During the reporting period, the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) and Israeli settlers have escalated 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

Killings and violation of the right to life and bodily integrity:

The IOF’s attacks during the reporting period in the West Bank have resulted in the killing of 37 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 12 children.  

So far in 2024, IOF attacks have killed 135 Palestinians, including 34 children, 2 women and 3 reported dead in Israeli prisons. 

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.

In one illustrative incident, on 13 March 2024, in cold blood and for no apparent reason, IOF shot dead two Palestinian civilians and injured 3 others, including 2 children, in front of the Emergency Department at Dr. Khalil Soliman Governmental Hospital in Jenin during IOF’s incursion into the City and its refugee camp. 

Moreover, during the reporting period, 80 Palestinians were injured, including 7 in critical condition, 20 children, and 1 woman. 

Thus, since the beginning of the year, 395 Palestinians were injured, including 27 in critical condition, 85 children and 3 women. 

Attacks on medical personnel

During the reporting period, we have monitored 3 attacks by IOF on Palestinian medical personnel, hospitals, ambulances and paramedics in the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and other private ambulance stations. Among the most violent attacks was the deliberate shooting on a PRCS ambulance in Nour Shams refugee camp, eastern Tulkarm; as a result, bullets penetrated the ambulance structure.   Also, a shooting incident occurred inside Dr. Khalil Soliman Governmental Hospital in Jenin, inflicting casualties among the Palestinian civilians as indicated above.

Raids and arrests

The IOF have conducted 1164 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 625 Palestinians, including 4 journalists, 19 children and 11 women, while they confiscated a bulldozer and 6 private vehicles in addition to blowing up a vehicle in Jenin. 

On 01 March 2024, IOF raided Jenin and closed two printing houses allegedly for supporting terrorism. The first one, Golden Print Advertising Company, was in Sanour village, south of Jenin, and the second one, al-Saher Printing House was in Jab’a village, south of Jenin, inflicting damage estimated at 20,000 Jordanian Dinars for each.

Demolition and land-razing

During the reporting period, the IOF and Israeli settlers demolished 56 facilities, including 14 houses; 7 of which were demolished under the pretext of construction without building permit, 2 were demolished as a punitive measure, and 3 were self-demolished by their owners in occupied East Jerusalem to avoid the high costs of the demolition by the Israeli municipality.  Meanwhile, the rest facilities destroyed were 42 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 raids, the IOF have inflicted extensive destruction to the streets and infrastructure, including water supply networks and telecommunications and power systems particularly in Jenin refugee camp, western Jenin, Tulkarm refugee camp and Nour Shams refugee camp, eastern Tulkarm.

Meanwhile, Israeli settlers demolished a 16-square-meter agricultural room in Qasra village, south of Nablus, and burnt a house and an auto-repair barrack in Barqa village, Ramallah.

Land confiscations and settlement expansion

During the reporting period, the IOF and Israeli settlers continued their settlement expansion policy that has served Israel’s intent appropriate and raze Palestinian lands to establish settlement outposts and expand settlements. 

IOF razed several dunums from Palestinian-owned lands in the villages of al-Lubban al-Sharqiyah, south of Nablus, and Sinjil, north of Ramallah.   Meanwhile, settlers established a settlement outpost by placing 6 caravans that were previously removed 8 months ago between Nablus and Ramallah. Also, another caravan was placed in the Palestinian-owned lands in Sinjil, as a prelude to establish a settlement outpost.

Moreover, IOF started building a new settler road starting from Route 60 to Beit El Settlement, north of Ramallah and al-Bireh, for the purpose of settlement expansion and setters’ protection.

Meanwhile, IOF started building a new settler road named 347 in Wadi Qana area in Salfit to connect the settlements in Salfit for the purpose of settlement expansion and took over 3 houses and expelled their residents, turning them into military outposts.

IOF also razed a 44-dunum agricultural land in Abu Sayaj area, west of Wadi Foqin village in Bethlehem, uprooting 550 trees of olive, grape, fig, palm and prunus.

