May 25, 2023
Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Weekly Update 18-24 May 2023)
Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Weekly Update 18-24 May 2023)

Violation of right to life and bodily integrity: 

3 Palestinians, including a civilian, was killed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF’s) fire and 23 others, including a woman and 3 children, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in IOF’s attacks in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and in eastern Gaza Strip. Details are as follows:

On 22 May 2023, IOF killed 3 Palestinians; one was a civilian and the other 2 were members of the Palestinian armed groups, and injured a woman and three members of the Palestinian armed groups during their incursion into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, where they blew up a residential house as well. (Details available at PCHR’s press release.)

Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages and suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians.

On 18 May 2023, 7 Palestinians were shot with rubber-coated bullets and directly hit with teargas canisters during IOF’s suppression of Palestinians participating in a peaceful protest organized near the border fence in eastern Gaza City. On the same day, a child was injured with 2 live bullets while raising the Palestinian flag in clashes with IOF near the gate Rachel’s Tomb in Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem.

On 19 May 2023, 3 Palestinians were shot with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddum weekly peaceful protest against settlements in northern Qalqilya.

On 20 May 2023, a child was injured with a bullet in his left thigh after IOF opened fire at him while playing near Quffin Gate, northern Tulkarm, where IOF were stationed. The soldiers interrogated the wounded child in the field before allowing a Palestinian ambulance to transfer him to Ibn Sinai Hospital. On the same day, a Palestinian was shot with a bullet in his right foot by IOF while grazing his sheep on southern Madama Mountain in Nablus.

Also, a Palestinian sustained a rubber-coated bullet injury in his arm during IOF’s suppression of Palestinians who tried to confront settlers’ attacks at al-Tur village entrance in occupied East Jerusalem.

On 22 May 2023, a Palestinian was injured and 3 others were arrested during IOF’s incursion into Jenin. During their incursion, IOF seized 3 cell phones and 150 shekels from one of the arrestees’ houses, as his family reported.

On 23 May 2023, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were injured during clashes with IOF following their incursion into Qabatiya village in southern Jenin. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested a Palestinian. Also, 2 Palestinians sustained injuries in clashes with IOF in Ni’lin village in Ramallah, where IOF blew up a residential house on grounds of collective punishment.

So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 153 Palestinians, including 76 civilians; 24 were children and 6 were women, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, 7 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 638 Palestinians, including 100 children, 25 women and 12 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Land razing, demolitions, and notices

 IOF displaced 12 families of 65, including 29 children and 15 women, after destroying 7 residential houses; some of them comprised of several apartments. Also, IOF demolished 4 facilities, including a water well and a chalet in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:

On 18 May 2023, IOF forced Diyaa Abu Duhaim to self-demolish his 130-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, displacing a family of 6, including 4 children.

On 22 May 2023, IOF forced Mahmoud Siyam to self-demolish his 35-sqm house in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, displacing a family of 5, including a woman and 3 children.

On the same day, IOF demolished Diyab Hamamdah’s 100-sqm house in Ma’een village in Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C). Also, IOF demolished a 15-sqm tent built of sheds and steel pillars in Ma’een villag.  Moreover, IOF demolished two water wells in Umm al-Khair and Zowaidn villages in Hebron under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

Also, IOF demolished an under-construction house of 200 square meters in Umm Safa village in Ramallah, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).

On 24 May 2023, IOF demolished a 700-sqm greenhouse, razed an agricultural land and demolished stone chains surrounding a 1-dunum plot of land in Khelet al-‘Eif area in Hebron, under the pretext of building in a state land.

On the same day, IOF razed a 2-storey chalet of 50 square meters, a 100-sqm swimming pool, 2 walls, a wooden fence, and trees in a 2-dumun land.

IOF demolished Hussam ‘Obidat’s 70-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem, rendering a family of 5, including 3 children, homeless.

Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 88 families homeless, a total of 557 persons, including 112 women and 252 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 90 houses; 20 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 10 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 78 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. 

House demolitions on grounds of collective punishment  

On 22 May 2023, IOF moved into Balata refugee camp in eastern Nablus and blew up the first floor in a 3-storey house belonging to Abu Shallal family sheltering 7 families of 43, including 19 children and 10 women. They blew up the first floor without evacuating the residents from the other floors. The demolition came upon Israeli claims that one of the house residents is wanted. ( Details available in PCHR’s press release.)

