Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (05 September 2001)

Introduction

This report covers Israeli violations of human rights in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPT) from August 30 – September 5, 2001. While some 3,500 NGOs meeting in Durban have
condemned Israel for its racist and criminal occupation in the OPT, Israel has
continued its abuses against the Palestinian people. Shortly before issuing this report, Israeli
occupation forces committed a new assassination, part of a series of
extra-judicial killings. ‘Omar Mahmoud
Subeh, 22, from Tulkram, and Mustafa ‘Aahed ‘Anbas, 19, from Tulkarm refugee
camp, were victims of this new crime. According to an initial investigation, an Israeli combat helicopter
fired three rockets at a car, in which the victims were traveling, at the
eastern entrance of Tulkarm. The car was
hit by two rockets and the two were instantly killed. The third rocket fell onto the street,
wounding some Palestinian civilians. According to Israeli radio, the operation targeted Ra’ed Mohammed
El-Karmi, 26, from Tulkarm, who was traveling in a car behind the car of the
two victims. He was injured by shrapnel
in the feet and the hands.

This week witnesses a significant escalation in heavy and
indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian cities by Israeli occupation
forces. Some incursions into areas under
the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority were also recorded this
week, under the cover of heavy shelling by Israeli occupation forces. These forces used artillery shells, combat
helicopters, surface-to-surface missiles and heavy, medium and light machine
guns to shell Palestinian cities. During
the shelling of and incursions into Palestinian areas, eight Palestinians,
including a physician and three civilians, were killed, and dozens, mostly
civilians, were injured.

On Thursday, August 30, 2001, an Israeli combat
helicopter opened fired with heavy machine guns on Palestinian residential
areas in Tulkarm refugee camp. A
Palestinian civilian, Daoud Saleh ‘Abdel-Nabi Fahmawi, 32, was killed by a live
bullet in the chest. PCHR was informed
that Fahmawi was a street sweeper and was on duty when he was shot dead. Furthermore, three Palestinian civilians were
wounded.

On the same day, Mousa Safi Qudeihat, 50, a
physician from Kharas village near Hebron, was killed by a heavy caliber bullet
that entered the abdomen and exited the back. Qudeihat was crossing a street on his way to the offices of Ministry of
Health when he was shot dead by Israeli occupation soldiers, during heavy
shelling of Hebron. Additionally, 17
Palestinians, including 16 civilians, were wounded. One of the wounded, a 10-year-old child,
Bilal Ismail El-‘Amassi, was seriously wounded by a live bullet that entered
the back and exited the chest. The child
was shopping with his family in preparation for the new school year when he was
shot by Israeli occupation soldiers

Also on the same day, for
the fifth time in less than one week, Israeli occupation forces penetrated into
Rafah. At approximately 23:00 local
time, with heavy shelling, Israeli occupation forces moved into Block “J” in
Rafah refugee camp, adjacent to the border with Egypt. During this incursion nine Palestinians,
including six civilians, were wounded. One of the wounded, Khaled Mustafa ‘Awaja, 30, a member of the
Palestinian National Security Forces, received two live bullets in the head; he
was pronounced dead on Sunday, August 2, 2001. Furthermore, during the incursion, the Israeli occupation forces
demolished seven houses, rendering 80 people homeless.

In the evening of
Saturday, September 1, 2001, under the cover of heavy shelling of Palestinian
houses, Israeli occupation forced moved into areas under full control of the
Palestinian National Authority in Hebron. Two Palestinian gunmen were killed when confronting the incursion by the
Israeli occupation forces into Wadi Al-Heria neighborhood. The were:

1) ‘Alla’ Younis Erfa’eya,
22, received 8 live bullets throughout the body; and

2) Mohammed Edris Fayez
‘Aashour, 22, received 3 live bullets throughout the body.

Israeli occupation
soldiers are killed one of them after he had been wounded and subdued by them.

On Monday, September 3,
2001, Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells and heavy, medium and
light caliber bullets Palestinian residential areas. Two Palestinian civilians were killed and 22
were injured. Many houses and shops were
also severely damaged. ‘Emad ‘Essam
Mahmoud El-Batesh El-Husseini, 17, was on the roof of his family’s house when
he was killed by a medium caliber bullet in the head. Amjad Majed Mustafa
El-Jamal, 25, was killed by a live bullet in the head while he was trying to
evacuate El-Hussein in his car to hospital.

