Israeli Forces continue to commit human rights violations in
the OPT

 

· 9
Palestinians, including a child, were killed by Israeli forces

· Israeli
forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip

· 18
houses were destroyed by Israeli forces in Rafah

· Houses
were raided and a number of Palestinian civilians were arrested

· More
areas of agricultural land were razed in the Gaza Strip

· 2
houses in Jenin and Hebron were destroyed by Israeli forces as part of the
continued campaign of retaliation against the families
of wanted Palestinians and those who allegedly carried out armed attacks
against Israeli targets

· Construction
of the separation wall in the West Bank continued

· Indiscriminate
shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued and a number of Palestinian
civilians were injured

· Israeli
forces have imposed a comprehensive closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

On Monday, 29 September 2003, the al-Aqsa Intifada
entered its 4^th year, during which time hundreds of Palestinians
have been killed and thousands have been wounded. The al-Aqsa Intifada erupted following
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s provocative visit to al-Aqsa Mosque
(the Holy Sanctuary) in occupied Jerusalem, which provoked outrage among
Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims around the world. Over the last three years,
Israeli occupying forces have perpetrated grave breaches of international law,
including war crimes, against Palestinian civilians, in a manner unprecedented
since 1967. The third year of the
Intifada witnessed an increasing escalation in Israeli war crimes as the
international community remained silent and the High Contracting Parties to the
Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 failed to meet their obligations to ensure
respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) and
provide protection for Palestinian civilians. The international silence has served to encourage the Israeli government
and its occupying forces to perpetrate more war crimes with impunity against
Palestinian civilians. Over the last 12
months, Israeli occupying forces have stepped up illegal operations in the
OPTs, including:

 

· Incursions
and redeployment into Palestinian Authority controlled areas

· Destruction
of houses and civilian property.

· Using Palestinian civilians as human shields during
military operations in the OPTs

· The
escalation of the collective punishment of the families of Palestinians who
carried out, planned or facilitated attacks against Israeli targets

· Willful
killing of Palestinian civilians

· Indiscriminate
shelling using various forms of weaponry, including warplanes, tanks and
machine guns

· Collective
punishment of Palestinian civilians

· Extra-judicial
assassinations against Palestinian activists

· Arbitrary
arrests and placing Palestinians in administrative detention

· Closure
of border crossings

· Isolating
Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings and denying access to the city’s
holy sites

· Attacks
on journalists and medical personnel

· Construction
of the separation wall in the West Bank, which will cause the de facto
annexation of large areas of the West Bank to Israel

· Continued siege of the Palestinian
presidential compound in Ramallah and the recent preliminary decision to
deport the Palestinian President

 

 

 

 

 

 

A
table showing those killed during al-Aqsa Intifada from

29
September 2000 to 29 September 2003

 

 

 

 

A
table showing land leveling, house demolitions and destruction to industrial and
educational facilities during al-Aqsa Intifada,

from
29 September 2000 to 29 September 2003

 

 

 

 

A
table showing details of houses destroyed and demolished by Israeli occupying
forces as a from of collective punishment and deterrence during al-Aqsa Intifada,
from 29 September 2000 until 28 September 2003

 

 

 

This week, Israeli occupying forces have perpetrated
more violations of human rights against Palestinian civilians in the (OPTs),
including extra-judicial and willful killings, indiscriminate shelling of
residential areas, incursions into Palestinian areas, house demolitions, land
leveling and arrests. Israeli
authorities also seized more Palestinian land for the purpose of the
construction of the separation wall while maintaining a total siege on the
OPTs. This week, 9 Palestinians,
including a child, were killed and more than 30 others were wounded by Israeli
occupying forces.

 

In a continuation of the policy of extra-judicial
assassinations officially adopted by the Israeli political and security
establishments, Israeli occupying forces carried out two assassinations in the
West Bank this week. Four Palestinians
were killed in these operations, including one non-targeted person. 

 

On Thursday morning, 25 September 2003, Israeli
occupying forces extra-judicially assassinated two Palestinians in the West
Bank town of Hebron. They also wounded
the brother of one of the victims as he was arrested. Israeli occupying forces claimed that they exchanged
fire with the two victims, however, eyewitnesses denied this claim. 

 

On Wednesday afternoon, 1 October 2003, an undercover
unit of Israeli occupying forces assassinated a Palestinian in Tulkarm refugee
camp, claiming that he was wanted for being a member of the Islamic Jihad
Movement. In addition, 5 Palestinian
civilians were wounded, one of whom died at hospital one hour later. 

 

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces conducted
5 incursions into Palestinian areas, destroying a number of Palestinian
houses.  The largest incursion was in Rafah refugee camp near the Egyptian
border on 1 October 2003. During this
incursion, Israeli occupying forces destroyed 13 Palestinian houses completely and
5 others partially. About 270
Palestinian civilians were left homeless. On Thursday morning, 25 September 2003, Israeli occupying forces
encroached into al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The incursion left 3 Palestinians dead,
including a 3-year-old child who died from a heart attack. 6 other civilians were wounded, including a
13-year-old child.  

