February 22, 2023
New Crime Committed by Israeli Occupation: 10 Palestinians Killed, including 3 Civilians: one was a child, and 90 Others Injured, including 15 children, by Israeli Occupation Forces’ Fire in Nablus
New Crime Committed by Israeli Occupation: 10 Palestinians Killed, including 3 Civilians: one was a child, and 90 Others Injured, including 15 children, by Israeli Occupation Forces’ Fire in Nablus

Ref: 22/2023

Date: 22 February 2023

Time: 19:00 GMT

In the morning, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed 10 Palestinians, including 3 civilians; one of them was a child, and wounded 90 others, including 15 children and 9 in serious condition: one was a child, during IOF’s raid into Nablus’s Old City deep in the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas, north of the West Bank. PCHR condemns with the strongest terms the Israeli escalation of their killings due to the lenient shooting standards supported by the highest Israeli political and military echelons.

According to PCHR’s investigations and eyewitnesses’ testimonies, at around 10:00 on Wednesday, 22 February 2023, an Israeli special force sneaked via a truck belonging to al-Sharq Company for Transportation into the eastern vegetables market in Nablus that is usually crowded at this time.   The Force stationed near a 3-storey old house belonging to Waleed Riyadh Hussein al-Tawil and tightened the cordon off the house.  Shortly after, IOF heavily armored by military vehicles and a drone moved into the city and started intensively shooting and firing projectiles at the cordoned house, where 3 members of the Palestinian armed group were fortified.  Violent clashes broke out in the area and extended to several streets in the City.  As a result, 10 Palestinians, including 3 civilians, were killed.  The civilians were identified as Mohammed Farid Mohammed Sha’aban (16), ‘Abdel ‘Aziz Mohammed ‘Abdel ‘Aziz Ashqar (65), who were both shot in front of al-Rahma clinic: one in the left shoulder and chest and the other in the chest, and a 73-year-old elderly namely ‘Adnan Sabe’a B’arah (73), who was shot with 8 bullets in the neck, mouth, head and chest when he was in the vegetables market.  Meanwhile, the armed group members were identified as Mohammed Khaled Majdi ‘Anbousi (24); Mos’ab Munir ‘Aweis (25); Tamer Nemer Ahmed al-Minawi (33); and Jaser Jamil ‘Abdel Wahab Kan’ir (22), who were all shot with several bullets in their heads during armed clashes.

After IOF’s withdrawal at around 13:00, three bodies were pulled from the targeted house, which sustained severe destruction.  Those recovered were members of the Palestinian armed groups and identified as Walid Riyadh Hussein al-Dakhil (23), who was shot in the head and sustained fractures due to the house destruction; Husam Bassam Bashir Salim (23), who was shot in the neck and abdomen and sustained fractures as well; and Mohammed ‘Omer ‘Abdel Ghani ‘Abdel Fattah (23), who was shot with more than 20 bullets all over his body.

All those killed and injured were taken to Nablus’s five hospitals: An-Najah, Women Union, Rafidia, al-‘Arabi Specialist and Nablus Specialist. According to PCHR’s fieldworker, most of those injured were civilians who were in the vegetables market at the time IOF raided the area.

PCHR condemns IOF’s ongoing killings and reiterates its call upon the international community to take immediate action to end the Israeli occupation’s crimes and double standards when it comes to international law.  PCHR demands in particular the International Criminal Court Prosecutor fulfil his duty regarding the investigation into this crime and others committed by the occupation against the Palestinian civilians in order to hold the Israeli officials accountable for these continuous crimes, which they excessively commit due to the absence of accountability.  PCHR also urges the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention fulfil their obligations as per Common Article 1 of the Convention, “to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances,” and their obligations under Article 146 of the same Conventions, i.e., to hold accountable persons accused of committing grave breaches of the Convention.