Press Release

The Israeli occupation forces shell Ramallah:

Three Palestinian civilians, including two children, killed by Israeli occupation forces

Ref: 179/2000

Date: November 24, 2000

Time: 17:00GMT

19:00Palestine Time

The past few hours witnessed a significant escalation by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinian civilians. These forces shot dead a child from Jenin with a dumdum bullet. A young man in Qalqilya was also shot dead. This afternoon, at about 16:00, the Israeli occupation forces shelled a number of Palestinian buildings in Ramallah, including the building of the Palestinian Ministry of Local Government. Palestinian civilians continued to demonstrate throughout the occupied Palestinian territories in protest to the Israeli occupation. This morning, a Palestinian child died in Gaza from a previous wound caused by a live bullet in the head on November 17, 2000. Yesterday evening, three Jewish settlers, opened fire on Palestinian civilians in the village of Qabatya, near Jenin. The settlers fired from a military post of the Israeli occupation forces near the village. As a result, a Palestinian civilian was killed with a live bullet in the abdomen. PCHR condemns the killings continuously committed by the Israeli occupation forces, and calls on the international community to immediately intervene in order to put an end to the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces, and to prevent the possibility that more Palestinian civilians may be victims of these crimes.

In Jenin, this evening, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians who demonstrated at the northern entrance of the city. As a result, the child Aysar Hammouda Husseis, 15 years old, was wounded with a dumdum bullet in the eye that exploded on contact with his head. The child died on the way to hospital. In addition, 10 Palestinian civilians were wounded with live bullets shot by the Israeli occupation forces.

In Qalqilya, the Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a demonstration organized by Palestinian civilians. As a result, Ghassan Majed Mosallam, 20 years old, was killed by a live bullet in the heart.

This morning, at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza, the child Majdi Ali A’abed, 15 years old, from Al-Shojae’ya neighborhood, died from a previous wound caused by a live bullet in the head on November 17, 2000, when the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian civilians who were demonstrating near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, to the east of Gaza City.

Yesterday evening, three Jewish settlers opened fire on a number of Palestinian civilians in the village of Qabatya, near Jenin, killing Feras Dhiab Qassem Abu Hattab, 26 years old, with a live bullet in the abdomen. As soon as Abu Hattab was wounded, he was evacuated to Al-Ittihad hospital in Nablus, but he died there. This incident took place at 19:30 local time. Eyewitnesses said that three civilian-dressed armed men positioned in a military post of the Israeli occupation forces near the village of Qabatya opened fire on Palestinian civilians in the village when there were no clashes. PCHR learned that the post is a settlement, known as “Qidim,” from which the Israeli occupation forces evacuated settlers on October 27, 2000. On November 11, 2000, the Israeli occupation forces made the settlement into a military post.

In Khan Yunis, this afternoon, clashes broke out between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces, which are positioned at Al-Tuffah roadblock between the city and Al-Mawasi (agricultural) area. The Israeli occupation forces shot at these civilians, wounding six with live bullets and a seventh with a rubber-coated metal bullet. Among the wounded were:

1. Karam Abu El-Kheir, 17 years old, seriously wounded with a live bullet in the neck;
2. Fuad Mahmoud Hneideq, 38 years old, seriously wounded with a live bullet in the thigh that cut an artery ; and
3. Mahmoud Shukri A’ashour, 17 years old, wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen.

This morning, at 2:00 local time, the Israeli occupation forces positioned at Al-Tuffah roadblock fired a number of shells on Palestinian houses in the west of Khan Yunis, 150 meters away from the mentioned roadblock. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that three houses were damaged, but he could not check the damage because of the serious danger he would face in carrying out any sort of cursory investigation of the area. He added that residents of these houses left them in the past few weeks as shooting and tear gas used by the Israeli occupation forces posed a serious risk to personal safety. The damaged houses are listed below.

1. A 300-square-meter, three-story house of the family of Boreis, in which 28 people live, was hit with a shell that made a hole 30 centimeters in diameter in the external wall of the second floor, and broke windows;
2. a 180-square-meter, two story house, in which 22 people live, was hit with a shell that made a hole 30 centimeters in diameter that damaged walls and broke windows; and
3. a 150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 15 people live, was hit with a burning shell that penetrated the roof. Neighbors saw fire breaking out in the house but were unable to put it out.

In Rafah, today, clashes broke out between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces. A number of Palestinian civilians demonstrated this morning more than 100 meters away from a military post of the Israeli occupation forces at Salah El-Din Gate on the Palestinian-Egyptian border. The Israeli occupation forces shot at these civilians, wounding the child Eissa A’ashour, 14 years old, with a live bullet in the leg.

In the middle area of the Gaza Strip, yesterday evening, the Israeli occupation forces occupied the house of Mahmoud El-Semeiri, located to the east of Kfar Darom settlement. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that the Israeli occupation forces were still closing Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), near Kfar Darom settlement, prohibiting the movement of Palestinian civilians between the north and south of the Gaza Strip. These forces also continued to close an alternative route, to the east of Kfar Darom settlement, which Palestinian civilians were forced to use instead of Salah El-Din Street. The Israeli occupation forces have allowed the entry of Palestinian citizens for a few hours only. The occupation of the above-mentioned house came as part of the reinforcements carried out by the Israeli occupation forces to tighten the siege on Palestinian civilians.

In the area near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, this afternoon, the Israeli occupation forces shot at Palestinian demonstrators, wounding three with live bullets. PCHR’s field officer in the area reported that the Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with three tanks and a military jeep were still positioned on the main road to the east of Gaza City, not far away from Palestinian houses.

In the northern area of the Gaza Strip, yesterday, at about 19:00 local time, live ammunition was fired from Nissanit settlement at Palestinian houses in the Bedouin village of Um El-Naser. Water reservoirs on the roofs of these houses were damaged, but no injuries among residents were reported. Also yesterday, at about 23:30 local time, the Israeli occupation forces, positioned in Dogit settlement in the north of the Gaza Strip, shot at a number of Palestinian houses in the area of El-Attatra in Beit Lahia. As a result, two brothers were wounded while they were inside their house. They are:

1. Badri Ahmed Ma’rouf, 16 years old, wounded with a live bullet in the left foot; and
2. Munir Ahmed Ma’rouf, 24 years old, wounded with a live bullet in the left thigh.