Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (07 March 2002)
Israeli Occupying Forces Launch
Full-Scale Atttacks against Palestinian civilians and Property; Western
Governments Remain Silent
· 65 Palestinians, including 43 civilians,
killed by Israeli occupying forces;
· large-scale incursions into Palestinian
cities, villages, and refugee camps; dozens of Palestinians killed and hundreds
injured;
· three assassinations, resulting in the
death of 10 Palestinians, including 5 children and a woman;
· massive shelling of Palestinian cities,
villages, and refugee camps;
· a Palestinian medic killed while on duty
by Israeli occupying forces;
· 8 Palestinians bleed until death due
after being denied access to medical care by Israeli occupying forces; and
· dozens of Palestinian civilians arrested.
Introduction
This report covers Israeli violations of human rights
in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) in the period 28 February – 6
March 2002. Israeli occupying forces
launched an unprecedented full-scale assault against Palestinian civilians and
property throughout the OPT using ground, air, and sea forces. According to PCHR’s documentation, this week,
65 Palestinians, including 43 civilians, were killed and hundreds were injured
by Israeli occupying forces.
This week, the OPT
witnessed unprecedented massive shelling and large-scale incursions targeting
Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps. Dozens of Palestinians were killed and
hundreds were injured.
On Wednesday, 6 March,
Israeli occupying forces moved into Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis, under the
cover of intense shelling. Three
Palestinian civilians were killed, a house was destroyed and more than 10
civilians were arrested.
On Thursday, 28 February,
Israeli occupying forces invaded Jenin and Balata refugee camps in the West
Bank. They killed 32 Palestinians,
including 20 civilians, and injured hundreds in five days of attacks. This week, Israeli occupying forces also
invaded several areas in the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, Beit Lahia, Beit
Hanoun, Al-Qarara and Rafah. Three
Palestinians were killed in Rafah, a number of houses were demolished, and
large areas of agricultural land were razed.
In a continuation of the
policy of assassination and extra-judicial killing formally adopted by the
Israeli government, Israeli occupying forces this week carried out three
assassination operations in Ramallah and Burin village in the West Bank. Ten Palestinians, including a woman and five
children, were killed.
Israeli occupying forces
shelled several Palestinian security and civilian facilities throughout the
OPT. Some civilian centers, such as a
handicapped rehabilitation center in Gaza, were severely damaged.
In a blatant violation of
international humanitarian law, Israeli occupying forces obstructed evacuating
the wounded to hospitals. Some of the
wounded bled to death, as Israeli occupying forces denied their access to
medical treatment. Israeli occupying
forces even attacked an ambulance of Palestine Red Crescent Society in Jenin on
4 March, killing a Palestinian physician and injuring a driver and a
paramedic. They also fired at ambulances
in other areas in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In an apparent willful
killing, on Friday, 1 March, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a 7-year-old
child in Beit Hanoun. They also wounded
a handicapped young man whose leg was cut.
Israeli occupying forces
tightened the siege imposed on the OPT. They divided the Gaza Strip into four isolated zones and restricted the
movement of Palestinian civilians and goods, in violation of Palestinian economic
and social rights.
This week, Israeli
occupying forces raided many Palestinian houses and arrested some Palestinian
civilians.
1. Three Assassination Operations
At approximately 13.15 on Monday, 4
March 2002, an Israeli tank located in “Psagot” settlement to the east of
al-Bireh in the West Bank fired at a civilian car close to an UNRWA school in
al-Amari in Ramallah governorate in an apparent attempt to assassinate Hussein
Abu Kwaik, a Hamas activist. Abu Kwaik
was not in the car at the time; instead, his wife was transporting three of
their children family from the school. Another two children were also killed. Those killed were:
1) Bushra El-Nemer Abu Kwaik, 38;
2) Bara’ Hussein Abu Kwaik, 14;
3) ‘Aziza
Hussein Abu Kwaik, 17 ;
4) Mohammed Hussein Abu Kwaik, 8;
5) ‘Arafat
Ibrahim al-Masri, 16; and
6) Shayma’ ‘Emad al-Masri, 7.
In addition, ten passing civilians were injured.
In another assassination,
two Israeli combat helicopters launched four air-to-surface missiles at a
civilian car in Bitounia in the west of Ramallah. Three Fatah activists were traveling in the
car. The car was destroyed and the three
activists were killed:
1) Muhannad
Sa’id Munib Deiria (Abu Halawa), 23, from ‘Aqraba village in Nablus;
2) Fawzi Hamdi
Mustafa Marar, 25, from Ramallah; and
3) ‘Omar Hussein Nemer Qe’dan,
25, from Al-Jarousha village in Tulkarm.
