Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (19 September 2001)

Introduction

This report covers human rights violations by Israeli
occupation forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) from September
13-19, 2001. This week, Israeli soldiers
killed 16 Palestinians – 11 of whom were civilians (including a woman, three
children, and a medic) and three security officers or militants. This escalation came while international
attention was focused on the recent disaster in the USA, in which the World
Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked.

Six Palestinians, including
five civilians, were killed and 63, mostly children, were injured either as a
result of being fired at for no apparent reason or due the excessive use of
force against demonstrators when no threat was posed to the lives of Israeli
soldiers.

On Friday, September 14,
2001, Ra’fat Mohammed Humeidan El-Malhi, 25, from Shu’fat refugee camp in
Jerusalem, was killed when Israeli occupation forces fired at his civilian car
without a clear reason. This was the third
incident of its kind in 72 hours.

On Tuesday, September 18,
2001, Israeli occupation forces fired at a Palestinian tractor, killing its
driver, Mu’taz ‘Abdel-Majid Daghlas, 26, from Burqa village, and seriously
wounding his companion. 

On Friday afternoon,
September 14, 2001, Ramzi Khalil Hassaouna, 16, from Al-Shojaeya neighborhood
in Gaza City, was killed with a live bullet by the Israeli occupation forces
during clashes near Al-Mentar Outlet, east of Gaza City.

On Saturday, September 15,
2001, a 14-year-old child, ‘Emad ‘Atta Qassem Zo’rob, was pronounced dead at
Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City from an injury caused by a live bullet in the
abdomen fired by Israeli soldiers in the afternoon, west of Khan Yunis.

On Monday morning,
September 17, Israeli soldiers fired at ‘Abdel-Salam Mohammed Ahmed Hassan, 35,
who was suffering from psycholgical problems, near the border with Egypt in
Rafah, killing him with two live bullets in the back and the right thigh.

On Wednesday morning,
September 19, Malek ‘Abdel-Jabbar Tamim Salem, 25, from Bazaria village near
Nablus, a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, was pronounced
dead from a previous injury he received from Israeli forces on Wednesday,
September 13, 2001, without clashes reported.

During shelling and
incursions carried out by Israeli forces against Palestinian areas, ten
Palestinians, including six civilians and a member of the civil defense, were
killed and around 60 were injured. Attacks by heavy and medium machine guns, tanks, helicopters, and
surface-to-surface missiles resulted in severe damage to houses and civilian
and security facilities.

On Thursday, September 13,
Israeli occupation forces again shelled and intruded into Jenin, which had been
under a strict siege since Monday, September 10. During this incursion, three Palestinians,
including two civilians, were killed and eight were wounded. Raja’ Saleh Fureihat, 24, from Jenin, was
killed by a heavy caliber bullet while she when her house in Al-Zahra’
neighborhood was shelled. Her relative,
Fakhri Mustafa Suleit Fureihat, 32, who went to offer help to his relatives,
was also killed by a heavy caliber bullet. Khattab ‘Abdel-Fattah Jabarin, 32, from Jenin refugee camp, was killed
while confronting the invading forces.

On Friday, September 14,
Israeli occupation forces shelled Palestinian houses in Al-Nemsawi
neighborhood, in the west of Khan Yunis. Two Palestinian civilians were killed:

1) ‘Emad Hasehm Rajab Khalaf, 19, from Khan Yunis
refugee camp, was killed by three heavy caliber bullets in the head, the chest
and the left leg; and

2) Mohammed Walid Mustafa El-Dajani, 18, from Khan Yunis
refugee camp, was killed by a heavy caliber bullet in the head.

On Saturday, September 15, Israeli
occupation forces attacked Beit Sahour. A member of the Palestinian Civil Defense, Yahia Nasser Hassan El-Sayah,
21, from the Bedouin Village in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, was
killed by an artillery shell.

On
Sunday, September 16, Israeli occupation forces moved into Um Al-Sharayet neighborhood in the
south of Ramallah. They intruded into
areas under the full control of the Palestinian National Authority, under the
cover of intensive shelling. A
Palestinian civilian, ‘Ali Khader Jaber Yassin, 25, was killed by a heavy
caliber bullet in the abdomen, while he was observing the incursion by Israeli
forces into his area from the roof of his house.

On
Monday, September 17, two members of the Palestinian National Security Forces
were pronounced dead from previous injuries they received during shelling by
Israeli occupation forces. In Jericho
Hospital, Mohammed Ghazi Hashem El-Shalawani, 39, was pronounced dead from a
previous injury by a heavy caliber bullet in the abdomen when Israeli forces
penetrated into Jericho on Thursday, September 13. At Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City, Mohammed
Ramadan El-Kafrana, 25, from Beit Hanoun, was pronounced dead from a previous
injury by shrapnel of an artillery shell when Israeli forces penetrated into
Beit Hanoun on Friday, September 14.

On
the same day, a Palestinian civilian, Ismail ‘Abdel-Hadi El-Douda, 30, from
Halhoul, was killed by several live bullets fired by Israeli forces while he
was passing by his car in Hebron.

