Ref: 115/2022

Date: 07 September 2022

Time: 08:48 GMT

This morning, a Palestinian was killed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) fire during the latter’s incursion into al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas in the West Bank. This new crime, which is the third of its kind this week, reflects IOF loose shooting standards and excessive use of armed force against Palestinians despite no imminent threat or danger to IOF’s lives.

According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), at around 05:30 on Wednesday, 07 September 2022, IOF moved into al-Far’a refugee camp in southern Tubas and stationed at Tubas northern entrance (on Tubas- al-Far’a main street.)  IOF’s snipers topped the roofs of residential houses in the area, while IOF cordoned off, raided, and searched ‘Odai Hasan Mahmoud Tayeh (27)’s house.  At approximately 05:45, while IOF were searching Tayeh family house, one of the Israeli snipers stationed on the roofs of nearby houses, opened fire at a young man in al-Jabal area, which is 300 meters away from where the soldiers were stationed. As a result, the Palestinian was directly wounded and fell on the ground. Afterwards, the Israeli soldiers headed to the wounded and surrounded him, noting that al-Jabal area is mountainous and almost empty of houses, and it is about 300 meters away from the main street. Around 15 minutes later, a Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance arrived after residents of the area reported an injury, but the Israeli soldiers, who were surrounding the wounded person, prevented the ambulance from approaching him. Around 20 minutes later, at around 06:20, one of the soldiers called a paramedic, and the latter took a stretcher to where the soldiers were stationed, and saw a young man lying on the ground with his face down and bleeding from his mouth and chest. A soldier ordered the paramedic to examine the wounded, and it turned out that the young man received a bullet that penetrated his back and exited his chest. The paramedic told the soldier that the young man died. The soldier then took a photo of the young man with his cellphone and then allowed the paramedic to take him to the ambulance with the help of another paramedic. The ambulance took the dead body to Tubas Turkish Hospital.

The victim was later identified as Yunis Ghasan Hasan Mahmoud Tayeh (21), the nephew of ‘Oday Hassan Mahmoud Tayeh (27), who was arrested by IOF after cordoning off his family house.

PCHR’s fieldworker said that it is not yet clear why Yunis was in the area, while field investigations indicate that he posed no danger or threat to soldiers’ lives at the time he was targeted. There were no weapons with the victim or next to him when the ambulance crews evacuated him, and there was a long distance between him and the soldiers.

After Yunis Tayeh was announced death, Palestinians gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at IOF, and violent clashes broke out. Immediately, IOF fired live and rubber-coated bullets, sound bombs and teargas canisters at the protestors. As a result, many of them suffocated due to teargas inhalation and received treatment on the spot. At around 07:00, IOF withdrew.

So far in 2022, IOF attacks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip killed 115 Palestinians, including 84 civilians: 24 children, 8 women, 2 Palestinians killed by Israeli settlers and the rest were activists; 15 of them were assassinated. Moreover, hundreds of others sustained wounds, including women and children.

PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community to take immediate action to put an end to the Israeli crimes and double standards when it comes to international law.  PCHR also urges the ICC Prosecutor in particular to act seriously with regard to the situation in Palestine.  PCHR also reiterates its call upon the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions regarding the guarantee of Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in the occupied territory.