Ref: 28/2023
Date: 08 March 2023
Time: 13:00 GMT
Yesterday in the afternoon, 6 Palestinians were killed, and 26 others, mostly civilians, were wounded, including 3 in a serious condition, during a widescale brutal military operation conducted by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in Jenin refugee camp, northern West Bank, deep inside the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas. This crime was committed in light of IOF’s escalating violations, killings and extrajudicial executions upon a decision taken by Israel’s top military and political echelons.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 15:00, on Tuesday, 07 March 2023, an Israeli special force infiltrated into Mahyoub Street, east of Jenin refugee camp, in a Mercedes Truck with a “Future Company for Transportation” named on it and holding a Palestinian registration plate. The force cordoned off a 2-storey house belonging to Iyad ‘Azmi Kharousha (49), a former detainee and member of the armed Palestinian groups in the Old ‘Askar refugee camp in Nablus. IOF accused Kharousha of carrying out a shooting attack that killed 2 settlers in Huwara village on 26 February 2023. Moments later, IOF sent large backups accompanied with a bulldozer to the Camp as some of them topped the roofs of high buildings in the area and tightened the cordon on the house and the streets leading to it, with drones and helicopters supporting their raid. The soldiers heavily opened fire and launched man-portable missiles at the cordoned house, causing heavy smoke and dust. Meanwhile, clashes broke out between IOF and members of the Palestinian armed groups in the vicinity of the house. As a result, 6 members of the Palestinian armed groups were killed, and 26 others, mostly civilians, were injured: including 3 in serious condition. All those injured and 5 of those killed namely, Mohammad Wael Ghazzawi (26), Mo’atasem Nasser Al-Sabbagh (22), Tareq Ziyad Natour (27), from the camp, Ziyad Ameen Al-Zar’ini (29), from Jenin, Mohammad Ahmad Khallouf (22) from Burqin, were taken to the of Jenin Governmental Hospital, Ibn Sina Specialist Hospital and Al-Razi Hosipital. After IOF withdrew at around 17:30, the body of ‘Abdul-Fattah Kharousha was found inside the targeted house, which sustained severe destruction.
IOF announced in a statement that, “during a joint operation by the security forces in the Jenin refugee camp, ‘AbdulFattah Kharousha, who carried out the shooting attack in Huwara village killing 2 Israeli settlers, was neutralized”. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared the name of the shooting attacker in Huwara, and vowed to come after whoever harms the Israelis. These statements prove that what happened was an extrajudicial execution conducted by IOF upon Israel’s top-level military and political orders.
PCHR condemns the Israeli crimes, including extrajudicial executions, and emphasizes that IOF have used such type of crime over the past years against the Palestinians amid the international community’s silence, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, and inaction to stop these crimes and take effective measures against the Israeli occupation, encouraging Israel to commit further war crimes against the Palestinians.
PCHR calls on the international community to intervene immediately to end the Israeli assassination crimes against the Palestinians that fall under a form of summary executions without trial and to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to trial.
PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community to take immediate action to end the Israeli occupation’s crimes and the international community’s double standards when applying the international law, particularly demanding the ICC Prosecutor to act seriously with regard to the situation in Palestine. PCHR also 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.” PCHR urges 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.
