Press Release
Israeli occupation forces kill six civilians in less than 24 hours:
New cold-blooded killing at Gush Qatif junction
Ref: 162/2000
Date: November 11, 2000
Time: 18:30 GMT
20:30 Palestine Time
In a new serious escalation of the use of lethal force against Palestinian civilians, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a Palestinian civilian car on Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), near a junction leading to Gush Qatif settlement block, killing two persons. The Israeli occupation forces closed the mentioned road and prevented the entry of ambulances into the area. The closure coincided with the passing vehicle of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, when she was returning from her visit to Rafah. She was also prevented from proceeding on her way to Gaza City.
In the area of Beit Hanoun (Erez) Checkpoint, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators, killing one with a live bullet in the heart. In Hebron, the Israeli occupation forces shot at a young man this evening in an area that did not witness any clashes, killing him with a live bullet in the chest. In Jenin, a Palestinian young man succumbed this morning to an injury incurred yesterday from a live bullet in the head shot by the Israeli occupation forces. On the 44th day of clashes, which started on September 29, 2000, the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli occupation forces increased to 179, including 58 children. More sweeping of agricultural land took place today.
- Shots Fired at a Palestinian Civilian Car Kill Its Occupants:
At about 12:20 p.m. local time, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a civilian car travelling on Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and west of the Gaza Strip), near the junction leading to Gush Qatif settlement block. Eyewitnesses stated that shooting was heard in the area five minutes before the passing of the mentioned civilian car, and such shooting stopped for several minutes. Then, intense shooting was heard. Later, it was clear that shooting targeted a civilian car, a blue-colored Delta. Immediately after that, Israeli occupation troops, reinforced with tanks and jeeps, were abundantly deployed in the area, closing Salah El-Din Street. These forces prevented an ambulance of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society from entering the area to evacuate the persons who were in the car. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that he filmed some of the area immediately after the incident took place. He added that the Israeli occupation forces did not allow the evacuation of the wounded who remained in the car until 13:21 local time, when two corpses were removed from the car using a crane. The Israeli occupation forces put the two corpses alongside the road and then destroyed the car, apparently to hide any evidence that might refute
their pretenses concerning the crime. PCHR’s field officer added that he saw the evacuation of the corpses and the destruction of the car from a distance of 60 meters, and that the Israeli occupation forces did not get out any military equipment or any weapons. This absolutely proves that the victims were civilians and they had no relation with any kind of shooting. PCHR’s field officer also saw the Israeli occupation forces cutting the clothes of the two martyrs, refusing to hand their bodies over to the Palestinian side. The two martyrs were moved to an unknown place. Later in the day the Palestinian side received the bodies of the two martyrs. The martyrs are:
Mohammed Yassin Darwish El-Madhoun, 25 years old, from Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, who received heavy bullets throughout the body; and
Monther Hamdi Yssin, 25 years old, from Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, who received heavy bullets throughout the body.
PCHR condemns this terrible crime which is to be added to the long record of crimes and cold-blooded killings perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces. PCHR refers to a similar incident that took place on September 9, 2000, when the Israeli occupation forces opened fire on two civilian cars, passing on Salah El-Din Street, near the settlement of Kfar Darom, near Deir El-Balah. As a result, E’etedal Hamza Moa’mmar, 29 years old, was killed and her infant son Mohammed, 6 months, was seriously wounded. Her other child, Rae’d, 4 years old, and her husband, Sharif E’id Moa’mmar, 37 years old, were moderately wounded. Another civilian car was also hit with bullets fired by the Israeli occupation forces. As a result, Saleh Mahmoud Saleh, was wounded with a live bullet in the thigh. As usual, the Israeli occupation forces claimed that shots were fired in their direction. Later, it was clear that the two targeted cars were civilian vehicles.
In the aftermath of shooting by the Israeli occupation forces on the civilian car near Gush Qatif junction, tension spread over the area. At about 14:20 local time, shooting was heard. The Israeli occupation forces were seen shooting at Palestinians who gathered in the area, wounding:
Ahmed Hassan Yousef Dahlan, 18 years old, from Khan Yunis, critically with a live bullet in the head;
Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Najjar, 18 years old, with a live bullet in the foot; and
Abdel-Wahab Ahmed Hssan Abu Than, 47 years old, a member of the Palestinian National Security, with a live bullet in the back, when he was at the service post in the area. His wound in the back proves that he was not participating in shooting at the Israeli occupation forces.