1. Shooting at Palestinian
Civilians

Friday, September 14, 2001

Early in the morning, in
the third incident of its kind in less than 72 hours, Ra’fat Mohammed Humeidan
El-Malhi, 25, from Shu’fat refugee camp in Jerusalem, was killed when Israeli
occupation forces fired at his car without any clear reason. El-Malhi was driving his car from his area of
residence towards his work in Beir El-Saba’ in Israel. At approximately 06:30 local time, when he
arrived at the junction of Kharabtha village, he was surprised by a temporary
Israeli military roadblock. When he
crossed the roadblock, an Israeli military jeep chased him. Without any prior warning, Israeli soldiers
fired at the car. He was wounded by two
live bullets that entered his back and exited through the chest. According to investigations carried out by
the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment,
Israeli forces prevented Palestinians from offering help to the victim for more
than one hour. Finally, the victim was
evacuated by an Israeli ambulance to a medical center in “Gevaat Ziev” settlement,
where he was pronounced dead.

In a similar incident
earlier, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned on a military tower, east of
Deir El-Balah, had opened fire on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, on a Palestinian
taxi that was traveling from Gaza City to Khan Yunis. Mohammed Dhib Shaqfeh, 23, from Khan Yunis,
was killed by a live bullet in the head, and another young man was
wounded. On Wednesday, September 12,
2001, Israeli soldiers, positioned at Al-Matahen junction, north of Khan Yunis,
opened fire on a Palestinian taxi that was traveling from Gaza to Khan Yunis
that was traveling from Gaza to Khan Yunis. ‘Aamer ‘Hamdi Ziada, 21, from Al-Maghazi refugee camp, was killed by two
live bullets in the chest and the shoulder, and two other Palestinians were
wounded.

In the afternoon, dozens of
Palestinian children demonstrated against Israeli occupation forces, positioned
at the entrance to a settlement road, south of Al-Mentar Outlet, east of Gaza
City. Israeli soldiers responded by
firing at demonstrators, killing one and wounding five. According to PCHR’s investigations,
demonstrators did not pose any threat to the lives of Israeli soldiers, who
fired from guns equipped with silencers and from medium-calibre machine guns. Israeli soldiers also fired two artillery
shells, which fell onto agricultural land near the area where demonstrators
gathered. At approximately 15:00 local
time, Ramzi Khalil Hassouna, 16, from Al-Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City,
was wounded in the abdomen by a live bullet fired by Israeli soldiers from a
distance of approximately 10m, according to an eyewitness. The eyewitness added that Israeli soldiers
used machine guns equipped with silencers. Hassaouna was evacuated to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City, where he was
pronounced dead less than two hours later. Furthermore, five demonstrators were wounded in these clashes, which
lasted up to 19:00 local time, as follows:

1) Saleh ‘Abdel-Khaliq Hannoun, 16, from Jabalya,
wounded by a medium caliber bullet in the right leg and a small caliber bullet
in the left leg;

2) Salah El-Din Suhail Shehadeh, 16, from Al-Zaytoun
neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded by a live bullet in the pelvis;

3) Mohammed ‘Atta Abu Laban, 17, from Al-Zaytoun
neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded by a live bullet in the right side;

4) Saharif Sa’id Abu ‘Asser, 17, from Al-Shojaeya
neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh; and

5) Mohammed Talal Abu Sidu, 17, from Al-Remal
neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded by a live bullet in the left leg.

Also in the afternoon,
Israeli occupation forces fired at Palestinian demonstrators at Al-Shallala
Street in Hebron. A bystander, Rubin
Naji Hassan Maraqa, 66, was wounded by a live bullet in the left foot.

At approximately 14:00
local time, around 100 Palestinian children moved from Nuseirat refugee camp in
the middle area of the Gaza Strip towards Al-Shuhada’ junction, south of Gaza
City, where a tank and a military jeep of the Israeli occupation forces were
positioned. Palestinians children threw
stones at Israeli forces from a distance that exceeded 100m. Israeli forces fired at demonstrators,
wounding two as follows:

1) Mohammed Sa’di Karim, 16, wounded by a live bullet in
the left leg, was evacuated to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir El-Balah; and

2) ‘Ali Hassan El-Nawajha, 16, wounded by a live bullet
in the right thigh, was evacuated to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City.

Also at approximately 14:00
local time, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at the northern entrance to
Al-Bireh, fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters at a number of Palestinian
demonstrators. Eihab Zuhair Da’na, 17,
from Jerusalem, was injured by shrapnel from a live bullet in the right
leg. In addition, dozens of Palestinian
civilians, including Jamal ‘Aarouri, 35, a photographer of Agence France Presse
Agency, and Zahran El-‘Omar, 23, of the Palestinian News Agency (Wafa) suffered
from tear gas inhalation.

At approximately 17:00
local time, a number of Palestinian children demonstrated on a wide space
separating Al-Amal neighborhood and the border of “Gani Tal” settlement, west
of Khan Yunis. They threw stones at
Israeli occupation soldiers who were guarding the settlement. Israeli soldiers did not hesitate to fire at
children without resorting to any less lethal means to disperse them. Two children were wounded:

1) Tha’er Tafesh Barbakh, 12, wounded by a live bullet
in the buttocks; and

2) Mohammed Yahia Barbakh, wounded by a live bullet in
the left foot.

Saturday, September 15, 2001

At approximately 07:00
local time, Israeli occupation forces, positioned at a military roadblock near
Surra village, southwest of Nablus, fired live ammunition, tear gas, and stun
grenades at a number of Palestinian civilians who were trying to cross the area
on foot since the main road was blocked by Israeli forces. Amir Samir Nayef, 18, from Nablus, was hit by
a stun grenade in the left leg, causing burns. He was evacuated to Rafidya Hospital in Nablus.

