Israeli Forces Continue Violations
of Human Rights in the OPT
· 10
Palestinians, including 2 children and an elderly woman, were killed by Israeli
forces
· 8
of the victims were killed in extra-judicial assassinations perpetrated by
Israeli forces
· Indiscriminate
Israeli shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued
· Israeli
forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
· Houses
were raided in the West Bank and a number of Palestinians were arrested by
Israeli forces
· Hundreds
of donums[1] of
agricultural land were razed and 3 houses were demolished in Beit Hanoun
· 2
houses in the West Bank 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
· Continued
siege on the OPT: new restrictions on access of Palestinian workers to their
work places and continued curfew on Hebron
Introduction
This week, Israeli
occupying forces escalated their illegal military actions in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPT), causing more casualties among Palestinian
civilians. In flagrant disregard for the
lives of Palestinian civilians, Israeli occupying forces committed more
extra-judicial assassinations. They also
conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian Authority controlled areas,
during which they raided and destroyed houses and arrested dozens of
Palestinians, razed areas of Palestinian agricultural land and demolished a
number of houses. Israeli occupying
forces continued to shell Palestinian residential areas and have maintained the
total siege imposed on the OPT. This week, 28 August – 3 September 2003, 10
Palestinians were killed and dozens of 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 against Palestinian field
activists and political leaders, Israeli occupying forces carried out 4
assassination attempts that left dead 5 Palestinian activists and injured approximately
30 passing Palestinian civilians, including a number of children. In addition, 3 Palestinian civilians,
including a child and an elderly woman, died from wounds they had sustained in
previous assassination attempts. This brings the total number of assassination
attempts carried out by Israeli occupying forces in the past two weeks to 8.
These attacks have left 19 Palestinians dead and injured dozens of others.
Israeli
occupying forces continued to shell Palestinian residential areas, particularly
in Khan Yunis. This week, Israeli
occupying forces shelled al-Nimsawi neighborhood in Khan Yunis, killing a
9-year-old Palestinian child, who was playing near her house. In addition, 5 Palestinian civilians were
wounded and a number of houses were damaged.
Israeli
occupying forces conducted 3 incursions into Beit Hanoun, Khan Yunis and Rafah
in the Gaza Strip. They moved into Beit
Hanoun on 28 and 29 August 2003, razing hundreds of donums of Palestinian
agricultural land and demolished 3 houses. In Khan Yunis, Israeli forces destroyed a branch road and in Rafah they
demolished a Palestinian house.
In the West
Bank, Israeli occupying forces conducted a series of incursions into
Palestinian controlled areas, accompanied by indiscriminate shelling and
shooting. They raided houses and arrested a number of Palestinians.
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 Occupied Palestinian Territories, particularly
in the West Bank. While Israeli forces redeployed on the main roads in
the Gaza Strip, they continue to restrict the movement of Palestinian
civilians. This week, Israeli occupying forces closed Salah al-Din Street, the
main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip on 4 occasions. They
have maintained the siege imposed on al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip
and al-Sayafa area in the north.
Israeli occupying forces
have also restricted movement at border crossings. This week, they closed Karni crossing, the
only commercial crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. They have also restricted travel procedures
at Rafah Terminal on the Egyptian border and this week arrested 4 Palestinians
at the terminal.
On 3 September 2003, Israeli occupying forces
reopened Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip for Palestinian workers after
a 2-week closure. Less than 4000 Palestinian workers were able to go to their
work places in Israel, as Israeli occupying forces denied access to Palestinian
workers from Rafah and Khan Yunis and those under the age of 35.
In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces have
maintained a strict siege on Palestinian communities, isolating them from one
another. They have restricted movement of Palestinians at military
checkpoints. They re-closed a number of roads and erected dozens of
roadblocks. They also moved into a
number of towns. They have also imposed
curfews on Hebron and a number of villages.
While Israeli occupying forces have continued to
perpetrate violations of human rights against Palestinian civilians, they have also
continued to establish a separating wall between the West Bank and
Israel. For this purpose, they confiscated more areas of Palestinian land
and demolished more Palestinian houses.
Extra-Judicial Assassinations
In a
continuation of the policy of extra-judicial assassinations officially adopted
by the Israeli political and security establishments against Palestinian field
activists and political leaders, Israeli occupying forces carried out 4
assassination attempts that left dead 5 Palestinian activists and injured about
30 passing Palestinian civilians, including a number of children. In addition, 3 Palestinian civilians,
including a child and an elderly woman, died from wounds they sustained in
previous assassination attempts. This
brings the total number of assassination attempts carried out by Israeli occupying
forces in the past two weeks to 8; leaving dead 19 Palestinians and injuring
dozens of others.
