During the reporting period, the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) and Israeli settlers continue their violence against Palestinians and their properties in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, amounting to crimes and other violations of international law. These crimes have included willful killings, destruction of public and private property, arrests, threats, among others.
The remarkable spike in Israeli violations and crimes in the occupied West Bank has coincided with Israel’s brutal genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023. Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza has materialized in many genocidal acts, including killing Palestinians as members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.
In this report, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) highlights a number of monitored and documented crimes and violations committed by IOF and Israeli settlers against the Palestinian civilians in April 2024.
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 35 Palestinians, including 18 civilians and one of a Turkish nationality; amongst them 4 children, 3 women, and 3 killed by settlers while the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, and 2 were killed in extrajudicial killings: the first was assassinated in his car in Tubas, and the other was killed inside a house where he took refuge in Tulkarm. Also, two died in Israeli prisons.
So far in 2024, IOF attacks have killed 175 Palestinians, including 40 children, 4 women and 9 reported dead in Israeli prisons; 2 of them from the Gaza Strip.
According to our field documentation, Israel has employed different methods and weaponry, either by shooting fire in protests or confrontations, military raids and assaults, drone strikes, or by carrying out extrajudicial killings by Israeli special units.
On 15 April 2024, Mohammad Ashraf Bani Jame’ (21), and ‘Abdul-Rahman Maher Bani Fadel (30) were shot by IOF and settlers’ fire in Khirbet al-Tawil area, east of ‘Aqraba village, south of Nablus.
On 20 April 2024, an ambulance driver from Qaryout village, southeast of Nablus, was shot dead by settlers while transporting 2 Palestinians injured by settlers’ fire in the village of As-Sawiya in southeastern Nablus city. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
Moreover, during the reporting period, 115 Palestinians were injured, including 12 in critical condition, 15 children, 2 women and a paramedic.
Thus, since the beginning of the year, 506 Palestinians were injured, including 100 children, 5 women, and a paramedic.
Attacks on medical personnel
During the reporting period, we have monitored 7 attacks by IOF on Palestinian medical personnel, hospitals, ambulances and paramedics in the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and other private ambulance stations.
On 05 April 2024, IOF attacked a Palestinian ambulance that was transporting a wounded person in the village of Kafr Ra’ie, southwest of Jenin Governorate, detained it for a while before allowing it to leave.
On 12 April 2024, IOF opened fire at a Palestinian ambulance in Al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas. On the same day, IOF attacked paramedics in another vehicle in Al-Far’a refugee camp and forced them into the painful Shabeh position while they were on duty transferring the wounded. They detained one of the paramedics, beat him, and later released him.
On 19 April 2024, IOF opened fire on ambulances in Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm, attacked the PRCS paramedics, searched them, and prevented them from reaching their colleague who was shot and wounded by IOF during their incursion into the Camp.
On 20 April 2024, IOF surrounded Dr. Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarm, and attacked the paramedics.
On the same day, settlers killed a Palestinian ambulance driver while he was transporting the wounded in an attack in the outskirts of the As-Sawiya village, southeast of Nablus Ciy. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
Raids and arrests
The IOF have conducted 1045 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 631 Palestinians1, including a journalist, 25 children and 8 women; amongst them two wounded, while they confiscated 3 private vehicles, 6 excavators, 2 bulldozers, a concrete pump, 3 semi-trucks, 3 agricultural tractors and 1 vehicle belonging to the Palestinian Communications Company in Dablout village in Salfit Governorate.
Demolition and land-razing
During the reporting period, the IOF and Israeli settlers demolished 48 facilities, including 8 houses; 5 of which were demolished under the pretext of construction without building permits, 3 were demolished as a punitive measure, and 23 were demolished during IOF ground incursion into Nur Shams refugee camp. Meanwhile, the rest facilities destroyed were 16 public and private facilities, amongst them animal farms, commercial facilities, agricultural rooms, a kindergarten, cement walls, and water wells (rainwater harvesters and groundwater wells).
Moreover, during their incursions, IOF bulldozers conducted extensive destruction to Jenin Industrial Free Zone (JIFZ) in northern Jenin, which leads to Al-Jalama crossing, separating Jenin from Israel. IOF bulldozers destroyed the infrastructure of the main street near the entrance to the Jalboun village in eastern Jenin. They also destroyed streets and infrastructure, including water pipes, telephone and electricity lines in Al-Fara’ refugee camp in southern Tubas Governorate, Nur Shams refugee camp in eastern Tubas Governorate, Balata refugee camp in eastern Nablus, and the main street in Tammun in southeastern Tubas.