Meanwhile, settlers built a new settler road on Palestinian-owned lands in al-Saqiyah, Qablan and Yatma villages, connecting Telma settlement with Route 60 opposite to Ariel roundabout. 

Also, IOF razed 4 dunums and uprooted 51 olive trees and 15 vines between the villages of Nahalin and Husan.

Furthermore, settlers seized and fenced off 2000 dunums from the Palestinian-owned lands in the Northern Jordan Valley, east of Tubas.

On 01 March 2024, IOF confiscated 2640 dunums from the Palestinian-owned lands in the villages of Abu Dis, al-‘Izariyah and ‘Arab al-Sawahrah to connect the settlements of Kedar and Ma’ale Adumim for the purpose of settlement expansion in east of occupied East Jerusalem.

On 28 March 2024, backed by IOF, settlers set up a tent in Za’ar Jammah area in Jorish village, southeast of Nablus, in a prelude to establish a new settlement outpost on the Palestinian lands.

 

On 13 March 2024, Israeli bulldozers continued to raze vacant areas of the Palestinian-owned lands in al-Ras area, northwest of Salfit, commencing infrastructure construction for a new settlement known as “Amirim Neighborhood,” which used to be a pastoral outpost. This will effectively disconnect Palestinian villages north of Salfit, such as Kifl Haris, Haris, and Qira from Salfit.

Moreover, the Israeli occupation authorities have issued a decision to confiscate private Palestinian-owned lands from Tamoun within the lands of al-Baqi’ah al-Sharqiyah, south of Tubas in the Northern Jordan Valley, intending to establish a waterline for Beka’ot settlement and camp.

Meanwhile, IOF issued a military order to confiscate 29 dunums from Palestinian-owned lands in Sinjil and Turmus Ayya villages in Ramallah by 31 December 2026, allegedly for security purposes to establish a wall denying Palestinians’ access onto the main street.

Settler violence

Throughout March of 2024, Israeli settlers have conducted 38 attacks against Palestinian villages and cities across the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, mainly in the vicinity of Nablus governorate, Sinjil, Barqa and Deir Dibwan villages in Ramallah, and al-Mo’arajat in Jericho. They burnt a house, an auto-repair barrack with 20 vehicles inside, 2 agricultural rooms, a poultry barn barrack of 500 square meters along with its modern equipment for poultry farming and 2 stalls for selling vegetables and fruits on Road 90, north of Jericho.  Also, they burnt 3 vehicles in Burin village, south of Nablus, Barqah village, northwest of Nablus, and Kafr Ne’amah village in Ramallah.  Meanwhile, they broke the windows of 11 vehicles, damaged their structure and attacked 3 houses and broke their windows in addition to shooting at a house in Sinjil village. They also slashed tires of 10 vehicles and cut 239 trees of olive, fig and palm while they broke 4 solar flood lights. Moreover, they assaulted 18 Palestinians using sharp objects and threw stones at them, causing them bruises and various injuries.

Settlers also attacked al-Sokhn area between the settlements of Gittit and Ma’ale Efrayim on Za’ataret Jericho Street, southeast of Nablus, and al-Mo’arajat area, east of Jericho.  At gunpoint, the settlers expelled 25 Palestinian families of 108 members, including 37 children, from 20 tinplated dwellings and seized them in al-Mo’arajat area, preventing these families from herding in the pastoral communities there.

On 18 March 2024, settlers placed statutes, covered them with black plastic bags simulating dead bodies after spraying them in red for blood in front of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) headquarters in Jerusalem, affixing posts calling for its closure and threatening its staff.

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. Three Palestinians were forced to self-demolish their house while the Israeli bulldozers destroyed fences and razed a plot of land belonging to Barqan family in ‘Ein al-Lozah neighborhood in Silwan, south of al-Aqsa Mosque. Also, the Israeli authorities placed additional surveillance cameras in the same neighborhood.

During Ramadan, the IOF imposed restrictions on worshippers’ access into al-Aqsa Mosque to perform prayers and assaulted Palestinian young men from Jerusalem and Arab Israelis under the age of 45 years on the first night of Ramadan when they were on their way to perform al-Tarawih “night prayers in Ramadan” and denied them access into the Mosque.

