¨ 96 Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces
in October 2001;
¨ 70 Palestinians killed by the Israeli forces in
retaliation for the killing of Ze’evi;
¨ continued assassinations and extra-judicial killings;
¨ continued incursions into Palestinian cities and
villages;
¨ continued land destruction; and
¨ continued siege on the OPT.
1. Shooting at Palestinian
Civilians
Thursday, October 25, 2001
At approximately 13:00, Israeli soldiers, positioned
in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, fired at a
number of Palestinian children who were playing near Al-Nemsawi neighborhood,
northwest of the settlement. Mohammed
Salah El-Qedra, 14, was wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported
that the area did not witness any clashes at the time of shooting.
In the afternoon, dozens of Palestinian civilians
demonstrated in Al-Ersal Street in Ramallah, near a military location
established by Israeli forces after they had reoccupied parts of the city on
October 18. The Israeli forces fired at
the demonstrators wounding:
1) ‘Emad Farouq Khalil, 14, from Al-Bireh, with a live
bullet in the right leg;
2) Shehdeh Hamdallah ‘Awadh, 15, from Qalandya refugee
camp, with a live bullet in the right thigh; and
3) Mujahed Khaled ‘Abdullah, 26, from ‘Aaroura village
north of Ramallah, with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head.
Friday,
October 26, 2001
In the afternoon, hundreds of Palestinian civilians
participated in the funeral procession of three Palestinians killed by Israeli
forces to the Martyrs Cemetery in the east of Jabalya in the northern Gaza
Strip. At approximately 13:30, an
Israeli tank moved from the eastern border of the Gaza Strip approximately 350m
into Palestinian-controlled areas, and another tank took position at the
border. A number of the participants in
the funeral threw stones towards the tank. Israeli soldiers fired at the stone throwers, wounding nine:
1) Mohammed Riadh Yassin, 15, from Al-Zaytoun
neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded by a live bullet in the left leg;
2) Ahmed Rebhi ‘Eid, 15, from Jabalya, wounded by a live
bullet in the left leg;
3) Mohammed Bassam Musabbeh, 17, from Al-Shojaeya
neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded by a live bullet in the chest;
4) Mohammed Hamed El-‘Arini, 18, from Jabalya refugee
camp, wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh;
5) Jamil Na’im El-‘Attar, 14, from Beit Lahia, wounded
by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head;
6) Ahmed ‘Abdullah El-Mufti, 20, from Beit Lahia,
wounded by a live bullet in the right knee;
7) Ahmed Hussein El-‘Ajjouri, 23, from Jabalya refugee
camp, wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh;
8) Subeh ‘Abdel-Rahman Abu ‘Amra, 25, from Tal El-Hawa
neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh; and
9) Mohammed ‘Omar Bulbul, 17, from Al-Shojaeya
neighborhood in Gaza City, wounded by a live bullet in the right leg.
In the evening, ‘Eid Fayiq Abu Sharekh, 31, from
Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, father of 9 children, was pronounced dead from a
wound he received more than two weeks ago. On Monday, October 8, Abu Sharekh was hunting birds using nets on a
space of land approximately 500m west of the eastern border of the Gaza
Strip. Although he had not posed any
threat, Israeli soldiers fired at him without apparent reason. As he was shot, he collapsed to the ground
and remained in this position for around half an hour until a Palestinian
ambulance was able to evacuate him to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City. He was placed under intensive care. His heath condition gradually improved, so he
was transferred to Al-Wafa’ Hospital for Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy,
where he remained until he was pronounced dead.
Saturday,
October 27, 2001
At approximately 15:00 local time, dozens of
Palestinian civilians demonstrated at the entrance of Kufor Malek, northeast of
Ramallah. This coincided with the
passage of an Israeli military jeep by the area. Israeli soldiers got out of the jeep and
fired at the demonstrators from a distance of approximately 20m. Two demonstrators were wounded:
1) Rami ‘Othman Hamayel El-‘Omar, 22, wounded by a live
bullet in the left leg; and
2) Mu’taz Mustafa Hamayel El-‘Omar, 22, wounded by a
live bullet in the left leg.