In addition, two passing
civilians were injured.
Abu Halawa survived a
previous assassination attempt when Israeli occupying forces in “Psagot” settlement, east of Al-Bireh, fired two
rockets at a convoy of cars accompanying Marwan Barghouthi, Secretary of Fatah
Movement in the West Bank and a member of the Palestinian Legislative
Council. A rocket hit Abu Halawa’s car
and he was injured. Israeli sources
stated then that the assassination attempt targeted Abu Halawa (and not
Barghouthi) claiming that he was responsible for a number of military attacks
against Jewish settlers.
On Wednesday, 6 March, an
undercover Israeli unit fired at two Palestinian civilians who were walking on
agricultural road near Burin village between Ramallah and Nablus. One of them, Jamal Raja Zeid El-Kassawani,
24, from Ramallah, was killed by several live bullets, and the civilian who
accompanied him and two other civilians were also wounded. In the evening, the Israeli radio in Arabic
stated that El-Kassawani was carrying a bag of bombs, but later it stated
according to an Israeli military spokesman that he was killed by mistake and
that the target was another person.
2. Shelling of, and Encroachment into Palestinian
National Authority Controlled Areas
Thursday, 28
February 2002
At approximately 00:45, two
Israeli combat helicopters launched two air-to-surface missiles at Palestinian
houses in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. The main electricity generator of the refugee camp was totally
destroyed. Then, the two Israeli combat
helicopters opened fire with heavy machine guns at the refugee camp from low
altitude. At the same time, Israeli
tanks and armored personnel carriers moved closer to the southern and eastern
entrances of the refugee camp and shelled Palestinian houses. A paratrooper unit took position inside an
UNRWA school in the east of the refugee camp. A number of Palestinian gunmen and security men confronted the invading
Israeli forces. Six Palestinians,
including three civilians, were killed:
1) Kayed Khalil
Farhan Abu Mustafa, 27, from Balata refugee camp, shot by an explosive live
bullet in the chest;
2) Mahdi Hassan
Sabe’ El-Numour, 34, from Nablus, shot by a live bullet in the heart;
3) Mohammed
Mahmoud Qassem, 35, from Surra village, shot by a live bullet in the chest;
4) Mahmoud
Khalil Tanatawi, 18, from Balata refugee camp, shot by three live bullets in
the abdomen, the chest and the left shoulder;
5) ‘Abdullah Kamel Hassan
El-Helu, 17, from ‘Askar refugee camp, shot by
a live bullet in the head; and
6) ‘Abdel-rahim Mustafa Seif,
35, from Burqa village, shot by a live bullet in the chest.
In addition, 82
Palestinians were injured, four of whom were in serious condition:
1) Hakam ‘Abdel-Fattah Abu ‘Eisha, 29, injured by a live bullet in the face;
2) Tayseer Jom’a
El-Badawi, 32, injured by a live bullet in the chest;
3) Mohammed
Sa’id Fares, 21, injured by shrapnel in the head, the back and the left hand;
and
4) Amir Mohammed
Shkoukani, 17, injured by a live bullet in the chest and shrapnel throughout
the body.
At approximately 05:15,
Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles, elite units,
and helicopters, invaded the Palestinian National Authority-controlled
Al-Jabriat neighborhood in the south of Jenin. They completely seized the area and shelled the city and its refugee
camp. Six Palestinian policemen and an
elderly civilian were killed:
1) ‘Abdullah ‘Othman Sha’ban, 24, from Al-Jalama village, shot by
several live bullets throughout the body;
2) Samih Fawzi
Fares El-‘Aarda, 24, from ‘Arrabeh vellage, shot by several live bullets
throughout the body;
3) Ussama Lu’ai
Mousa Jadallah, 21, from Jenin, shot by several live bullets throughout the
body;
4) Mohammed
Mahmoud El-Haj, 23, from Jalaqamous village, shot by several live bullets
throughout the body;
5) Mohammed
Rashid Mahmoud El-Fayed, 24, from Jenin refugee camp, shot by several live
bullets throughout the body;
6) Khalil
Mohammed Khalil Jannas, 23, from Jalqamous village, shot by a live bullet in
the head; and
7) Mahmoud ‘Awadh El-Jundi, 65, from Jenin, shot by a medium
caliber bullet while at home.
