Ref: 30/2023
Date: 09 March 2023
Time: 12:30 GMT
In a new crime of extrajudicial execution (assassination) today in the morning, an Israeli force killed 3 Palestinians after intercepting their vehicle and directly shooting them in Jaba’ village in Jenin, north of the West Bank. This crime was committed in light of Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)’s escalating violations, killings and extrajudicial executions backed by a decision from Israel’s top military and political echelons.
According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately 05:45 on Thursday, 09 March 2023, an Israeli special force sneaked via a white bus with a Palestinian registration plate into Jaba’ village and stationed in al-Fowarah area, north of the village. The force stopped in front of an under-construction building on Jaba’- Sanour main street. Afterwards, members of the special force stepped out of the bus and directly opened fire at 3 persons in a Hyundai vehicle parked in front of the building. Few minutes later, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) backups arrived at the area and topped the roofs of some buildings. Israeli soldiers surrounded the vehicle while gunshots were heard in the area. Around 20 minutes later, IOF withdrew after partially blowing up the vehicle. Following IOF’s withdrawal, the villagers found 3 dead bodies covered in blood on the right side of the vehicle. Viral photos and inspection of the crime scene clearly showed that the three persons were directly assassinated and then shot several times outside the vehicle by the special force to make sure that all of them were dead. Those killed were identified as: Sufyian ‘Adnan Isma’il Fakhouri (26), Nayif Ahmed Yousef Malayisha (25), and Ahmed Mohammed Daib Fashafsha (22), all of them are members of al-Quds Brigades “Islamic Jihad’s Military Wing”, and from Jaba’ village. It is worth noting that Fashafsha was a mechanician and owned an auto repair shop in the building, where the vehicle was parked.
IOF confirmed the assassination and stated, “Members of a terrorist cell were neutralized for being suspected of carrying out several shooting attacks in the area, including the Homesh area.” Also, IOF published photos of weapons and ammunition claiming they have found them in the vehicle.
It should be noted that extrajudicial killings are committed based on Israeli Intelligence information, so the persons wanted are instantly assassinated instead of being arrested. Therefore, IOF usurp the Judge’s role and issue and even execute a death sentence at the same time. PCHR condemns the assassination crime and indicates that IOF have used such type of crime over the past years against the Palestinians amid the international community’s silence, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, and inaction to stop these crimes and take practical measures against the occupying power in a way that encourages Israel to commit further war crimes against the Palestinians.
PCHR particularly calls upon the ICC Prosecutor to act seriously with regard to the situation in Palestine. PCHR urges the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention fulfil their obligations as per Common Article 1 of the Convention, “undertake 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.