In an
assassination conducted by Israeli occupying forces in Khan Yunis, a
Palestinian activist was killed and 3 passing Palestinian civilians were wounded,
including a 5 year-old child who sustained serious injuries. According to
PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 21:30 on Thursday, 28 August 2003,
Israeli fighter jets were seen flying over Khan Younis. Approximately 20
minutes later, an Israeli helicopter launched a missile at a branch road
linking Zo’rob neighborhood with al-Nimsawi neighborhood. The missile hit
a man driving an animal cart, killing him instantly. 3 Palestinian civilians
were wounded – a man, his child and his brother who were sitting in the
vicinity of their house, located on the street. Palestinian ambulances
and civil defense personnel arrived to the area and evacuated the dead and
wounded to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The man killed was later
identified as Hamdi Hassan ‘Abdul Rahman Kalakh, 35, from al-Amal neighborhood,
an activist of Hamas movement.
In a second
assassination by aerial attack just 2 days later, 2 Palestinian activists were
killed and 4 passing Palestinian civilians were wounded at the entrance of Nusseirat
refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. According to PCHR’s preliminary
investigation, at approximately 15:50 on Saturday, 30 August 2003, 2 Israeli
combat helicopters launched 3 missiles at a civilian car (Peugeot Thunder) that
was traveling along Salah al-Din Street, approximately 230 metres south of the
entrance of the Nusseirat refugee camp. 1 missile hit the front of the
car, killing its driver, Farid Yousef Mustafa Mait, 40, from al-Boreij refugee
camp. A second person who was traveling in the car managed to climb out
through a window but was hit by another missile fired from the helicopter and
was killed instantly. He was identified as Mahmoud ‘Ali Ibrahim ‘Aqel,
36, also known as “Abdullah,” from al-Boreij refugee camp. In addition, 4
passing Palestinian civilians were wounded. Israeli sources stated that
the two men killed were wanted by the Israeli military.
On Monday, 1 September 2003, Israeli occupying forces carried out a third
assassination, killing 1 Palestinian and wounding at least 20 bystanders,
including 7 children. According to PCHR’s investigations, at
approximately 15:15 on Monday, 1 September 2003, 4 missiles were launched at a
Palestinian car traveling along a branch road just off al-Wahda Street; a main
thoroughfare in central Gaza City that passes through a crowded civilian
commercial and residential area. The first missile hit the roof of a
three-storey apartment building, approximately 70 meters from the targeted
vehicle. No casualties were reported. 3 further missiles hit the
targeted vehicle (white Mitsubishi) totally destroying it and killing one of
the passengers. 3 additional passengers managed to escape the burning
vehicle. Emergency personnel arrived to
the area and evacuated the dead and wounded to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The dead man was identified as Khader Badawi al-Hosari, 35, from Shejaiya neighborhood
in Gaza City. Israeli military sources claimed that the 4
passengers in the targeted vehicle were all activists of the Hamas
movement. At least 20 Palestinian civilians, including 7 children, were
also injured in the attack and were evacuated for treatment to Shifa
Hospital. According to medical sources, at least 3 of the wounded
are in a critical condition.
In a fourth assassination committed by Israeli occupying forces, a
Palestinian activist from Tulkarm was killed. Israeli occupying forces claimed that the victims behaved suspiciously
with Israeli soldiers who shot him dead. The Arabic web page of the Israeli daily Yediot Aharanot quoted
Israeli military sources as claiming that Israeli forces killed a Palestinian
who was traveling in “a suspected taxi.” “The officer of the Israeli patrol ordered the driver to stop, while
soldiers ordered the two young men who were traveling in the taxi to get out of
it and remained relatively away from the taxi to avoid being attacked,” the
sources added. “The two Palestinians
gout out of the taxi with their hands up. One of the two young men acted in a suspected manner, and as the officer
saw him trying to point a pistol, he fired at him.” The same sources claimed that the victim
planned a bombing that occurred in the Israeli town of Kfar Ya’bas in July
2003, which left dead an Israeli woman, and other bombings.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 13:15 on Tuesday, 2
September 2003, while a civilian car, Volks Wagen Polo, was traveling from
Tulkram to Jenin on Nablus-Jenin road, an Israeli military jeep intercepted its
way between the entrances of the villages of ‘Anza and al-Zawia. The civilian car stopped. Israeli soldiers ordered two Palestinian
young men who were traveling in the car to get out of it with their hands up. When the two young men got out of the car, 4
Israeli soldiers got out of the military jeep and fired at them. The two young men were wounded. Immediately, Israeli soldiers closed the
area. Two hours later, Israeli soldiers
withdrew from the area, leaving the body of one of the young men, while
arrested the other young man who was wounded. The body was evacuated to a hospital in Jenin, where the victim was
identified as ‘Abdul Qader Mohammed Da’mi, 21, from Tulkarm, who was a member
of the Islamic Jihad. According to
Palestinian medical sources, the victim was hit by 8-10 live bullets in the
head, the chest, the abdomen and the legs fired from a close distance. The other young man who was arrested was
identified as Wa’el Fu’ad Khaled Da’mi, 23. According to Palestinians who regularly travel on the aforementioned
road, Israeli forces seldom use this road, which indicates that the incident
was a trap by Israeli occupying forces.
