradat, 20, from Sa’ir village in
Hebron and a resident of Ramallah, died from a previous injury.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
18:20, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced by 40 military vehicles and a
number of civilian cars, in which undercover units were traveling, moved into
Ramallah and al-Bireh. The incursion was carried out under indiscriminate
Israeli gunfire that targeted Palestinian residential areas. During the
incursion Israeli soldiers confiscated a number of buildings and snipers took
positions on rooftops. Israeli forces also imposed a curfew on the residents of
the two towns. Other Israeli forces surrounded Jamal ‘Abdul Nasser mosque on
al-Ersal Street in the center of Ramallah. Israeli soldiers then fired
live ammunition and sound bombs at about 250 worshippers who were attending
evening prayers. As a result of the Israeli gunfire that accompanied the
incursion, 12 Palestinians were wounded, including Jardat, who was seriously
wounded by a live bullet in the head. Medical efforts made to save his life failed.
At approximately 05:30, 7 Israeli tanks, 15 military
jeeps, a military ambulance, 2 helicopters and 1 surveillance aircraft, moved
into Jenin town and refugee camp, under cover of intense shelling. Israeli forces imposed a curfew on the town,
and a number of Israeli military vehicles took positions in the al-Ghabas area,
southeast of Jenin, and in Wadi Burqin, west of Jenin refugee camp. Israeli soldiers in these vehicles
indiscriminately fired into residential areas. At approximately 07:00, Mithqal ‘Omar ‘Azaiza, 10, from Jenin refugee
camp, was wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh, while he was on the way
to school. At approximately 09:00,
Israeli occupying forces destroyed a Palestinian house in Tala’at al-Ghabs area
(see below). Israeli soldiers continued
to fire at Palestinian houses throughout the day. As a consequence, Mohammed ‘Abdul Rahman
Hassan Salah, 18, from Kufor Dan village, a resident of Jenin, whose father is currently
serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison, was killed by a live bullet in
the head. In addition 3 other Palestinian civilians were wounded:
1. Ahmed
Muhannad Nafe’ Mar’ei, 12, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the head – he
was pronounced dead on Sunday, 9 November 2003;
2. Asia
Nemer Darwish Qasarwa, 35, wounded by shrapnel in the head and the chest; and
3. Hamed
Mahmoud Hamed Taleb, wounded by shrapnel in the right leg.
In the afternoon, in an excessive use of force,
Israeli occupying forces shot dead a Palestinian child and injured 4 other
civilians during an incursion into the Palestinian controlled Burqin village,
west of Jenin. The 4 civilians were
injured when they attempted to offer help to the child after he was shot.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
12:30, an Israeli tank and 2 military jeeps moved into Burqin village, west of
Jenin, under cover of intense gunfire and imposed a curfew on the village. 16-year-old Mo’taz Wassef Mustafa ‘Aamoudi was
returning from Jenin, unaware of the incursion into the village. As he tried to move back, Israeli soldiers
immediately opened fire at him without warning. He was instantly killed by 2 live bullets in the chest and the left
shoulder. In addition, 4 Palestinian
civilians were wounded, including 2 children and a woman:
1. Subeh
Mazen Mohammed Subeh, 14, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the back;
2. ‘Abdullah
Lutfi Talal Khalaf, 13, wounded by shrapnel in the shoulder;
3. Fatema
Khalil Murtada, 50, wounded by a live bullet in the hand; and
4. Riad
Fawzi Masad, 34, wounded by a live bullet in the abdomen.
At approximately 15:30, 2 Israeli military jeeps positioned
at the entrance to Balata refugee camp, east of the city, moved into
Nablus. A number of Palestinian children
and young men gathered and threw stones at the jeeps. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired at them. As a result, ‘Ammar Hilal Mohammed Khaled,
20, was wounded by a live bullet in the face, and sustained a fracture in the
left hand when Israeli soldiers fired a tear gas canister at him.