Sunday,
October 28, 2001
At approximately 07:30, Israeli occupation soldiers
fired at 20-year-old ‘Abdel-Qader Hammad El-Dababseh, from Nouba village,
northwest of Hebron, wounding him with a live bullet in the abdomen. PCHR was informed that Dababseh was working
on the second floor of a commercial building, approximately 200m from
demarcation lines in Hebron. An Israeli
sniper fired at him with no apparent reason.
In the morning, Israeli occupation soldiers fired
rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas at a number of school children in the
part of Hebron under Israeli occupation. Fifteen school children were wounded, including:
1) Amal Mohammed Ghaith, 12, wounded by a rubber-coated
metal bullet in the left leg;
2) ‘Abir Ibrahim El-Najjar, wounded by a rubber-coated
metal bullet in the left leg;
3) Shireen Jawad El-Zaru, 14, wounded by a rubber-coated
metal bullet in the left shoulder; and
4) Ghadir Mohammed El-Fakhouri, 15, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the right leg.
At approximately 16:00, Israeli occupation soldiers,
in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement west of Khan Yunis, fired at a
number of Palestinian children who were playing in Al-Nemsawi neighborhood,
approximately 200m away from the settlement. Fadi Mahrous Huneideq, 6, was wounded by a live bullet in the right
foot. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis
reported that Huneideq was wounded while he was playing in front of his
family’s house.
Tuesday,
October 30, 2001
At approximately 15:30, Israeli soldiers in a
military jeep approximately 40m away from Al-Shuhada’ junction, south of Gaza
City, fired at a Palestinian taxi that was traveling from Gaza City to Deir
El-Balah. The driver and a girl were
injured:
1) Iman Saleh El-Safadi, 22, from Deir El-Balah,
seriously injured in the left shoulder, the chest, and the face as the windows
of the car were shattered by a live bullet; and
2) Riadh ‘Abdel-Karim El-Masri, 33, from Deir El-Balah,
the driver, injured in the left shoulder, arm, and ear as the front window was
broken.
In addition, two girls in the car were in shock.
At approximately 17:00, Israeli soldiers, positioned
in a military location at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of Deir
El-Balah, fired at some young Palestinian men who were playing football,
approximately 300m away from the border. ‘Awadh Khamis El-Hanajreh, 29, was wounded by a live bullet in the left
foot.
At approximately 20:00, a number of Israeli military
jeeps moved into Senjel village, north of Ramallah. Israeli soldiers fired stun grenades and tear
gas canisters at Palestinian houses. Four Palestinian children suffered from tear gas inhalation.
Wednesday,
October 31, 2001
In the afternoon, Mohammed Tayeh Khader El-‘As’oussi,
29, and Rabi’ Mohammed Shoumaria Ghannam, 22, from Jaba’ village, southeast of
Jenin, were killed by Israeli forces. At
approximately 14:30, El-‘As’oussi, a policeman and Ghannam, a member of the
Palestinian liaison forces, were on their way back home unarmed, through a
branch road, as the main road leading to their village was closed by Israeli
forces. When they were near Bazaria
village, northwest of Nablus, approximately 4km southwest of their village, a
unit of the Israeli forces surrounded them and shot them dead from a very short
distance. The Israeli soldiers kept the
bodies of the two young men until the evening. El-‘As’oussi was hit by 15 live bullets throughout the body and Ghannam
was hit by 12 live bullets throughout the body.
2. Shelling of, and
Incursions into Palestinian Cities and Residential Areas
While Israeli forces
maintained their occupation of Palestinian areas in Bethlehem and Beit Jala
cities and ‘Aaida and Al-‘Azza refugee camps, they shelled Palestinian civilian
facilities and fired at Palestinians. Israeli forces used artillery shells, heavy, medium and light machine
guns, and surface-to-surface missiles. Four Palestinians, including two civilians, were killed.
At approximately 13:50,
Salameh Ibrahim El-Debes, 39, from ‘Aaida refugee camp, was killed by a live
bullet in the head fired by Israeli forces while he was at home. No clashes were reported at that time.
At approximately 17:00,
Firas Shehdeh Salahat, 29, from Al-‘Azza refugee camp, was pronounced dead at
Beit Jala Hospital, after efforts to save his life had failed. Salahat was wounded by three live bullets in
the chest, the abdomen and the left leg fired by Israeli forces.