Note: PCHR has a complete list of the people who were wounded in these
assassination attempts.
3 Palestinian Civilians Die from Wounds Sustained in Previous
Assassination Attempts
at
approximately 07:10 on Thursday, 28 August 2003, medical sources at Shifa
Hospital in Gaza city declared that Sabra Salem Hamdiya, 70, died from a wound
she sustained in an assassination attempt by Israeli occupying forces that
targeted a prominent leader of Hamas movement, Isma’il Abu Shanaab, and two of
his bodyguards on 21 August 2003. According to PCHR’s investigation, Hamdiaya was walking only 7 meters
away from the targeted car. She was hit
by shrapnel throughout the body.
At approximately
01:00 on Tuesday, 2 September 2003, medical sources at Shifa Hospital in Gaza
city declared that Sanaa’ Jamil al-Da’our, 9, from Jabalya, died from a wound
she sustained in a failed assassination attempt carried out by Israeli
occupying forces on 26 August 2003 that targeted 3 activists of Hamas
movement. The attempt left dead an old
man and a child, and 27 other Palestinian civilians were wounded. PCHR’s field worker in the northern Gaza
Strip reported that al-Da’our was wounded by shrapnel throughout the body while
she was playing with other children near her house.
At
approximately 20:00 on the same day, medical sources at Shifa Hospital in Gaza
city declared that Riadh Lutfi Subaih, 28, from Gaza city, died from a wound he
sustained in an assassination attempt carried out by Israeli occupying forces,
which left dead an activist of Hamas movement on 1 September 2003.
Excessive Use of Force against Palestinian Civilians
and Attacks on Their Property
This week, Israeli occupying forces fired at Palestinian
civilians, shelled Palestinian residential areas and encroached into
Palestinian Authority controlled areas. Following are details of these human rights violations:
Thursday, 28 August:
At
approximately 11:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with a military
bulldozer and covered by intense gunfire, moved approximately 80m into
al-Rabwat area in the northwest of Khan Yunis. Immediately, the bulldozer leveled areas near “Gani Tal” settlement. In the meanwhile, Israeli helicopters were
flying over Khan Yunis, which created an atmosphere of terror. The incursion lasted for two hours.
In the
morning, Israeli soldiers on tanks and armored personnel carriers and in
military jeeps opened fire at Palestinian civilians in the center of Nablus,
claiming that those civilians broke the curfew imposed on the city. 7 civilians, including 4 children, were
wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets. PCHR’s
field worker in Nablus reported that at approximately 11:30, while hundreds of
Palestinian civilians were trying to buy foodstuffs, they were surprised by 4
Israeli tanks and 10 military jeeps surrounded al-Shuhada Square and
surrounding areas in the center of the city. Immediately, Israeli soldiers opened fire in the air in an attempt to
terrify civilians and force them to leave the place. A number of young men and boys gathered and
threw stones towards the Israeli military vehicles. Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated metal
bullets at the stone throwers, wounding a number of them and a number of
passing civilians:
1. Eihab
‘Emad Sa’id Nada, 7, from Nablus, wounded by 2 rubber-coated metal bullets in
the abdomen and the right foot;
2. Eihab
Jamal Khalil Abu Ja’far, 13, from Balata refugee camp, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the mouth;
3. ‘Azmi
Marwan Saleh Barakat, 16, from ‘Ein Beit al-Maa’ refugee camp, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the left upper arm;
4. Mohammed
‘Omar Helmi al-Kharouf, 15, from Nablus, wounded by a rubber-coated metal
bullet in the back;
5. Jamal
‘Ali Mohammed Qaddoumi, 40, from Nablus, wounded by a rubber-coated metal
bullet in the face;
6. ‘Omar
Ussama Zaki Kalbouna, 18, from Nablus, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet
in the left shoulder; and
7. ‘Essam
‘Omar Sa’id al-Najjar, 21, from Nablus, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet
in the left leg.