Land confiscations and settlement expansion
During the reporting period, the IOF and Israeli settlers continued their settlement expansion policy materialized in confiscating and razing Palestinian lands to establish settlement outposts and expand settlements.
On 01 April 2024, Israeli settlers established a pastoral settlement outpost in the Banat Ber area in Kafr al-Dik in Salfit, where they set up tents and fenced a land of 5 dunums with barbed wire to seize it.
Moreover, IOF issued a military order to confiscate 170 dunums of Palestinian-owned lands located in basin no. 4 for the Al-Uqban and Al-Furaidis areas, and basin no. 11 basin for the Fadel plot in the Al-Ta’mra lands, in favor of expansion of the “Sidi Bar” settlement outpost established on Palestinian-owned lands in Al-‘Oqban in Al-Ta’amra village, north of Bethlehem Governorate.
On 04 April 2024, IOF razed Palestinian-owned lands of in Beit Lid village near “Einav” checkpoint for the benefit of expansion of the “Einav” settlement established on the Palestinian lands of the village in eastern Tulkarm governorate.
On 15 April 2024, settlers added new caravans adjacent to the “Givat Harel” settlement in order to expand Einav settlement on the lands of Sinjil village, north of Ramallah Governorate.
Also, settlers began establishing a new settlement outpost in Ras’Ein al-‘Ouja in the northern Jordan Valley, east of Tuben Governorate in the northern West Bank.
Furthermore, IOF seized a plot of land of no less than 70 dunums in Ras Abu Jamra area located between the village of Kafr al-Labad and Beit Lid, east of Tulkarm Governorate, paved the road leading to it, and supplied it with electricity to light it in a prelude to establish a new settlement outpost.
On 16 April 2024, settlers established a new settlement outpost to the east of Route 60 near Ain al-Hilweh community, east of Tubas Governorate in the northern Jordan Valley in the northern West Bank.
Settlers also set up tens on Palestinian-owned lands in Kafr al-Dik, west of Salfit Governorate, in order to establish a new settlement outpost.
IOF issued two military orders. The first order was to seize 64 dunums of Palestinian-owned lands in Al-Bouira area, northeast of Hebron, in order to establish a residential and industrial settlement. Meanwhile, the second order was to confiscate 60 dunums of Palestinian-owned lands in As-Susiya village, east of Yatta, northeast of Hebron, for military purposes and settlement expansion.
On 17 April 2024, settlers placed a mobile home (caravan) on Qenan Sa’eed Hill near Tarqumiya village, west of Hebron, aiming at establishing a new settlement outpost.
IOF built a settler-road, northeast of Deir Istiya village, northwestern Salfit, to expand the entrance to Rafafa settlement, which was established on Palestinian-owned lands in the village.
Settler violence
This month, Israeli settlers conducted 285 attacks against Palestinian villages and cities across the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, mainly in the vicinity of Nablus governorate, Za’tara (Tabuh) checkpoint, near “Aliyah” settlement, Sinjil village, ‘Ein Samaya area, and the villages of al-Mughayyi, Khirbet Abu Falah, and Beitin villages in Ramallah, in Jericho, Hebron and Jenin. In these attacks, settlers killed 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child and an ambulance driver, and injured 51 others, including 3 children. They burnt 44 houses, 44 commercial facilities, barrack, a farm, 20 Roman olive trees, 11 hardwoods for construction, a cow milking machine, 4 utility poles, and a municipal council hall in Qasra village with their contents. Moreover, they burned 93 vehicles, 2 excavators, 2 agricultural tractors, and a Palestinian Civil Defence fire truck in Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, Osarin, Duma, and Qasra villages, south of Nablus, and in al-Mughayyir, Khirbet Abu Falah, Beitin, al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya, and Burqa villages in Ramallah, and Sha’ab al-Buttam in Hebron. Also, they wrote anti-Arab and anti-Muslim slogans on a house, smashed the windows of 28 civilian vehicles and a PRCS ambulances and damaged their structures, attacked 52 houses and smashed their windows, and cut the branches of 135 fruitful trees, and 3 generators. They attacked Palestinian properties, stole 210 sheep and killed 56 others in al-Mughayyir and Duma.
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 Palestinian civilians under various pretexts. Two houses were demolished under the pretext of construction without building permits, and 3 were demolished as a punitive measure against the families of individuals who carried out attacks against IOF and settlers.