At approximately 18:00
local time, 14-year-old ‘Emad ‘Attallah Qassem Zo’rob, from Khan Yunis, was
pronounced dead at Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City, from an injury in the abdomen
he received in the afternoon when Israeli occupation soldiers fired at
him. According to PCHR’s investigations,
at approximately 13:30 local time, dozens of Palestinian children, mostly
children, gathered near Khan Yunis cemetery after the funeral procession of
Mohammed El-Dajani and ‘Emad Khalaf.[1] They threw stones at an Israeli military
site, approximately 70m west of the cemetery. Israeli soldiers fired at the stone-throwers, wounding Zo’rob with a
live bullet in the abdomen. Since he was
in critical condition, he was evacuated to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City, where
he was pronounced dead at approximately 18:00. In these clashes, which continued up to 18:30 local time, 17 Palestinian
civilians, mostly children, were wounded:

1) Jihad Maher ‘Oleyan, 11, wounded by a live bullet in
the left knee;

2) Ramzi ‘Abdel-Majid El-Hieleh, 11, wounded by a live
bullet in the right leg;

3) Mu’in Ra’ad El-‘Attal, 11, wounded by a live bullet
in the right foot;

4) Saleh Musbah Tayas, 11, wounded by shrapnel from a
live bullet in the right foot;

5) ‘Azzam Nizam El-‘Aqqad, 13, wounded by shrapnel from
a live bullet in the head;

6) Ahmed Fawzi Zo’rob, 13, wounded by a piece of
shrapnel from a live bullet in right leg;

7) Karam Mousa El-Faq’awi, 14, wounded by a live bullet
in the buttocks;

8) Hamed Mustafa Wadi, 14, wounded by a live bullet in
the left thigh;

9) Mahmoud Ahmed Saqer, 14, wounded by a live bullet in
the right foot;

10) Ahmed Yousef Abu Shahma, 15, wounded by a live bullet
in the knee;

11) Mohammed Zuhair Abu Khudeir, 17, wounded by a live
bullet in the right foot;

12) Hamdi Khalil Zo’rob, 18, wounded by shrapnel from a
live bullet in the left foot;

13) Mahmoud Hamed El-Sabe’, 18, wounded by shrapnel from
a live bullet in the forehead;

14) Mohammed Fu’ad Barbakh, 19, wounded by two live
bullets in the feet;

15) Hassan Farhan Shalloula, 22, wounded by a live bullet
in the right foot;

16) Ismail ‘Abdullah Abu ‘Aassi, 22, wounded by a live
bullet in the left foot; and

17) Nafez Taha El-‘Aqqad, 32, wounded by two live bullets
in the feet.

At approximately 20:00
local time, Israeli occupation forces, positioned at the eastern border of the
Gaza Strip, east of Al-Boreij refugee camp in the middle area of the strip,
opened fire on a site of the Palestinian National Security Forces.  A member of the Security Forces, Ra’fat
Mohammed El-‘Awadhi, 28, was wounded by a live bullet in the chest. He was evacuated to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza
City.

Sunday, September 16, 2001

At approximately 12:00
local time, a Palestinian civilian, Ibrahim Suleiman Sa’id, 50, from Al-Maghazi
refugee camp in the middle area of the Gaza Strip, was wounded in the side with
a live bullet fired by Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at the eastern
border of the strip, near the refugee camp. According to PCHR’s investigations, Sa’id was on his way back home from
a neighboring house east of the refugee camp, approximately 300m to the west of
the border, when he was fired at. No
clashes were reported in the area then. Sa’id was evacuated to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City.

At approximately 14:00
local time, dozens of Palestinian children demonstrated in the west of Kham
Yunis after the funeral procession of ‘Emad Z’orob, who was killed by Israeli
soldiers on the previous day. They threw
stones towards a military location of the Israeli occupation forces in the
vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement. Israeli soldiers fired at the demonstrators, wounding 13-year-old
Tanzhim Mahrous El-Danaf with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the neck. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported
that clashed continued up to 17:00 local time.

Monday, September 17, 2001

At approximately 01:00
local time, after an exchange of fire with Palestinian gunmen, Israeli
occupation forces, positioned near Salah El-Din Gate at the border with Egypt,
opened fire indiscriminately on ‘Omar Ben El-Khattab Street in Rafah. The gunfire continued up to 03:00 local time,
during which time medical personnel were not able to reach the area. At approximately 06:00 local time, school
children discovered the body of a young man opposite a shop at the western side
of the street, approximately 600m north of the border. An ambulance evacuated the body to Al-Joneina
Hospital in Rafah. The young man had
been hit by two live bullets in the back and the right thigh. Physicians asserted that he died at least two
hours before his body was brought to hospital.

According to information
gathered by PCHR, the victim was shot when he was on ‘Omar Ben El-Khattab
Street. Since no one was in the area,
and no ambulances were able to reach the area then, he continued to bleed until
he died. The victim was identified as
‘Abdel-Salam Mohammed Ahmed Hassan (‘Oleyan), 35, from Rafah refugee camp,
father of 7 children. Hassan was
suffering from schizophrenia as a result of having been tortured in Israeli
jails in 1987.

At approximately 06:00
local time, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at a military roadblock
near ‘Azzoun village in Qalqilya, fired at a number of Palestinian laborers who
were on their way to work inside the Green Line. Two laborers were wounded:

1) Fadi Ahmed Darwish, 22, from Bedia village in
Salafit, wounded by a live bullet in the right leg; and

2) Maher Mohammed El-Dalu, 25, also from Bedia village,
wounded by a rubber-coated steel bullet in the shoulder.