 1. Shelling of Palestinian
Residential Areas and Civilian and Security Facilities

Thursday, August 30, 20001

At approximately 11:00 local time, Israeli occupation
forces opened fire with heavy and light machine guns, shooting indiscriminately
at Palestinian houses in Nour Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm. Approximately half an hour later, a combat
helicopter opened fire with heavy machine guns on the same area. A Palestinian civilian, Daoud Saleh
‘Abdel-Nabi Fahmawi, 32, was killed by a live bullet in the chest. PCHR was informed that Fahmawi was a street
sweeper and was on duty when he was shot dead. Furthermore, three Palestinian civilians were wounded:

1) ‘Adnan Nasser Zendiq, 24, wounded by a live bullet in
the right foot;

2) Sajed Saleh Abu Harb, 23, wounded by a live bullet in
the right thigh; and

3) Mahmoud Khaled Abu El-Heija, 22, wounded by a live
bullet in the left foot.

At approximately 22:00 local time, Israeli occupation
forces, positioned in “Psagot” settlement, east of Al-Bireh, opened fired with
heavy machine guns on Palestinian houses in Jabal Al-Tawil and Sateh Marhaba
neighborhoods and the Hashimite School, causing severe damage.

Saturday, September 1,
2001

At approximately 01:15
local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned in military sites in the
vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement west of Khan Yunis and near “Gadid”
settlement, southwest of the city, opened fire from heavy, medium and light
machine guns at Al-Nemsawi neighborhood, west of Khan Yunis refugee camp and
Baten Al-Samin area. Khadra Ahmed Abu
Setta, 70, was injured by a live bullet in the chest, while she was inside her
house in Baten Al-Samin area, southwest of Khan Yunis. In addition, a number of houses were damaged.

Sunday, September 2, 2001

At approximately 03:00 local time, Israeli occupation
forces positioned near Salah El-Din Gate at the border with Egypt fired
artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at two Palestinian houses
in Rafah, causing the following damage:

1) An artillery shell hit a flat on the third floor of a
200-square-meter, three-story house, in which 19 people live, owned by
‘Abdel-Jalil ‘Ali El-Baba. The flat and
its furniture were severely damaged.

2) An artillery shell fell onto a 150-square-meter,
two-story house, in which six people live, owned by Fatema Ahmed Fayeq
El-Khatib. The house was severely
damged.

At approximately 14:00 local time, Israeli occupation
forces, positioned on Baten Abu Na’im Mount, west of Bitounia in Ramallah, and
in “Ofar” military site, fired artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber
bullets at Palestinian houses and a roadblock of the Palestinian Presidential
Guard (Force 17) in the town. A number
of houses were severely damaged. Two
artillery shells fell onto the house of ‘Ezzia ‘Abdullah Jom’a, 65, totally
destroying it. Jom’a and her 4-month-old
granddaughter miraculously survived. No
casualties were reported.

Monday, September 3, 2001

At approximately 14:00
local time, an Israeli combat helicopter shelled the headquarters of the
Palestinian General Intelligence Service in Doura village, west of Hebron. The building was hit by six rockets, causing
partial destruction and burning its furniture.  In addition four Palestinians, including two
civilians, were injured:

1) Ayman Khalil Abu ‘Awadh,
17, civilian, injured by shrapnel throughout the body;

2) Mahmoud Ahmed Hassan Abu
Farwa, 40, civilian, injured by shrapnel throughout the body;

3) Jamil Mahmoud ‘Abdel-Hadi
El-Sa’di, 34, injured by shrapnel throughout the body; and

4) Ziad ‘Abdel-Rahman
El-Qazqi, 30, injured by shrapnel throughout the body.

Starting at approximately
17:25 local time, Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells and heavy,
medium and light caliber bullets for more than three hours at Al-Zahed,
Al-Sheikh, Bir Al-Hummus, Bab Al-Zawia and ‘Ein Kheir El-Din, and Al-Manara,
Al-‘Adel, Wadi Al-Tuffah, Faisal and Al-Shallala streets. Two Palestinian civilians were killed and 22
were injured. Many houses and shops were
also severely damaged.