The three were evacuated to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis.
This afternoon, clashes broke out between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces near Al-Tuffah roadblock between Khan Yunis city and Al-Mawasi (agricultural) area, under the security control of the Israeli occupation forces. These forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators, wounding two with live ammunition and another one with a rubber coated metal bullet. Among the wounded is the child
Bassem Mattar El-Faqa’awi, 13 years old, who was wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen, and was evacuated to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza.
In the vicinity of Beit Hanoun (Erez) Checkpoint, at the northern end of the Gaza Strip, clashes have broken out between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces since the morning. The Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of more than 100 meters, killing the child Bassel Hussein Abu Qamar, 15 years old, from Jabalya, with a live bullet in the heart. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that another eight Palestinian civilians were wounded with live ammunition.
This afternoon, in the area near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, to the east of Gaza City, clashes broke out between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces which reinforced their presence in the area with tanks and jeeps. These forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of about 150 meters, wounding two with live ammunition.
In Rafah, clashes broke out this afternoon between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces near Salah El-Din Gate on the Palestinian-Egyptian border. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators, wounding two with live ammunition, including the child Ahmed Abu A’mra, 12 years old, who was wounded in the shoulder.
At about 17:45 local time, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Munib Mohammed Barakat Abu Monshar, 18 years old, from Hebron, killing him with a live bullet in the right side of the chest, which penetrated his lung and then his heart. According to eyewitnesses, the incident took place in the area of Bab Al-Zaweya in the area under the control of the Palestinian National Authority in Hebron, and the martyr was unloading a truck loaded with construction materials when he was shot. Moreover, there were no clashes in the area at that time.
In Jenin, Hani Abdullah Marzouq, 35 years old, died from his injury in the head, when the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators yesterday. In addition, clashes broke out today in several areas in the West Bank, especially in Hebron, Tulkarm, Al-Bireh and Jenin. PCHR learned that 29 Palestinian civilians were wounded by live ammunition and rubber-coated metal bullets, and dozens suffered from suffocation due to inhaling tear gas.
Yesterday evening, the Israeli occupation forces shelled Palestinian residential areas and civilian facilities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In Hebron, Rae’d Sa’di Al-Muhtaseb, was killed with a medium caliber bullet in the back during the shelling of the city by the Israeli occupation forces.
In Al-Bireh, the Israeli occupation forces shelled several facilities, including the headquarters of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. The headquarters and a number of files and records were severely damaged.
In Khan Yunis, last night at midnight, the Israeli occupation forces fired at houses in the west of Al-Amal neighborhood and the refugee camp of Khan Yunis. As a result, the child Mohammed Abdel-Majid Sukkar, 13 years old, was wounded with a live bullet in the foot, and Tawfiq Abu Shammala, was wounded with splinters of live ammunition in the chest.
The Israeli occupation forces resumed the sweeping of agricultural land in Rafah. These forces started such sweeping on November 8, 2000, which included more than 640 donums of agricultural land adjacent to the Palestinian-Egyptian border in the southeast of Rafah. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that the Israeli occupation forces swept:
A five-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and owned by Ahmed Khalil Abdel-Hadi Baroud.
A one-donum area of agricultural land, on which a greenhouse was established, owned by Zaki Salim Abu Jarad.
A 200-square meter poultry farm owned by Subhi Abu Shousha.
Two graves of the family of Abu Shousha.
In Khan Yunis, at midnight yesterday and again this morning, the Israeli occupation forces swept areas of agricultural land in the area of Gizan Al-Najjar, in the south of the city, to the north of Morag settlement, including the following:
Demolishing a house and a fence established on a 500-square meter area of land, in which 16 people live, owned by Abdel-Hafez Abdel-Karim Al-Najjar.
Sweeping a two-donum area surrounding the mentioned house, a pool, a motorized pump and a motor for spraying agricultural chemical materials, owned by the above-mentioned citizen.
Sweeping a ten-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables, and destroying its irrigation network, owned by Khali Shaker Al-Najjar.
Sweeping a 30-donum area of agricultural land owned by the above-mentioned citizen.
Closing two agricultural roads leading to the above-mentioned areas.
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PCHR reiterates its call for the international community to immediately intervene to stop the killings and criminal acts perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians. PCHR calls in particular for:
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“End”