 

This week, Israeli occupying forces shelled
Palestinian residential areas in Rafah and Khan Yunis, injuring 11 Palestinian
civilians, including 5 children. 

 

Israel continues to implement plans to annex even
more Palestinian land in violation of international law. In one example, Israeli
occupying forces continue construction of the separation wall in the West Bank. According to Israeli media reports, on
Monday, 29 September 2003, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon informed the
Likud Party block in the Knesset that the tract of the separation wall
currently being planned will be built east of “Ariel” settlement (south of
Nablus) and east of “Qidumim” settlement (southwest of Nablus). This tract of the separation barrier
encroaches approximately 30km into Palestinian territory in the West Bank. The result is inevitable Israeli annexation
of large areas of Palestinian land in Tulkarm and Qalqilya Districts as these
areas are cut off from the rest of the West Bank. In the meantime, the UN Special Rapporteur,
John Dougard, issued his report on the human rights situation in the OPTs. The report states that Israel is determined
to create a situation on the ground that can result in the de facto
annexation of Palestinian land, and that the separation wall will isolate about
210,000 Palestinians living in areas between the wall and the Green Line from
their lands, schools, work places and hospitals. 

 

Israeli archaeologists warned of the damage to
historical sites incurred by land leveling for the purpose of the construction
of the wall. According of inhabitants of
al-Sawahra village, southeast of Jerusalem, on Friday, 26 September 2003, they
saw staff members of the Israeli archaeologist authority removing a number of
ancient monuments from the area. While
PCHR remains concerned for the consequences of the construction of the wall, it
calls upon the international community, particularly the UNESCO to immediately
intervene to protect Palestinian historical sites from destruction and robbing
by Israeli occupying forces. 

 

In violation of international humanitarian law, in
particular the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons
in Time of War of 1949, article 33 of which prohibits punishing any protected
person for “an offence he or she has not personally committed,” Israeli forces
continued to take retaliatory measures against the families of Palestinians
Israel alleges have ordered, facilitated, or carried out attacks against
Israeli targets.  In this context, they destroyed 2 Palestinian houses in
Jenin and Hebron. 

 

Israeli occupying forces have maintained a strict
siege on the OPTs, particularly in the West Bank, restricting movement of
Palestinian civilians. In the Gaza
Strip, this week, Israeli occupying forces at Abu Houli and al-Matahen
checkpoints, north of Khan Yunis, on Salah al-Din Street (the main road between
the north and south of the Gaza Strip) restricted movement of Palestinian
civilians traveling between the north and south of the Gaza Strip. They also obstructed travel procedures at
Rafah Terminal on the Egyptian border. 

 

In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces continued
to tighten their military siege on Palestinian communities. They have denied Palestinian farmers
attempting to access their agricultural lands in order to cultivate their
olives and other crops. Also this week,
a Palestinian woman died from a heart attack as ambulances were not able to
attend her on time.

 

 

 

 

Shelling of, and Encroachment into Palestinian Areas
and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property

 

Thursday, 25 September 2003

 

In the morning, Israeli occupying forces encroached
into al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The incursion left 3 Palestinians dead,
including a 3-year-old child who died from a heart attack. 6 other civilians were wounded, including a
13-year-old child.

 

According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
02:45, Israeli occupying forces reinforced with military vehicles, moved into
block 1 of al-Breij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Israeli forces advanced 4 kilometers into the
area from nearby “Netzarim” settlement and surrounded the homes of 2 allegedly
wanted Palestinians. The first house belongs to Nour ‘Abdul Qader Saji’ Abu
‘Armaneh, 20 and was home to 9 people, while the second house belongs to Faris
Ibrahim Khalil Shaheen, 27. Israeli
occupying forces claimed that both men were wanted.

 

Shaheen and his family were not at home at the time
of the incident, however Abu ‘Armaneh managed to escape from his house after it
was surrounded by Israeli occupying forces and fled to a neighboring house
belonging to an uncle, Hatem. Israeli
forces followed him and surrounded his uncle’s house, but he managed to flee
again to the home of another uncle, Ashraf. Israeli occupying forces followed Abu ‘Armaneh and raided the second
house, detaining 11 residents together in one room. Abu ‘Armaneh was killed following an exchange
of fire with Israeli soldiers on the second floor of the house.

 

Israeli occupying forces took both of Abu ‘Armaneh’s
uncles to the Nahal ‘Oz area for interrogation. Both men were assaulted before they were released and are currently
receiving medical attention.

 

During the Israeli incursion into al-Bureij refugee
camp, a number of Palestinians confronted the Israeli occupying forces. The confrontation resulted in the killing of
Mohammad Basheer Mohammad ‘Aqel, 25, from Nusseirat refugee camp. 6 other Palestinians sustained various injuries.
The incursion was accompanied by heavy and indiscriminate shelling from Israeli
helicopter gunships, which damaged a number of electricity transmitters and
severed the flow of electricity to large portions of the southern Gaza Strip.