On 23 May 2023, IOF moved into Ni’lin village in Ramallah and blew up a house belonging to Mo’taz Bellah al-Khawajah (23), who was killed after carrying out a shooting attack in Tel Aviv on 09 March 2023.  Al-Khawajah’s 150-sqm house was comprised of 4 floors and sheltered 4 persons, including Mo’taz’s parents. As a result, a balcony in a nearby house was destroyed. During IOF’s withdrawal from the village, clashes broke out with Palestinians, wounding 2 of them.

So far in 2023, IOF have demolished 10 houses as part of their collective punishment policy.

Settlers’ attacks and retaliatory acts  

On 19 May 2023, hundreds of Israeli settlers, under IOF’s protection, organized several marches in occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City, coinciding with the arrival of Palestinian worshipers to perform Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City. A number of Israeli settlers assaulted the Palestinian worshipers and passers-by, insulted them, and broke the windows of several vehicles near Bab al-Asbat (Lions’ Gate). Afterwards, altercations erupted, and IOF quickly intervened, suppressed the Palestinians, fired teargas canisters at them and pushed and beat them.

On 20 May 2023, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in their lands in al-Sahel area between Turmus_Ayya and Al-Mughayyir villages in eastern Ramallah. The settlers damaged at least 153 olive and fruit trees, destroyed 3 water tanks, set wooden seats ablaze, and broke a vehicle’s windshield.

On 24 May 2023, 3 Palestinians sustained live bullet shrapnel wounds when the guard of Homesh settlement, which is established on Palestinians’ lands in southern Jenin, opened fire, noting that Israeli authorities have decided to return settlers to the mentioned settlement a week ago after its evacuation in 2005. The settlers threw stones at Palestinian houses in the outskirts of Burqa village, smashing the windows of 2 houses; as a result, a number of Palestinians gathered and confronted the settlers. After wards, the Homesh settlement’s guard arrived and opened fire from his weapon, inflicting several injuries. Also, the settlers burned a 300-sqm livestock barrack, killing many sheep.

Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 207 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 7 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them were subject to beating and stone-throwing. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze. Israeli “Flag March” 

On 18 May 2023, thousands of Israeli settlers, including ministers, officials, and Knesset members, participated took part in the raid on al-Aqsa Mosque and in the annual Israeli “Flag March”, amidst a large deployment of IOF and the closure of many streets. (More Details available in PCHR’s press release.)

During the raid, the Israeli settlers chanted racist slogans and cursed Prophet Muhammad, and some of them fixed posters in the eastern side of al-Aqsa Mosque, the posters included the Israeli flag with the “the Temple in our hands” phrase. While raiding the Moeque, dozens of Palestinians gathered in the area outside Bab al-Selselah (Chain Gate), but IOF violently suppressed, beat and pushed them, hindering the work of press crews and forcing them out of the area.

At approximately 15:00, a large number of Israeli settlers arrived at Bab al-‘Amoud yard amidst IOF’s complete closure of the area. IOF assaulted, pushed and beat dozens of Palestinians, wounding and causing bruises to many of them. When the Israelis participating in the flag march arrived, including ministers in the Israeli government, they danced, raised Israeli flags, chanted racist slogans against Arabs and Islam, cursed Prophet Muhammad, and assaulted, spit, and cursed the press crews in the place and threatened to kill them. Also, they threw stones, empty bottles and flags’ sticks at the press crews, causing minor injuries to 4 journalists. Also, IOF assaulted 3 Palestinian women who raised the Palestinian flag on Salah al-Deen Street and arrested one of them.

IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:

IOF carried out 196 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 80 Palestinians were arrested, including 15 children. In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 3 limited incursions into eastern Dir al-Balah and Khan Yunis on 23 and 24 May 2023.

So far in 2023, IOF conducted 4084 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 2365 Palestinians were arrested, including 25 women and 284 children.  Also, IOF arrested 34 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, including 12 fishermen, 19 infiltrators into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing. IOF also conducted 15 incursions.

Israeli closure, restrictions on freedom of movement and collective punishment: 

Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 16-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update of the state of Gaza crossings.

In the West Bank, IOF continues to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 115 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.

IOF closed the eastern and western entrances to Al-Mughayyir village from 13 to 22 May 2023, forcing Palestinians to take long and dirt roads to reach their workplaces.

On 23 May 2023, IOF closed Beit Iksa military checkpoint, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, to vehicles’ movement, under the pretext that there was a military training near the checkpoint.

So far in 2023, IOF have established 2429 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 122 Palestinians at those checkpoints.