At
approximately 18:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with 4 tanks and 2
military bulldozers, moved approximately 700m moved approximately 700 meters in
the west of the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun. The Israeli incursion continued until 20:00,
during which the bulldozers razed more than 90 donums of Palestinian
agricultural land:
1. They
razed a 4-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Radwan
Hassan ‘Abdullah Shabat.
2. They
razed a 6-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus owned by heirs of
Salim Abu Ramadan.
3. They
razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, sugarcanes and
citrus owned by Ramadan Mohammed Jaber Na’im.
4. They
razed a 6-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and citrus owned
by Na’im Mohammed Jaber Na’im.
5. They
razed a 1.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and figs owned
by Mohammed Shehda Sa’id Hamdan.
6. They
razed a 1.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and citrus
owned by Shehada Sa’id Suleiman Hamdan.
7. They
razed a 1-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Khadra
Tawfiq ‘Abdul Hadi Hamad.
8. They
razed a 17-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Mousa
Tawfiq ‘Abdul Hadi Hamad and brothers.
9. They
razed an 8.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus owned by Mousa
Tawfiq ‘Abdul Hadi Hamad.
10. They razed a 3-donum area of
agricultural land planted with citrus owned by Mahmoud Tawfiq ‘Abdul Hadi
Hamad.
11. They razed a 6-donum area of
agricultural land planted with citrus owned by ‘Abdul Rahman Tawfiq ‘Abdul Hadi
Hamad and brothers.
12. They razed a 40-donum area of
agricultural land planted with citrus owned by ‘Arafat Saleh al-Hartani.
Also at
approximately 18:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military
vehicles, moved into the northern West Bank town of Jenin and its refugee
camp. They opened fire at Palestinian
houses. Two Palestinian children were
wounded:
1. Mahmoud
Mousa Khatib, 14, wounded by shrapnel in the legs; and
2. Muhannad
Jamal Abu Hassan, wounded by shrapnel in the right foot.
At
approximately 21:20, Israeli naval troops on board of a gunboat opened fire at
a Palestinian fishing boat opposite to Beit Lahia seashore in the northern Gaza
Strip. Fire broke out in the boat. It was severely damaged. The boat is owned by Mohammed Ibrahim Abu
Riala. He left it lighted at the
seashore for the purpose of fishing at night. It is worth noting that Israeli occupying forces often open fire at
Palestinian fishermen and their boats for no apparent reasons.
1. They
razed a 3.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus and destroyed
an irrigation network owned by Mohammed Sha’ban Yousef Swailem.
2. They
razed a 3.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus and destroyed
an irrigation network owned by Fayez Sha’ban Yousef Swailem.
3. They
razed a 3.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus and destroyed
an irrigation network owned by Jamal Sha’ban Yousef Swailem.
4. They
razed a 3.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus and destroyed
an irrigation network owned by Hassan Sha’ban Yousef Swailem.
5. They
razed a 15-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus, partially
demolished a 100-square-meter house and a 360-square-meter bird farm and
destroyed an irrigation network owned by Hamed Taha Ahmed al-Zant.
6. They
razed an 8-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus and destroyed an
irrigation network owned by Aaya Farah.
7. They
razed a 4-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus and destroyed an
irrigation network owned by Fadhel Basiouni Mohammed Hassan.
8. They
razed a 4-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus owned by Na’im
Basiouni Mohammed Hassan.
9. They
razed a 28-donum area of agricultural land planted with citrus and demolished a
300-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by heirs of Mohammed ‘Abdullah
Abu Ramadan.
10. They razed a 4.5-donum area of
agricultural land planted with citrus owned by Munther Kholousi Khayal.
11. They razed a 6-donum area of
agricultural land planted with citrus owned by Khamis Musbah Hussein
Khayal.
12. They razed a 40-donum area of
agricultural land planted with owned by ‘Arafat Saleh al-Hartani.
13. They destroyed 80 beehives owned By
Ziad Saleh Hussein Swailem.