At approximately 08:00 local time, school children in
most schools of Al-Boreij and Nuseirat refugee camps in the middle area of the
Gaza Strip went out of their schools, and organized a march in commemoration of
the Sabra and Sahatila massacres which left hundreds of Palestinian refugees
dead in 1982. The Israeli Prime Minster,
Ariel Sharon, has been accused of being involved in these massacres. PCHR’s field officer in the middle area of
the Gaza Strip reported that around 400 students moved north towards
Al-Shuhada’ junction, south of Gaza City. They gathered more than 150m to the south of an Israeli military
location at the junction, set fire to tires, and threw stones towards Israeli
soldiers, who responded by firing live ammunition and tear gas canisters. Eight demonstrators were wounded as follows:

1) Sami ‘Aadel ‘Abdel-Salam, 17, from Al-Boreij, wounded
by a live bullet in the right hand;

2) Nasser Jamal El-Majdalawi, 12, from Nuseirat, wounded
by a live bullet in the head;

3) Ahmed Mohammed El-Sous, 15, from Al-Boreij, wounded
by a live bullet in the right hand;

4) Mohammed Sami Abu Shu’ira, 14, from Nuseirat,
seriously wounded by a live bullet that entered the right hand and settled in
the abdomen;

5) ‘Abdullah Ahmed El-Asmar, 17, from Nuseirat, wounded
by a live bullet in the left leg;

6) Ibrahim Khalil Khattab, 16, from Nuseirat, wounded by
a live bullet in the left foot;

7) Hassan Salim El-‘Atawna, 15, from Nuseirat, wounded
by a live bullet in the left leg; and

8) ‘Ali ‘Ali El-‘Abid, 15, from Nuseirat, wounded by a
live bullet in the back.

At approximately 10:00
local time, a number of Palestinian civilians, including students of Bir Zeit
University, attempted to cross an Israeli military roadblock at Surda junction
on Ramallah-Bir Zeit road, on foot. Israeli soldiers fired tear gas canisters and stun grenades at them, and
beat others as well. Maher ‘Abdel-Rahman
Saleh, 33, from ‘Aaroura village north of Ramallah, was injured by a stun
grenade in his hand, and other civilians suffered from tear gas inhalation.

At approximately 12:00
local time, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at a military roadblock
near Qalandya Airport, fired at a number of Palestinian civilians who were
attempting to cross a roadblock. ‘Alla’
‘Abbas ‘Oweisa, 22, from Al-Lubban village in Ramallah, was wounded by a
rubber-coated steel bullet in the right hand.

Tuesday, September 18, 2001

At approximately 00:30
local time, an undercover unit of the Israeli occupation forces fired at a
Palestinian tractor, killing its driver and seriously wounding his
companion. Mu’taz ‘Abdel-Majid Daghlas,
26, from Burqa village, northwest of Nablus, was driving his tractor from
Bazaria village towards his nearby village through a branch road, since all main
roads were blocked by Israeli forces.  He
was accompanied by Muhannad ‘Omar Hassan Mas’oud, 37, from Burqa village
also. On their way, they were surprised
by a number of Israeli soldiers who fired at them. Daghlas was killed by several live bullets,
while Mas’oud was seriously wounded by four live bullets in the back.

PCHR was informed that the
Israeli forces denied the access of an ambulance of Palestine Red Cresecnt
Society to the area. Instead, they
evacuated the two victims by helicopter to an unknown destination. Later, an Israeli Arabic-language radio
station reported that an Israeli military spokesman saying that a military unit
on a special mission fired at two young Palestinian men from Burqa village,
near Bazaria village, after they refused to follow orders by the unit to stop. 

2. Shelling of, and
Incursions into Palestinian Cities and Residential Areas

Thursday, September 13, 2001

At approximately 00:30,
Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks, moved into Jericho under the
cover of intensive shelling that targeted ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp and
residential areas in the cities. The
Israeli forces entered the city from two directions. Some units entered the city from the south
towards the parks in the centre of the city, and other units entered the city
from the north. During the shelling and
incursion, a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, Mohammed Ghazi
El-Shalawani, 39, was seriously wounded by a heavy caliber bullet in the
abdomen. He was evacuated to Jericho
Hospital. On Monday, September 17, 2001,
he was pronounced dead.

At approximately 02:45,
Israeli occupation forces again shelled and encroached into Jenin, which had
been under a strict siege since Monday, September 10, 2001. They intensively shelled the city, especially
Al-Zahra’ neighborhood at the center of the city, while tanks and military
vehicles intruded approximately 3.5km into areas under full control of the
Palestinian National Authority. They
destroyed the headquarters of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service and
the Preventive Security Service. One
hour later, they withdrew. During this
incursion, three Palestinians, including two civilians, were killed and eight
were wounded. Raja’ Saleh Fureihat, 24,
from Jenin, was killed by a heavy caliber bullet when her house in Al-Zahra’
neighborhood was shelled. Her relative,
Fakhri Mustafa Suleit Fureihat, 32, who went to offer help to his relatives,
was also killed by a heavy caliber bullet. In the same incident, Baker Hussein Esteitia, 24, was injured by
shrapnel in the left hand and leg. Furthermore, Khattab ‘Abdel-Fattah Jabarin, 33, from Jenin refugee camp,
was killed by a heavy caliber bullet in the chest, while he was participating
in confronting the invading forces. Seven Palestinians were also injured as follows:

1) ‘Alla’ ‘Essam Suleiti, 27, injured by shrapnel
throughout the body;

2) ‘Arafat Mustafa Suleit, 23, injured by shrapnel
throughout the body;

3) Riad Mustafa Suleit, 17, injured by shrapnel
throughout the body;

4) Samir Mustafa Suleit, 29, injured by shrapnel
throughout the body;

5) Rami Ibrahim Suleit, 17, injured by shrapnel
throughout the body;

6) Khaled Mar’I Eghbaria, 24, injured by shrapnel
throughout the body; and

7) Muhsen Qadri Bathour, 24, injured by shrapnel
throughout the body.