At 18:10, Wa’el Dheif
Ismail ‘Ebayyat, 22, from Bethlehem, a member of the Palestinian Presidential
Guard (Force 17), was killed by a live bullet and shrapnel in the upper part of
the body, when Israeli forces shelled Al-‘Azza refugee camp and Bethlehem
University.
At approximately 23:50,
Farid Salim Abu Jalaleh, 23, from Rafah, a member of the Palestinian National
Security Forces, was killed by a heavy caliber bullet in the chest and shrapnel
in the head, when Israeli forces shelled Al-‘Azza refugee camp.
In the meantime, Israeli
forces shelled Al-Douha neighborhood in the southwest of Bethlehem. Artillery shells hit a Palestinian house,
wounding three children:
1) Dhuha Mohammed El-Halyqa,
12;
2) ‘Alla’ Mohammed
El-Halayqa, 8; and
3) Dhirar Mohammed El-Halyqa,
6.
In Tulkarm, the Israeli
forces maintained a strict siege on Palestinian-controlled areas and continued
to occupy parts of the city. At
approximately 17:00, Israeli forces intruded into Nour Shams refugee camp under
the cover of intensive shelling. Hassan
Khalil ‘Aaref Abu Sirreya, 35, was killed by three live bullets in the left
side, the right hand and the left wrist. The ambulance that tried to evacuate him was hit by three live
bullets. Additionally, six Palestinian
civilians were wounded:
1) Saleh Mustafa Zuhairi, 34,
seriously wounded by two live bullets in the chest and the left elbow;
2) Haifa’ Walid ‘Aamer, 29,
wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;
3) Mohammed Walid ‘Aamer, 4
months, wounded by shrapnel throughout the body;
4) Sahafiq Ahmed Abu Jad, 38,
wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh;
5) Rami ‘Othman ‘Abdel-Rahim,
19, wounded by shrapnel in the left knee; and
6) Ahmed ‘Ali El-Khatib, 35,
wounded by shrapnel in the left shoulder.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli
forces shelled and invaded several areas. At approximately 01:00, Israeli occupation forces, positioned in a
military location at the entrance of a settlement road leading to the Green
Line, east of Gaza City, fired heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian
farms to the west. No casualties were
reported.
At approximately 16:00,
Israeli forces demolished a 200-square-meter, one-story house, in which 31
people used to live, owned by Mohammed ‘Abdel-Hadi El-Souri. The house was located approximately 150m away
from a road branch of Salah El-Din Street, leading to Kissufim Crossing at the
eastern border of the Gaza Strip.
At approximately 16:30,
Israeli occupation forces, positioned in Jewish settlements established on
Palestinian land in Al-Mawasi area, west of Rafah, shelled Tal Al-Sultan
neighborhood with no apparent reason. Two artillery shells hit a wall on the roof of Mohammed Joudeh’s house,
but no casualties were reported.
At approximately 17:00,
residents of Al-Salam neighborhood adjacent to the Egyptian border, south of Rafah,
noticed a number of Israeli soldiers moving into a nearby Palestinian house
under construction, owned by Daoud Suleiman Abu Muhsen. A number of Israeli soldiers had moved into
the same house on August 22 and fired at members of the engineering corps of
the Palestinian police who attempted to enter the house to defuse alleged
bombs. A Palestinian policeman, Mahmoud
‘Ali Jasser, 23, from Khan Yunis was killed.[1]
At approximately 23:00,
Israeli occupation forces, positioned in the vicinity of “Netzarim” settlement,
south of Gaza City, shelled Palestinian houses in Al-Mughraqa area, south of
the settlement, for no apparent reason. A number of houses and civilian facilities were damaged:
1) Walls, doors and a water
tank of a house owned by Hassan ‘Aaref ‘Azzam were severely damaged.
2) Windows of a house owned
by Yousef ‘Abdel-‘Azziz El-Weheidi were damaged and 4 sheep were killed.
3) Fifteen sheep owned by
Sabha Ahmed Aby Zhaher were killed.
At approximately 02:00,
Israeli occupation forces, positioned in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim”
settlement, west of Khan Yunis opened fire on Palestinian house in Al-Nemsawi
neighborhood and the west of Khan Yunis refugee camp. Hala Suleiman Huneideq, 24, was wounded by a
live bullet in the left hand while at home. Additionally, a number of houses were severely damaged.