According to
investigations carried out by the Palestinian Society for the Protection of
Human Rights and the Environment, at approximately 18:00 local time, ‘Emad ‘Essam Mahmoud El-Batesh El-Husseini, 17,
was on the roof of his family’s house when he was wounded by a medium caliber
bullet in the head. The incident
coincided with the passage of Amjad Majed Mustafa El-Jamal, 25, in his car by
the area. When he heard calls for help
coming from El-Husseini house, he hurried to help them evacuate their son to
hospital. He mounted the roof of the
house and carried the wounded son down to his car. As soon as he placed the wounded person into
the car, he was wounded by a medium caliber bullet in the head. A man from the El-Husseini family then drove
the car, taking the wounded to ‘Aalia Hospital. The car was fired while en route to the hospital and its windows
broke. As soon as the car arrived at the
hospital, El-Jamal was pronounced dead, while El-Husseini was transferred to
Al-Ahli Hospital, where efforts to save his life failed.

Furthermore, 22
Palestinian civilians were injured as follows:

1) Mohammed Rashed Dhib
El-Ja’bari, 33, seriously injured by shrapnel in the chest;

2) Mohammed Hamza Badawi
El-Haimouni, 55, seriously injured by shrapnel in the head;

3) Hussein Salah El-Natsheh,
25, injured by shrapnel in the head;

4) Ishaq Nemer Mesbah
El-Juneidi, 14, injured by shrapnel in the head;

5) Mahdi Majdi El-Ja’bari,
16, injured by shrapnel in the head;

6) Fuad ‘Abdel-Jabbar
Mohammed El-Qawasmi, 27, injured by shrapnel in the face;

7) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Ghani
‘Abdel-‘Azziz El-Hashlamoun, 32, injured by shrapnel in the head;

8) Amani Kamel Abu El-Fillat,
24, injured by a live bullet in the right hand;

9) Riad ‘Aayed El-Koumi, 28,
injured by shrapnel throughout the body;

10) ‘Emad ‘Azzam El-Haimouni,
25, injured by shrapnel throughout the body;

11) Ghanem Farahat El-Ja’bari,
22, injured by shrapnel in the hand;

12) Qassem ‘Abdel-Jabbar
El-Qawasmi, 30, injured by shrapnel in the hand;

13) Mu’taz ‘Essam ‘Abdel-Ghani
Zahdeh, 19, injured by shrapnel in the hand;

14) Mohammed Bassem ‘Eissa
‘Aabdin, 40, injured by shrapnel in the legs;

15) Bassem Rabi’ Mohammed
Ehmeiru, 23, injured by shrapnel in the head;

16) Hatem Khalil ‘Eissa
Farrah, 72, injured by shrapnel in the shoulder;

17) ‘Aamer ‘Abdel-Muhsen
El-Qa’oud, 48, injured by shrapnel in the leg;

18) Ra’ed Mohammed Hamza
El-Hanini, 25, injured by shrapnel in the hand;

19) ‘Omran Rateb El-Qa’oud,
48, injured by shrapnel in the leg;

20) Ibrahim Mohammed Shehdeh
Bader, 42, injured by shrapnel throughout the body;

21) ‘Aadel Shaker Qafisha, 47,
injured by shrapnel in the leg; and

22) Jihad Hashem Salhab, 42,
injured by shrapnel in the leg.

Tuesday, September 4, 2001

At approximately 21:45
local time, Israeli occupation forces shelled Palestinian residential areas and
shops in the middle and south of Hebron. Heavy caliber bullets hit the offices of the ICRC in ‘Al-‘Adel
Street. The international agency was
forced to close its offices in the city sine die. Additionally, 5 Palestinian civilians were
injured:

1) Malak Bahjat Shehdeh
Qafisha, 3, injured by shrapnel from glass throughout the body;

2) Mohammed Haitham Khaled
El-Khatib, 13, injured by shrapnel in the right leg;

3) Mohammed Jawad Qafisha,
28, injured by shrapnel throughout the body;

4) Fayez ‘Abdel-Ghani
Khalili, 33, injured by shrapnel throughout the body;

5) Hussein Khalil Abu
Markhia, 40, injured by shrapnel in the right thigh.