In addition, four
Palestinians were injured. According to
investigations carried out by LAW
– the
Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment – the policemen were killed from close range while
on duty. Israeli occupying forces seized
the house of Brigadier Lu’ai Jadallah, father of one of the victims, and
transformed it into a military site. They also seized a commercial building.
At approximately 14:00,
Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with a bulldozer, thrust approximately
300m into the south of Al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. They razed areas of Palestinian agricultural
land along the road linking between the “Gush Qatif” settlement block and “Kissufim” crossing. The operation continued until 17:00, during
which Israeli forces razed:
1) A 15-donum
area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by ‘Oudeh Humeidan El-Sumeiri;
2) An 8-donum
area of agricultural land planted with olives and palms owned by ‘Abdullah Ahmed El-Sumeiri;
3) An 8-donum
area of Palestinian agricultural land planted with olives owned by Ahmed Ahmed
El-Sumeiri; and
4) A 6-donum
area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Ahmed Jom’a Salama.
Friday, 1 March
2002
Israeli occupying forces
maintained their presence and shooting in Jenin refugee camp. Seven Palestinians, including a child and two
brothers, were killed:
1) Khaled Jamal
Kamal Nejem, 19, shot by a live bullet in the head;
2) Eyad Kamel
El-Sabbagh, 25, killed by shrapnel throughout the body;
3) Eyad Hassan
Mohammed Sayes, 26, killed by shrapnel throughout the body;
4) Yasser Hassan
Mohammed Sayes, 27, killed by shrapnel throughout the body;
5) Mahmoud ‘Abdel-Latif El-‘Azab, 36, killed by shrapnel throughout the body;
6) Lu’ai
Mohammed Amin Dhabaya, 16, shot by a live bullet in the head; and
7) Maria ‘Ezziddin Abu Sirreya, 9, shot by a medium caliber
bullet in the head.
In addition, 20
Palestinians were injured, two of whom were pronounced clinically dead and a
third was in critical condition:
1) Shadi ‘Ali Abu El-Samen, 30, injured by shrapnel throughout
the body and was pronounced clinically dead;
2) ‘Abdel-Raziq Mahmoud Khader
Esteiti, 23, injured by shrapnel throughout the body and was pronounced
clinically dead;
3) Ziad Mustafa
El-Salfiti, 32, critically injured by shrapnel throughout the body and his
right leg was cut.
At approximately 22:00,
Israeli tanks positioned in Jabal Abu Dhuheir neighborhood, southeast of Jenin
refugee camp, shelled Palestinian houses in Jenin refugee camp, killing
Mohammed Mufid Salama, 24, mentally handicapped, with several heavy caliber
bullets throughout the body.
In Balata refugee camp,
Israeli occupying forces shelled and demolished a number of houses. An old Palestinian civilian died from a heart
attack. Nine civilians were also injured.
At noon, in an apparent
willful killing, Israeli forces shot dead 7-year-old Mahmoud Hassan El-Talalqa,
from Beit Hanoun, after they had thrust approximately 700m into the
north of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. Israeli forces opened fire from a close
distance at a group of Palestinian children who were getting out of a mosque in
the town. The child received a heavy
caliber bullet in the abdomen.
In his affidavit to PCHR,
the victim’s brother stated the following:
At approximately 12:30 on Friday, 1
March 2002, my brother Mahmoud and I exited a mosque in Beit Hanoun after
Friday prayers. Mahmoud left me and went
with three children. I saw them going
towards the main road between Al-Nada tower buildings, where we live, and Beit
Hanoun crossing, north of the town. Then, I saw an Israeli soldier on a tank waving his hand, calling on
Mahmoud and his colleagues to come towards the tank. I shouted at Mahmoud not to move forward, but
he did not listen and proceeded towards the tank. When he was only 50m away from the tank, I
heard sounds of shooting. Then, I saw
Mahmoud falling down while his friends fled. When the gunfire stopped I moved towards him. He was bleeding from the abdomen. I tried to pull him along, but I could not
until a young man came and evacuated him to hospital, where we were informed
that he was dead.
Approximately an hour
earlier, in another act of willful killing, Israeli forces injured a
handicapped Palestinian civilian in Jabalya. Israeli forces at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of Jabalya,
fired several artillery shells at Palestinian agricultural areas approximately
700m west of the border. Kahder Tayseer
Wadi, 19, deaf and dumb, was injured by an artillery shell that destroyed hi
left leg. According to PCHR’s
investigation, the handicapped young man was collecting wood from agricultural
areas at the time of shelling, and was unable to leave the area. Israeli forces allowed Palestinian medical
personnel to offer him emergency treatment only two hours later.