At approximately 03:20
local time, after a group of activists from the military wing of Hamas
attempted to sneak into “Dogit” settlement, north of Beit Lahia in the northern
Gaza Strip,[2]
Israeli forces in the settlement shelled Palestinian areas south of the
settlement. A member of the Palestinian
National Security Forces, Jihad Tawfiq Abu Hashish, 19, from Beit Hanoun, was
wounded by a live bullet in the left leg. PCHR’s field officer in the northern Gaza Strip reported that Israeli
forces, reinforced with tanks, thrust approximately 1,200m into
Palestinian-controlled areas south of the settlement. They took position approximately 200m away from
the American School, west of Beit Lahia. The Israeli forces withdrew at approximately 10:00. As a result of the incursion, Palestinian
agricultural land and civilian facilities were severely damaged. At approximately 15:00, the Israeli forces
started razing more areas of Palestinian agricultural land, south of “Dogit”
settlement. PCHR’s field officer in the
northern Gaza Strip reported that:
1) Israeli forces razed a
4-donum area of agricultural land planted with strawberries and destroyed an
irrigation network, owned by ‘Essam Farah and rented by ‘Othman Mukheimer Abu
Halima.
2) They razed a 30-donum area
of agricultural land planted with potatoes and destroyed a 140-square-meter
building, a well, a store and five fuel tanks, owned by Njib No’man
El-Khuzendar, and rented by Mohammed Ghazi El-‘Attar, Anwar Mohammed El-‘Attar
and As’ad Mohammed El-Khuzendar.
3) They razed a 54-donum area
of agricultural land planted with potatoes, and destroyed irrigation networks
owned by ‘Omar Ibrahim Hamada and rented by Mohammed Na’im El-‘Attar, Na’im
Khairi El-‘Attar, Rami Yousef El-‘Attar and Na’im Na’im El-‘Attar.
4) They razed a 2.5-donum
area of agricultural land planted with potatoes and destroyed an irrigation
network, owned by Mohammed Rabah El-‘Attar.
5) They razed a 5-donum area
of agricultural land planted with strawberries and destroyed an irrigation
network, owned by Mohammed Khalil El-‘Attar.
6) They razed a 5-donum area
of agricultural land planted with onions and partially destroyed an irrigation
network, owned by Mohammed El-Sabe’ and rented by Mohammed Khalil El-‘Attar.
7) They razed a 37-donum area
of agricultural land planted with potatoes and destroyed an irrigation network,
owned by Jarallah No’man El-Khuzendar and rented by As’ad Mohammed El-Attar.
8) They razed a 6-donum area
of agricultural land planted with flowers and destroyed a well, owned by
‘Atallah Helmi El-Tarazi.
At approximately 10:30,
Israeli forces, positioned in ‘Ein Qinya military location, shelled Palestinian
houses in Al-Tirah neighborhood in Ramallah. A number of houses were damaged.
At approximately 14:30,
Israeli forces, reinforced with tanks and armored personnel carriers, moved
into Deir Nizam village, northwest of Ramallah, under the cover of intensive
shelling. Three Palestinian civilian cars
were severely damaged.
At approximately 22:00,
Israeli forces, positioned in a military location in Tal Zo’rob area adjacent
to the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, shelled Palestinian houses in Tal
Al-Sultan neighborhood in the west of Rafah. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that an artillery shell fell onto
the roof of a 4-story house in which 5 families, comprised of around 30 people
live, owned by Leila ‘Abdel-Ra’ouf Es’eifan El-Quttati. The house was damaged, but no casualties were
reported.
At approximately 01:00,
Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with tanks and military vehicles, thrust
approximately 100m into Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood in the west of Rafah. They leveled land adjacent to the Egyptian
border. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah
reported that this step was apparently part of efforts by Israeli forces to
establish a fixed military location opposite to Tal Al-Sultan
neighborhood. The Israeli forces
withdrew at approximately 14:00.
At approximately 17:45,
Firas Sabri Jaber, 24, from Tulkarm, was killed by Israeli forces. Reinforced with tanks and armored personnel
carriers, the soldiers had moved into the city approximately two hours before
under the cover of intensive shelling. Jaber was killed while confronting the invading forces. In the incursion, a number of stores and
electricity and telephone networks were severely damaged.