 

At approximately 06:00, upon the withdrawal of
Israeli occupying forces from the refugee camp, medical sources declared that
Lina Hassan Hamoudeh ‘Essa, 3, died from a heart attack following heavy Israeli
shelling in the area.

 

Those wounded were:

 

1. Saleh
‘Abdul Halim Noufal, 13, wounded by a live bullet in the left hand;

2. Mohammed
Saleh al-Tawil, 23, wounded by a live bullet in the left foot;

3. Hussam
Jihad Farajallah, 22, wounded by 2 live bullets in the left shoulder and side;

4. Eihab
‘Ali Shaheen, 21, wounded by a live bullet in the left hand;

5. Shadi
Jaber ‘Afana, 21, wounded by a live bullet in the left foot; and

6. ‘Abdul
Halim Saleh Noufal, 37, wounded by shrapnel in the feet. 

 

At approximately 18:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations between “Gani Tal” and “Neve Dekalim”
settlements, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in
al-Nimsawi neighborhood and Khan Yunis refugee camp. Two Palestinian civilians were wounded near
their houses:

 

1. Mustafa
Mohammed ‘Awadh, 12, wounded by shrapnel in the right thigh; and

2. Joma’a
‘Abdul Hadi Dahlan, 19, wounded by a live bullet in the right foot. 

 

At approximately 21:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement,
west of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in Khan Yunis refugee
camp. Two Palestinian civilians were
wounded:

 

1. Mohammed
Sufian ‘Aabdin, 17, wounded by a live bullet in the right shoulder; and

2. Yousef
Zayed Abu Mukhaimer, 42, wounded by shrapnel in the left hand. 

 

At approximately 23:00, medical sources at Shifa
Hospital in Gaza city declared that ‘Ezzat Salem Abu Swaireh, 68, from
Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, died from an injury he
sustained on 18 September 2003. According to PCHR’s investigation, Abu Swaireh was seriously wounded
when Israeli occupying forces encroached into Nusseirat refugee camp and
shelled the house of his son, Jihad, allegedly wanted by Israeli forces. Jihad was killed, while his father and brother
were wounded.

 

Friday, 26 September 2003

 

At approximately 07:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations along the Egyptian border, south of Rafah,
opened fire at a number of Palestinian children who were playing in the street
in Yibna refugee camp. One of the children,
Ayman Na’im Barhoum, 11, was wounded by a live bullet in the pelvis. 

 

At approximately 14:30, medical sources at
al-Maqassed Hospital in Jerusalem declared that Ibrahim Khalil Abu al-Rub, 23,
from Jenin, died from an injury he sustained last week. According to PCHR’s documentation, on 19
September 2003, Israeli occupying forces that had moved into Jenin on the
preceding day opened fire at Palestinian houses and markets in the town. Abu al-Rub was seriously wounded by a live
bullet in the neck. Five other
Palestinians were also wounded by Israeli gunfire. Abu al-Rub was first evacuated to Rafidya
Hospital in Nablus and was transferred to al-Maqassed Hospital on 23 September
2003. 

 

Saturday, 27 September 2003

 

At approximately 06:15, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” and “Gadid”
settlements, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in Baten
al-Samin and al-Amal neighborhoods to the east. 9-year-old Amani Fu’ad Barbakh was wounded by a live bullet in the right
foot. She was wounded while she was near
her house, approximately 700m away from the source of fire. 

 

At approximately 10:20, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations along the Egyptian border, south of Rafah,
opened fire at Palestinian houses in Yibna refugee camp, adjacent to the
border. 10-year-old Mohammed Hamdan
Barhoum, 10, was wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh. 

 

At approximately 15:40, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in a military location at the entrance to “Morag” settlement, north
of Rafah, opened fire at nearby Palestinian houses. A Palestinian civilian, Mohammed Mahmoud
Badawi, 30, was wounded by a live bullet in the left thigh. 

 

Sunday, 28 September 2003

 

At approximately 09:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles, including 2 bulldozers, moved
approximately 1km into al-Mughraqa village, south of Gaza city. They destroyed a 700-meter-long road that
links between the village and a number of civilian facilities and leads to 8
houses, in which 60 people live. They
also uprooted 15 olive trees, and destroyed a 500-meter-long water pipeline
owned by Khalil ‘Abed Dalloul. 

 

At approximately 10:00, Israeli soldiers in a tank
and a military jeep opened fire at a number of Palestinian civilians who were
walking on a muddy road northeast of Nablus. Mohammed Taher Ibrahim al-Saleh, from al-Bathan village, northeast of
Nablus, was wounded by shrapnel from live bullets in the right hand. 

 

At approximately 13:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by 2 tanks and a bulldozer, moved approximately 100m into the eastern
portion of al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. They razed a 2.5-donum area of agricultural
land planted with citrus and olives owned by Jamal Hassan Yousef Abu
Shanab. 

