Press Release

Israeli occupation forces kill five unarmed Palestinian civilians in Qalqilya:

Palestinian man from Gaza dies from previous wound

Ref: 182/2000

Date: November 27, 2000

Time: 13:00GMT

15:00Palestine Time

Despite the significant decrease in large-scale popular clashes, the Israeli occupation forces have continued to kill Palestinian civilians. Yesterday evening, these forces committed a new massacre, in which five Palestinian civilians were killed in Qalqilya. This morning, a young man from Gaza City died from a previous wound caused by a live bullet in the head shot by the Israeli occupation forces on November 21, 2000. The past 24 hours witnessed more sweeping of agricultural land as well as of facilities and equipment in Rafah and in the middle and north of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli occupation forces have continued to impose a total siege on the occupied Palestinian territories. The north of the Gaza Strip is still isolated from its south.

• Shooting at Palestinian Civilians

In a serious escalation of lethal use of force against Palestinian civilians, the Israeli occupation forces killed five Palestinians in Qalqilya. Field information absolutely denies the claims of the Israeli occupation forces that the shooting targeted armed persons who were on their way to carry out activities against these forces; these people were all civilians and were not armed when they were shot. According to a narrative from one civilian who escaped this massacre, yesterday, at about 20:00 (local time), eight Palestinian civilians were traveling along a muddy road in the southeast of Qalqilya, inside the municipal border of Qalqilya, even though it is categorized as Area C, which is under full control of the Israeli occupation forces. On their way they met a group of undercover persons who asked them to leave the area immediately. They did as told and left. Shortly after that, the eight young men heard sounds of intensive shooting. They fled. In the meanwhile, four of them were wounded with live bullets, and a fifth was wounded from a distance of 300 meters. The five wounded young men were unable to continue and collapsed to the ground. One of the others managed to reach a post of the Palestinian National Security Forces, but did not know what had happened to the others.

PCHR learned that the Israeli occupation forces prevented ambulances of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society from entering the area until 7:00 local time this morning. It is not clear whether the five victims died as soon as they were shot, or if the Israeli occupation forces prevented their rescue until they died. Bodies of the five martyrs reached hospital this morning. They were:

1. Mahdi Qassem Jaber, 17 years old, killed with six bullets throughout the body, including two in the head;
2. Ziad Ghaleb Selmi, 19 years old, killed with 11 bullets throughout the body;
3. Mohammed Mansour Edwan, 20 years old, killed with four bullets in the side and the abdomen – his brother Kamal was shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces with a live bullet in the head, during a solidarity demonstration with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, in Qalqilya on December 11, 1998;
4. Qussai Faisal Zahran, 22 years old, killed with six bullets throughout the body, including the head and the back; and
5. Mahmoud Yousef El-Adl, 28 years old, killed with seven bullets throughout the body, including the head and the back. He died 300 meters away from the place where his friends died, while trying to escape from the shooting.

PCHR condemns this new human rights violation, which must be added to the record of human rights violations committed by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians. Details of the incident expose the Israeli occupation forces’ effort to hide this egregious violation of the human rights of Palestinian civilians. These civilians did not participate in any activities against the Israeli occupation forces and they did not have guns; however, they were shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces, while trying to flee from shooting directed at them.

This morning, Zakaria Hammouda Marzouq El-Khawar, 18 years old, from Al-Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City, died from a previous wound with a live bullet in the head on November 21, 2000. El-Khawar was wounded by the Israeli occupation forces during clashes near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet. Since then, he had been put into the intensive care unit at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza.

Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza is filled with wounded people. Five of the wounded, including four children, are still under treatment in the intensive care unit of the hospital. They are all in critical condition. They are:

1. The child A’mmar Sae’id Rabee’ Abu Riash, 12 years old, from Rafah, wounded with a live bullet in the head (the lower jaw), when the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators near Salah El-Din Gate in Rafah, on November 23, 2000.
2. The child Karam Fathi El-Kurd, 14 years old, from Rafah, wounded with a live bullet in the head, when the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators near Salah El-Din Gate in Rafah, on November 23, 2000.
3. The child Bassam Mohammed El-Ghalban, 15 years old, from Al-Shojae’ya neighborhood, wounded with a live bullet in the eye that penetrated the head and settled in the neck, when Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet on November 26, 2000.
4. The child Mohammed Mohammed Abdullah El-Mashharawi, 14 years old, from Al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza, wounded with a live bullet in the head, when Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet on November 26, 2000.
5. Fuad Mahmoud Hneideq, 38 years old, from Khan Yunis, wounded with a live bullet in the thigh that caused a cut in a vital artery, when Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators near Al-Tuffah roadblock between Khan Yunis city and Al-Mawasi area on November 24, 2000.

This morning, the area of Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet witnessed clashes between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces. These forces shot at Palestinian civilians, wounding three with live bullets.

• Continued Sweeping of Agricultural Land

Yesterday evening, at about 23:00 local time, the Israeli occupation forces swept areas of agricultural land on the eastern side of Salah El-Din Street, to the north of the junction leading to Kissufim Crossing. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that the sweeping included:

1. A two-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, owned by Mousa Salem Abu Haddaf. In addition, an irrigation network, an agricultural pool and a water pump were destroyed.
2. A two-donum area of agricultural land with a greenhouse planted with vegetables, owned by Salman Sweilem Abu Haddaf.
3. A four-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, owned by Mohammed Sweilem Abu Haddaf. In addition, an irrigation network and a water pump were destroyed.
4. An old house owned by Awadh El-Semeiri.
5. A room and a fence owned by Abdel-Karim El-Satari.

To the east of Kfar Darom settlement, yesterday evening, the Israeli occupation forces swept:

1. An eight-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, owned by Rushdi Abu Bashir. In addition, an irrigation network was destroyed.
2. A four-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, owned by Abdel-Aziz Khalil Abu Bashir. In addition, an irrigation network was destroyed.
3. A four-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, owned by the brothers Fawzi and Abdel-Hamid Abu Rihan.
4. A 10-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, owned by Yousef Abdel-Aziz Bashir.

In Rafah, yesterday evening, at about 22:00, the Israeli occupation forces started to sweep areas of agricultural land and destroy agricultural facilities and equipment in the area of Um El-Selek, to the west of Morag settlement. The land is on the western side of western Rafah-Khan Yunis road, opposite to the junction leading to Morag settlement, and on both sides of the road leading to Rafah settlements and Gush Qatif settlement block (Oreibeh road). The sweeping, which lasted until this morning, included:

1. A 15-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Humeid Hamdan Hassan Qeshta. In addition, two 60-square-meter rooms, which were used as stores, were destroyed.
2. A six-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Ahmed Suleiman Ahmed El-Shae’r. In addition, agricultural equipment, two agricultural pools and an irrigation network were destroyed. Three greenhouses were damaged.
3. Destroying two rooms and confiscating three irrigation pumps. In addition, an irrigation network was destroyed. All of these are owned by Suleiman Ahmed Suleiman El-Shae’r.
4. A four-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, owned by Attaya Jaber El-Shae’r. In addition, agricultural equipment and an irrigation network were destroyed.
5. A well, owned by the Al-Agha and Qandil families, which provided water for 100 donums of agricultural land and for more than 50 families, was destroyed. Its construction cost was about US$ 60,000.
6. Two agricultural pools, two water pumps and other agricultural equipment, owned by Ibrahim Mousa Qandil, were destroyed.
7. A one-donum area of agricultural land, owned by Alawi Mousa Qandil. In addition, two rooms, two agricultural pools, two water pumps and other equipment were destroyed.

Also yesterday evening, the Israeli occupation forces swept areas of agricultural land on both sides of the road leading to Dogit settlement in the south of Beit Lahia. The sweeping, which lasted until 5:00 local time this morning, included:

1. A 16-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus, owned by Zuhdi Abu A’msheh; and
2. A 10-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus, owned by Ismail El-Jadbeh and brothers.