Press Release

Ref: 160/2000

Date: November 9, 2000

Time: 16:30 GMT

18:30 Palestine

In the most serious escalation since clashes started between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces on September 29, 2000, combat helicopters of the Israeli occupation forces fired rockets at Palestinian civilians in Beit Sahour, killing three, including two women in their fifties. In Khan Yunis, an 18-year-old Palestinian civilian was shot dead with a bullet in the back by the Israeli occupation forces during the funeral procession of one of yesterday’s martyrs. In the past 24 hours, the Israeli occupation forces have swept more than 600 donums of agricultural land in Rafah and Khan Yunis.

In a form of escalation considered the most serious since the breakthrough of clashes between the Israeli occupation forces and Palestinian civilians, a combat helicopter of the Israeli occupation forces fired three rockets at a civilian car in Beit Sahour, killing one of its travelers and two passing women, and wounding a number of other civilians. Eyewitnesses said that the car stopped near the main offices of the Christian Youth Society in the town of Beit Sahour. The driver was Hussein Mohammed Salem Ebayyat from the village of Ta’amra near Bethlehem. The 37-year old, who is a leader of the Fatah Movement, was killed in the attack. A rocket exploded near the car and seriously wounded Aziza Dannoun Jobran, 52 years old, and Rahma She’ibat, 50 years old. The two women died later today.

Such killing of Palestinian civilians is a serious escalation by the Israeli occupation forces. It is evidence of the continued threat posed by these forces to the lives and safety of Palestinian civilians not only in areas of clashes, but also in each street and neighborhood in the occupied Palestinian territories. It is clear that the attack was planned in order to assassinate the official of Fatah Movement and his companions. PCHR fears that this attack might be a prelude to more killings and assassinations of Palestinian citizens by the Israeli occupation forces, in an implementation of the threats pronounced by the leaders of the Israeli occupation forces during the past days.

PCHR condemns this horrible crime and stresses the following:

1. This crime, like other killings and crimes perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians, is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. It is one of the violations prohibited by the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in the time of war.
2. This crime reasserts the continued willful and unlawful killings.
3. Targeting civilian cars with rockets from a combat helicopter, as was confirmed by a spokesman of the Israeli occupation forces, is a blatant violation of the principles of necessity and proportionality of the use of force, unjustified by any military necessity. Targeting innocent civilians with rockets is a crime added to the record of crimes perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces.
4. This crime coincides with the visit of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson in accordance with the resolution of the UN Commission on Human Rights. This resolution condemns the violations and crimes perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces. It is a clear message by the Israeli government that it will continue to perpetrate crimes and killings in a blatant challenge to the international humanitarian law and the moral and humanitarian standards which are reflected in the character of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
5. This crime adds more evidence to the legitimate Palestinian demand for providing international protection for Palestinian civilians and for investigating the serious abuses committed by the Israeli occupation forces.

In Khan Yunis, Mahmoud Kamel Shurrab, 18 years old, was shot dead with a live bullet in the back by the Israeli occupation forces. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that today, large crowds escorted the martyr Mohammed Mesbah Abu Ghali, who was shot dead yesterday by the Israeli occupation forces, to his final resting place. They moved from the martyr’s house to Al-Shuhada’ (martyrs’) cemetery in the southwest of Khan Yunis, 200 meters away from an Israeli military post in Neve’ Dekalim settlement. The Israeli occupation forces shot at the crowds in the cemetery, killing Mahmoud Shurrab and wounding another six civilians. Among the wounded are:

1. Hammad Jamal El-Farra, 12 years old, who was wounded with a live bullet in the mouth; and
2. E’ssam Bashir Safi, 20 years old, who was wounded with a live bullet in the back.