 

At approximately 13:30, an Israeli military jeep
moved into Beit Fourik village, east of Nablus. It parked on the main road and Israeli soldiers began provoking
Palestinian civilians. A number of school
children who were leaving their schools at the end of the school day gathered
and threw stones at the soldiers. Immediately, Israelis soldiers fired at the children, wounding
12-year-old Mohammed Yousef Sari Nasasra with a rubber-coated metal bullet in
the left leg.

 

At approximately 20:00, an infantry unit of Israeli
occupying forces moved from “Netzarim” settlement, south of Gaza city, into
Palestinian farms in Sheikh ‘Ejlin area in the south of the city. Then the Israeli soldiers ambushed a Palestinian
civilian, Hamed Shehada Abu ‘Awad, 17, while he was going back home. They stopped Abu ‘Awad, beat him and
interrogated him. When he protested
against such practices, the officer of the unit poured an unknown liquid into
his mouth, which numbed his face and made it impossible to speak. The effects of the liquid lasted for two
hours. After the ordeal, Abu awad
partially lost his consciousness. The
Israeli soldiers took him to his house, searched the entire structure and
threatened to demolish the home if “Netzarim” settlement was ever attacked. In addition, the soldiers denied an ambulance
access to the area in order to evacuate Abu ‘Awad to the hospital. Instaed, they forced him to walk
approximately 200m to the main road in the area. The Israeli occupation forces withdrew from
the area at approximately 04:00 on the following day. 

 

Monday, 29 September 2003

 

At approximately 11:00, an Israeli force comprised of
a tank, an armored personnel carrier and 3 military jeeps moved into al-Sabbat
neighborhood in the eastern region of Jenin. A number of Palestinian civilians gathered and threw stones towards the
Israeli military vehicles. Immediately,
Israeli soldiers began firing at the stone throwers and surrounding
houses. A woman and a child were
wounded:

 

1. Tarab
Taja Zarai’a, 45, wounded by a live bullet in the left foot; and

2. ‘Omar
‘Abdul Latif Masharqa, 13, wounded by a live bullet in the right foot.

 

At approximately 13:45, an Israeli military force of
an armored personnel carrier and 2 military jeeps moved into al-Hisba area in
the east of Nablus. A number of
Palestinian school children gathered and threw stones towards the Israeli
military force. Immediately, Israeli
soldiers opened fire at the children, wounding 2:

 

1. Sharif
Majdi Hassan Ghouri, 10, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head;
and

2. Mo’taz
Maher ‘Abdul Jawad Salhab, 12, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
right leg.

 

At the same time, Israeli occupying forces positioned
in military locations between “Neve Dekalim” and “Gani Tal” settlements, west
of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in al-Sad al-‘Aali area in
Khan Yunis refugee camp. Two Palestinian
civilians were wounded while they were inside their houses:

 

1. Kulaiba
Mohammed ‘Ouda Abu Mustafa, 55, wounded by a live bullet in the left hand; and

2. Eyad
Fayez ‘Arram, 25, wounded by a live bullet in the right shoulder.

 

At approximately 17:15, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations along the Egyptian border, south of Rafah,
opened fire at Palestinian residential areas in the town. A Palestinian civilian, Ibrahim Suleiman
Qeshta, 25, was seriously wounded by a live bullet in the head. Qeshta was near his shop, approximately 900m north
of the border. 

 

Tuesday, 30 September 2003

 

This morning there was another attack on Palestinian
educational institutions by the Israeli occupation forces. According to eyewitness testimony, Israeli soldiers
positioned in military locations along the Egyptian border, south of Rafah,
opened fire at a UNRWA female preparatory school, approximately 400m to the
north of the border. One of the school
children, 15-year-old Islam Jamal Abu Hamra was wounded by shrapnel in the
head. Walls of the school were also
damaged. 

 

 

Wednesday, 1 October 2003

 

In the morning, Israeli occupying forces demolished
18 houses in Block L of Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. The
demolition operation took place while Israeli occupation forces opened fire
indiscriminately and intensely shelled the area. The incursion was followed by
further shelling as Israeli forces withdrew. The demolitions left 270 Palestinians homeless. Ost of those affected were children. The 270 homeless civilians adds to the
thousands of other Palestinians whose homes have been demolished in similar
Israeli military operations throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories
(OPT). In Rafah alone, Israeli occupying forces have demolished hundreds of
Palestinian homes during similar operations since the beginning of the al-Aqsa
Intifada in September 2000. Such
demolitions are justified by Israeli authorities for “security” reasons.
However, the facts on the ground strongly suggest that these demolitions
represent a strategic policy to clear a large area of Palestinian land near the
border with Egypt. Israeli land clearing
operations facilitate a wide “buffer zone” along the border and
greatly increase Israeli military control in the area. In addition, Israeli
forces have begun construction of a concrete and metal wall parallel to the
border with Egypt. Construction is
occurring on land cleared of Palestinian homes in demolition operations similar
to that which occurred today.