Wednesday, September 5,
2001

At approximately 16:30
local time, Israeli occupation forces fired two surface-to-surface missiles at
a site of the Palestinian Presidential Guard (Force 17) in Beit Hanoun in the
northern Gaza Strip. The site was
severely damaged, and a member of Force 17, Na’im Mohammed Abu ‘Obeid, 35, was
slightly injured by shrapnel in the left hand. In addition, Ra’ed Maher El-Kafarneh, 17, from Beit Hanoun, received a
fracture in the pelvis after he fell from a tractor he was driving, when he
heard the sound of the explosion.

 2. Continued
Encroachments into Areas under the
Jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority

Thursday, August 30, 2001

At approximately 08:00
local time, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks, moved 500m into
the northern area of Al-Qarara, north of Khan Yunis, combing the area for one
hour.

At approximately 16:00
local time, three tanks and a bulldozer of the Israeli occupation forces again
moved into the same area and opened fire from heavy and medium machine guns on
Palestinian houses. A 180-square-meter,
asbestos-roofed house, in which eight people live, owned by Suleiman Salim Abu
Farraj, was severely damaged. The same
house had been raided during the first incursion, and Israeli occupation
soldiers mounted its roof after having searched it and terrified its residents.

At approximately 23:30
local time, for the third time that day, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced
with three tanks and a bulldozer, moved into the same area, demolished a house
and razed areas of agricultural land as follows:

1) They demolished a
tin-roofed house owned by Salema Salem Abu Marzouq, which she had built
approximately 50m away from her house that had been demolished by the Israeli
occupation forces in October 2000.

2) They razed a 7-donum-area
of agricultural land planted with olives and palms, owned by Ayman ‘Abdel-Hadi
El-Qedra and ‘Essam Khaled El-Qedra, and destroyed an irrigation network.

3) They razed a 6-donum area
of agricultural land planted with onions, owned by ‘Abdel-Latif ‘Abed-Rabbu
El-Semeiri, and destroyed an irrigation network.

4) They uprooted 10 palm
trees from a tract of land owned by Sa’id Khalil Abu Salim.

At approximately 14:00
local time, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and military
vehicles, penetrated into Wadi Al-Heria and Um Al-Dalia areas south of
Hebron. The incursion was accompanied by
firing artillery shells and heavy caliber bullets at the two areas. It came after one hour of heavy shelling of
Palestinian residential areas at the center of Hebron that lasted for
approximately 3 hours, during which Mousa Safi Qudeihat, 50, a physician from
Kharas village near Hebron, was killed by a heavy caliber bullet that entered
the abdomen and exited the back. Qudeihat was crossing a street on his way to the offices of the Ministry
of Health when he was shot dead by Israeli occupation soldiers. Additionally, 17 Palestinians, including 16
civilians, were wounded. One of the
wounded, a 10-year-old child, Bilal Ismail El-‘Amassi, was seriously wounded by
a live bullet that entered the back and exited the chest. The child was going shopping with his family,
in preparation for the new school year, when he was fired at by Israeli
occupation soldiers positioned atop of a Palestinian house in Jabal Al-Rahma
area. The other wounded were:

1) Mahmoud Farid ‘Oleyan, 6,
wounded by shrapnel in the head;

2) Ma’moun Mohammed ‘Amr, 24,
wounded by a live bullet in the pelvis;

3) Ra’ed Shureitah Abu
‘Eyadeh, 23, a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, wounded by
shrapnel in the face;

4) Anwar Mohammed El-Natsheh,
32, wounded by shrapnel in the neck;

5) Muna Mohamemd El-Rajoub,
25, wounded by shrapnel in the left arm;

6) Muhsen Lutfi Fasfous, 80,
wounded by shrapnel in the pelvis;

7) Saleh Jom’a Abu Sulaimeh,
49, wounded by shrapnel in the left leg;

8) Mohammed Najati Sultan,
41, wounded by a heavy caliber bullet in the left shoulder;

9) ‘Abdel-Rahim Salman
El-Haddad, 35, wounded by shrapnel in the left foot;

10) Tayseer ‘Abdel-Rahim
Jaradat, 22, wounded by a heavy caliber bullet in the left hand;

11) Ibrahim Mohammed
El-‘Eideh, 18, wounded by a heavy caliber bullet in the left hand;

12) Bashar ‘Abdullah
El-Hashlamoun, 18, wounded by a live bullet in the right hand;

13) Nidal El-‘Eissa, 20,
wounded by shrapnel in the abdomen and the face;

14) Bassam ‘Abdel-Muhsen
Bader, 48, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;

15) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Muhsen
Bader, 50, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body; and

16) Leila Mohammed Abu
Sneineh, 18, wounded by shrapnel in the head.