Friday, September 14, 20001

At approximately 19:00,
Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with three tanks and a bulldozer, moved
into Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. They fired artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at the
town, especially at Al-Sekka Street, into which Israeli forces moved
approximately 1,200m. Palestinians
living in the area left their houses, fearing for their lives. Four Palestinians were injured, including
Mohammed Ramadan El-Kafarna, 25, a member of the Palestinian Military
Intelligence Service, who was seriously injured by shrapnel from an artillery
shell in the head. He was evacuated to
Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City, where he was pronounced dead on Monday, September
17, 2001. According to PCHR’s
investigations, El-Kafarna was with some civilians near a wastewater facility
at Al-Sekka Street, approximately 2,200m away from the fence of Erez area,
under the control of Israeli forces. Israeli forces fired two artillery shells at them, injuring El-Kafarna and
three other civilians:

1) Ramzi Ahmed Abu ‘oudeh, 28, from Beit Hanoun, injured
by shrapnel throughout the body;

2) Bilal ‘Abdel-Jabbar Hamad, 27, from Beit Hanoun,
injured by shrapnel throughout the body; and

3) Samir ‘Eissa ‘Azzam, 20, from Beit Hanoun, injured by
shrapnel throughout the body.

During this incursion, which continued up to 02:30 on
the following day, Israeli forces destroyed and damaged some houses, civilian
facilities and areas of agricultural land. Following are details of damages:

1) Two rooms and a part of the fence of a 200-square-meter,
one-story house, owned by ‘Atta ‘Attaya Hussein Sweilem, were demolished. The house was evacuated several months ago,
because it is very close to the border and was frequently shelled by Israeli
forces.

2) A rest house and a storehouse for agricultural
equipment, which stood on a 200-square-meter area of land, owned by Nayef
Mohammed ‘Eid ‘Ayyad, were totally destroyed.

3) A rest house, a storehouse of agricultural equipment
and a well, which stood on a 450-square-meter area of land, owned by ‘eid
Basiouni ‘Abdullah Hassan, were totally destroyed.

4) Pillars of the second floor of a newly-built,
330-square-meter, two-story house, owned by Jalal Sehadeh Sa’id Hamdan, were
demolished by a bulldozer. The house is
approximately 1,200m away from the border and is no longer fit for habitation.

5) Bullets made holes in the walls of a
150-square-meter, two-story house, in which 8 people live, owned by Jamal
Mohammed Hussein Sweilem. The house is
approximately 350m away from the border.

6) Bullets made holes in the walls of a
130-square-meter, two-story house, and a nearby 150-square-meter,
asbestos-roofed building, in which 12 people live, owned by Hussein Mohammed
Hussein Sweilem. The house and the
building are approximately 1,000m away from the border.

7) Bullets made holes into walls of a 185-square-meter,
two-story house, in which 8 people live, owned by Jamal Mohammed Hussein
El-Kafarna. Five windows broke and a
water tank was damaged. The house is
approximately 1,400m away from the border.

8) Bullets made holes into walls of a 150-square-meter,
one-story house, in which 5 people live, owned by ‘Azzam Yousef ‘Abdel-Karim
Hamad. The house is approximately 1,700m
away from the border.

9) A 150-square-meter, one-story house, in which 12
people live, owned by Kamal Mohammed Hussein Sweilem, cracked and a nearby rest
house was demolished. 

10) A Chevrolet car of the Palestinian Border Forces was
destroyed by an artillery shell.

11) A 500-square-meter wastewater facility was hit by two
artillery shells, which led to partial destruction, and a nearby electricity
transmitter was severely damaged.

12) The Israeli forces razed a 1-donum area of
agricultural land planted with citrus, owned by Mousa Tawfiq Hamad.

13) The Israeli forces razed a 1-donum area of
agricultural land planted with citrus, owned by Mohammed Hussein Sweilem.

14) An artillery shell fell onto a 5-donum area of
agricultural land planted with sugarcanes, completely burning it.

Late at night, Israeli
occupation forces shelled Palestinian houses in Al-Nemsawi neighborhood in the
west of Khan Yunis. Two Palestinian
civilians were killed:

3) ‘Emad Hasehm Rajab Khalaf, 19, from Khan Yunis
refugee camp, killed by three heavy caliber bullets in the head, the chest and
the left leg; and

4) Mohammed Walid Mustafa El-Dajani, 18, from Khan Yunis
refugee camp, killed by a heavy caliber bullet in the head, which broke made an
8cm a hole in his skull.