14. They demolished a 200-square-meter
house owned by Mohammed ‘Abdul Raziq Hussein al-Majdalawi, in which 15 people
lived.
15. They razed a 22-donum area of
agricultural land planted with citrus and destroyed an irrigation network owned
by Midhat Kamal Ahmed Abu Ramadan.
Saturday,
30 August 2003
At
approximately 09:00, Israeli soldiers in military jeeps that were patrolling in
Hebron opened fire at Palestinian civilians who went out of their houses to buy
foodstuffs, breaking the strict curfew imposed on the town. Two civilians were wounded:
1. Mohammed Salem Zahda, 22, wounded by a
live bullet in the eye; and
2. Nour al-Din al-Sahrbati, 32, wounded by
2 rubber-coated metal bullets in the right hand and side.
In the evening, Israeli soldiers on armored personnel
carriers and in military jeeps opened fire at Palestinian boys in Balata
refugee camp, east of Nablus, wounding 3. PCHR’s field worker in Nablus reported that at approximately 17:40,
while Israeli occupying forces that had moved into Balata refugee camp on the
preceding day were patrolling in the streets of the camp, a number of
Palestinian children and young men gathered and threw stones towards these
forces. Immediately, Israeli soldiers
fired at the stone throwers, wounding 2 and a child who was playing near his
house:
1. Mohammed
Mahmoud Suleiman Marshoud, 9, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
face;
2. Nabil
Mohammed ‘Abdul Ghani, 18, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
chest; and
3. Ahmed Salim Mohammed Abu al-Heresh, 21,
wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head.
At
approximately 18:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military
vehicles and covered by intense gunfire, moved into Beit Fourik village, east
of Nablus. A number of Palestinian
children gathered and threw stones at the Israeli military vehicles. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired at the
children, wounding two:
1. Mahmoud
Fu’ad Rajeh Mahmoud, 14, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the pelvis; and
2. Mahmoud
Ghassan Mahfouz Fadhala, 12, wounded by a live bullet in the left thigh.
In the
evening, a 9-year-old Palestinian child was killed and 5 other civilians were
wounded when Israeli occupying forces apparently opened fire indiscriminately
into a Palestinian residential area. According to PCHR’s preliminary
investigation, at approximately 18:30 on Saturday, 30 August 2003, an Israeli
tank positioned in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan
Younis, fired 3 shells at al-Nimsawi neighborhood, east of the aforementioned settlement.
The shells hit the third and fourth floors of Building #1 of the apartment
complex, located approximately 200m away from the source of fire.
9-year-old Aaya Mahmoud No’man Fayadh, who was riding a bicycle in the yard
between Buildings #1 and #3, was killed by shrapnel which hit her in the
chest. 5 other civilians, including 2 children, were also wounded in the
incident:
1. Hanin
Khalil Shaqqura, 12, wounded by shrapnel in the head;
2. Nasser
Yousef Subhi Abu al-Khair, 17, wounded by shrapnel in the right foot;
3. Najah
Mohammed Ibrahim ‘Allam, 12, wounded by a live bullet in the left foot;
4. Mohammed
Kayed ‘Atwa Hammad, 13, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the chest; and
5. ‘Abdullah
Sa’id Suleiman Abu Samra, 50, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the
abdomen.
At
approximately 19:00, Israeli military bulldozers started to block roads in
Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, with sand hills. Immediately, a number of Palestinian children
and young men gathered and threw stones at the bulldozers. Immediately, Israeli soldiers who were
escorting the bulldozers fired at the stone throwers, wounding two:
1. Hisham
Na’im ‘Othman al-Sane’, 33, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
right side; and
2. Mohammed
Tayseer Mousa Hashash, 15, wounded by 2 rubber-coated metal bullets in the
abdomen and the left leg.
Sunday, 31 August 2003
At approximately 02:00, Israeli
occupying forces, reinforced with tanks, moved into the Palestinian controlled al-Yamoun
village, west of Jenin, to arrest allegedly wanted Palestinians. They raided a number of houses and arrested 3
Palestinians:
1. Jawad ‘Omar Bashir, 22;
2. Mohammed
D’ib Abu al-Hassan, 23; and
3. Samer Fayez Abu Toul, 25.
At approximately 07:00, as Palestinian
civilians left their houses, Israeli soldiers fired at them. A child, Mujahed Saleh Furaihat, 15, was
wounded by 2 live bullets in the hand and upper arm, while he was near his
house.
