Ref: 101/2023
Date: 08 October 2023
Time: 12:15 GMT
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the killing of 5 Palestinians, including 2 children, and injury of 4 others yesterday in the evening.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) fired live ammunition during clashes that accompanied their suppression of peaceful protests organized in solidarity with the Gaza Strip across the West Bank.
These crimes prove IOF’s lenient shooting standards and unjustified killing upon Israel’s top military and political echelons.According to Information available to PCHR’s fieldworkers, the events were as follows:In Qalqilya, at around 19:00 on Saturday, 07 October 2023, Palestinian boys gathered and threw stones near the northern crossing of the city (Eyal Crossing), where clashes broke out.
Meanwhile, IOF stationed at the crossing entrance immediately and directly opened fire at the boys, wounding Ahmed ‘Abed al-Naser Rabi (13) with a live bullet in his left waist.
He was evacuated to a local hospital, where he was shortly pronounced dead.In the same afternoon in Ramallah, a mass protest organized by dozens of Palestinians made its way towards the northern entrance to al-Bireh near al-Mahkama military checkpoint, which is established at the entrance to “Beit El settlement”, north of the city.
Protestors set fire to tires amidst clashes, but IOF immediately suppressed the protestors and fired stun grenades, teargas canisters, and live and rubber-coated bullets at them. As a result, 4 Palestinians were injured; amongst them ‘Amr Yousef ‘Aabed (19), who was shot with a live bullet in his head from around 50 meters away. ‘Aabed was evacuated to Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, where doctors pronounced him dead, succumbing to his serious injury.
Simultaneously in Jericho, IOF stationed at the northern entrance to the city suppressed a protest organized by dozens of Palestinians. Afterwards, clashes broke out; during which, IOF fired rubber-coated and live bullets, stun grenades, and teargas canisters at the protestors.
As a result, two Palestinians were injured; one was identified as Karam Naser al-‘Aydi (22) shot with a live bullet in his head from around 30 meters away. The two injured were taken to the Jericho Governmental Hospital, where doctors later pronounced al-‘Aydi dead, succumbing to his critical injury.In Hebron, several protests were organized in different areas and then developed into clashes with IOF, who fired live bullets, stun grenades, and teargas canisters at the protestors.
As a result, Yousef Nader Edris (16) and Mahmoud Basem Ikhmais (18) were both shot dead with a live bullet in their chest.PCHR calls on the international community to take an immediate action to stop the Israeli crimes and double standard when applying the international law.
PCHR urges the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take serious action in the situation of Palestine.PCHR reiterates its call on 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.