Additionally, a number of
houses and shops were severely damaged, and two civilian cars were destroyed.

At approximately 22:15
local time, a tank of the Israeli occupation forces moved from a military site
in the vicinity of “Netzarim” settlement, south of Gaza City, 300m towards a
site of the Palestinian Presidential Guard (Force 17), located approximately
700m north of the aforementioned settlement. The tank fired an artillery shell and live bullets, killing a member of
the site, Sami Samir Baroud, 23, from Nusseirat refugee camp, with a live
bullet in the neck. Additionally, ‘Essam
Anwar Abu ‘Amsheh, 19, from Beit Hanoun, was injured by shrapnel throughout the
body, and Shadi Abu Jame’, 28, from Bani Suheila village in Khan Yunis, was
injured by a live bullet in the left thigh.

Less than one hour later,
for the fifth time in less than one week, the Israeli occupation forces
penetrated into Rafah. At approximately
23:00 local time, with heavy shelling, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced
with 8 heavy military vehicles, moved into Block “J” in Rafah refugee camp,
adjacent to the border with Egypt. During this incursion, which lasted until 09:00 local time on the
following day, nine Palestinians, including six civilians, were wounded. One of the wounded, Khaled Mustafa ‘Awaja,
30, a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, received two live
bullets in the head. Israeli occupation
soldiers fired at a civilian car that evacuated him to hospital. The driver, Sami Salman Sha’at, 42, was
wounded by shrapnel in the left elbow, and three occupants of the car were
wounded as follows:

1) ‘Ali ‘Abdel-Karim Sha’at,
17, wounded by shrapnel in the right elbow;

2) Huassam El-Din Salem
Barhoum, 23, wounded by shrapnel in the back and the right elbow; and

3) Ra’fat Mohammed Sha’ban,
23, wounded by shrapnel in the head. 

The other wounded were:

1) Mezyed Mohammed Sheikh
El-‘Eid, 34, a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, seriously
wounded by a live bullet in the abdomen;

2) Fawzi Mohammed El-Najjar,
54, a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, wounded by a live
bullet in the left shoulder; and

3) Eyad Falah Ghanem, 29,
wounded by shrapnel in the left hand.

They were all evacuated to
Al-Joenina Hospital in Rafah, except for Khaled ‘Aawaja who was evacuated to
Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, and from there he was transferred to Shifa’
Hospital in Gaza City, for he was in critical condition. On Sunday midnight, September 2, 2001, he was
pronounced dead.

Furthermore, during the
incursion, the Israeli occupation forces demolished seven houses (with all of
the furniture inside) and severely damaged one by heavy shelling. People were extremely terrified and were
forced to leave their houses.

The following houses were demolished:

Friday, August 31, 2001

At approximately 20:20
local time, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and military
vehicles, penetrated into Bab Al-Zawia, Al-Sheikh, ‘Ein Al-Qarna and Jabal
Al-Juneidi neighborhoods in Hebron. This
incursion came after heavy shelling of Al-Sheikh, Al-Zahed, Abu Sneineh,
Al-Takrouri, Wadi Al-Heria and Bab Al-Zawia neighborhoods, which lasted for
approximately 6 hours. The incursion was
carried out under the cover of fire that included artillery shells and heavy,
medium and light caliber bullets at the targeted neighborhoods. Five Palestinian civilians were wounded:

1) Mahmoud Mazen Mahmoud
Qa’qour, 19, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the pelvis;

2) Kan’an, Saleh ‘Oudeh, 24,
wounded by shrapnel in the neck;

3) Hamada Shehdeh Jaber, 62,
wounded by shrapnel in the chest;

4) Sarah Hamad Khalil
Fawalja, 3, wounded by shrapnel in the right hand; and

5) Bahia Rashid Skafi, 18,
wounded by shrapnel in the left leg.