At approximately 08:30, Israeli
occupying forces moved again into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, from
which they had withdrawn on Saturday evening, 30 August 2003. They opened fire at Palestinian houses. Two Palestinian children were wounded:
1. Mohammed
Mustafa Sa’id Salloum, 16, wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh; and
2. Nidal Riadh Mohammed Khouri, 15,
wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left leg.
At approximately 18:00, Israeli
occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Netser Hazani”
settlement, northwest of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in
al-Qarara village, north of Khan Yunis. No casualties were reported, but Palestinian civilians were extremely
terrified.
Monday, 1 September 2003
At approximately 07:00, Israeli
occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles, moved into Nablus,
after they had withdrew from the city on the preceding day. A number of Israeli tanks and armored
personnel carriers were positioned at al-Shuhada Square and nearby streets,
while military jeeps moved into the streets to force Palestinian civilians to
close their shops. At approximately
09:30, dozens of Palestinian boys gathered in the area ad threw stones at
Israeli forces. Immediately, Israeli
soldiers fired at the boys, wounding 13, including a number of passing
civilians (PCHR has a complete list of the people who were wounded).
At approximately 14:50, Israeli
occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Gani Tal”
settlement, northwest of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses and
farms in al-Rabwat area. A Palestinian woman,
Bassema Mustafa Mohammed al-Astal, 40, was wounded by a live bullet in the left
thigh, while she was walking, about 600m away from the source of fire.
At approximately 15:00, Israeli
occupying forces, reinforced with 3 heavy military vehicles, including a
bulldozer, moved approximately 500m into Gizan Abu Rashwan area in the
southwest of Khan Yunis. The bulldozer
destroyed a branch road in the area, while Israeli soldiers opened fire at
houses. Israeli forces withdrew from the
area a few hours later. They were
positioned at the border of the nearby “Gadid” and “Gan Aur” settlements and
ordered Palestinian civilians not to leave their houses or they would be fired
at.
Tuesday, 2 September 2003
At approximately 09:00, an Israeli tank,
accompanied by a bulldozer, moved approximately 100m into Zo’rob area in the
southwest of Rafah. The bulldozer
demolished a 150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Muna Mahmoud
Khalil al-Dabbas, in which 5 people lived.
At approximately 17:30, Israeli
occupying forces in a military location in Tal Zo’rob area in the southwest of
Rafah opened fire at Palestinian houses to the east. A Palestinian civilian, Fayez Mohammed
Zo’rob, 52, was wounded by shrapnel in the left thigh, while he was sitting
near his house, approximately 500m away from the source of fire.
Wednesday,
3 September 2003
At
approximately 11:00, medical sources at Ramallah Hospital declared that ‘Ali
Hussein Abu Salim, 20, from Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, succumbed to a
wound he sustained by Israeli occupying forces on Thursday, 28 August
2003.
According to
PCHR’s investigation, at approximately 13:00 on Thursday, 28 August 2003, Abu
Salim, a policeman, was on his way back home from his work in civilian
clothes. When he entered the camp, he
saw some of his friends, so he went to chat with them. In the meantime, a number of Palestinian
children threw stones at Israeli soldiers who were patrolling in the camp. Immediately, Israeli soldiers opened fire
indiscriminately. Abu Salim was
seriously wounded by a live bullet in the abdomen. He was evacuated to the intensive care unit
at a hospital in Nablus. On the
following day, he was moved to Ramallah Hospital, where he succumbed to his
wound. According to medical sources, the
live bullet cut blood vessels and broke the pelvis, causing a failure in the
performance of kidneys.
Collective Punishment against Families of Wanted
Palestinians and Those Who Have Carried out Armed Attacks against Israeli
Targets
In violation of international humanitarian law, especially
the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of
War of 1949, whose article 33 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. In this context, they destroyed 2 Palestinian
houses in Jenin and Hebron.
At approximately 01:00 on Thursday, 28 August 2003,
Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles, moved into
the Palestinian Authority controlled Qabatya village, southeast of Jenin. They surrounded a 250-square-meter, 2-storey
house owned by Malek ‘Abdul Zakarna, 58. They forced the 14 residents of the house to evacuate it in 15
minutes. They planted explosives inside the house and
destroyed it at approximately 03:30. Zakarna
is the father of Hani Zakarna who carried out an armed attack against
“Tanakhim” settlement, which stands of the lands of Zabbouba and Rummana
villages, west of Jenin. As a result of
the destruction of the house, 8 neighboring houses were damaged.