 

According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
01:00, Israeli occupying forces, accompanied by tanks and 4 bulldozers, invaded
the area and moved 200m inside Block L of Rafah refugee camp, located adjacent
to the Palestinian border with Egypt. Under heavy shelling, and without any
prior warning, bulldozers started to demolish houses inside the camp. Israeli occupying forces did not allow
residents to remove belongings from their homes before destroying the
structures. The military operation continued until 05:00, during which time 18
homes were demolished (13 completely and 5 partially).

 

As a result of the operation, 44 Palestinian families
comprising 270 people (most of whom are children) were made homeless. During
the invasion, Israeli occupying forces raided the home of Ahmed Jaber, using it
as a military post from which they shot at Palestinian civilians in the
area. 2 Palestinians were injured during
the attack, 1 seriously:

 

1. Kamal
‘Ezziddin al-Bashiti, 47, sustained serious shrapnel wounds to the head; and

2. Khairi
‘Abed Barhoum, 37, shrapnel wound to the right hand.

 

Following are details of the houses that were
demolished:

 

1. Israeli
occupation forces totally demolished a 100-square-meter house owned by Mousa
Joma’a Hassan Abu Jazar, in which 2 families (16 people) lived;

2. Israeli
occupation forces totally demolished a 220-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house
owned by Hamda Ahmed ‘Abdul Karim ‘Abdul ‘Aal, in which 3 families (18 people)
lived;

3. Israeli
occupation forces totally demolished a 200-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house
owned by Suleiman Hamdan Yousef Abu Jazar, in which 2 families (12 people
lived;

4. Israeli
occupation forces totally demolished a 125-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house
owned by Nazmia Mohammed Khalil Abu Jazar, in which 2 families (11 people)
lived;

5. Israeli
occupation forces totally demolished a 100-square-meter house owned by Younis
Mohammed Salem al-‘Arja, in which 12 people lived;

6. Israeli
occupation forces totally demolished a 150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house
owned by Saleh Mohammed Salem al-‘Arja, in which 10 people lived;

7. Israeli
occupation forces totally demolished a 156-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house
owned by Khader ‘Abdul Hamid Abu Ghali, in which 5 people lived;

8. They
totally demolished a 170-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Sarah
Ibrahim Shehada Radwan, in which 4 families (32 people) lived;

9. They
totally demolished a 100-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by ‘Aadel
‘Abdul Rahman Mohammed Abu Leila, in which 5 people lived;

10. They totally demolished a
100-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Fathi Shafiq Saqer, in which 7
people lived;

11. They totally demolished a
130-square-meter house owned by Amin Khalil ‘Omar Shaqfa, in which 10 people
lived;

12. They totally demolished a
90-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Ahmed ‘Ali Khalil Shaqfa, in
which one person lived;

13. They totally demolished a
200-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Khader Mohammed Hussein
al-Habibi, in which 9 people lived;

14. They partially demolished a
150-square-meter house owned by Shafiq ‘Omar Saleh ‘Eissa, in which 6 families
(30 people) live;

15. They partially demolished a
300-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Rezeq ‘Abdul ‘Aziz ‘Ali
al-‘Absi, in which 6 families (32 people) live;

16. They partially demolished a
120-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Mahmoud ‘Abdul Hamid Salama
Abu Ghali, in which 2 families (13 people) live;

17. They partially demolished a
140-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by ‘Abdullah Ibrahim Mohammed
‘Omran, in which 2 families (6 people) live;

18. They partially demolished a
250-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Ahmed ‘Abdul Latif Jaber
Jaber, in which 4 families (4 people) live. 

 

At approximately 14:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by 2 tanks and a military bulldozer, moved approximately 100m into
al-Satar al-Gharbi area in the northwest of Khan Yunis, and began razing areas
of Palestinian agricultural land:

 

1. They
razed a 5-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and destroyed an
irrigation network owned by Mustafa ‘Olayan al-Astal.

2. They
razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with peppers and destroyed an
irrigation network and a water pump owned by Mahmoud Ahmed Zaida. 

 

Extra-Judicial Assassinations

 

In a continuation of the Israeli policy of
extra-judicial assassinations officially adopted by the Israeli political and
security establishments, Israeli occupying forces carried out two
assassinations in the West Bank, which left 4 Palestinians dead, including one
non-targeted person. 

 

On Thursday morning, 25 September 2003, Israeli
occupying forces extra-judicially assassinated two Palestinians in the West
Bank town of Hebron, and also wounded the bother of one of the victims upon
arrest. Israeli occupying forces claimed
that the two victims fired on them, but eyewitnesses denied this claim. 