According to investigations
carried out by PCHR, Khalf and El-Dajani were not armed and did not participate
in any action against Israeli forces. They were killed willfully by Israeli forces. At approximately 23:30, while an Israeli
military bulldozer was leveling areas of land adjacent to “Neve Dekalim”
settlement, west of Al-Nemsawi neighborhood in Khan Yunis, Israeli forces,
positioned in a military post near the settlement, opened fire on the
Palestinian neighborhood. At
approximately 00:00, Khalaf and El-Dajani went to the area to help its
people. When they arrived at the area,
they sought shelter behind a wall of Nasser El-Din El-Albani Mosque when Israeli
forces fired at them. At approximately
00:15, a number of young men went to the area, searching for them. They found them lying on the ground. El-Dajani was dead, but Khalaf was seriously
injured. He was evacuated to Nasser
Hospital in Khan Yunis, where he was pronounced dead at 02:00.

Saturday,
September 15, 2001

At
approximately 02:30, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and
military vehicles, moved towards a roadblock of the Palestinian National
Security Forces at the southern entrance of Um Al-Sharayet neighborhood in the
south of Ramallah. They took position
approximately 300m away from the Palestinian roadblock and opened fire with
heavy and medium machine guns. Then,
gunfire was exchanged between the Israeli forces and Palestinian security men
who moved back. Israeli forces fired artillery shells at the area and thrust
some meters into areas under full control of the Palestinian National
Authority. Six Palestinians, three
civilians and three security men, were injured:

1) Ashraf Nadim Nayef Ma’ali,
19, a civilian, injured by shrapnel in the left hand;

2) Ussama ‘Awni Mohammed Abu
Kuweil, 23, a civilian, injured by shrapnel in the left hand;

3) Muhannad Rashad Saleh
El-Salehi, 23, a civilian, injured by shrapnel in the left leg;

4) Ra’ad Hassan
El-Barghouthi, 20, a security man, injured by shrapnel in the face and chest;

5) Ziad Mohammed
‘Abdel-Fattah, 26, a security man, injured by shrapnel in the left hand and the
right side; and

6) Fadi Mohammed Shalat, 20,
a security man, injured by shrapnel in the head and the right hand.

At
approximately 10:30, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and
bulldozers, intruded approximately 300m into areas under full control of the
Palestinian National Authority, north of Al-Qarara village near Khan
Yunis. They razed a 10-donum area of
agricultural land planted with olives and sycamores, owned by Farouq Hamdi
El-Farra.

In
the afternoon, Israeli occupation forces shelled Palestinian security sites and
facilities in Rafah, Nuseirat refugee camp, and Gaza City, using combat
helicopters and surface-to-surface missiles. At approximately 12:00, Israeli forces launched two surface-to-surface
missiles from Israeli territories at a police station in Rafah. The first missile hit an building filled with
administrative offices, causing severe damage, while the other missile hit a
storehouse near the gate of the station, setting it on fire. Nine Palestinians, mostly policemen, were
injured, while a civilian car that stopped near the police station was severely
damaged. According to medical sources at
Al-Joneina Hospital in Rafah, three Palestinians were injured by shrapnel while
others were injured as a result of falling. An 11-year-old child, Alla’ Sa’d Abu Jazar, received bruises in the
right ankle while she was on her way back home from school. Those injured by shrapnel were:

1) Tayseer Jaber ‘Afaneh, 43,
injured by shrapnel in the face and the
abdomen;

2) Yousef Mousa El-Akhras,
25, injured by shrapnel in the right foot; and

3) ‘Emad Na’im Nasser, 37,
injured by shrapnel in the left ear.

At
the same time, two Israeli combat helicopters bombarded a site of the
Palestinian Marine Police in Nuseirat refugee camp. The site was hit by two rockets that
destroyed it partially. A passing
Palestinian civilian, Salameh Mahmoud El-Neweiri, 21, was injured by shrapnel
in the abdomen. He was evacuated to
Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City.

At
approximately 12:30, two Israeli combat helicopters, thought to be the same
ones which bombarded Nusseirat, fired 8 rockets at a Palestinian Military
Intelligence Service installation in Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City. The rockets hit the building directly,
wounding two of its members:

1) Mustafa Mahmoud ‘Oudeh,
20, from Nuseirat refugee camp, seriously injured by shrapnel throughout the
body and fingers of his left hand, except for the thumb, were cut; and

2) Salameh Mohammed Neweiri,
18, from Nusseirat, injured by shrapnel in the abdomen.

At
approximately 22:20, Israeli occupation forces, positioned at the entrance to
“Psagot” settlement, east of Al-Bireh, started firing artillery shells and
heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses near the Hashimite
School. Khaled Jamal Qar’an, 24, was
injured by shrapnel in the mouth and the face, and some of his teeth were
broken.

At
approximately 22:30, Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells and heavy
and medium caliber bullets at Al-Eskan and Karkaba neighborhoods, the tourist
village and the Christian Youth Society Street at the center of Beit Sahour. At approximately 22:45 an ambulance of the
Palestinian Civil Defense was fired at by Israeli forces from a distance of
approximately 1,200m, while its personnel were offering medical help to people
in the northeast of Beit Sahour. When medics
were able to get out of the vehicle, an artillery shell hit one of them, Yahia
Nasser Hassan El-Sayah, 21, from the Bedouin Village in Beit Lahia in the
northern Gaza Strip, killing him instantly. Two medics were also injured by shrapnel as follows:

1) Mohammed Ibrahim ‘Aayesh
Joudeh, 24, from Bethlehem, injured by shrapnel throughout the body; and

2) Mu’taz Mohammed ‘Eissa,
from Beit Sahour, injured by shrapnel throughout the body.

