Press Release

Israeli occupation forces kill a child as they continue to shoot and shell

Palestinian civilians while the leveling of agricultural land continues

Ref: 170/2000

Date: November 16, 2000

Time: 16:30 GMT

18:30 Palestine Time

This afternoon, the Israeli occupation forces shot dead a Palestinian civilian from Al-Fawwar refugee camp. The civilian, who did not participate in any clashes, was shot with a live bullet in the chest. They also obstructed the car which evacuated him for about two hours at the roadblock separating Al-Fawwar refugee camp from Hebron. The Israeli occupation forces continued to shoot at Palestinian demonstrators who protested against the occupation throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. The number of Palestinian civilians killed by the Israeli occupation forces since the outbreak of clashes on September 29, 2000, increased to 200, including 69 children. Yesterday, a German physician was killed with a shell, while he was offering help to one of the wounded during the shelling of Beit Jala by the Israeli occupation forces. In the past 24 hours, the Israeli occupation forces renewed the shelling of houses and civilian facilities in the occupied territories with rockets. They also swept more agricultural land.

1. Shooting at Palestinian Civilians in the Areas of Clashes

At about 16:00 local time, the Israeli occupation forces shot dead Samer Mohammed Hassan Al-Khdour, 17 years old, from the refugee camp of Al-Fawwar near Hebron, with a live bullet in the chest. PCHR learned that the martyr did not participate in any clashes, rather he was passing close to an area of clashes near Al-Fawwar refugee camp. The Israeli occupation forces at a roadblock separating Al-Fawwar refugee camp from Hebron obstructed his evacuation to a hospital via a civilian car for about two hours.

In the area near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, to the east of Gaza City, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians, wounding 17 with live ammunition. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that three tanks of the Israeli occupation forces were stationed at the main road to the east of Al-Shojae’ya neighborhood, closing it since this morning. He added that dozens of Palestinian young men demonstrated about 100 meters away from the position where the Israeli occupation troops were deployed, and that the area did not witness serious clashes; nevertheless, the Israeli occupation forces shot at demonstrators. Among the wounded are:

1. Mundher Mohammed Abu Warda, 34 years old, from Gaza City, seriously wounded with a live bullet in the chest;
2. Ramadan Al-Wakil, 18 years old, from Gaza City, seriously wounded with a live bullet in the chest;
3. Hamada Mohammed Al-Kettani, 20 years old, from Gaza City, wounded with a live bullet in the neck; and
4. Jalal Khalil Al-Wadeya, 25 years old, from Gaza City, wounded with a live bullet in the chest.

In Khan Yunis, clashes broke out this afternoon between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces, after the funeral procession of martyr Jehad Suhail Abu Shahmeh, 13 years old, who died last night at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza from his injury yesterday with a live bullet in the head. The Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians who demonstrated this afternoon near Al-Tuffah roadblock between Khan Yunis city and Al-Mawasi (agricultural) area, which is under the security control of the Israeli occupation forces. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that five Palestinian civilians were wounded with live ammunition, and dozens suffered from suffocation due to inhaling tear gas. Among the wounded, was the child Mahmoud Mohammed El-Masri, who was wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen.

In Rafah, clashes broke out between the Israeli occupation forces and Palestinian civilians who had demonstrated since the morning in two areas near the Palestinian-Egyptian border: Salah El-Din Gate and Al-Salam neighborhood. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that two Palestinian civilians were wounded with live bullets shot by the Israeli occupation forces. One of the wounded is the child Sameh Hassan Abu Jazar, 10 years old, who was wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen.

In the area near Al-Shuhada’ junction leading to Netzarim settlement, to the south of Gaza City, clashes broke out this afternoon between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces. The Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that the child Akram Al-Eisawi, 15 years old, from Nusseirat, was wounded with a live bullet in the thigh, and the child Alla’ Mohammed Abu Zobeida, 15 years old, from Al-Boreij refugee camp, was seriously wounded with a live bullet in the chest.

1. Shelling and Shooting at Houses

Yesterday evening, the Israeli occupation forces shelled residential neighborhoods and civilian facilities in several cities in the West Bank. They used combat helicopters and tanks. These forces fired shells and heavy and medium bullets at houses in the refugee camp of A’ida near Bethlehem and in Beit Jala. As a result, a number of Palestinian civilians were wounded, and a German physician, Harry Fischer, 55 years old, was hit with a shell that killed him, while he was offering help to one of the wounded.