Additionally, a number of
houses were damaged and a civilian car was destroyed.

Saturday, September 1,
2001

In the evening, under the
cover of heavy shelling of Palestinian houses, Israeli occupation forced moved
into Wadi Al-Heria and Jabal Al-Rahma neighborhoods in Hebron. Two Palestinian gunmen were killed when
confronting the incursion by the Israeli occupation forces into Wadi Al-Heria
neighborhood. They were:

1) ‘Alla’ Younis Erfa’eya,
22, received 8 live bullets throughout the body; and

2) Mohammed Edris Fayez
‘Aashour, 22, received 3 live bullets throughout the body.

In his testimony to the
Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, an
eyewitness said that he saw Israeli occupation soldiers firing at a gunman,
killing him after he had been wounded and subuded by them. They had also prevented ambulances from
evacuating him to hospital for 30 minutes. This gunman was ‘Alla’ Erfa’eya. According to the eyewitness, at approximately 23:00 local time, from a
window of his house, he saw Israeli occupation soldiers treading on a man lying
on the ground before they shot him. Approximately 30 minutes later, Israeli occupation soldiers left the
area and people, including the eyewitness, evacuated him in a Palestinian
ambulance.

In addition, two houses
were severely damaged, and two Palestinians were wounded as follows:

1) ‘Omar Fahmi Nasser El-Din,
30, wounded by a live bullet in the right leg; and

2) Amin Hijazi El-Zaru, 26,
wounded by shrapnel in the neck and the left hand.

Sunday, September 2, 2001

At approximately 01:00
local time, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and a bulldozer,
moved from military sites in the vicinity of “Gadid” settlement, southwest of
Khan Yunis, into Gizan Abu Rashwan area. They penetrated approximately 200m into the area, which is under full
control of the Palestinian National Authority. They destroyed a well established by Khan Yunis Municipality in August
2000. This attack resulted in a shortage
of water in the city estimated at 20%.

PCHR’s field officer in
Khan Yunis reported that this incursion coincided with another incursion into
Gizan Al-Najjar area by Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks, which
came from military sites in the vicinity of “Gan Our” settlement. Israeli occupation soldiers using
loudspeakers called residents of the area to leave their houses, and they were
forced to leave. Israeli occupation
soldiers left the area one hour later without having demolished any houses.

Tuesday, September 4, 2001

At approximately 23:00
local time, Israeli occupation forces moved into Al-Moghraqa area, south of
“Netzarim” settlement, south of Gaza City. Israeli occupation soldiers raided the house of Anwar Mohammed
‘Abdel-‘Azziz ‘Aawadh, 38, and detained him, his wife and their 8 children in
one room until the morning of the following day. In her testimony to PCHR, the wife, Halima
‘Abed-Rabbu El-Sayed ‘Awadh, 42, said that Israeli occupation soldiers mounted
the second floor and the roof of the house after they had awaken the family and
detained them in one room on the first floor. The Israeli soldiers left the house at 06:00 local time on the following
day. She added that the Israeli soldiers
damaged the second floor of the houses. It is worth mentioning that this house has been raided 7 times during
the last three months.

3) Shooting at Palestinian
Civilians

Friday,
August 31, 2001

At approximately 03:00 local time, Israeli occupation
soldiers fired at a civilian car of Al-Joneina (Martyr Abu Yousef Al-Najjar)
Hospital in Rafah, while it was on its way to bring a physician to treat
Palestinians injured during an Israeli incursion into Rafah. No casualties were reported. According to PCHR’s investigations and a
testimony by an occupant, Ahmed Jamil Mahmoud Abu Mahadi, 36, from Rafah, an
administrative employee at the hospital, Mahadi was accompanying the driver,
Zakaria Abu Hashish, on their way to bring a physician who lives in Tal
Al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah. When the car arrived at a Palestinian police station in Tal Al-Sultan
neighborhood, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned in Tal Zorob area on the
border with Egypt, fired at it without provocation from a distance of
approximately 300m. The driver was able
to seek shelter behind a house, while shooting continued for one minute. Bullets were seen hitting the ground. Several minutes later, the driver continued
his trip and brought the physician to the hospital. At the same place, another civilian car was
also fired at by Israeli occupation soldiers, but no casualties were reported.