During the incursion, Israeli soldiers also fired at
a number of Palestinian children who were cultivating olives in Deir Ballout
village, west of Salfit, wounding Mohammed Mufid Mahfouz Abu al-Khair, 14, with
a live bullet in the left upper arm.
Sunday, 9 November 2003
At approximately 03:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into the Palestinian controlled al-Duha village and ‘Aida refugee camp in
Bethlehem. They raided 2 houses in the
north of ‘Aida refugee camp, northwest of Bethlehem, and arrested Shadi
‘Abdullah al-Barmil, 22, and Sameer Mohammed al-Ameer, 27. In al-Duha village,
Israeli forces raided a house belonging to the Fararja family. They arrested
Mohammed (20), ‘Aamer (25) and Sa’id Salem Fararja (30).
In the morning, medical officials at al-Muttala’
Hospital in Jerusalem declared that Samer Suleiman Abu ‘Assab, 26, from Balata
refugee camp, east of Nablus, died from an injury he sustained the week
before.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
08:00 on Tuesday, 4 November 2003, 2 tanks, 5 military jeeps and a bulldozer of
the Israeli occupying forces moved into Blata refugee camp, east of
Nablus. A number of Israeli soldiers took positions atop of a 3-stoery
house owned by Na’im Qattawi. At approximately 12:00, as school children
were leaving their schools to go back home, the bulldozer started to block
al-Hashashin Street in the east of the refugee camp. A number of school
children gathered and threw stones towards the Israeli military vehicles.
Immediately, Israeli soldiers opened fire, wounding 12 Palestinian civilians,
including 9 children. Abu ‘Assab, who was
passing by the area, was seriously wounded. He was evacuated to al-Muttala’ Hospital in Jerusalem, where he died.
At approximately 10:30, medical sources at Shifa
Hospital in Gaza City declared that an elderly Palestinian man from Khan Yunis
died from an injury he sustained 2 weeks ago, when Israeli occupying forces
shelled Palestinian residential areas in the town.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
20:30 on Sunday, 26 October 2003, Israeli occupying forces positioned in
military locations near “Gush Qatif” settlement bloc, west of Khan Younis,
opened fire at Palestinian residential areas to the east. 2 Palestinian
civilians were wounded by the Israeli gunfire that continued until the
following morning, including Subhi Saleh ‘Eissa Shirreer, 62, who was seriously
wounded by a live bullet that passed through his armpit and lungs before
settling in his spinal column. He was
wounded near his house, approximately 1400m away from the Israeli soldiers. He was evacuated to Shifa Hospital in Gaza
City, where he died.
Monday, 10 November 2003
At approximately 03:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. They raided a number of Palestinian houses. During the operations Riad Hassan Abu
Shallal, 19, attempted to move from his house to a neighboring house. When Israeli soldiers noticed him, they fired
at him without warning. He was wounded
by a live bullet in the abdomen. Israeli
soldiers then arrested him along with 7 other Palestinians.
During a military incursion into the Rafah refugee
camp in the southern Gaza Strip Israeli occupying forces killed one Palestinian
child. During the incursion into Block O
in the Rafah camp, Israeli forces also demolished 23 Palestinian houses and 5
commercial properties.
According to PCHR’s preliminary investigations, on
Monday afternoon, Israeli occupying forces using heavy military vehicles,
including bulldozers, moved approximately 200m into Block O in Rafah refugee
camp, adjacent to the border with Egypt. Under cover of intense gunfire, Israeli forces began demolishing
Palestinian homes and other civilian property in the area. The military operation continued until 18:00,
by which time the Israeli occupying forces had demolished 23 Palestinian houses
and 5 commercial stores. As a result, 42
families comprised of around 250 people have been rendered homeless. PCHR’s field worker in Rafah reported that
many of these houses had been already vacated by their residents as they had
been subject to frequent Israeli shelling. In addition, 3 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children, were
wounded. One of the children, Shadi
Na’im Abu ‘Anza, 14, was wounded by a live bullet in the pelvis, and died on
Tuesday morning, 11 November 2003. The
other civilians who were wounded were:
1. ‘Abed ‘Aatef Abu al-Sa’id, 14, wounded
by shrapnel in the left hand; and
2. Ahmed Mohammed Abu Hashish, 27, wounded
by a live bullet in the left hand.