In Salfit, two shells hit the house of Rezeq Ahmed Eshtayeh, 36, one of which entered his bedroom and seriously wounded him in the leg. His wounded leg was cut up to the pelvis. The other shell hit the bedroom of his children, wounding his two children, Anas, 8 years old, and Ossama, 9 years old, with splinters in various parts of the body.

The Israeli occupation forces also shelled civilian facilities in the cities of Al-Bireh, Jericho and Hebron, causing severe damage to property.

2. Sweeping of Agricultural Land

Last night at about 23:00, the Israeli occupation forces resumed the sweeping of agricultural land on both sides of the road branching from Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip) and leading to Kissufim Crossing on the Green Line. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that these forces swept a 60-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and citrus, on the western side of Salah El-Din Street, 300 meters away from Kissufim junction. The swept tract of land is owned by the family of Al-Ja’farawi.

PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that Israeli occupation troops reinforced with tanks and pavement vehicles have been stationed near the junction leading to Morag settlement in Rafah on Salah El-Din Street. He added that they were preparing to pave a new road linking Salah El-Din Street with Morag settlement by passing through a tract of land owned by the Dhoheir family. This land was swept on October 29, 2000. This new road would shorten the way for Jewish settlers and the Israeli occupation forces when moving between Gush Qatif settlement block in the west and Morag settlement in the east.

 

3. Continued Reinforcements and Blocking of Roads

The Israeli occupation forces continued to reinforce their presence throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. In the Gaza Strip, tanks and armored vehicles of the Israeli occupation forces have been stationed on Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), near the roads leading to Gush Qatif settlement block and the settlements of Kfar Darom and Morag, and on the road leading to Kissufim Crossing in the east. Since the morning of Tuesday, November 11, 2000, the Israeli occupation forces have closed Salah El-Din Street near Kfar Darom settlement, preventing the movement of Palestinian citizens and transportation in both directions. The road is still closed. Palestinian citizens are forced to resort to a bypass road adjacent to the eastern border of Kfar Darom settlement, where large numbers of troops of the Israeli occupation forces are stationed, obstructing Palestinian transportation. Passing along the road takes more than two hours due to the roadblocks of the Israeli occupation forces.

In Rafah, at midday, the Israeli occupation forces closed all branch roads of Salah El-Din Street leading to Rafah Border Crossing. This increases the suffering of residents of Rafah, and obstructs the access of farmers to their agricultural land near the Border Crossing on the Palestinian-Egyptian border

The Israeli occupation forces have continued to isolate Al-Mawasi (agricultural) area in the west of Rafah and Khan Yunis. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that Jerar Al-Qedwa School, the only school in Al-Mawasi of Khan Yunis in which 600 elementary and preparatory pupils have classes, has been closed for the fourth consecutive day, because teachers from Khan Yunis have not been able to reach the area. PCHR’s field officer added that secondary stage students, residents of Al-Mawasi area, can go to school in Khan Yunis in the morning, but they cannot go back home until late in the day because the Israeli occupation troops at Al-Tuffah roadblock deny their access home until the evening.

The Israeli occupation forces have imposed a sea siege on the southern area of the Gaza Strip since November 10, 2000, preventing Palestinian fishermen from going out to sea. A number of fishermen stated that they have not been able to remove their nets from the sea since November 9, 2000. They believe that these nets will be damaged by the extended delay.

The Israeli occupation forces have kept up their actions of collective punishment by continuing to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories and by closing Gaza International Airport and Rafah Border Crossing. Hundreds of families from the Gaza Strip have been forced to stay in Egypt or on the Egyptian side of the border. They have been facing numerous humanitarian difficulties waiting for the permission of the Israeli occupation authorities to return to the Gaza Strip.

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1. Establishing without delay an independent commission of inquiry, in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1322 (2000), to carry out a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the abuses and killings perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians.
2. Convening a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under the Convention.
3. Immediately providing international protection for Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories in the face of the killings and criminal acts perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces and groups of Jewish settlers who move under the protection of these forces.
4. Use by the EU of effective political and economic measures with reference to Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association Agreement which calls for the respect of human rights.
5. Providing humanitarian and medical assistance for the Palestinian people whose living conditions are increasingly deteriorating because of the continued total siege imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the entire occupied Palestinian territories.

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