 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 00:10, an undercover unit of Israeli occupying forces in civilian
cars, reinforced by infantry, more than 10 military jeeps, two tanks and an
ambulance, infiltrated into the southwestern part of ‘Eissi neighborhood in the
west of Hebron. At approximately 01:00,
these forces deployed in the area in a combat position. They surrounded a cave located in a vineyard
of the area. After raiding a number of
civilian houses and confining the residents of these houses to a single room,
several Israeli snipers took positions on the roofs of the appropriated
buildings. At approximately 01:30,
residents of the area heard sounds of intense gunfire. At approximately 01:45, they heard Israeli
soldiers ordering a person to raise his hands and take off his clothes, while
the targeted individual repeatedly yelled: “I am ‘Ammar.” Approximately an hour after “Ammar”
surrendered and was taken into custody, residents in the area heard sounds of 3
live bullets being fired from the local where “’Ammar” was being held by
Israeli soldiers, approximately 50m away from the cave. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers
fired at ‘Ammar Shwaiki, 19, who immediately shouted that he was wounded. Israeli soldiers handcuffed and arrested him.
 He was taken to a hospital in occupied
Jerusalem and was treated for 3 bullets
wounds in the right shoulder. At
approximately 06:50, Israeli soldiers removed the bodies of two Palestinians
who were killed by Israeli shooting during the operation:

 

1. Diab
‘Abdul Rahim ‘Abdul Rahman Shuwaiki, 30, allegedly wanted by Israeli
authorities for being the leader of al-Quds Brigade, the military wing of the
Islamic Jihad in Hebron; and

2. ‘Abdul
Rahman ‘Abdul Aziz al-Qeeq al-Talahmi, 27, from Dura, west of Hebron, allegedly
wanted for being a member of the Islamic Jihad.

 

It is worth noting that Israeli occupying forces
attempted to assassinate Shwaiki in the north of Hebron approximately 18 months
ago, however, he survived the attempt. On 25 September 2002, Israeli occupying forces destroyed his house and
the house of his parents’ in the west of
Hebron. ‘Azzam Shwaiki, 42, the elder
brother of Dian Shwaiki, has been detained by Israeli occupying forces since 10
April 2003. 

 

On Wednesday afternoon, 1 October 2003, an undercover
unit of Israeli occupying forces assassinated a Palestinian in Tulkarm refugee
camp, claiming that he was wanted for being a member of the Islamic Jihad. In addition, 5 Palestinian civilians were wounded,
one of whom died at a hospital one hour later. 

 

According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
13:45, a number of young Palestinian men were in the house of their friend Sami
Suleiman Tarabil Hilal, 24, located near the center of Tulkarm refugee
camp. While they were sitting in a room
on the ground floor, overlooking the main street, a civilian car with a
Palestinian registration number stopped near the house. 4 persons, armed with machine guns and
wearing civilian clothes, got out of the car. They opened fire at the room from a distance of 5 meters. Immediately, Mazen Yousef Mubarak al-Badawi,
32, from Shwaika neighborhood in the north of Tulkarm, was killed by 2 live
bullets to the head and the chest. In
addition, 5 civilians were wounded, including Rabah Ibrahim Abu Daqqa, 23, from
Khan Yunis, who was seriously wounded by a live bullet in the chest. He died one hour following his evacuation to
the hospital. Abu Daqqa, who was a member of the Palestinian National Security
Force in Jericho, was visiting his friend Sami Hilal.  PCHR’s field worker in Tulkarm reported that
an Israeli military force of 2 armored personnel carriers and 4 military jeeps
came to the area to evacuate the undercover unit. The whole operation was carried out in only 7
minutes.

 

The others who were wounded were:

 

1. Sami
Suleiman Trabil Hilal, 23, from Tulkarm refugee camp, wounded by a live bullet
in the left leg;

2. Latifa
Saleh Abu Miriam, 50, from Tulkarm refugee camp, wounded by shrapnel in the
left forearm;

3. Mahmoud
Hassan Marzouq Thulthia, 22, from Kufor al-Labad, wounded by shrapnel in the
left forearm; and

4. Salah
Fu’ad al-Zaita, 35, from Tulkarm refugee camp, wounded by shrapnel in the left
leg. 

 

It is worth noting that al-Badawi survived an
assassination attempt carried out by Israeli occupying forces 3 months ago,
which left dead Hani Kharioush.

 

 

Collective Punishment against Families of Wanted
Palestinians and Those Who Have Carried out Armed Attacks against Israeli
Targets

 

In violation of international humanitarian law, in
particular the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons
in Time of War of 1949, article 33 of which prohibits punishing any protected
person for “an offence he or she has not personally committed,” Israeli forces
took retaliatory measures against the families of Palestinians Israel alleges have ordered,
facilitated, or carried out attacks against Israeli targets. 

 

At approximately 01:00 on Thursday, 25 September
2003, an Israeli military force of 3 armored personnel carriers and 10 military
jeeps moved into Seilat al-Zhaher village, southwest of Jenin. They surrounded a 140-square-meter, 2-storey
house owned by Subhi ‘Othman Mousa. They
gave the two families (8 people) living in the house 10 minutes to evacuate
it. Then, Israeli soldiers planted
explosives inside the house. At
approximately 02:00, they blew it up while the family’s belongings were still
inside. The owner’s son, ‘Ammar Mousa,
21, has been detained by Israeli occupying forces since 19 August 2003, when he
was arrested between Fahma and ‘Arraba village, north of his village, while he
was allegedly on his way to carry out a bombing inside the Green Line.