Since the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada in September
2000, Israeli occupying forces have demolished hundreds of Palestinian homes in
Rafah in similar operations. All of
these operations have been justified by Israeli authorities on ‘security’
grounds. However, the lack of evidence to support these ‘security’ claims, the
excessive amount of destruction inflicted and the geographical area in which
most demolitions have occurred indicate that demolition operations carried out
in Rafah represent a strategic policy by the Israeli government to clear a
large section of Palestinian land along the border of Egypt in order to create
a wide buffer zone and consolidate Israeli military control in the area. In
this context, Israeli occupation forces have begun construction of a concrete
and metal wall parallel to the border with Egypt. The wall is being built on land that was
illegally confiscated by Israel after Israeli forces demolished and cleared
Palestinian homes located in the area. The
operation on 10 November, 2003 came only one month after a wide-scale Israeli
offensive on Rafah refugee camp, during which Israeli occupying forces
demolished more than 170 houses and destroyed the civilian infrastructure of
the camp.
At approximately 03:30, an undercover unit of Israeli
occupying forces infiltrated into the villages of Beit Reema and Deir Ghassana,
northwest of Ramallah. Soon, more Israeli
forces moved into the two villages. They
raided a number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinians.
At approximately 06:00, Israeli soldiers in a
military jeep fired at Ra’ed Mohammed Isma’il al-Qaisiya, 22, from al-Zahiriya
village, south of Hebron, while he was walking on a bypass road near the Green
Line, south of his village, on his way to his work in Israel, seriously
wounding him with 2 live bullets in the back and the shoulder. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers
fired at the victim without warning from a distance of less than 100m.
In the evening, Israeli occupying forces arrested the
Palestinian Authority High Sharia’ Judge Sheikh Tayseer Bayoudh
al-Tamimi, 50, while he was with other clerks on their way to the al-Aqsa
Mosque in Jerusalem.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
18:00, while Sheikh al-Tamimi, 3 Sharia’ judges and a staff member of
al-Tamimi’s office were on their way to al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for the evening
Ramadan prayers, they were arrested by Israeli police and members of the
“Border Guard”. They were taken to a police station in West Jerusalem
where they were informed that they would be held on a 24 hour renewable
detention order. On the following day,
the Israeli police denied them access to their attorney Jawad Polos.
Tuesday, 11 November 2003
At approximately 11:00, 6 Israeli military jeeps
moved into al-Fandoqaqmia village, southeast of Jenin, under cover of intense
gunfire. A number of Palestinian
children and young men gathered and threw stones at the Israeli military
jeeps. Immediately, Israeli soldiers
fired at them, wounding 3:
1. ‘Omar
‘Abdul Ra’ouf ‘Abdul Rahman ‘Abdullah, 20, wounded by a rubber-coated metal
bullet in the left leg;
2. Wa’el
Saleh ‘Azzam, 15, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left leg; and
3. Mohammed
Fathi Sadiq ‘Azzam, 23, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right
leg.
At approximately 17:00, 4 Israeli heavy military
vehicles moved approximately 150m into Block O in Rafah refugee camp, adjacent
to the Egyptian border. The incursion
continued until approximately 19:00, during which, Israeli occupying forces
destroyed 2 Palestinian houses:
1. A
150-square-meter house owned by Mohammed Hassan al-Zummar, in which 8 people
lived; and
2. A
160-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Mohammed Saleh Abu al-Rous, in
which 11 people lived.
PCHR’s field worker in Rafah reported that residents
of the two houses had already evacuated them due to the danger posed in the
area by Israeli shelling.