At approximately 22:00,
Israeli forces, positioned near Salah El-Din Gate at the Egyptian border, south
of Rafah, fired heavy and medium caliber bullets at ‘Omar Ben El-Khattab
Street, Block “O” and Qeshta neighborhood. No casualties were reported.
At approximately 23:30,
Israeli forces, positioned in military locations in the vicinity of Al-Tuffah
checkpoint and “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, shelled
Palestinian houses in Khan Yunis refugee camp. A number of houses were severely damaged and people were extremely
terrified.
At approximately 22:00,
Israeli forces, positioned in the vicinity of “Gani Tal” settlement, northwest
of Khan Yunis, shelled Al-Satar Al-Gharbi area in the city. A number of houses were severely
damaged. At the same time, Israeli
forces, positioned in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan
Yunis, shelled Palestinian houses in the west of Khan Yunis refugee camp. A number of houses were damaged, but no
casualties were reported.
At approximately 23:00,
Israeli forces, positioned in the vicinity of “Kfar Darom” settlement, east of
Deir El-Balah, shelled a number of nearby Palestinian houses. Four houses, owned by Bader Saleh Abu ‘Aazem,
Mahmoud ‘Oudeh Abu Samra, Subhi Abu Musabbeh and Ayman El-‘Abit, were severely
damaged.
At approximately 03:00,
Israeli forces, positioned at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of
Al-Maghazi refugee camp, shelled Palestinian houses in the refugee camp. A number of houses were damaged.
At approximately 20:00,
Israeli forces, reinforced with a tank, moved from “Kfar Darom” settlement,
east of Deir El-Balah, approximately 200m into the north of the city. Israeli forces opened fire on a site of the
Palestinian National Security Forces, causing severe damage to its walls. Then, the tank moved to the west and opened
fire on Palestinian houses. Water tanks
and electricity networks of two houses, owned by Yousef El-Maqadmeh and
Suleiman Abu Munifi, were severely damaged. The Israeli forces also demolished a 20-square-meter booth and an
irrigation network owned by Abu Munifi.
At approximately 22:00,
the Israeli forces demolished a 180-square-meter, one-story house, in which 18
people used to live, owned by Salah ‘Abdel-Hamid El-Qedra. The house was approximately 80m west of “Kfar
Darom” settlement, east of Deir El-Balah. PCHR’s field officer in the middle area of the Gaza Strip reported that
residents of the house had left the house ten days before the demolition due to
frequent shooting by the Israeli forces.
At approximately 05:30,
Israeli forces, positioned at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of
Beit Hanoun, fired heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses
approximately 700m west of the border. Two houses, owned by Sa’id and As’ad Fahmi Abu Salah, were severely
damaged.
At approximately 10:30,
Israeli forces at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of Beit Hanoun,
opened fire on Palestinian farms in the northeast of Beit Hanoun. Eyad Mohammed Matar, 22, from Beit Lahia, was
wounded by three live bullets in the abdomen and the left shoulder and
leg. Matar is mentally handicapped and
was approximately 400m away from the border. PCHR’s field officer in the northern Gaza Strip reported that the area
did not witness any clashes at the time of shooting, and that Matar had bled
for two hours without anyone having been able to offer him help because of
intensive shooting by the Israeli forces. Later, a Palestinian farmer was able to evacuate him to Shifa’ Hospital
in Gaza City.
At approximately 12:00,
the Israeli forces razed a 6-donum area of Palestinian agricultural land
planted with grapes, owned by Kamal Fureih Shamallakh, in Sheikh ‘Ejlin
neighborhood in the south of Gaza City. PCHR’s field officer in Gaza reported that the Israeli forces opened
fire on Palestinian farms while razing the tract of land. According to an eyewitness, two Israeli
armored personnel carriers and a bulldozer came to the area, razed the tract of
land and then withdrew.
At approximately 21:00,
Israeli forces, positioned in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west
of Khan Yunis, opened fire on Palestinian houses in Khan Yunis refugee
camp. Nader Mohammed Fayadh, 18, was
wounded by shrapnel in the right side. A
number of houses were also severely damaged. At the same time, Israeli forces in “Gani Tal” settlement, northwest of
Khan Yunis, shelled Al-Satar Al-Gharbi area, causing severe damage to a number
of Palestinian houses.