 

At approximately 18:00 on Monday, 29 September 2003,
an Israeli military force of 5 military jeeps and an armored personnel carrier
moved into al-Tabaqa village, southwest of Hebron. They raided the consolation tent of the
deceased Mahmoud Nassar Yousef Hamdan. They attacked the family and expelled them out of the tent. At approximately 18:40, they burnt the
tent. As a result, 6 Palestinian
civilians sustained bruises, burns and injuries. Israeli soldiers denied access of ambulances
to the area. At approximately 03:50 on
the following day, 31 September 2003, an Israeli military force of 7 military
jeeps and an ambulance moved into the village again. They surrounded a 150-square-meter, 2-story
house belonging to the family of the deceased Hamdan. They forced the 7 residents of the house,
including 3 women and 3 children, out into the street. Israeli soldiers then planted explosives
inside the house. At approximately
05:30, they destroyed the house. During
this Israeli military operation, at approximately 04:00, Israeli occupying
forces arrested the mother of the deceased Hamdan, Nadia Mohammed al-Talahma,
65, and 5 of his sisters: Fatema, 27; Miriam, 25; Najah, 23; Najma, 21; and
‘Aalia, 19. According to eyewitnesses,
Israeli soldiers insulted the 6 women verbally and beat them. Then, they took the women to the “Kfar
Etzion” detention facility, north of Hebron. Approximately 12 hours later, one of the daughters, who is pregnant, was
released due to the deterioration of her health.

 

Israeli occupying forces also arrested Salama Rashed
al-Huraibat, 60, and his daughter-in-law, Rania, 23. Al-Huraibat’s son, ‘Adel
had been arrested the previous day. 

 

At approximately 16:30, Israeli occupying forces
raided and burnt a tent that was set up to shelter the Hamdan family. They also arrested a neighbour, Yasser Badawi
Abu Za’nouna, 38 and opened fire at Palestinian civilians and houses. A Palestinian woman, Latifa Shaker Mohammed
‘Amru, 52, was wounded by a live bullet in the left leg. 

 

Continued Siege on the OPT

 

Israeli occupying forces continue to impose a strict military
siege throughout the OPT, particularly in the West Bank. This week, which
coincided with the celebration of the Jewish New Year, Israeli occupying forces
enforced complete closure on the OPT (see introduction), which added to the
suffering of Palestinian civilians, who have been enduring internal closures for
the past 3 years.

 

Gaza Strip

 

Israeli occupying forces continue to employ harsh
tactics at the checkpoints throughout the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have maintained
the closure of al-Shuhadaa’ junction, south of Gaza City; in addition to Jamal
‘Abd al-Nasser Street between Rafah and Khan-Younis; Abu ‘Ajeen road, between
Wadi al-Salka village and al-Karara in Khan-Younis; as well as a number of
roads connecting al-Karara and Wadi al Salka villages with Salah al-Din
Street. Israeli occupying forces also
continued to impose a complete siege on the Mawasi area in the southern Gaza
Strip, and al-Sayafa area between the Israeli settlements of Eli Sinai and Dugit,
in the northern Gaza Strip.

 

In the context of ongoing Israeli violations of the
rights of Palestinian civilians to move freely between towns and villages,
Israeli occupying forces closed the Abu Houli and Matahen checkpoints on Monday
and Tuesday, 29 and 30 September 2003. Israeli soldiers held many cars between the 2 checkpoints and subjected
them to thorough searches. On Monday, 29
September, a Palestinian man was detained and taken to an unknown destination
and on the following day, cars and civilians were held between the 2
checkpoints until 22:00, forcing a number of Palestinian civilians to spend the
night there. During this time, Israeli
occupying forces arrested Islam Mahmoud Mohammad Shahwan, 23, a university
student from Khan-Younis.

 

On Friday 26 September 2003, Israeli occupying forces
tightened the siege and comprehensive closure of the Gaza Strip and West
Bank. Israeli forces re-closed the Erez
crossing, in the northern Gaza Strip. The closure lasted for 3 days, until
Monday, 29 September 2003 and when it was finally re-opened, new restrictions were
imposed whereby only workers over the age of 35 were permitted to cross the
border. As a result, only 8397 out of the tens of thousands of Palestinian
workers were eligible to reach their work places.

 

This week, Israeli occupying forces once again sought
to deliberately impede movement across the Rafah crossing linking the Gaza
Strip with Egypt. Since the beginning of the Intifada, the Rafah border has
been the only location through which Palestinians can leave the Gaza Strip. Hundreds
of Palestinian civilians, including women and children were left stranded on
the Egyptian side of the crossing in appalling conditions.