Sunday,
September 16, 2001

At approximately 03:30,
Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and military vehicles, moved
in Um Al-Sharayet neighborhood in the south of Ramallah. They intruded approximately 800 from three
directions into areas under the full control of the Palestinian National
Authority, under the cover of intensive shelling. A Palestinian civilian, ‘Ali Khader Jaber
Yassin, 25, was killed by a heavy caliber bullet in the abdomen. According to investigations carried out by
the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment
(LAW), Yassin was killed while he was atop his house, observing the incursion
by Israeli forces into his area. Furthermore, 15 Palestinians were also injured:

1) ‘Aadel Farid Thabet, 25, seriously injured by a live
bullet that entered the abdomen and exited the back;

2) Haitham Wasfi Eqdeih, 23, seriously injured by a live
bullet in the head;

3) Younis ‘Ali Mohammed Massa’id, 25, seriously injured
by a live bullet in the chest;

4) Husni ‘Ali Mohammed Zureiq, 29, injured by shrapnel
in the left foot;

5) Mohammed Sha’ban El-Tartir, 25, injured by two live
bullets in the hands;

6) Mahmoud El-‘Aarda, 30, injured by shrapnel in the
legs;

7) Samer ‘Aakef ‘Aadel El-Deisi, 19, injured by a live
bullet in the right thigh;

8) ‘Alla’ ‘Abdel-‘Azziz Zureiq, 24, injured by a live
bullet in the right leg;

9) Sa’ed Suleiman El-Lahham, 24, injured by shrapnel in
the legs;

10) Yousef ‘Abdel-Rahim El-Khatib, 15, injured by a live
bullet in the buttocks;

11) Yousef Ahmed ‘Abdullah Abu Taher, 20, injured by
shrapnel in the hand;

12) Muntasser Makhlouf, 28, injured by a live bullet in
the left hand;

13) ‘Adnan ‘Abdel-Ghani Bader, 32, injured by shrapnel
from a live bullet in the face;

14) Hassan ‘Oudeh Ya’qoub, 29, injured by a live bullet
in the back; and

15) Samih ‘Ali Karakra, 42, injured by a live bullet in
the right hand.

Furthermore, eight houses
were severely damaged and five civilian cars were totally destroyed. A three-story building of Fatah Movement was
also hit by two rockets fired by an Israeli combat helicopter at approximately
04:50. The building was severely
damaged.

Monday,
September 10, 2001

At
approximately 05:00, Israeli occupation forces, positioned near Al-Shuhada’
junction south of Jenin, opened fire from heavy machine guns at nearby
Palestinian farms. A Palestinian farmer,
‘Abdel-Fattah Sa’id El-Sheikh, 42, was injured by shrapnel from a heavy caliber
bullet in the thighs, while he was guarding greenhouses in the area.

At
approximately 08:30, Israeli occupation forces, positioned on hills southeast
of Jenin, opened fire from heavy machine guns at the office of the joint
council of solid waste, while employees were entering. The office was severely damaged, but no
casualties were reported.

At
approximately 10:00, Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells and
heavy, medium and light caliber bullets in the vicinity of Bitounia Cemetery. A member of the Palestinian National Security
Forces, ‘Emad ‘Awadh Qe’dan, 23, was seriously injured by a live bullet in the
head while he was bringing food to a nearby site. In addition, five Palestinian civilians,
including a woman, were injured as follows:

1) Leila Mohammed Abu Saleh,
59, injured by shrapnel throughout the body;

2) ‘Omar Hussein Qe’dan, 23,
injured by shrapnel in the right shoulder;

3) Younis Mohammed Rujbi, 24,
injured by shrapnel in the limbs;

4) Ra’ed Sa’adat Jarbou’a,
25, injured by shrapnel throughout the body; and

5) Eihab Yousef Doula, 21,
injured by shrapnel in the face.

Furthermore,
a number of houses and shops were severely damaged and a civilian car was
totally destroyed.

At
approximately 17:00, Israeli occupation forces, positioned near Salah El-Din
Gate at the border with Egypt, shelled ‘Omar Ben El-Khattab Street in
Rafah. Najla’ Mahmoud Abu Lebdeh, 22,
was injured by shrapnel in the chest and the face near her house in Block “O”
area in Rafah refugee camp, west of the aforementioned street.

At
approximately 19:00, Israeli occupation forces, positioned inside “Ramat
Yishai” settlement at the center of Hebron, fired artillery shells and heavy,
medium and light caliber bullets at Palestinian houses in Bab Al-Zawia
neighborhood. A Palestinian civilian was
killed and four were injured. Ismail
‘Abdel-Hadi El-Douda, 30, from Halhoul, was driving his car near Al-Madina
Al-Munawara market, approximately 700m to the southeast of the location of the Israeli
forces. His car was fired at by the
Israeli forces and he was instantly killed by several live bullets. In addition, four civilians were injured as
follows:

1) Asmahan Darwish Abu
Rumouz, 20, injured by shrapnel in the right leg;

2) ‘Omar ‘Abdel-Hamid
El-Ghazawi, 70, injured by shrapnel in the left forearm and the right foot;

3) Ra’fat Ahmed Shahin, 9,
injured by shrapnel in the left foot; and

4) Khadija Mohammed
El-Fatafta, 22, injured by shrapnel in the left eye, which was lost.