Wednesday, 12 November 2003
At approximately 17:30, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by 5 heavy military vehicles, moved approximately 100m into Block O
in Rafah refugee camp, adjacent to the Egyptian border. Israeli soldiers planted explosives inside a
180-square-meter house owned by ‘Emad Saber al-Akhras. At approximately 20:00, they destroyed the
house. The 5 residents of the house had
already evacuated it due to Israeli shelling. During the incursion, Israeli forces indiscriminately fired into residential
areas. As a result, Palestinian
civilian, Munir Mustafa ‘Aashour, 38, was wounded by shrapnel from a live
bullet in the right hand.
At approximately 21:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at al-Zohour
neighborhood, approximately 1500m to the north. A Palestinian civilian, Mousa Mustafa Duhair, 18, was wounded by a live
bullet in the left hand.
At the same time, an infantry unit of Israeli
occupying forces moved approximately 150m into al-Rabwat al-Gharbia area in the
northwest of Khan Yunis. Israeli
soldiers raided a 2-stoery house owned by Hassan Milad al-Astal. They held the 3 families (18 people) living
in the house in one room on the first floor. Then, they searched the house and mounted its roof, where they remained
until 05:30 the following day.
Collective Punishment against Families of Wanted
Palestinians and Those Who Have Carried out Armed Attacks against Israeli
Targets
In violation of international humanitarian law, in particular
the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of
War of 1949, article 33 of which prohibits punishing any protected person for
“an offence he or she has not personally committed,” Israeli forces took
retaliatory measures against the families of Palestinians Israel alleges have ordered,
facilitated, or carried out attacks against Israeli targets. In this context, Israeli occupying forces
destroyed 5 Palestinian houses in the West Bank.
At approximately 03:00 on Thursday, 6 November 2003,
Israeli occupying forces moved into Silwad village, northeast of Ramallah. They surrounded an 80-square-meter house
belonging to the family of Ibrahim Mar’ei Hamed, 36, who is allegedly wanted by
Israeli forces. They forced Hamed’s
mother and 2 children out of the house. Then, they destroyed the house. The two children have lived with their grandmother since last February
when Israeli occupying forces arrested Hamed’s wife, Asmaa’ ‘Abdul Raziq ‘Abdul
Jail Hamed, 30. To pressure Hamed to
turn himself in Israel has threatened to expel his wife to Jordan for not
having a Palestinian ID card.
At approximately 18:00 on Friday, 6 November 2003,
Amajd Ahmed ‘Eissa ‘Obaidi, 37, from Zabbouba village, west of Jenin, who was
hiding in a house belonging to the al-Sa’di family, surrendered to Israeli
occupying forces that moved into Jenin. Israeli occupying forces then destroyed
3 houses owned by Taleb, Fawzi and Ibrahim al-Sa’di
At approximately 09:00 on Saturday, 8 November 2003,
Israeli occupying forces that had moved into Jenin destroyed a 30-square-meter
uninhabited house owned by Khitam Yassin Maraba’a in Tala’at al-Ghabas
area. They claimed that Amjad ‘Obaidi,
mentioned above, was hiding inside the house.
Continued Construction of Separation Wall
Israeli occupying forces have continued to raze and
confiscate areas of Palestinian land for the construction of the
“separation wall” in the West Bank. They have also continued to conduct
demographic surveys in some Palestinian areas for the same purpose. Palestinian civilians, Israeli peace
activists and members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) have
organized peaceful protests in the areas that have been negatively affected by
the construction of the “separation wall.” Israeli occupying
authorities informed Palestinians living in villages adjacent to the
demarcation lines that they must obtain permits to be able to access their
homes and lands.
At the beginning of this week, Israeli occupying
forces began to survey the areas through which the “separation wall”
will pass in the northern Jordan Valley. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli
forces have put signs up that declare the closure of thousands of donums of
Palestinian agricultural land in the area. Israeli occupying forces had already notified residents of Bardala
village in the northern Jordan Valley that 424 donums of their lands would be
seized for the purpose of the construction of the separation wall.
