In September 2024, the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) and Israeli settlers continue their crimes and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem. These crimes have included willful killings, destruction of public and private property, arrests, threats, among others.
In this report, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) highlights a number of monitored and documented violations:
Killings and violation of the right to life and bodily integrity:
The IOF and settlers’ attacks during the reporting period in the West Bank have resulted in the killing of 44 Palestinians, including 20 civilians; amongst them 7 children, 3 women, including a Turkish woman holding the US citizenship, and a detainee died just hours after being arrested due to torture. Moreover, 125 Palestinians were injured, including 3 journalists, 26 children, and 7 women; two were journalists and one was a paramedic
On 01 September 2024, day 5 of IOF’s incursion into Jenin and its refugee camp, Abdullah Nasser Hamo (17) and his cousin Mohammad Mahmoud Hamo (13) were shot dead by IOF’s fire. At the time, the cousins were riding a motorcycle and distributing bread to Palestinians near the entrance to Kafr Dan village, west of Jenin.
On 03 September 2024, an Israeli sniper on the rooftop of a building in Tulkarem refugee camp, east of Tulkarem, killed Mohammed Abdullah Kanaan (15) and injured his father with a bullet to the waist. On the same day, Lujain Osama Abdul Raouf Musleh (16) was killed by IOF while besieging Kafr Dan village, west of Jenin, while besieging a house in the village. Additionally, 3 journalists and a female journalist were injured while covering the events.
On 05 September 2024, Majed Fida Abdul Qader Abu Zina (17) was killed by IOF during their raid on Al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas, and then mutilated his body with a bulldozer. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
On 06 September 2024, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi (26), an American activist of Turkish origin, was shot dead by IOF during a weekly peaceful protest near Mount Sabih, south of Beita, southeast of Nablus city.
On the same day, IOF killed Bana Amjad Al-Boum (13) after she peeked her head out of her home window in the village of Qaryut, southeast of Nablus city. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
On 10 September 2024, IOF killed Hebat Allah Shehadeh Musleh Halawa (21), from Tulkarem, and Ahmed Mohammed Jamal Majdouba (24); both were civilians from Nur Shams refugee camp. Ten others were injured during the IOF’s incursion into Tulkarem city and Nur Shams and Tulkarem refugee camps.
On 12 September 2024, during the 2nd day of incursion into Tubas city and Al-Fara’a refugee camp, Sufyan Jawad Fayez ‘Abdul-Jawad (46), a civilian from Al-Far’a refugee camp, was killed by IOF.
On 17 September 2024, Sameer Abdul-Qader Saleh ‘Omair “Nakrazi” (50), a civilian from Shuweika in Tulkarem, was killed by IOF near the annexation wall in Al-Jaroushiya village, north of Tulkarem governorate.
On 18 September 2024, Hani Majed Taha (15), a resident of Shu’fat refugee camp, was killed by IOF, while another was injured during IOF’s incursion into the camp.
On the same day, Hassan Youssef Al-Sha’er (17), a resident of Jericho, was killed by IOF while he was attempting to cross the Ni’lin checkpoint, northwest of Ramallah governorate.
On 19 September 2024, Mohammed Omar Abdul Qader Kamil Abu Khmeira (20) was shot dead by IOF in the chest during their incursion into Qabatiya, where they besieged a house and killed five Palestinians suspected of being members of Palestinian armed groups, throwing one of the bodies from the roof to the ground.
On 20 September 2024, Yasser Raed Fayez Mutair (20), a civilian from Qalandiya refugee camp, was killed by IOF during their raid on the Camp, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem.
On 25 September 2024, Yehya Daniel Mohammed Awad (29), was killed by IOF during their incursion into Al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron. On the same day, a group of Israeli special units infiltrated the village of ‘Anza, south of Jenin, and killed Ms. Zohour Qasim Abdul-Rahim Abdul-Hafez (34) and injured three civilian women, including an elderly woman and two young girls, during the arrest of Mohammed Barahma Abu ‘Arab.
On 26 September 2024, the Ministry of Civil Affairs informed the family of Walid Ahmed Mohammed Khalifa (30) of his death due to injuries he sustained at dawn shortly after his arrest, when IOF shot him, claiming he attempted to escape from his home, which they raided.
