Press Release

A Bloody day in the occupied Palestinian territories:

8 Palestinian civilians are killed and hundreds are wounded by the Israeli occupation forces

Today, the Israeli occupation escalated their aggressive actions against Palestinian demonstrators who demonstrated in protest to the crimes and killings perpetrated by these forces in the occupied Palestinian territories. In contrast with the claims of the Israeli political circles and mass media, the last 48 hours witnessed additional reinforcement of the Israeli occupation troops, and establishment of new military sites and expansion of existing ones. It is worth mentioning that these military sites are in direct friction with over-populated Palestinian areas, which increases tension in these areas and constitutes a major factor of the continuity of clashes between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces.

This afternoon, the Israeli occupation forces fired at a peaceful demonstration which was organized in Nablus in protest to the aggressive actions by the Israeli occupation forces and Jewish settlers, who fired at some Palestinians yesterday and killed Zahi Fathi El-A’arda, 34 years old, by a bullet in the abdomen. In the clashes of this afternoon in Nablus, 4 Palestinian civilians were killed and 55 were wounded, 8 of whom are in a very critical condition, including the child Sae’d Tambour, 15 years old, who was wounded by a bullet in the head, and medical sources stated that he is clinically dead. The four martyrs of Nablus are:

1. A’dnan Khairi A’ziz Asa’d, 21 years old, wounded by a Dum-Dum bullet in the head;
2. Eissa Abdullah Shteiwi, 32 years old, wounded by a medium bullet in the heart;
3. Feras Khalil Mustafa Zeid, 26 years old, wounded by a medium bullet in the chest; and
4. Amjad Ahmed Abu Eissa, 32 years old, wounded by a bullet in the chest.

This afternoon too, in the town of Salfit the Israeli occupation forces fired at Palestinian demonstrators and killed the child Alla’ Bassam Abdullah Bani Nemreh, 15 years old, by a bullet in the head. In Ramallah and Al-Bireh, the Israeli occupation forces shot dead Thae’r Ali Daud Moa’lla, 20 years old, from the refugee camp of Al-Ama’ri, by a bullet in the head, and wounded dozens of civilians with live ammunition and rubber-coated metal bullets.

In Qalqilya, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators and killed the child Samer Talal Al-Oweisi, 16 years old, by a bullet in the chest, and wounded dozens. In Tulkarm, the child Mohammed A’adel Ibrahim Abu Tahoun, 16 years old, was killed by two bullets in the neck and the chest fired by the Israeli occupation forces.

This evening, the Israeli combat helicopters shelled some houses and an electricity generator in Beit Sahour. As a result, electricity was cut off in some quarters of the city. No casualties have been reported so far.

In the town of Rafah, clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces are still continuous. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah has just reported that the Israeli occupation forces unleashed two shells at houses in the area adjacent to the borders with Egypt. It is worth mentioning that these houses were evacuated of their residents due to frequent aggressive actions by the Israeli occupation forces. During the past three weeks, this area was shelled by the Israeli occupation forces several times, the last of them was last night when these forces unleashed 6 shells. The Israeli occupation forces have used live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets, tear gas and even shells indiscriminately against Palestinian civilians in Rafah. PCHR’s field officer in the town reported that 15 Palestinian civilians were wounded by live ammunition shot by the Israeli occupation forces, including the child Ibrahim Zannoun, 13 years old, who was wounded in the foot, and Nazek Mohammed Qeshta, 32 years old, who was wounded by splinters of a shell in the eye and hand.

In Khan Yunis, clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces near an Israeli military outpost to the west of the refugee camp of Khan Yunis are still continuous. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that more than 135 Palestinians, mostly children, were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets, and 5 people were wounded by live ammunition as a result of indiscriminate shooting by the Israeli occupation forces. The PCHR’s field officer added that the journalist Abdel Rahman Al-Khatib, a photographer of Al-Ayyam local daily newspaper, was wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the face. In addition, dozens of Palestinian civilians were hurt due to inhaling tear gas used by the Israeli occupation forces.

Today also, the vicinity of the settlement of Kfar Darom near Deir El-Balah, witnessed clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces, which responded shooting rubber-coated metal bullets. As a result, two Palestinians were wounded.

The area of Erez in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces fired at Palestinian demonstrators this afternoon. As a result, Jalal Yssin Hmeida, 16 years old, from Gaza, was wounded by 3 bullets in the chest, shoulder and arm. He was evacuated to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that 4 other Palestinians were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets.

PCHR is deeply worried about the escalation of excessive use of power by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians, this afternoon in particular. PCHR warns that more killings may be perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians in light of reinforcing the presence of these forces throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, in contrast with the claims of the Israeli mass media that these forces decreased the points of friction. In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces reinforced their presence in several areas and took some aggressive steps by:

1. Establishing a new military site at the road leading to Kissufim Crossing.
2. Deploying tanks, vehicles and troops along the main road of the Gaza Strip, as if they were going to reoccupy the Gaza Strip.
3. The use of silencers, and the excessive use of rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas against Palestinian civilians and houses near points of clashes.
4. The use of shells which became a systematic policy during the past two days, for instance the town of Rafah was shelled last night and today.
5. Sweeping some agricultural areas adjacent to Israeli military sites and settlements.
6. Continuing to impose a total siege on the Gaza Strip, as all border crossings are still closed, except for Gaza International Airport which was reopened yesterday.

PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community and the High Contracting Parties to Geneva Fourth Convention for immediate intervention to halt the crimes and killings perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces, which have resulted in killing 105 Palestinians, including 27 children under 18, and wounding more than 3,000, one third of whom are children. PCHR believes that providing immediate international protection for Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories is the only

way to stop the crimes perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces, and prevent more deterioration of the situation.