At approximately 22:00,
Israeli occupying forces at the border of the Gaza Strip, east of Beit Hanoun,
opened fire at Palestinian houses approximately 700m northwest of the border. ‘Abdel-Mu’in
Dhib Ahmed Hamdan, 34, was injured by shrapnel in the abdomen and the limbs
while he was checking his cow farm near his house. He was not able to receive emergency
treatment until 06:00 on the following day when an ambulance was able to reach
the dangerous area.
Saturday, 2 March
2002
In
the morning, medical sources at Shifa
Hospital in Gaza announced that 9-year-old Einas Ibrahim ‘Eissa Salah, from
Jabalya refugee camp, succumbed to wounds sustained on 19 February when an
Israeli combat helicopter shelled a Hamas media office in Jabalya refugee
camp. Since then, the child had been in
the intensive care unit.
At approximately 12:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced with tanks and bulldozers, moved approximately 500m into the east of
Wadi Al-Salqa village north of Deir El-Balah in the middle Gaza Strip. They searched a number of Palestinian houses
and confiscated identity cards of their residents. They withdrew at approximately 16:00, but at
approximately 20:00, eight Israeli soldiers came back to the area and raided a
200-square-meter, two-story house, in which 10 people live, owned by Raji
Marzouq El-Sumeiri. They detained
residents of the house in a room on the lower floor and mounted the roof of the
house. They remained there until 01:00
on the following day.
At approximately 13:00,
Israeli occupying forces thrust approximately 200m into Palestinian
agricultural areas adjacent to
“Kfar Darom”
settlement east of Deir El-Balah. They
razed a 2.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and palms owned
by ‘Abdel-Hamid Mohammed El-Tawashi. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that Israeli forces mounted
the roof of a 200-square-meter, two-story house owned by Khalil Mohammed
El-Tawashi and remained there until the following morning.
In Balata refugee camp,
Tayseer Kamal Tayseer Ja’ara, 18, from Nablus, was killed by a live bullet in
the heart by Israeli occupying forces that had invaded the refugee camp on
Thursday. In addition, 10 Palestinians
were injured, two of whom were in serious condition:
1) Shadi Jamil
Ahmed El-Shubeiri, 17, from Nablus, injured by a live bullet in the chest; and
2) Ahmed Fakhri
Hassan Hashash, 15, from Balata refugee camp, injured by a live bullet in the
abdomen.
According to PCHR’s field
officer in Khan Yunis and Palestinian medical sources, at approximately 16:00,
Israeli occupying forces in the vicinity of “Gadid” settlement, west of Khan
Yunis, fired three flechette shells (shells that spray dart-like shrapnel in a
wide area upon explosion) at Palestinian houses in Baten Al-Samin area,
approximately 1km away from the settlement. A number of houses were severely damaged and five Palestinian civilians
were injured:
1) Mahmoud
Hussam El-Sha’er, 5, injured by shrapnel in the right thigh;
2) Einas Hassan ‘Abdel-Dayem, 7, injured by shrapnel in the left hand;
3) Mohammed ‘Atallah El-Sha’er, 14, injured by shrapnel throughout
the body;
4) Ahmed ‘Ali
‘Abdel-Qader
Saqer, 46, injured by shrapnel in the chest; and
5) Jihad ‘Abdel-Hamid ‘Aqel, 44, injured by shrapnel in the right hand.
Sunday, 3 March
2002
At approximately 09:30,
Israeli occupying forces thrust approximately 500m into Palestinian National
Authority controlled areas in Al-Farrahin area, northeast of ‘Abassan village in Khan Yunis. They searched the area and opened fire at
Palestinian houses. Two Palestinian
civilians were injured:
1) As’ad Mahmoud
‘Aashour, 16, injured by a live bullet in the left thigh; and
2) Mahmoud
Hassan ‘Aashour, 17, injured by two
live bullets in the abdomen and the thighs.
At approximately 10:45,
Israeli occupying forces in
“Ariel”
settlement, north of Salfit, shelled Palestinian security sites inn the
city. Fourteen artillery shells hit
these sites, killing a member of the Palestinian Military Intelligence Service,
‘Abdullah Thabet Salem Thabet, 21, from Gaza, with shrapnel in the head and the
chest.
