Press Release

More houses are shelled and more areas of agricultural land is swept:

Two martyrs in Bethlehem and Rafah

Ref: 158/2000

Date: November 7, 2000

Time: 16:30 GMT

18:30 Palestine Time

This afternoon, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators near Bilal Ibn Rabah mosque in Bethlehem and killed Abdullah Khaled A’marneh, 24 years old, with a live bullet in the heart. This evening, Sae’id Ehmeid Abu Khatleh, 24 years old, from Rafah, was pronounced dead at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis. The martyr Abu Khatleh was wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen shot by the Israeli occupation forces on November 3, 2000. A short time ago, the Israeli occupation forces shelled the eastern and northern parts of Jenin. Clashes have broken out between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces since the morning. During these clashes, 41 Palestinian civilians were wounded with live ammunition and rubber-coated metal bullets in the West Bank, and another 57 in the Gaza Strip. The number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli occupation forces since September 29, 2000 has increased 158, with about 5,000 wounded. The past 24 hours have witnessed more shelling of houses in Hebron and Rafah, and more sweeping of agricultural land.

In the vicinity of Beit Hanoun (Erez) Checkpoint, clashes have broken out between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces since the morning. The Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators, wounding 11 with live ammunition and another two with rubber-coated metal bullets. Additionally, dozens of civilians suffered from suffocation due to inhaling tear gas.

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. These forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of about 150m, wounding 12 civilians with live ammunition, and another two with rubber-coated metal bullets.

Palestinians demonstrators gathered 200 meters to the southwest of an Israeli military post at Al-Shuhada’ junction (the junction leading to Netzarim settlement), where two tanks and a number of jeeps of the Israeli occupation forces were stationed on the branch road of the junction leading to Netzarim settlement to the west. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that the Israeli occupation forces started to shoot at Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of about 150 meters, wounding six with live ammunition and another eight with rubber-coated metal bullets. Among the wounded is Mohammed Mansour, 17 years old, from Al-Nusseirat refugee camp, who was seriously wounded with a live bullet in the back. He was evacuated to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza.

In the aftermath of escorting the martyr Mohammed Nawwaf El-Ta’ban, 17 years old, from Deir El-Balah, who was shot dead yesterday by the Israeli occupation forces, to his final resting place, clashes broke out between these forces and Palestinian demonstrators in the vicinity of Kfar Darom settlement near Deir El-Balah. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that the Israeli occupation forces started to shoot at Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of about 150 meters, wounding one with live ammunition. At 13:00 local time, the Israeli occupation forces closed Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip). Up to now, the road is still closed. The area have also witnessed deploying large troops and a number of tanks and jeeps of the Israeli occupation forces at the entrance of Kfar Darom. A large number of Jewish settlers were also seen below a bridge connecting the two parts of the mentioned settlement.

For the first time, clashes broke out near the borderline to the east of Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip. Dozens of Palestinian demonstrators gathered 200m away from the borderline protesting the Israeli occupation. The Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators, wounding one with live ammunition.

In Khan Yunis, clashes have broken out since the morning 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. The Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of about 100 meters and wounded seven civilians with live ammunition and another one with a rubber-coated metal bullet. Among the wounded is Rezeq Mohammed Qudeih, 17 years old, who was seriously wounded with a live bullet in the thigh which cut the artery. Additionally, dozens of civilians suffered from suffocation due to inhaling tear gas.

In Rafah, clashes have broken out since the morning between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces near Salah El-Din Gate on the Palestinian-Egyptian border. The Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators, wounding six with live ammunition. Among the wounded is Mazen Yasser Temraz, 19 years old, who was seriously wounded with a live bullet in the back. At about 17:00 local time, Sae’id Ehmeid Abu Khatleh, 24 years old, from Rafah, was pronounced dead at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis. The martyr Abu Khatleh was wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen shot by the Israeli occupation forces on November 3, 2000.

Last night, the Israeli occupation forces positioned at Salah El-Din Gate in Rafah shelled a house 30m away from their post owned by Tala’t Mahmoud El-O’kor. The walls and the ceiling of the house were severely damaged. It is worth mentioning that the family living in the mentioned house and other families in the area left their houses because of the frequent shelling of houses in the area by the Israeli occupation forces.

Last night also, the Israeli occupation forces and a group of Jewish settlers swept an area of agricultural land to the east of Morag settlement. In his testimony to PCHR, Abdel-Ghani Hassan Abu Jazar, 43 years old, from Rafah, stated that three Jewish settler and a bulldozer invaded the mentioned land at 21:00 local time, under the protection of dozens of the Israeli occupation troops. They started to sweep a 16-donum area of agricultural land. Sweeping lasted until 1:00 local time. The swept area of land was surrounded with barbed wires, apparently to pave the way for its annexation to Morag settlement. This particular area of land is owned by:

1. Jadallah Ahmed Jarad Dhuheir (ten donums);
2. Mohammed Hamad Abu Jazar (five donums); and
3. Abdel-Ghani Hassan Abu Jazar (one donum).

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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 means 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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