On 05 April 2024, the last Friday of Ramadan (which coincided Laylat Al-Qadr) IOF imposed restrictions on worshippers’ access into al-Aqsa Mosque to perform prayers and I’tikaf on Laylat Al-Qader. They assaulted Palestinian young men under 55 years old from Jerusalem, Arab Israelis and those who arrived from the West Bank in Bab as-Silsila (the Chain Gate) and arrested 5 of them. IOF also fired teargas canisters at the worshipers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, suffocating dozens of them. IOF also closed the Wadi al-Joz junction in occupied Jerusalem, coinciding with the large number of people flowing into Al-Aqsa to commemorate the 27th night of Ramadan; Laylat al-Qadr.
On 07 April 2024, the Israeli police raided Bab al-Rahma prayer hall in Al-Aqsa Mosque, beat the worshipers, and arrested two foreigners from the prayer hall.
On 15 April 2024, Israeli Magistrate’s Court in Jerusalem ruled the evacuation of Diab family from their home in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in favor of Nahalat Shimon settler organization. The court gave Diab family until 15 July to evacuate while they have the right to challenge the ruling within 60 days, noting that the House comprised of 3 apartments housed 17 individuals. By this decision, Diab family fears that the settlers might force them out of their house backed by the Israeli police, taking advantage of the world’s preoccupation with current events.
On the same day, one of the leading Zionist rabbis, Dov Lior, stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque to celebrate his grandson’s wedding and bless the public Jewish prayers in the Mosque. He raided Al-Aqsa, accompanied with two rabbis from the so-called Temple Mount groups, and expressed his joy at being guarded by a policeman who graduated from the Jewish religious schools.
In the evening, Kan 11 Channel reported that the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has officially incorporated altering the status quo at the Temple Mount into his ministry’s annual work plan: strengthening security control over Al-Aqsa Mosque, expand technological dominance within Al-Aqsa Mosque, and ensuring what he called “basic rights” for the invading settlers, which means equating them with Muslims inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and granting them “the right to pray” there.
Technological dominance has indeed been implemented in Al-Aqsa Mosque through the installation of a watchtower, additional cameras, advanced surveillance devices, and advanced cameras mounted on every police officer’s body, not to mention the use of drones.
On 17 April 2024, the Israeli municipality crews, and the Israeli Parks and Antiquities Authority razed a plot of land belonging to ‘Uwais, Hamad, and ‘Atallah families, known as the Friday Market land adjacent to Yusufiya Cemetery located to the northeastern side of the wall of occupied East Jerusalem, preluding to establish a Biblical national park under a Judaization project called “Holy Basin project” which seeks to surround the Old City wall with Biblical gardens.
The Israeli police had temporarily closed the 1260-sqm Friday Market, which is currently used as a parking lot on the 6th of this month, after the Israeli municipality and the Parks and Antiquities Authorities personnel stormed it, shortly before midnight, and attempted to level the area. The owners then organized sit-ins on the land and headed to the Israeli District Court in Jerusalem. During a hearing held on 11 April 2024, the landowners filed a case against the two Israeli Authorities, to prove their ownership of the land, invalidate their claim that the Friday Market land belongs to the occupying state, and demand an urgent immediate ban on land-razing, but the court refused to issue the ban order. On Wednesday morning, 17 April 2024, the two authorities’ personnel razed the land and removed its asphalt flooring.
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 431 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 28 Palestinians, including 3 children, at those checkpoints.
On 01 April 2024, IOF closed off with barbed wire Karantina Cemetery in the Old City of Hebron, the only entrance to the houses of 25 families.
On 05 April 2024, IOF closed with cement cubes the entrance to Hajjah village, northeast of Qalqilya Governorate.
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, as two gave birth to their babies after being delayed at these checkpoints.
During the reporting period, 6 Palestinians, including 3 women, were executed in Qalqilya, Tubas and Hebron under the pretext of carrying out car-ramming and stabbing attacks at these checkpoints. The last three executions took place on 24 April 2024 killing Maimonah ‘Abdel-Hamed Harahsheh (20), a resident of the city of Hebron, at Route 60 checkpoint in northern Hebron City.
Among the most prominent violations carried out at these checkpoints, on 13 April 2024, Hammam Jbour (22), from Salim village, east of Nablys, lost his left eye after one of the Isrraeli soldiers deliberately inserted the rifle’s barrel into Jbour’s left eye while the latter was crossing the checkpoint. Afterwards, he was transferred to Rafidia Surgical Hospital in Nablus.