At approximately 10:50,
Israeli occupying forces in
“Psagot”
settlement, east of Al-Bireh, shelled a Palestinian police station in Al-Am’ari
refugee camp. A member of the
Palestinian Preventive Security, Zaki ‘Aamer Zaki, 21, from Khan Yunis, was
killed, and 14 were injured, three of whom were in serious condition:
1) Muntasser
Isma’il Yousef, 21, from Ramallah, injured by shrapnel in the head, the chest,
and the right shoulder and thigh;
2) Bassel ‘Ammar
‘Oreif, 20,
from Ramallah, injured by shrapnel in the head and the thighs; and
3) Mohammed
Hafezh Yousef, 46, from Sanjal village, injured by shrapnel in the head and the
neck;
At approximately 14:00,
Israeli occupying forces attacked a roadblock of the Palestinian Military
Intelligence at the southern entrance of Qalqilya. They shelled the roadblock, killing two
Palestinian security men:
1) Islam Sadiq
Shawahna, 24, from Kufor Thuluth village, shot by a live bullet in the chest;
and
2) Khaled
Shu’aib Sweieleh, 24, from Rafah, shot by a live bullet in the head.
Medical sources at Rafidiya Hospital in Nablus announced
that Hakam ‘Abdel-Fattah Abu ‘Eisha, 29, from Balata refugee
camp, succumbed to wounds sustained on 28 February after he was shot in the
face by Israeli occupation forces during their invasion of the camp.
Monday, 4 March
2002
At approximately 03:00, Israeli
military vehicles invaded Block J area of Rafah refugee camp in the southern
Gaza Strip. According to eyewitnesses,
Israeli forces moved 50m into the camp under the cover of intense shooting,
prompting local residents to flee. Ibrahim ‘Ali Barhoum, 42, was shot in the head by Israeli forces.
Israeli occupying forces fired upon medical personnel who attempted to reach
Barhoum, making it impossible to provide him with emergency treatment. Israeli soldiers also took up positions on
the roofs of Palestinian homes in the area and fired at local residents who were
attempting to flee, as well as at medical personnel. Two more Palestinians were killed:
1) Ahmed Yusef Himaid Sufi, 24, shot with a bullet in the head; and
2) Saber Fakhri Abu Libdeh, 28, a
member of the Palestinians National Security Force, shot in the chest and head.
Before
their withdrawal from the area, Israeli occupying forces destroyed an outpost
used by the National Security Force located near the border with Egypt.
At approximately 04:00,
Israeli occupying forces again invaded Jenin and its refugee camp. At 09:50, they shelled the refugee camp,
killing Amjad Mahmoud Ibrahim El-Fakhouri, 26, from Jaba’ village near Jenin,
with several heavy caliber bullets, and injuring three other Palestinians, one
of whom was in serious condition.
Medical sources at Rafidiyah Hospital in Nablus
announced that Ahmed Fakhri
Hassan Hashash, 15, from Balata refugee camp, succumbed to wounds sustained on
2 March after he was shot in the stomach by Israeli occupation forces during
their invasion of the camp.
At approximately 12:10, an
Israeli combat helicopter bombarded Palestinian houses in Jenin refugee
camp. Two Palestinian civilians were
killed:
1) Samira
Mohammed Zubeida, 55; and
2) Nasser Hussein Hassan Abu Jouhar, 37.
A third civilian, Asma’
Kamal El-Ruzza, 23, was pronounced clinically dead.
Approximately 20 minutes
later, Israeli combat helicopters again bombarded Palestinian houses in Jenin
refugee camp, killing Na’im Mohammed Ahmed El-Sabbagh, 32, with a heavy caliber
bullet in the chest and shrapnel throughout the body.
In the evening, Israeli
occupying forces on Jenin-Nablus road shelled Jenin refugee camp, killing
26-year-old ‘Emad Mahmoud Abu Baker,
with several heavy caliber bullets in the head and the neck, and seriously
injuring 55-year-old Sa’da ‘Abdel-Latif Mahmoud Nejem, mother of Khaled Nejem,
who was killed on Friday. Abu Baker was
a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces and was on his way back
home in civilian clothes when he was shot dead.
At approximately 18:00,
Palestinian security sources stated that they discovered bodies of two
Palestinian young men who disappeared on the previous day. According to investigations carried out by
LAW, at approximately 09:00 on Sunday, an Israeli tank fired at a civilian car,
in which three Palestinian civilians were traveling from Tayaseer village to
Al-Hamra area in the northern Jordan Valley. The destiny of the civilians was unknown. Israeli radio in Arabic stated that “Israeli
soldiers fired at a Palestinian car in the northern Jordan Valley, wounding two
occupants, while the third was able to escape.” The two civilians were apparently killed upon their arrest by Israeli
soldiers. They were identified as:
1) Ayman Qassem
Dharaghma, 28, from Tubas, shot by several live bullets throughout the body;
and
2) Fu’ad
Mohammed Hassan Bisharat, 25, from Tammoun village, who was first wounded and
then killed by Israeli soldiers.