At approximately 11:00 local time, Israeli occupation
soldiers, positioned at a military roadblock at the eastern entrance to Nour
Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm, fired at a number of young Palestinian men
who were approximately 500m away, without any clashes having been reported in
the area. Two young men were wounded as follows:

1) Anwar Mohammed ‘Oleyan, 24, wounded by a live bullet
in the shoulder; and

2) Hani Mohammed ‘Abdullah, 24, wounded by a live bullet
in the right leg.

At approximately 14:00 local time, Israeli occupation
forces, positioned at the northern entrance to Al-Bireh, fired at a number of
Palestinian civilians who were peacefully marching. Three civilians were wounded as follows:

1) Ahmed Mahmoud Sarab, 21, from Ramallah, wounded by
shrapnel in the abdomen;

2) Ramzi Khaled Ramadan, 27, from Ramallah, wounded by
shrapnel in the right leg; and

3) Mahmoud Mohammed Mustafa, 24, from Bourqin village
near Salfit, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left foot.

At approximately 18:00 local time, Israeli occupation
soldiers, positioned in the vicinity of Qalandya Airport, north of Jerusalem,
fired at a number of Palestinian civilians who were demonstrating on
Ramallah-Jerusalem road. Three
demonstrators were wounded as follows:

1) ‘Emad Mahmoud Hassan El-Sheikh, 15, wounded by a live
bullet in the right side, penetrating the urinary bladder and settling in the
right leg;

2) Hamada Shehdeh, 20, wounded by a live bullet in the
left leg; and

3) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Rahim, 17, wounded by a live bullet
in the right shoulder.

At approximately 23:00 local time, a number of
Palestinian children threw stones at Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned
atop of a Palestinian house in Beit ‘Our village near Ramallah. Israeli soldiers fired sound bombs, one of
which fell inside a house in the village, injuring ‘Aa’esha Saleh ‘Ali Salameh,
50, in the head, and burning the face, hair and hands of her granddaughter,
Saja ‘Emad Dheifallah, 3.

 4) Attacks on Palestinian Fishermen in the Sea

Israeli occupation forces
have continued to attack Palestinian fishermen in the sea, although they sail
in areas designated for fishing, apparently in an attempt to deprive them from
their source of income. Israeli occupation forces declared the sea a closed
military area and forced Palestinian boats to leave it. In addition, Israeli marine forces fire at
Palestinian fishermen and their boats and sometimes they block boats and
fishing equipment. In a recent attack on
Tuesday, September 4, 2001, Israeli soldiers on a gunboat blocked a fishing
boat, owned by Salim Taher Abu El-Sadiq, 76, from Al-Shati refugee camp, when
it was 5 miles away from the seashore of Gaza. Five fishermen were on the boat and Israeli occupation soldiers ordered
them to stand at the front of it. Then,
they poured large amounts of hot and waste water into the boat. According to a testimony by one of the
fishermen, they entered the cabin of the boat to have shelter, but Israeli
occupation soldiers poured water on them. Windows of the cabin were broken, and the fishermen received bruises and
injuries by shrapnel from glass. Then,
the Israeli gunboat left the area and the fishermen went back to the
seashore. They were evacuated to Shifa’
Hospital in Gaza City. They are:

1) Khaled Ahmed Abu ‘Amra,
36, from Al-Shati refugee camp, injured in the head, the face and the hands;

2) Rashad ‘Abdel-Raziq Baker,
42, from Al-Remal neighborhood in Gaza City, injured in the left hand;

3) Eihab Fayez Abu El-Sadiq,
14, from Al-Shati refugee camp, received bruises throughout the body;

4) Mohammed Salim
El-‘Aamoudi, 40, from Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, received bruises
throughout the body; and

5) Fyez Salim Abu El-Sadiq,
37, from Al-Shati refugee camp, received bruises throughout the body.

On Monday, September 3,
2001, at approximately 22:00 local time, Israeli marine forces fired at a
number of Palestinian fishing boats opposite to Beit Lahia seashore in the
north of the Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.