 

West Bank

 

Occupied Jerusalem

 

On Thursday 25 September 2003, Israeli occupying
forces closed the Dahiat al-Bareed checkpoint at the northern entrance to the
city, for a number of hours, despite civilians and vehicles trying to enter. Israeli soldiers placed metal barriers on
either sides of the checkpoint, preventing Palestinian civilians, including those
holding Jerusalem ID cards, from entering or leaving the city. Israeli soldiers positioned at the Jaba’,
‘Anata and Shu’fat refugee camp checkpoints northeast and east of the city
tightened searches of both civilians and cars. A number of Palestinians working in those areas were detained. 

 

Hebron

 

On Monday evening, 29 September 2003 Samah Ahmad
Shahin, 25 and mother of two, died at a checkpoint north of the village of
Halhoul, north of Hebron. Shahin, who
had a heart attack due to extreme fatigue, was unable to reach the hospital owing
to the closure of roads with sand barriers and rocks. At approximately 15:00 on the aforementioned
day, Shahin was on her way home to Hebron from a hospital in Bethlehem, where
she was being treated for rheumatism, accompanied by her father and her husband
Ayman Kafieshah. Shahin, who was
exhausted from the long periods at closed checkpoints, began to experience
sharp pains in her chest. Transporting
the patient to the hospital proved difficult upon reaching the entrance to
Halhoul, and the ambulance called on her behalf was unable to reach her. An hour later, Shahin died in a taxi on the
way to the hospital.

 

Nablus

 

On Thursday 30 September 2003, Israeli occupying
forces closed the Wadi al-Hamam road between Wadi al-Bathan village and Nablus
from the northeast. Eyewitnesses informed
PCHR’s fieldworker that Israeli occupying forces had placed a barbed wire fence
on the mountain road in that area to prevent Palestinians from reaching Nablus
and its northern villages. This route is
normally taken by Palestinians travelling from Jenin to Nablus. Arbitrary measures taken by Israeli forces against
Palestinian civilians at the checkpoints at the town entrances continued as
before.

 

Jenin

 

On Friday evening, 26 September 2003, Israeli
occupying forces closed Tayaseer checkpoint in the northern valleys and
al-Hamraa checkpoint in the middle valleys, preventing Palestinians from
passing through. Both checkpoints are
outlets from the northern West Bank to the middle and southern West Bank and
Jordan. This week, dozens of teachers
were unable to reach their schools in the northern and middle valleys. PCHR’s fieldworker reported that Israeli
measures severely disrupted schools in the villages of: Bardalah, Kardalah,
‘Ein al-Baida, al-Zubaidat, Marj Na’jih, Marj al-Ghazal, al-Jaftalak and al-Fayasil.
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli soldiers prevented them from crossing the
checkpoint and ordered them to return. Israeli soldiers positioned at Tayaser
checkpoint, east of Tubas, also prevented Palestinian farmers from passing
through the checkpoint in order to reach their lands and farms.

 

Tulkarm

 

On Saturday morning, 27 September 2003, Israeli
soldiers closed the metal gate on the eastern entrance to Khirbat Jbara, south
of Tulkarem. As a result, 80 students were prevented from passing through the
gate and reaching their schools outside Khirbat Jbara, where there are no schools,
health clinics or public transport. On
Tuesday morning, 30 September 2003, Israeli soldiers prevented farmers from
reaching their lands that lie beyond the separation wall. A number of farmers reported that Israeli
soldiers prevented them from passing through the gate, forcing them to walk 15
kilometers to al-Kafriyat checkpoint, south of the town in order to reach their
lands. This occurred despite the fact that the gate is built on the
Palestinians’ lands and separates them from the rest of their lands by a few
meters. Al-Kafriyat checkpoint continues
to be the source of severe suffering for the residents of the area both
physically and financially, as they are forced to pay extra expenses for
additional transportation.

 

Qalqilya

 

On Thursday morning, 25 September 2003, Israeli
occupying forces closed the metal gate built in the section of the separation
wall passing through the village of Kofor Tholoth, east of the town. Farmers were unable to reach their lands that
lie on the other side of the wall. Accordingly, farmers are threatened not to harvest their olives. It is noted that more than 2000 dunoms of the
village now lies on the other side of the wall and can only be reached through
the metal gate. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*****

PCHR calls:

 

1. Upon the international community to
provide immediate and independent international protection for
the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

2. Upon the High Contracting Parties to
the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to reconvene to take effective
measures to protect Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, in accordance with their obligations under article 1 and article
146, to ensure respect for the Convention.

3. Upon the international community to
investigate and prosecute before international courts those believed to have
committed war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

4. Upon the ICRC to enhance its presence,
expand its activities, and intensify its field operations throughout the
Occupied Palestinian Territories.

5. Upon the European Union to activate
Article 2 of the Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel
must respect human rights.

6. 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 Israeli occupation forces on the entire Occupied Palestinian
Territories.

 

 

“END”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public
Document

**************************************

For more
information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 –
2825893

PCHR, 29 Omer
El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail:pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org