Tuesday, 5 March
2002
At approximately 02:00,
Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles, invaded Dura
village, west of Hebron. They thrust
approximately 2km into the village under the cover of intense shelling
that targeted a site of the Palestinian Presidential Guard (Force 17) and
Palestinian houses. A member of Force
17, Mohammed ‘Abdullah El-‘Atawna, 34, from Beit Kahel village, was killed by several
live bullets throughout the body. In
addition, two of his colleagues were seriously injured.
At approximately 10:00, two
Israeli combat helicopters launched five air-to-surface missiles at a site of
the Palestinian National Security Forces and a police station in Khan
Yunis. Four missiles exploded, causing severe
damage to the site, the station and a nearby school.
At approximately 19:00, an
Israeli combat helicopter launched four rockets at Ansar security compound in
Gaza. Three rockets hit a building of the
Palestinian Presidential Guard (Force 17) destroying it, while the fourth
rocket hit the eastern entrance to the house of President Arafat. The guardroom and the car park of the house
were severely damaged.
Approximately 20 minutes
later, an Israeli F-16 fighter jet launched an air-to-surface missile at the
headquarters of the Palestinian police in Gaza. A 300-square-meter, three-story building was severely damaged. Palestinian civilians nearby were traumatized
by the attack. An adjacent UNRWA
handicapped rehabilitation center, the only center that provides education for
blind children under 13 in the Gaza Strip, was severely damaged. The center is clearly marked with UN flags
and signs.
At approximately 23:30, Israeli military vehicles invaded Block J area
of Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. They thrust approximately 300m into the area
and demolished a 250-square-meter house in which seven people used to live,
owned by Khaled Isma’il El-‘Aajez. The
house was demolished with its furniture inside, without any prior warning. Two houses in the area were also
damaged. The invading Israeli forces
opened fire at Palestinian civilians, seriously injuring Hassan Mohammed
‘Arafat Baroud, 23, with a live bullet in the back.
Wednesday, 6 March
2002
At approximately 01:10,
Israeli military vehicles thrust approximately 700m into Palestinian
agricultural land in the east of Jabalya refugee camp, under the cover of
intense shelling. They seized all branch
roads in the area. They shelled a site
of Force 17 and later demolished it. They also demolished the fences of a school and a society that provides
medical and educational services for 400 handicapped children. Later, they moved northward and then eastward
and destroyed the road they used.
At approximately 01:15,
Israeli military vehicles thrust approximately 1200m into ‘Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis. Soon, they opened fire at Palestinian houses. Palestinian civilians rushed towards the area
to check the matter. Israeli forces
fired at them, killing two:
1) Mufida
Mohammed Khudeir Abu Daqqa, 47, shot by a live bullet in the head; and
2) Jamal
Mohammed Salman Abu Hamad, 27, shot by a live bullet in the chest.
Then, the invading Israeli
forces raided some Palestinian houses, including the house of ‘Abdel-Ghani ‘Abdel-Rahman Abu Daqqa, 57, who was shot dead in the head by the
invading forces after they had checked his house. At approximately 05:00, the invading Israeli
forces moved towards a 200-square-meter, two-story house, in which seven
persons used to live, owned by ‘Abed-Rabbu Barakat Khalil Abu Daqqa. They ordered residents of the house to leave
it and then destroyed it. A number of
adjacent houses were also damaged. Israeli occupying forces also arrested:
1) Ayman ‘Abdel’Azziz Abu Daqqa, 31;
2) Ahmed ‘Abdel-‘Azziz Abu Daqqa, 21;
3) Kamel Salem
Qudeih, 34;
4) ‘Omar Jaber Qudeih, 20;
5) ‘Adnan ‘Abed-Rabbu Abu Daqqa, 65;
6) ‘Adli ‘Abed-Rabbu Abu Daqqa, 46;
7) Mohammed
Ibrahim Abu Daqqa, 45;
8) Ahmed Ibrahim
Abu Daqqa, 40;
9) Akram ‘Abdel-‘Azziz Abu Daqqa, 38; and
10) Ashraf ‘Abdel-‘Azziz Abu Daqqa, 34.
