Ref: 74/2023
Date: 04 July 2023
Time: 11:15 GMT
The Israeli Military Occupation continues its aggression on Jenin refugee camp for the second consecutive day, amid missile attacks that inflicted more civilian casualties, extensive destruction to the infrastructure and civilian objects and property. The joint aerial and ground incursion into Jenin refugee camp is the first since the 2002 Operation Defensive Shield on the camp. Also, thousands, mostly women and children, were forcibly displaced from their homes. Meanwhile, the bombing has caused a complete power outage across the camp’s neighborhoods as well as cutting off water supplies and internet services, exacerbating the humanitarian situation and isolating the camp from the outside world. Moreover, ambulances were denied access to evacuate the wounded due to the tight siege imposed on the camp and the intensive deployment of Israeli military vehicles.
Following PCHR’s press release published yesterday, and according to information collected by PCHR’s staff, in the evening of Monday, 03 July 2023, the bombing intensified all over the camp’s neighborhoods, and members of the Palestinian armed groups confronted the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF. As a result, Ahmad Al-‘Amer (22) was killed.
At dawn, on Tuesday, the rescue teams recovered the body of Mustafa Nidal Al-Qasem (17), who was wounded in an Israeli boming, while the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced the death of ‘Uday Khamaysa (20), who was found in Al-Sa’ada Forest in Marj Ibn Amer near the Camp.
According to MOH, the total number of injuries in the camp and its surroundings has risen to 100, including 20 in critical condition.
Last evening, hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their houses towards Jenin Governmental Hospital, Ibn Sina Specialist Hospital, and their relatives’ houses in the highest forced displacement, fleeing from the intense bombing amid communication and internet blackout in the camp.
Some families in the camp told PCHR’s fieldworker that Israeli soldiers ordered via loudspeakers the Palestinian families who were trapped in the camp to leave within 10 minutes while they gave other neighborhoods an hour to leave. Ambulances began transporting the families out of Jenin after IOF only opened the main entrance and kept the other entrances closed.
During the incursion, IOF deliberately levelled and damaged roads and destroyed electricity and internet networks to cut off the electricity and communications inside the refugee camp.
IOF’s warplanes conducted more airstrikes on the refugee camp, causing extensive destruction and damage. IOF also fired teargas canisters at the Jenin Governmental Hospital and opened fire at al-Amal Hospital in the camp’s outskirts.
Moreover, IOF conducted a mass arrest campaign targeting tens of Palestinians and took them to an unknown destination after subjecting some of them to degrading treatment and interrogation. According to IOF, about 120 Palestinians have been arrested.
PCHR’s fieldworkers could estimate the exact amount of destruction to the houses, facilities, infrastructure, and casualties due to the ongoing military operation in Jenin at the time of writing this press release.
PCHR warns of further deterioration in thesituation in the West Bank and reiterates its call on the international community to take an immediate action to stop the Israeli crimes and double standard when applying the international law. PCHR urges in particular the ICC Prosecutor to take serious action in the situation of Palestine.
PCHR demands the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention fulfil their obligations as per Common Article 1 of the Convention, “undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances,” and their obligations under Article 146 of the same Conventions, i.e., to hold accountable persons accused of committing grave breaches of the Convention.