This afternoon, clashes broke out between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces near Al-Tuffah roadblock between Khan Yunis city and Al-Mawasi (agricultural) area, under the security control of the Israeli occupation forces. The Israeli occupation forces opened fire on Palestinian demonstrators wounding eight civilians with live ammunition and another nine with rubber-coated metal bullets. In addition, Rebours Lurent, a reporter of Associated Press, was wounded with a live bullet in the thigh shot by the Israeli occupation forces while he was covering these clashes. He was evacuated to the hospital of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Khan Yunis. This incident is the second of its kind in the Gaza Strip during the past 10 days as the Israeli occupation forces shot at Ben Wedeman, a reporter of CNN, on October 31. This proves that the Israeli occupation forces shoot indiscriminately, if not willfully targeting journalists, in order to terrify them and cause them to give up their work of covering the killings and criminal acts perpetrated by these forces against Palestinian civilians.

Since yesterday morning, the Israeli occupation forces have reinforced their presence in Khan Yunis with tanks and armored vehicles. They also established a new military post on a five-donum area of land near an old one known as “Al-Nouria,” to the west of the refugee camp of Khan Yunis. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported also that the Israeli occupation forces expanded an existing military post adjacent to Gani Tal settlement, to the west of Khan Yunis. These forces surrounded a two-donum area of land with sandy mounds and pitched a number of tents.

In the area near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, to the east of Gaza City, the Israeli occupation forces wounded 14 Palestinian civilians with live ammunition and another one with a rubber-coated metal bullet. These forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators from a distance of about 150 meters using guns provided with silencers. Among the wounded are:

1. Eihab Ata Abu Wadi, 16 years old, from Jabalya, who was wounded with a live bullet in the chest; and
2. A’zmi Sami O’layyan, 18 years old, who was wounded with a live bullet in the back.

In the vicinity of Beit Hanoun (Erez) Checkpoint, clashes have broken out between Palestinian demonstrators and the Israeli occupation forces since the morning. The Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators, wounding two with live ammunition.

Yesterday, from 17:00 to midnight local time, three bulldozers of the Israeli occupation forces under a large presence of the Israeli occupation troops reinforced with tanks, armored vehicles and jeeps swept hundreds of donums of agricultural land adjacent to the Palestinian-Egyptian border in the southeast of Rafah. Bulldozers started sweeping near Rafah Border Crossing, moving to the east towards the village of Al-Dehneya, on the line of armistice, in an area 3 km long and 150-300 meters wide of agricultural land adjacent to the Palestinian Egyptian border. There is no exact total for the area of agricultural land that was swept, but it is estimated at 600 donums of agricultural land planted with olives, citrus and vegetables. The land is owned by the families of Al-Romeilat, Abu Jarad, Abu Shousha, Abu Sneid and Al-Weqeili.

In this particular action, the Israeli occupation forces demolished 20 greenhouses and five houses. They also occupied a 170-square meter house owned by Zaki Salim Jaradat. They expelled the owner and his eight-member family under the threat of violence. The houses that were demolished are:

1. A 15-square meter house owned by Hesham Abu Shousha, in which his sister, her husband and child lived. The house was demolished along with its furniture and electrical sets.
2. A house owned by Akram Jaradat, in which he and his eight-member family lived. The house was demolished on top of its furniture.
3. A 50-square meter house owned by Ayyoub Al-Romeilat. It was demolished on top of its furniture.
4. A 60-square meter tinplate house owned by the farmer Mohammed Al-Weqeili, in which he lived with his wife. Agricultural tools and equipment in the house were also destroyed.
5. A 60-square meter tinplate house owned by the farmer Salim Jaradat, in which he lived with his wife near their tract of land which was also swept.

In Khan Yunis, yesterday, the Israeli occupation forces swept a 14-donum area of agricultural land planted with almonds and olives, to the north of a branch road of Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip) leading to Kissufim crossing. The swept tract of land is a part of a 60-donum area of land owned by Abdullah Shehadeh El-Maghayzha and Mhadi Ne’mat El-Agha. In his testimony to PCHR, Abdullah El-Maghayzha, 58 years old, from Al-Qarara, stated that sweeping started at about 10:00 local time. The attack saw the leveling of 45 olive trees and 200 almond trees which were planted 45 years ago.

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