All of them were released
later except for ‘Adli Abu Daqqa, who
remained in custody.
At the same time, Israeli
gunboats, supported by a helicopter, launched a missile and opened fire from
heavy machine guns at sites of the Palestinian Naval Police in the northwest of
Beit Lahia. The missile hit a police
car, killing a policemen, Jamil Samih Jamil El-Sabbagh, 37, from Jabalya, and
injuring two other policemen. Two other
policemen and a civilian were killed:
1) Maher Fu’ad
Hamada, 20, from Al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza;
2) Ahmed Fureij
Abu Zhaher, 28, from Khan Yunis; and
3) ‘Eid Khalil El-Qumo’, 35, a
civilian from Jabalya refugee camp.
At approximately 01:30,
Israeli military vehicles thrust approximately 2km into Al-Qarara village,
north of Khan Yunis. They raided and
searched a number of Palestinian houses. Then, they demolished a 220-square-meter, two-story house, in which 12
persons used to live, owned by Mahmoud ‘Abdullah El-Sumeiri. They arrested his two sons, Yousef, 18,
blind, and Mohammed, 20, a member of the Palestinian Naval Police. They also raided the house of Dr. Khaled
Ahmed Abu Zuneid, a professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, and detained him
for several hours. His wife, Fathia Abu
Sawawin, was injured by shrapnel from a live bullet during the house raid. Before their withdrawal, Israeli occupying
forces destroyed a site of the Palestinian National Security Forces.
At approximately 11:00, an
Israeli F-16 fighter jet launched an air-to-surface missile at the headquarters
of the Palestinian public security in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza,
destroying it and severely damaging adjacent houses. A number of Palestinian civilians were also
injured while trying to escape.
At
approximately 19:50, medical sources at
Al-Hussein Hospital in Beit Jala announced that Sa’ed ‘Ali Ibrahim Subeih, 12,
from Al-Khader village in Bethlehem, succumbed to wounds sustained on 28
February after he was shot in the head by Israeli occupying forces who opened
fire at Palestinian houses in the village.
Also in the evening, Palestinian
medical sources announced that Mohammed ‘Abdel-Qader Hussein El-Rajoub, 21, a
member of Force 17, from Dura village in Hebron, succumbed to wounds sustained
on 5 March by Israeli occupying forces that shelled a site of Force 17.
At approximately 23:40,
Israeli gunboats shelled a Palestinian police station and a site of the Naval
Police in Sheikh ‘Ejlin area in Gaza. The two positions were totally destroyed and
seven policemen were injured:
1) Isma’il
El-Burdeini, critically injured by shrapnel in the abdomen;
2) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Ra’ouf Nejem, 34, injured by shrapnel
throughout the body;
3) Khaled
Mohammed Dhiab, 31, injured by shrapnel throughout the body;
4) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Karim El-Ashqar, 26, injured by shrapnel
throughout the body;
5) Ashraf
El-Khatib, 20, injured by shrapnel throughout the body;
6) Ashraf Abu
Dhalfa, 29, injured by shrapnel throughout the body; and
7) Mustafa
Khalil Abu Hatab, 30, sustained fractures in the feet and the upper arms.
3. Attacks of Palestinian Medical Personnel and
Centers
Saturday, 2 March 2002
At approximately 02:30,
Israeli occupying forces at a military roadblock at the entrance to “Halmish” settlement, northwest of Ramallah, opened
fire at a Palestinian ambulance that was evacuating a woman in labour, Ana’am
Yousef ‘Abdel-Ghani Saleh, 23, from Salfit Hospital to Ramllah Hospital to
perform a Caesarian operation. Israeli
soldiers denied passage of the ambulance, so the woman gave birth at the
roadblock. The baby was born dead.
Sunday, 3 March
2002
At approximately 00:30,
Israeli tanks on Nablus-Jenin road, south of Jenin, shelled the hospital of
Patient’s Friends Society in Al-Zahra’ neighborhood in Jenin. The hospital was severely damaged.
Monday, 4 March
2002
At approximately 14:00, an
Israeli tank positioned in Al-Jabriat neighborhood in Jenin, opened fire at an
ambulance of the Palestine Red Crescent Society that was on its way towards
Jenin refugee camp to evacuate the wounded. A physician, Khalil Mahmoud Suleiman, 45, was killed by a live bullet in
the chest and shrapnel throughout the body. The ambulance driver, Mohammed Nasser El-Jamal, 32, was critically
injured by shrapnel in the head and the face. Another ambulance moved towards the affected ambulance, but it was also
fired at by Israeli occupying forces. The driver and an ambulance officer were injured:
1) Taher
Mohammed Taher, 25, seriously injured by a live bullet in the side; and
2) Mahmoud
Ibrahim El-Sa’di, 28, injured by a live bullet in the back.