So far in 2024, IOF attacks have killed 409 Palestinians, including 80 children, 12 women, including an international activist, and 11 Palestinians detainees from the West Bank were officially reported dead in Israeli prisons.
Since the beginning of 2024, IOF attacks injured 1075 Palestinians, including 239 children, 21 women, 2 paramedics, including one female, and 3 male journalists and 2 female journalists.
Raids and arrests
The IOF have conducted 1246 raids into Palestinian cities, refugee camps, and villages across the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, storming into several houses, going through their residents’ belongings, while damaging some, and abusing and subjecting their residents to ill-treatment. During these raids, the IOF have arrested 711 Palestinians, including 2 paramedics, 19 children and 16 women; including a female and male journalists, according to statistics based on the Palestinian Prisoners Club’s monitoring.
During the raids, IOF destroyed and damaged 10 vehicles in the cities of Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarem, including a truck belonging to the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO), and set a house in Jenin refugee camp ablaze. IOF also confiscated the contents of two printing houses in Al-Fawwar refugee camp in Hebron and equipment from a blacksmith workshop in the city of Qalqilya, as well as 14 vehicles and machines.
Additionally, IOF shut down Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah for 45 days and confiscated the office’s contents, including audio equipment, audio mixers, cameras, desks, and computers.
Demolition and land-razing
During the reporting period, the IOF and Israeli settlers demolished 482 facilities, including 45 houses; 28 of which were demolished under the pretext of construction without building permits, one of the houses located in Area (B), 5 were self-demolished by the owners in occupied East Jerusalem, 2 were demolished under IOF collective punishment policy for the families of individuals who carried out attacks against IOF, and 69 commercial facilities. Moreover, IOF partially destroyed 366 homes in Tulkarm and Jenin refugee camps as well as in al-Sharqi neighborhood in Jenin, and completely demolished 18 homes during IOF ground and air assault on Jenin, its refugee camps, Kafr Dan and Qabatiya villages in southeast of Jenin governorate, and Nur Shams and Tulkarm refugee camps, east of Tulkarm city. They also bulldozed 20 dunams of land and uprooted 600 olive trees in Beit Ula village in Hebron.
During the reporting period, IOF demolished an under-construction house, a commercial facility, and a concrete slab based on military demolition orders, in an unprecedented crime in Palestinian Authority-controlled Area (B) of the West Bank. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
Moreover, during their incursions, IOF conducted extensive destruction to the cities and refugee camps in the West Bank, particularly to the infrastructure including water pipes, telephone and electricity lines in streets in Jenin, Tulkarm and Balata refugee camps, Tammun village, southeast of Tubas.
Land confiscations and settlement expansion
During the reporting period, IOF and Israeli settlers continued their settlement expansion policy materialized in confiscating and razing Palestinian lands to establish settlement outposts and expand settlements.
On 06 September 2024, a group of settlers attacked the Ras Ein Al-Auja Bedouin community, west of Al-Auja village in Jericho, and took over an abandoned residence. They settled inside, brought a flock of sheep and set up a pen and a water tank, aiming to seize the area and establish a new pastoral settlement outpost.
On 07 September 2024, a group of settlers attacked the top of the mountain overlooking Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, in Jericho, and set up a number of tents in the area to control it and establish a new settlement outpost
On 09 September 2024, IOF issued an order to confiscate 17,897 dunams of Palestinian-owned lands in the villages of Asira al-Qibliya, Madama, and Burin near the “Yitzhar” settlement, for the benefit of settlement expansion.
On 11 September 2024, a group of settlers in Abu Qnan Mountain area, opposite “Adora” settlement, northwest of Hebron, set up several mobile homes (caravans) with the aim of establishing a new settlement outpost.
On 12 September 2024, IOF issued a military order to confiscate 767 square meters of Palestinian-owned land in the Shu’aib area in Um Al-Khair village, east of Yatta in Hebron, in favor of settlement expansion.
On 18 September 2024, IOF issued a military decision to seize 742.222 dunams of land from Tubas, Tayasir, and Bardala, for settlement expansion.
On 24 September 2024, IOF bulldozed a mountainous olive-planted area and a 15-dunam plain land in Khirbet Surra, south of Qaryut village, located between the “Shvut Rachel” and “Shilo” settlements, for settlement expansion.