At
approximately 22:30, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and
bulldozers, thrust approximately 1,000m into areas under the full control of
the Palestinian National Authority south of Gaza City, while intensively firing
heavy and medium caliber bullets. PCHR’s
field officer in Gaza City reported that Israeli forces moved from “Netzarim”
settlement, south of Gaza City, and destroyed some houses and civilian and
security facilities. Israeli bulldozers
also damaged parts of the coastal road connecting Gaza City with the middle
area of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli
forces withdrew at midnight. The Israeli
forces caused the following damage:

1) A 200-square-meter,
one-story building, which stood on a working area, was demolished. The building belonged to EGDG, a French-Dutch
company responsible for the implementation of the Gaza Harbor Project, funded
by the European Union. European flags were clearly visible. 

2) A wall of a
150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 3 people live, owned by Tamam
Salem Mutawe’, was partially demolished.

3) A wall of a 150-square-meter,
asbestos-roofed house, in which 10 people live, owned by Suleiman ‘Ali Salam
Mutawe’, was partially demolished.

4) A wall of a
200-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 12 people live, owned by
Yasser Ibrahim ‘Ali Mutawe’, was partially demolished.

5) Parts of the southern wall
of Al-Mahrousa tourist village were demolished.

6) A site of the Palestinian
National Security Forces was destroyed.

7) The coastal road was
damaged.

Also
at approximately 22:30, Israeli forces positioned at the border with Egypt
fired artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian
houses in Block “O” area in Rafah refugee camp. Three houses were severely damaged:

1) Four artillery shells and
several live bullets hit a 120-square-meter, two-story house, in which three
families comprising a total of 18 people, live, owned Hammouda Musallam Abu
Saleh. The families had earlier
evacuated their furniture in order to leave the house due to the constant posed
threat to their lives.

2) Three artillery shells hit
a 120-square-meter, three-story house in which three families comprising a
total of eight people, owned by Tal’at ‘Abed-Rabbu Abu Saleh.

3) Two artillery shells hit a
130-square-meter, four-story house, in which three families comprised of 18
people, owned by Ahmed Mohammed Abu Lebdeh.

Tuesday,
September 18, 2001

At
approximately 01:30, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and
bulldozers, thrust 100m into Qeshta neighborhood near Salah El-Din Gate the
border with Egypt in Rafah. They
demolished a 250-square-meter, three-story house, in which three families,
comprising a total of 15 people, were living. Details of the families are as follows:

1) The family of Samir Hassan
Saleh El-Sha’er, comprised of six people;

2) The family of Khaled
Hassan Saleh El-Sha’er, comprised of five people; and 

3) The family of Majed Hassan
Saleh El-Sha’er, comprised of four people.

Approximately
half an hour later, Israeli forces, reinforced with tanks and bulldozers,
thrust 100m into Zo’rob square opposite to a military site at the border with
Egypt in Rafah. PCHR’s field officer in
Rafah reported that the incursion lasted for one hour, during which the Israeli
forces destroyed a 300-square-meter, one-story house, in which 12 people used
to live, owned by Nasser and Ashraf Hussein ‘Abdel-‘Azziz Zo’rob.

At
approximately 09:00, Israeli occupation forces, positioned near Salah El-Din
Gate at the border with Egypt, opened fire on Palestinian houses at ‘Omar Ben
Al-Khattab Street, south of Rafah. Two
Palestinian civilians were injured as follows:

1) Hashem Ahmed El-Jamal, 62,
injured by shrapnel in the left thigh and arm; and

2) ‘Abdullah Salem El-Masri,
55, injured by shrapnel in the right shoulder and leg.

In
the afternoon, Israeli occupation forces, positioned near Salah El-Din Gate at
the border with Egypt, shelled Palestinian houses in Block “O” area in Rafah
refugee camp. Ramzi Yousef El-Samhouri,
16, was injured by shrapnel in the right arm.

At
approximately 18:15, Israeli occupation forces, positioned in settlements in
the occupied part of Hebron, and at demarcation lines, opened fire from heavy
and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses in Al-Sheikh and Khellat
Hadour neighborhoods and some streets of the city. As a result of the shelling, which lasted for
more than three hours, 13 houses were severely damaged, and five civilians were
injured as follows:

1) Mahmoud ‘Abdel-Rahman Abu
Hadid, 7, injured by shrapnel in the face;

2) Hani ‘Abdel-Jalil
El-Qudsi, 12, injured by shrapnel in the left elbow;

3) Yusri ‘Abbas Eskafi 20,
injured by shrapnel in the left eyebrow;

4) Bilal ‘Arif El-Atrash, 22,
injured by shrapnel in the right ankle; and

5) Mohammed Jamil Salhab, 63,
injured by a live bullet in the right armpit.

Wednesday,
September 19, 2001

At
approximately 17:20, Israeli forces fired heavy and medium caliber bullets at
Al-Sheikh and Khellat Hadour neighborhoods in Hebron. Three Palestinian civilians were injured as
follows:

1) ‘Abdel-Rahman Khalil
Shahin, 9, injured by shrapnel in the back and the limbs;

2) Ziad ‘Ali Salahab, 36,
seriously injured by a heavy caliber bullet in the abdomen and shrapnel
throughout the body; and

3) Rasmia Zakaria Salahab,
45, injured by shrapnel in the face and the chest.

At approximately 18:30, Israeli occupation forces,
positioned near Salah El-Din Gate at the border with Egypt, opened fire with
heavy and medium machine guns on Palestinian houses near the gate. Khamis Yousef Abu Taha, 30, was injured by
shrapnel in the left leg.

3. Arrests by Israeli
Occupation Forces

This
week, Israeli occupation forces arrested many 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 Israeli
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.

4) Arrests of fishermen in
the Gaza Strip.

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