4. Shooting at Palestinian Civilians
Sunday, 3 March
2002
At approximately 14:00,
Israeli occupying forces at Qalandya checkpoint, north of occupied Jerusalem,
opened fire at Palestinian civilians who were walking in an area adjacent to
the checkpoint. Two Palestinian
civilians were wounded:
1) Fadi Nabil
Mousa ‘Awni, 16, from Qalandya
refugee camp, wounded by shrapnel from a live bullet in the head; and
2) Fadi Sharif ‘Awadhallah, 20, from Bitounia, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the left shoulder.
Monday, 4 March
2002
At approximately 07:30, in an
apparent willful killing, Israeli occupying forces at the Nablus-Qalqilya
roadblock shot dead a Palestinian student while he was on his way back him from
school. According to investigations by
LAW, 18-year-old Ayman Hassan ‘Abdel-Rahim Ghanem, from Ematin village in
Qalqilya governorate, was on his way back home from his school when Israeli
occupying forces at the aforementioned roadblock called on him to stop. He followed their orders and moved towards
them. When he was 10m away from them,
they shot him in the chest with a heavy caliber bullet. They did not allow his evacuation to hospital
and was left bleeding until he died.
At approximately 13:00,
Israeli occupying forces at Al-Shallala Street in Hebron fired at a number of
Palestinian demonstrators. Midhat
Mohammed Mahmoud ‘Amru, 20, was wounded by shrapnel from a live bullet in the
right shoulder.
Wednesday, 6 March
2002
In the morning, Israeli
occupying forces opened fire at school children in Seilat Al-Zhaher village,
south of Jenin, wounding four:
1) ‘Adnan Samih Shehada
Qararia, 17, seriously wounded by a live bullet that entered the right shoulder
and settled in the liver;
2) ‘Alla’ Hassan Muraweh
Hantouli, 12, wounded by a live bullet in the back;
3) Hani Rasmi ‘Aaref Hantouli, 13, wounded by shrapnel from a live
bullet in the right hand; and
4) Rami As’ad
‘Oleyan Hantouli, 13, wounded by shrapnel from a live bullet in the left
shoulder.
At approximately 15:15, Israeli
occupying forces in an observation tower, south of “Nissanit” settlement in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at some
Palestinian laborers who were approximately 500m away for no apparent
reason. ‘Aatef Jom’a Maziad, 32, from
Deir El-Balah, was wounded by a live bullet in the left eye, which he lost.
At approximately 15:30,
Israeli occupation forces at a bypass road leading to “Alfe Menashe” settlement, south of Qalqilya, shot dead 18-year-old Mahdi
Hassan Suleiman El-Qeissi, from Qalqilya, with several heavy caliber bullets,
while he was walking in the area. They
also kept his body and claimed that he had electric wires on his waist.
5. Arrests
This week, Israeli
occupying forces arrested a number of Palestinians. The arrests took place in the following
circumstances:
1- At international border crossings under the control
of Israeli occupying forces.
2- At Israeli military roadblocks and checkpoints on
main and branch roads at the entrances to Palestinian cities and villages.
3- Inside Palestinian towns and villages, often during
house raids.
4- During incursions into Palestinian National Authority
controlled areas.
Following are significant
arrests that took place this week:
On Saturday, 1 March,
Israeli occupying forces at Rafah Border Crossing arrested Ahmed Ibrahim
El-Nashawi, from Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the middle Gaza Strip, while he was
on his way back to the Gaza Strip from Saudi Arabia after pilgrimage.
********
PCHR calls:
1- Upon governments that participated in the World
Conference against Racism in Durban in South Africa to adopt crucial decisions
condemning Israeli practices in the OPT, which amount to inhumane acts under
the crime of apartheid, as defined in international law.
2- Upon the international community to provide immediate
and independent international protection for Palestinian civilians in the OPT.
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 OPT in accordance with their obligations
under Article 1.
4- Upon the international community to investigate and
prosecute before international courts, and in accordance with international
standards, those believed to have committed war crimes in the OPT.
5- Upon the ICRC to enhance its presence, expand its
activities, and intensify its field observations throughout the OPT.
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 continue to deteriorate as a result of the continued siege imposed
by Israeli occupying forces on the entire OPT.