At approximately 01:30 on Monday, 1 September 2003,
Israeli occupying forces moved into the Palestinian Authority controlled Yatta
village, southeast of Hebron. They
surrounded a 180-square-meter, 3-storey house owned by Mousa Shehada Makhamra. They forced the 25 residents of the house
out. They raided and searched the
house. Then, they planted explosives
inside. At approximately 03:00, they
destroyed the house. Makhamra’s son,
Taleb, 27, has been detained by Israeli occupying forces since 26 October 2002
for his activities in Fatah movement.
Continued Siege on the OPT
Israeli occupying forces have maintained a strict
siege on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, especially in the West
Bank. While Israeli forces redeployed on the main roads in the Gaza
Strip, they have restricted movement of Palestinian civilians. They have maintained the siege imposed on
al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip and al-Sayafa area in the north.
Israeli occupying forces have also restricted
movement at border crossings. This week,
they closed Karni crossing, the only commercial crossing between the Gaza Strip
and Israel. On 3 September 2003, Israeli
occupying forces reopened Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip for
Palestinian workers after a 2-week closure. Less than 4000 Palestinian workers were able to go to their work places
in Israel, as Israeli occupying forces denied access of Palestinian workers
from Rafah and Khan Yunis and those who are under 35 to their work places in
Israel.
In violation of the right of Palestinian civilians to
free movement, at approximately 09:00 on Thursday, 28 August 2003, Israeli
occupying forces closed Karni crossing, east of Gaza city, which is the only
commercial crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel and the West Bank. The closure caused large losses to
Palestinian traders and some basic foodstuffs were absent in the local markets.
At midnight, Israeli occupying forces closed the
junctions of al-Matahen and Abu Houli on Salah al-Din Street, the main road
between the north and south of the Gaza Strip. The junctions were reopened the two junctions at approximately 07:00 on
the following day.
At approximately 14:00 on Friday, 29 August 2003,
Israeli occupying forces closed the two junctions again for half an hour. They also closed it from 16:20 to 20:00.
On Sunday morning, 31 August 2003, Israeli occupying
forces used a new checking device to check agricultural products moving out and
into al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, in a way similar to checking procedures at
Karni crossing, east of Gaza city. According
to the new system, Palestinian workers transfer goods from trucks to the new
checking device. Then, they transfer
them to another truck. This procedure
causes delays in the transportation of agricultural products.
At approximately 19:00 on the same day, Israeli
occupying forces closed Tal al-Sultan military checkpoint at the entrance of
al-Mawasi area, west of Rafah. The
closure remained in effect until the following day morning.
At approximately 02:00 on Monday, 1 September 2003,
Israeli occupying forces closed al-Matahen and Abu Houli junctions on Salah
al-Din Street. The closure remained
until 12:00.
At approximately 22:40 on Tuesday, 2 September 2003,
Israeli occupying forces closed the two junctions again for an hour. Late at night, they closed the two junctions
again and reopened them at approximately 08:00 on the following day.
Continued Siege on the West Bank
Israeli
occupying forces have continued the right to free movement. A military siege has been imposed on
Palestinian towns of Hebron, Nablus and Jenin, and their surrounding refugee
camps, as approximately 1085000 Palestinian students and tens of thousands of
teachers are making their way to schools all over the West Bank and Gaza
Strip. Israeli soldiers positioned at
checkpoints deliberately restricted the movement of Palestinian civilians,
preventing them from reaching their work or their homes. Israeli soldiers often closed the checkpoints
altogether with no previous notice. Such
measures forced Palestinians to resort to mountain paths, where Israeli
soldiers are on the watch, waiting to catch them in the act. Should they be caught taking this alternative
roots, Israeli soldiers would lead them to the nearest checkpoint and detain
them for hours, regardless if they were women, men or children. The detainees
would be released at night, rendering it impossible for them to go home.
Jerusalem
On Friday
morning, 29 August 2003, Israeli forces intensified arbitrary measures at the
military checkpoints that lead into Jerusalem. Hundreds of policemen and “border guard” personnel were deployed in the
city streets and allies. According to
eyewitnesses, Jerusalemites under the age of 45 were prevented from attending
the Friday prayer in the Aqsa mosque. It
was also reported that Israeli soldiers placed metal barriers at the entrances
to the al-Asbat, al-Amood, al-Samerah and Hebron gates, and conducted searches
of the civilians and examination of their ID cards. On Monday morning, 1 September 2003, Israeli
forces erected two checkpoints, the first near al-Hamashbeel area and the
‘Atarot industrial settlement zone, and the second near Kirsh satellite
store. Israeli soldiers closed both
checkpoints, holding back the vehicles and the passengers. Hundreds of students and teachers were forced
to walk more than 2 km so as not to be too late for school.