The Israeli Government approved recommendations by the Israeli far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir to endorse restrictions on Palestinians’ access into al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan. According to this, only worshippers with valid permits (men over the age of 55 and women over the age of 50) are allowed to enter the Mosque while the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) is solely authorized to issue permits or not and even cancel them under various pretexts.  

On 14 March 2024, the IOF have established permanent iron barriers at al-Hadid and al-Ghawnmah Gates of al-Aqsa Mosque, reducing the area of worshippers’ path that leads into al-Aqsa Mosque.

 

 

The picture shows al-Ghawanmah and al-Hadid Gates before and after IOF’s establishment of iron barriers.

On 08 March 2024, the Israeli Municipality of Jerusalem organized the annual marathon, where at least 40,000 persons participated raising Israeli flags to provoke Muslims. During the marathon, the Israeli police, secret forces and undercover units in plain clothes shut down tens of streets in occupied East Jerusalem for more than 6 hours and banned worshipers’ access into al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Friday Prayer to secure the marathon participants.

Moreover, during their raid into al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, settlers desecrated al-Rahmah Gate Cemetery and destroyed 5 gravestones.

On the first Friday of Ramdan, 15 March 2024, IOF denied the PRCS personnel and volunteers’ access into al-Aqsa Mosque to provide their humanitarian and aid services to the worshippers without giving any reason.

It should be noted that IOF previously prevented the PRCS personnel from entering their equipment and setting up their medical field tents as they used to do each year in Ramadan.

On 23 March 2024, following al-Tarawih prayers, IOF assaulted the worshippers inside al-Aqsa Mosque and forced them out to pave the way for settlers’ raid into the Mosque.  This recurred everyday until the writing of this report.

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 376 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 31 Palestinians, including 6 women, at those checkpoints.

The IOF closed with sand berms the road to al-Mas’oudiyah entrance and the agricultural lands in al-Mas’oudiyah and Deir Sharaf plains and the Wad al-Shami entrance leading to Barqah, Sabastya and the plains. IOF also closed with sand berms the entrance to Bazarya village opposite to Homish settlement entrance on Nablus-Jenin Streets in addition to al-Seder road leading to Beit Jala, north of Bethlehem. Meanwhile IOF declared Salfit, a tourist attraction, as a closed military zone.

In addition to the 8 gates established at the entrances to the Palestinian cities and villages in January and February 2024, The IOF set up 3 new iron gates this month at Checkpoint 17, north of Nablus on the Zota Nablus Bypass Road, on al-Hathaniyah Road, east of Salim village, east of Nablus, and finally in Batishah area, east of Qaryout village, southeast of Nablus.

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, particularly on 21 March 2024, Sameh Mohammed ‘Abdel Ra’ie Zaytoun (63), from Hebron was the latest victim of these checkpoints.  He was shot dead at the intersection of ‘Etzion settlements, south of Bethlehem, as he was held in the detention cabin at the intersection without any justification or posing any threat to the Israeli soldiers’ lives.

PCHR believes that the main target of the Israeli crimes and violations in the West Bank is the existence of the Palestinian people in Mandatory Palestine, for the purpose of entrenching the Zionist settler-colonial project. This is particularly evident in Gaza as well, where the Israeli military aggression has led to the forced displacement of approximately 1.9 million Palestinians within the Gaza Strip amid systematic targeting and destruction, rendering the Strip unlivable and thereby forcing its people to flee. The absence of accountability and concrete enforcement of international law, the international community’s inaction and third states’ complicity are fueling the continuation of Israel’s settler-colonial project and ongoing genocide in Gaza. 

PCHR emphasizes that these crimes and violations would not have continued without Israel’s long-enjoyed impunity and third states’ failure to hold perpetrators accountable and put an end to these crimes, according to Common Article 1 of the Four Geneva Conventions and Articles 146 and 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

PCHR also calls upon the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to expedite the investigation into the situation in Palestine initiated more than two years ago and issue arrest warrants to hold the perpetrators accountable for these crimes, particularly the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.