PCHR’s field worker in Jenin reported that Israeli
occupying forces forced residents of Palestinian villages through which the
“separation wall” passes to obtain permits to access their homes and
land. Every Palestinian over 12 must
obtain such permits. This Israeli
measure has affected 12635 Palestinians living in the villages of Barta’a,
Zhaher al-‘Abed, Um al-Rihan, Toura al-Gharbia, Toura al-Sharqia, ‘Aanin,
Kherbat al-Mentar, Kherbat al-‘Abed Younis, al-Taiba, Rummana, Zabbouba and
Ta’nak. The number of housing units
affected by this measure is 2189.
For the second consecutive week, Israeli occupying
forces have denied access of Palestinians from Bethlehem and Beit Sahour to
their lands located north of the two towns. The area of these lands is more than 8000 donums. According to the Bethlehem Municipality,
Israeli occupying forces have prevented Palestinian farmers from cultivating
olives by denying them access to their lands. As a consequence, levels of
poverty have increased among farmers and field workers. In addition, Israeli
occupying forces have maintained the closure of the northern entrances of the
two towns and a dirt road linking them to occupied Jerusalem and their
agricultural lands.
According to a recent report published by the
Committee against the Wall in Jenin, the wall has isolated 16 Palestinian
villages, in which 11000 Palestinians live, in Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya and
Salfit. Israeli military bulldozers have
demolished 218 housing units and commercial properties in the villages of
Nazalt ‘Eissa and al-Taiba, destroyed 14500 donums of agricultural land and
isolated 36 wells and 121000 donums of land – 12% of the total area of the West
Bank – for the purpose of the construction of the wall, according to the
report.
Continued Siege on the OPT
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose severe
restrictions on movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
Despite reports in the Israeli media claiming that
Israeli forces have begun to facilitate the movement of Palestinians, there has
been no changes on the ground concerning the restriction of Palestinian
movement. Israeli occupying forces continue to impose severe restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have also continued to close a number of main and branch roads in
the Gaza Strip, without taking into consideration the travel needs of
Palestinians during the holy Ramadan Month. Furthermore, Palestinians continue to be subject to humiliating and
degrading treatment by Israeli occupation forces at Israeli military
checkpoints and border crossings.
Israeli occupying forces have continued to restrict
movement of Palestinian civilians at al-Matahen and Abu Houli military
checkpoints, north of Khan Yunis, on Salah al-Din Street, the main road between
the south and north of the Gaza Strip. On Sunday and Monday afternoons, 9 and 10 November 2003, Israeli
occupying forces closed the two checkpoints and blocked many Palestinian
vehicles between them. They checked the ID card of a number of Palestinian
civilians and searched their cars. They also fired at Palestinian vehicles
waiting at the checkpoints. According to
eyewitnesses, on the first day, Israeli occupying forces arrested a taxi
driver, and on the second day, they arrested 4 Palestinians: Sa;id Abu Middain;
Nasser Abu Kousa; Hassan Abu Hamda; and Ramzi Ahmed Abu ‘Ouda.
Israeli occupying forces have also continued to
deliberately hamper the processing of people through the Rafah Terminal on the
Egyptian border. They have decreased the
working hours of the soldiers at the terminal from 24 hours to less than 8
hours a day. They have also decreased
the number of Palestinian personnel allowed to work at the terminal to 6
workers. Palestinian travelers have
been subject to harassment, abuse and prolonged searches by Israeli
soldiers. Israeli security services
often summon, interrogate and arrest Palestinian travelers at the
terminal.
Within the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces have
continued to impose a strict siege on al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza
Strip, restricting movement of Palestinian civilians in and out of the
area. Since Sunday, 26 October 2003,
Israeli occupying forces have imposed more restrictions on the movement of
Palestinians through al-Tuffah checkpoint at the entrance to al-Mawasi area,
west of Khan Yunis. Palestinians under
35 have been denied passage through the checkpoint. Consequently, approximately 30 university
students have not been able to go to their universities. Israeli occupying forces have also tightened
the siege imposed on al-Sayafa area between “Dogit” and “Elli
Sinai” settlement in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian civilians moving in and out of
the area are subject to prolonged searches checked by Israeli soldiers at the
gate of the area, which is the only outlet into the area.