Ramallah
and al-Bireh
Israeli
soldiers positioned at the Kalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem
prevented hundreds of teachers from crossing the checkpoint. Despite holding cards issued by the Ministry
of Education, soldiers demanded that they have checkpoint permits. University students, teachers, workers and
sick people were forced to go by tiresome long desolate roads and pay double
the usual expenses in order to reach their destination. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers
placed a mobile checkpoint near “Yatab” settlement and Mo’arajat road on the
outskirts of “‘Oja” area. The soldiers
stopped a number of cars and subjected their passengers to long humiliating searches. Israeli soldiers positioned at al-Tayba
checkpoint, east of Ramallah, forced tens of cars to wait in long lines on the
four roads that lead to the village of Jaba’, Mo’arajat – Jericho road, the
Ramallah road and the Nablus road. The
passengers were forced out of the cars, searched, and had their ID cards
checked. In addition, a temporary
checkpoint was erected on the outskirts of the village of Jaba’, southeast of
Ramallah and al-Bireh.
Hebron
Israeli
occupying forces have imposed a curfew on nearly all the neighborhoods of both
parts of the town, H1 and H2, for the 14th consecutive day. The old town neighborhoods in the
east and the south and the roads leading to them, in addition to the town
center witnessed harsh military procedures. PCHR’s field worker reported that the repressive Israeli procedures
included ongoing curfews, tightening of military siege, closing all paved and
mountain roads leading to and from the town and chasing Palestinian civilians
who violate the curfew, shooting at them, detaining them for hours and abusing
them. According to PCHR’s
investigations, on Sunday morning, 30 August 2003, Mohran Ra’ed Mohammed
al-Ja’bari, 15, sustained injuries and bruises in the back, the face and the
limbs, when Israeli soldiers detained and severely beat him . They attacked him with a sharp tool, causing
an injury in the back. On Monday, 1
September 2003, the first day of the new school year, Israeli soldiers denied
access of thousands of Palestinian students and dozens of teachers to their
schools, especially in the old town, as they continued to impose a curfew.
Nablus
Israeli
occupying forces have maintained the strict siege imposed on the city. Israeli soldiers at Deir Sharaf military
checkpoint, which leads to Tulkarm and Jenin, prevented Palestinian civilians,
excluding teacher, from crossing the checkpoint towards the city. On Monday, 1 September 2003, Israeli
occupying forces closed the checkpoint and ordered Palestinian civilians who
were waiting there to leave the area.
Tulkarm
Israeli
occupying forces have tightened the siege imposed on the town. They erected a military checkpoint at the
entrance to al-Jaroushia village, north of the town and denied access of
Palestinian vehicles coming from al-Sha’rawia area to the town. They also closed the entrance to ‘Attil
village, north of the town, and forced Palestinian civilians who had waited for
long hours to travel back. According to
eyewitnesses, Israeli occupying forces closed al-Kafriyat road, south of
Tulkarm, and denied access of Palestinian civilians from the southern villages
to the town. They also erected a
roadblock at Far’oun Triangle and searched Palestinian vehicles.
Jenin
Israeli
occupying forces have tightened the siege imposed on the town. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli occupying
forces closed all the roads leading to the town and chased Palestinian vehicles
that resorted to alternative roads.
Qalqilya
According to
eyewitnesses, Israeli occupying forces established two additional gates at the
entrance to Habla village, south of the town. Israeli soldiers at those gates
prevent Palestinian civilians from traveling to Qaliqlya, so they resort to
longer alternative roads.
The Separating Wall in the West Bank
While Israeli occupying forces have continued to
perpetrate violations of human rights against Palestinian civilians and
property, they have continued to establish a separating wall between the West
Bank and Israel. For this purpose, they confiscated more areas of
Palestinian land and demolished more Palestinian houses.
In this context, on Sunday morning, 31 August 2003,
Israeli military bulldozers started to raze areas of Palestinian land in Abu
Dis village, east of occupied Jerusalem. They also informed some Palestinians that their lands in al-Shayah area
would be confiscated.
Also on Sunday morning, Israeli occupying forces
demolished a 180-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan, in
which 14 people (2 families) lived, in Nazlat ‘Eissa village, north of
Tulkarm.
* * * * *
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:[email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
