Press Release

The Israeli occupation forces continue to shoot at Palestinian civilians

Ref: 155/2000

Date: November 4, 2000

Time: 17:30 GMT

19:30 Palestine Time

The Israeli occupation forces have continued to repress and shoot at Palestinian civilians demonstrating against the aggressive actions by these forces throughout the occupied Palestinian territories. PCHR’s field officers reported that 61 Palestinian civilians were wounded with live ammunition and rubber-coated metal bullets in the Gaza Strip and another 40 were wounded in the West Bank. The Israeli occupation forces have continued to reinforce their presence in the areas of clashes and points of friction with Palestinian civilians in a manner that constitutes a major threat to the security and safety of these civilians. These forces have also continued to position roadblocks on main roads, including Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip). Gaza International Airport has remained closed for the sixth consecutive day while the Israeli occupation forces have continued to impose a total siege on the Gaza Strip in an effort to restrict the movement of persons and commercial transactions. The number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli occupation forces since September 29, 2000 has increased to 151, including 46 children, with about 4,700 wounded.

Today, the city of Rafah witnessed new clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces near Salah El-Din Gate on the Palestinian-Egyptian border. PCHR’s field officer in the town reported that the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of 50-100 meters and wounded five civilians with live ammunition. At 18:45 local time, another two civilians passing through Khaled Ben El-Walid Street, about 100 meters away from Salah El-Din Gate, were shot by the Israeli occupation forces. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah stated that the two were not among demonstrators. They are: Sae’id El-Bayyoumi, 49 years old, who was wounded with a live bullet in the left leg; and Ahmed Subhi Abu Taha, 42 years old, who was wounded with a live bullet in the right leg. PCHR’s field officer reported that the Israeli occupation forces deployed a large number of troops in Al-Mawasi (agricultural) area – an area under the security control of these forces. These forces checked Palestinian civilians passing by Tal El-Sultan roadblock, separating Rafah town from Al-Mawasi (agricultural) area. In a provocative and humiliating action, at about 9:00 local time the Israeli occupation forces stopped three Palestinian young men, forcing them to strip to their underwear and run a distance of 300m back and forth from the Square of the Sea to the Swedish village to the south. These young men are: E’ssam Ahmed El-Nahhal, 23 years old, a fisherman; A’dnan Fares Shallouf, 20 years old, a farmer; and Salim Mohammed Basaleh, 23 years old, a university student.

Last night, the Israeli occupation forces shot at houses adjacent to Salah El-Din Gate on the Palestinian-Egyptian border, houses opposite to an Israeli military observation tower inside the border to the south of Tal El-Sultan neighborhood and houses to the west of Morag settlement. Yesterday evening, Samir Humeid Abu Khatleh, 24 years old, from Rafah, was wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen shot by the Israeli occupation forces. Abu Khatleh is still receiving treatment at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis. He remains in serious condition as the bullet caused internal damage.

In Khan Yunis, clashes have broken out since the morning between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces near the industrial zone of Neve’ Dekalim settlement to the west of the refugee camp of Khan Yunis. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that the Israeli occupation forces and Jewish settlers opened fire from inside the settlement on Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of about 100 meters, wounding 13 civilians with live ammunition and another two with rubber-coated metal bullets. Among the wounded was the child Mohammed Hamdan, 14 years old, who was wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen. He was evacuated to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis.

In the area near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, to the east of Gaza City, clashes broke out between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of 100-150 meters and wounded six Palestinian civilians with live ammunition.

In the vicinity of Kfar Darom settlement near Deir El-Balah, clashes broke out this morning between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces. These forces opened fire and wounded two civilians with live bullets. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that the Israeli occupation forces’ tanks and armored vehicles were still stationed at the entrance of the settlement on Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip).

On the east of the Gaza Strip, near the borderline to the east of Al-Boreij refugee camp, clashes broke out between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces. Twelve civilians were wounded with live ammunition and another two were wounded with rubber-coated metal bullets shot by the Israeli occupation forces. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that demonstrators were 200-250 meters away from the Israeli occupation forces positioned in the area, so their protest, including throwing stones, did not constitute any threat to these forces. However, the Israeli occupation forces did not hesitate to shoot at demonstrators, at times resorting to snipers who used silencers. Among the wounded was Rao’uf Ali El-Louh, 16 years old, from Al-Boreij refugee camp, who was wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen, and the child Mahmoud Ibrahim El-Sous, 13 years old, who was wounded with a dumdum bullet in the thigh. The two were wounded from a distance of more than 200 meters. The Israeli occupation forces resorted to an excessive use of tear gas. As a result, dozens of Palestinian civilians suffered fainting and suffocation.

In the area near Beith Hanoun (Erez) check point, on the north of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators, wounding 13 with live ammunition and another five with rubber-coated metal bullets. PCHR’s field officer stated that the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of 80 meters.

The cities of the West Bank witnessed similar clashes today between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces. The Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators in the cities of Tulkarm, Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jenin and Qalqilya, wounding three with live bullets and another 37 with rubber-coated metal bullets. PCHR learned that the child Ghazaleh Jawdat Jaradat, 14 years old, from Hebron, was wounded this morning with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head while just outside her school. She is in critical condition. At about 15:50 local time, the Israeli occupation forces shot at an ambulance of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society near Al-Jalama roadblock in Jenin. Three rubber-coated metal bullets hit the ambulance, but no injuries among its medical staff were reported. Yesterday evening, the child Rami Ahmed Abdel-Fattah, 15 years old, from the village of Hazma near Jerusalem died from a wound inflicted by a dumdum bullet in his side shot by the Israeli occupation forces during clashes in the village between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces. The number of yesterday’s martyrs increased to three, including two in the village of Hazma.

1. There was a significant presence of troops, tanks, and armored vehicles of the Israeli occupation forces in the areas of clashes. The Israeli occupation forces continued to shoot at Palestinian civilians.
2. PCHR’s field officers reported that clashes were at a significant distance, sometimes 250 meters away from the areas where the Israeli occupation forces were positioned. Nevertheless, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians, wounding 52 with live ammunition and another nine with rubber-coated metal bullets. These forces also resorted to snipers who used silencers when they shot.
3. Sae’id El-Bayyoumi, 49 years old, and Ahmed Abu Taha, 42 years old, from Rafah, were wounded this afternoon providing still more proof of the indiscriminate shooting and targeting Palestinian civilians. Even civilians outside the area of clashes face significant danger.
4. The Israeli occupation forces continue to shoot dumdum bullets at Palestinian civilians.
5. Two children were seriously wounded in the head and abdomen.
6. The Israeli occupation forces shot at houses in several areas of Rafah. The safety of civilians was threatened even inside their houses.
7. The Israeli occupation forces continued to close Gaza International Airport and to restrict the movement inside and outside the Gaza Strip.

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1. Establishing without delay an independent commission of inquiry, in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1322 (2000), to carry out a thorough and comprehensive investigation into the abuses and killings perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians.
2. Convening a conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under the Convention.
3. Immediately providing international protection for Palestinian civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories in the face of the killings and criminal acts perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces and groups of Jewish settlers who move under the protection of these forces.
4. Use by the EU of effective political and economic means with reference to Article 2 of the Euro-Israel Association Agreement which calls for the respect for human rights.
5. Providing humanitarian and medical assistance for the Palestinian people whose living conditions are increasingly deteriorating because of the continued total siege imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the entire occupied Palestinian territories.

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