Although Israeli occupying forces reopened Erez
crossing for Palestinian workers on Sunday, 2 November 2003 after a one-month
closure, they have imposed more restrictions on the movement of workers. A worker must be over 35, married with
children, in possession of a magnetic card and a valid work permit and have
Israeli security acceptance. Israeli occupying forces also subject Palestinian
workers to prolonged searches and a number of workers have been summoned by the
Israeli security services. Work permits
of a number of these workers were cancelled as a form of collective punishment
for having relatives that are activists of the Intifada or have been injured
during Palestinian protests. Israeli
restrictions on the access of Palestinian workers to their work places have
caused a further deterioration to the Palestinian economy.
Israeli occupying forces have also restricted the
movement of Palestinian goods at border crossings. For instance, transportation of vegetables
from the southern Gaza Strip to the West Bank takes several days due to Israeli
restrictions on the movement of goods at border crossings.
The West Bank
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have continued to close military
checkpoints and have erected a number of temporary ones on main, branch and
dirt roads during the month of Ramadan. For the second consecutive week, Israeli occupying forces have denied
young Palestinians access to occupied Jerusalem to pray at the al-Aqsa
Mosque.
Occupied Jerusalem
On Friday morning, 7 Novmeber 2003, Israeli occupying
forces reinforced their presence in the northern parts of the city and
surrounding villages, and denied access of Palestinians to the al-Aqsa
Mosque. According to eyewitnesses,
Palestinian civilians were forced to wait in long lines and checked before
being allowed to reach the al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli soldiers have been deployed in the streets and roadblocks have
been constructed in various parts of the city.
Ramallah
Although Israeli occupying forces dismantled ‘Ein
‘Arik military checkpoint, they have tightened the siege imposed on Ramallah
and al-Bireh. According to eyewitnesses,
measures at Qalandya checkpoint, south of Ramallah, have not changed, and
Israeli occupying forces at the checkpoint have continued to restrict movement
of Palestinians.
Nablus
Israeli occupying forces have continued to close
military checkpoints around the city. Israeli soldiers at military checkpoints have denied passage of most
Palestinian civilians. They have also
continued to pursue Palestinian civilians who attempt to travel on dirt roads,
and have fired on them with live ammunition in some instances.
Jenin
Israeli occupying forces have continued to close the
roads leading to Jenin. This week, Israeli occupying forces moved into Jenin on
multiple occasions and imposed a curfew. On Tuesday morning, 11 November 2003, Israeli occupying forces prevented
Palestinians from crossing the gate established east of Tayaseer village in the
northern Jordan Valley. According to
eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers informed Palestinians wishing to cross the gate
that they must obtain permits from the so-called “Israeli Civil Administration”
or “Settlement Guard” to be allowed access to their agricultural
lands.
*******
PCHR calls:
1. Upon the international community to
provide immediate and independent international protection for
the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
2. Upon the High Contracting Parties to
the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to reconvene to take effective
measures to protect Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, in accordance with their obligations under article 1 and article
146, to ensure respect for the Convention.
3. Upon the international community to
investigate and prosecute before international courts those believed to have
committed war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
4. Upon the ICRC to enhance its presence,
expand its activities, and intensify its field operations throughout the
Occupied Palestinian Territories.
5. Upon the European Union to activate
Article 2 of the Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel
must respect human rights.
6. Upon the international community to
provide humanitarian and medical assistance for the Palestinian people, whose
living conditions are continuing to deteriorate as a result of the continued
siege imposed by Israeli occupation forces on the entire Occupied Palestinian
Territories.
“END”
Public Document
**************************************
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on
+972 8 2824776 – 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.
E-mail:[email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