On 25 September 2024, settlers set up several tents in Jabal al-Ras Mountain area in Umm Safa village in Ramallah, aiming to seize it.
On 26 September 2024, IOF issued military order No. 24/79/T to confiscate 8 dunams of Palestinian-owned land in Fasayel village, for a new security road connecting the “Tomar” settlement with Route 90 in Fasayel village in Jericho and the Jordan Valley.
Settler violence
This month, Israeli settlers conducted 52 attacks against Palestinian villages and cities across the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, mainly in the vicinity of Nablus governorate, road intersections, Za’tara, and near “Aliyah” settlement. In these attacks, settlers smashed the windows of 7 private vehicles, and assaulted 28 Palestinians, including two international activists, 3 children and 3 women using various means such as sticks, sharp objects, and stones. Additionally, they attacked 3 homes, smashed their windows, and stole a power unit, solar panels, and a water dispenser in northern Jordan Valley. They took several items from a quarry in Ein Shibli that was being used to reclaim land. In Deir Nidham village in Ramallah, they stole a cow, and in Khirbet Tana, they bulldozed a residential tent, a livestock tent, and a bathroom. In Aqraba town, southeast of Nablus, they stole 250 sheep. They also took agricultural equipment from Khirbet Humsa in the northern Jordan Valley, stole a water tanker in Hebron, and poisoned 50 sheep in the Arab Al-Malihat community. Settlers uprooted 465 olive trees and burned 300 dunams of Palestinian farmers’ land.
On 16 September 2024, a group of settlers assaulted the Arab al-Mu’arrajat Mixed Elementary School in the Al-Mu’arajat area, southwest of Jericho, as well as nearby homes for four hours. The settlers assaulted teachers, students, and activists in the village with sticks and iron rods. As a result, 9 Palestinians were injured, including three Palestinian women who suffered hairline fractures, four teachers, and a foreign activist. IOF arrived at the scene and instead of stopping the attack, they arrested the school principal and another Palestinian.
On 19 September 2024, settlers attacked Al-Jab’a Boys’ Primary School and Al-Tawafuq Mixed Secondary School in Al-Jab’a village, Hebron, with stones, stirring panic and fear among the children.
These attacks are part of an organized assault on the Palestinian community, aimed at forcing them to abandon their land and homes and forcibly displacing them to seize control of these areas and annex them.
IOF attacks in Jerusalem
IOF’s violations and Judaization attempts continued in occupied Jerusalem by approving the building of hundreds of new settlement units and entrenching their house demolition policy against Palestinians under various pretexts. IOF also continued to impose age-based access restrictions to Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially on Fridays, and enforce strict search procedures.
On 22 September 2024, IOF began laying the foundations for the construction of an electric elevator 200 meters away from the Al-Buraq Wall (Western Wall) toward Al-Aqsa Mosque, aiming to facilitate settlers’ incursions into the courtyards of the mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
The ongoing incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque continue to provoke Muslims, as settlers perform prayers and what is called “prostration of gratitude” in the mosque’s courtyards, as well as blowing the shofar (ram’s horn), in attempts to impose a new reality.
Restriction on freedom of movement and checkpoints
The IOF have established more military checkpoints in the West Bank and tightened restrictions on freedom of movement between the cities and villages, rendering them isolated and entrenching the geographical fragmentation. During the reporting period, the IOF established 484 temporary checkpoints along the streets and between the villages. They also erected tens of permanent checkpoints aiming to restrict Palestinians’ freedom of movement by searching and arresting them. During the reporting period, IOF arrested 21 Palestinians, including a paramedic and two from the Gaza Strip, at those checkpoints. Meanwhile, IOF set up 11 iron gates at the entrances to Hebron city and its surrounding villages, and they closed the entrances to two villages with sand berms, further fragmenting Hebron city.
Palestinians are subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment at checkpoints, hindering their movement and endangering their lives based on mere fallacious suspicions that have led to their killing or arrest allegedly for being “wanted”. These checkpoints have also brought unbearable suffering to Palestinian women, particularly pregnant women after being delayed at these checkpoints. The latest victim of these checkpoint was Hassan Yousuf Al-Sha’er (17) who was killed by IOF on 18 September 2024 at Ni’lin checkpoint in northwestern Ramallah.