 5) Two Mysterious Explosions

This week, two mysterious explosions occurred in Gaza
and Tulkarm, killing two Palestinians. Palestinian sources accused Israeli security services of planning the
two explosions.

On Saturday morning, September 1, 2001, a prominent
Palestinian security officer of the General Intelligence Service (GIS),
Lieutenant Colonel Tayseer Zayed Khattab, 42, from Gaza City, assistant of Head
of GIS in the Gaza Strip for training affairs, was killed in an explosion in
his car in Gaza City. Palestinian
sources accused Israeli security services of being directly involved in the
incident.

According to investigations by PCHR, at 08:17 local
time a white Volkswagen Golf was traveling from Gaza City to the headquarters
of the headquarters of GIS north of the city, through Al-Jala’ Street. The car was driven by Lieutenant Colonel
Khattab, accompanied by his bodyguard, Ahmed ‘Omar Abu Ghalyoun, 30. As the car passed 30m beyond Sheikh
Radwan-‘Ebad Al-Rahman junction, an explosion occurred in the car. When the car stopped, Abu Ghalyoun, who was
injured, jumped out of it. Khattab was
seriously injured and evacuated to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City, where he was
pronounced dead. Palestinian security
forces and civil defense arrived at the place of the incident and initiated an
investigation.

Three passing civilians were also injured:

1) ‘Abdel-Karim Mahmoud Abu Hulayel, 28, from Jabalya
refugee camp, injured by shrapnel in the feet;

2) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Karim Abu Hulayel, 9, from Jabalya
refugee camp, injured by shrapnel in the feet; and

3) Bassam Rajab Khureis, 23, from Al-Remal neighborhood
in Gaza City, injured by shrapnel in the left foot.

In the evening, ‘Abir
Hamdan Abu Samra, 22, from Nablus, was killed in an explosion that occurred in
a taxi, in which she was traveling with some people from Tulkarm to
Nablus. Four occupants of the taxi were
also injured. At approximately 19:15
local time, near Bal’a village in Tulkarm, the front seat of the taxi, where
Abu Samra was sitting, exploded. Her
legs were cut and she died from her injuries. The driver and three occupants were also injured as follows:

1) ‘Alla’ ‘Omar Amin Habiba,
22, from Nablus, received injuries and burns;

2) Sa’id Jamil Daoud Jawabra,
46, from ‘Assira village near Nablus, received injuries and burns in the face
and the chest;

3) ‘Abdel-Nasser Mustafa
Hussein Nouri, 36, from Beit Eiba village near Nablus, injured in the face and
the hands; and

4) Fayeq Mohammed Hassan
Mashaqi, 32, from Yassid village, received injuries and burns throughout the
body.

 6) Arrests by the Israeli Occupation Forces

This week, Israeli
occupation forces arrested 16 Palestinians. These arrests took place in the following ways:

1) Arrests at international
border crossings, which are under the control of Israeli occupation forces.

2) Arrests at military
roadblocks on main and branch roads and at the entrances to Palestinian cities
and villages.

3) Arrests in Palestinian
towns and villages, often during house raids.

The following table lists
significant arrests that took place this week:

****

PCHR calls:

1) Upon governmental delegations to the World Conference
Against Racism in Durban in South Africa to adopt crucial decisions condemning
practices by Israel and its belligerent occupation forces in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories, which can only be described as apartheid against the
Palestinian people.

2) Upon the international community to provide immediate
and independent international protection for the Palestinian people in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories.

3) Upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth
Geneva Convention of 1949 to reconvene in order to take effective measures to
protect Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in
accordance with their obligations under article 1 to ensure the respect of the
Convention.

4) Upon the international community to investigate and
prosecute those believed to have committed war crimes in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories before international courts

5) Upon the ICRC to enhance its presence, expand its
activities, and intensify its field observations throughout the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.

6) Upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the
Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect
human rights.

7) Upon the international community to provide humanitarian and medical
assistance for the Palestinian people, whose living conditions are increasingly
deteriorating as a result of the continued siege imposed by the Israeli
occupation forces on the entire Occupied Palestinian Territories.

For
more information on the Al-Aqsa Intifada see: www.pchrgaza.org