At approximately 01:30,
Israeli forces, positioned in a military location in Tal Zo’rob area in the
southwest of Rafah, shelled Palestinian houses and civilian facilities in Tal
Al-Sultan neighborhood, approximately 400m away. Four Palestinian civilians were wounded:
1) Dhiab Hassan Abu Jamous,
30, seriously wounded by shrapnel that cut an artery;
2) Munir Samir Sa’id, 17,
wounded by a live bullet in the buttocks;
3) Mohammed Fawzi ‘Ayash, 14,
wounded by shrapnel in the left knee; and
4) ‘Emad Mohammed Jweifel,
23, wounded by shrapnel in the right shoulder and the left thigh.
Additionally, a number of
houses and civilian facilities, including a mosque and a school, were severely
damaged, and damage to a transmitter cut off electricity from the neighborhood.
At approximately 04:30,
Israeli forces, reinforced with tanks and bulldozers, encroached into ‘Arrabeh
village, south of Jenin, under the full control of the Palestinian National
Authority, under the cover of intensive shelling. A site of the Palestinian National Security
Forces was shelled and two officers stationed there were wounded:
1) ‘Omar El-Samen, 23,
wounded by a live bullet in the left hand; and
2) Muhannad ‘Azzam, 22,
wounded by a live bullet in the right shoulder.
The Israeli forces imposed
a curfew on the village and searched Palestinian houses. They besieged a two-story house, owned by
Jom’a El-Mughayer, and demolished the second floor while residents of the house
were on the first floor. Then, the
Israeli forces called on the family with loudspeakers to leave the house and on
a member of the family to surrender. When the family got out of the house, the Israeli forces arrested three
members of its members. Later, the
Israeli forces also arrested four young men from the village.[3]
At approximately 20:30,
Israeli forces fired an artillery shell and opened fire from a very short
distance at three members of the Palestinian National Security Forces at a
roadblock in the southwest of Qalqilya. Two were killed:
1) Ra’ed Jamil El-Akhras, 25,
from Gaza; and
2) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Fattah
Jamil, 40, from Jericho.
A third security officer,
Ahmed ‘Abdel-Fattah Jaber, 52, from Sniria village near Qalqilya, was injured
by shrapnel throughout the body.
At approximately 21:20
local time, Israeli forces, positioned in “Neve Dekalim” and “Gani Tal”
settlements and at Al-Tuffah checkpoint, shelled Palestinian residential areas
in Khan Yunis. Four Palestinian
civilians were wounded:
1) Mu’tassem Ashraf
El-Nabris, 15, critically wounded by a live bullet in the neck, which caused a
semi-paralysis that necessitated his evacuation to Tal Hashomer Hospital in
Israel;
2) Najia Ibrahim El-Bardawil,
35, wounded by a live bullet in the back;
3) Rami Khairi El-Najjar, 17,
wounded by a live bullet in the right hand; and
4) Ziad Mohammed ‘Elwan, 16,
wounded by shrapnel in the right foot.
Additionally, a number of
houses were severely damaged.
3. Continued Assassinations
and Extra-Judicial Killings
In a continuation of the policy of assassination
and extra-judicial killing formally adopted by the Israeli government, the
Israeli forces committed two new assassinations.
At approximately 08:30 on Wednesday, October 31,
Israeli forces in two tanks positioned in the east of Tulkarm fired at
‘Abdullah Rashed Jaroushi, 38, a Hamas activist, wounding him with two live
bullets in the chest and the right side. The Israeli forces obstructed his evacuation to hospital for 15
minutes. At noon, he was pronounced dead
at Tulkarm Hospital.
According to an eyewitness, the victim’s
father-in-law, Jaroushi came to his house to take his wife and children. The family got into Jaroushi’s car and
traveled several meters towards the center of the city. They were surprised by two Israeli tanks
coming from the east towards them. They
got out of the car. While Jaroushi was
getting out of the car, the tanks moved quickly towards him and Israeli
soldiers fired at him from a very short distance. The Israeli forces denied access to
ambulances. The eyewitness carried
Jaroushi and passed by the two tanks, but the Israeli forces threatened to
shoot at the ambulance if it moved. Around 15 minutes later, the Israeli forces allowed the ambulance to
move after they had taken the victim’s identity card. The victim was evacuated to Tulkarm Hospital,
where he was pronounced dead at 12:30. Later, the Israeli radio quoted an Israeli military spokesman as saying
that Israeli forces killed Jaroushi, who he described as a Hamas activist.
Around three hours after the first assassination,
Israeli forces assassinated Jamil Munir Jadallah Khalifa, 25, from Bethlehem
and resident of Hebron, known as a Hamas activist. At approximately 11:45, an Israeli combat
helicopter fired a rocket at a room adjacent to a horse stable in ‘Ein Sara
area in the north of Hebron. Khalifa was
killed instantly. Israeli radio quoted
an Israeli military spokesman as saying that Israeli forces killed Khalifa,
accusing him of having killed two Jewish settlers.
4. Arrests by Israeli
Occupation Forces
This week, Israeli
occupation forces arrested many Palestinians. These arrests took place in the following circumstances:
1) At international border
crossings, under the control of Israeli occupation forces.
2) At Israeli military
roadblocks on main and branch roads and at the entrances to Palestinian cities
and villages.
3) In Palestinian towns and
villages, often during house raids.
The following table lists
significant arrests that took place this week:
|
No. |
Name |
Age |
Place of Residence |
Date of Arrest |
Manner of Arrest |
|
1. |
Ismail ‘Ali Sweidan |
31 |
‘Azzoun, Qalqilya |
October 26, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
|
2. |
Suleiman Hamdan Edheilia |
41 |
Tulkarm |
October 30, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
|
3. |
‘Aadel Hamdan Edheilia |
26 |
Tulkarm |
October 30, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
|
4. |
Ghaleb Mahmoud Abu |
25 |
Jalboun, Jenin |
October 30, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
|
5. |
Nabil Jom’a El-Mughayer |
20 |
‘Arrabeh, Jenin |
October 31, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
|
6. |
Ussama Jom’a El-Mughayer |
22 |
‘Arrabeh, Jenin |
October 31, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
|
7. |
Taher Jom’a El-Mughayer |
23 |
‘Arrabeh, Jenin |
October 31, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
|
8. |
Ra’ed Husni Jalboush |
27 |
‘Arrabeh, Jenin |
October 31, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
|
9. |
Mujahed Husni Jalboush |
23 |
‘Arrabeh, Jenin |
October 31, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
|
10. |
Mohammed El-‘Andalib |
25 |
‘Arrabeh, Jenin |
October 31, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
|
11. |
Mohammed Mustafa |
26 |
‘Arrabeh, Jenin |
October 31, 2001 |
Taken from his house |
****
PCHR calls:
1) Upon governments that participated in the World
Conference Against Racism in Durban in South Africa to adopt crucial decisions
condemning practices by Israel and its belligerent occupation forces in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories, which can only be described as apartheid
against the Palestinian people.
2) Upon the international community to provide immediate
and independent international protection for the Palestinian people in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories.
3) Upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth
Geneva Convention of 1949 to reconvene in order to take effective measures to
protect Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, in
accordance with their obligations under article 1, to ensure the respect of the
Convention.
4) Upon the international community to investigate and
prosecute those believed to have committed war crimes in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories before international courts
5) Upon the ICRC to enhance its presence, expand its
activities, and intensify its field observations throughout the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.
6) Upon the European Union to activate Article 2 of the
Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect
human rights.
7) Upon the international
community to provide humanitarian and medical assistance for the Palestinian
people, whose living conditions are continuing to deteriorate as a result of
the continued siege imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the entire
Occupied Palestinian Territories.
v For more information on
the Al-Aqsa Intifada see: www.pchrgaza.org
[1]
For more details, see PCHR’s Weekly Report, August 23, 2001.
[2]
On Friday, October 26, Israeli forces killed three Palestinian militants,
claiming that they attempted to enter “Dogit” settlement in the northern Gaza
Strip. The three were:
1) Fu’ad Mustafa El-Dahshan, 17, from
Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City;
2) ‘Othman Dhib El-Razayneh, 22, from
Jabalya refugee camp; and
3) Eyad Rabi’ El-Batash, 21, from
Jabalya.
[3]
For more details, see the section of arrests.
