· Attacks on Palestinian security facilities by Israeli F-16 fighter jets,
killing two Palestinians;
· Israeli combat helicopters shell Palestinian security and civilians facilities
in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank;
· Willful killings of three Palestinian civilians by Israeli occupation
forces;
· An incursion into Jenin, killing two Palestinians;
· Continued shooting at Palestinian civilians at Israeli military
roadblocks;
· A Palestinian civilian is killed by an Israeli bank guard;
· More arrests of Palestinians; and
· Continued siege on the OPT.
Israeli occupation forces have maintained a total
siege on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This week, a Palestinian infant died when Israeli occupation forces at a
military roadblock denied him access to hospital.
On 5 December, PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis
witnessed an Israeli tank that intercepted a Palestinian civilian car at a
military roadblock on Salah al-Din street north of Khan Yunis. Israeli occupation forces ordered six
Palestinians who were traveling in the car to get out and strip down to their
underwear. They stood in the heavy rain
for some time before Israeli soldiers took them to an unknown destination.
This week, Israeli occupation forces arrested more Palestinians.
In yet another incident of shooting at Palestinian civilians at military
roadblocks, Israeli occupation soldiers at Al-Hamra roadblock in the northern
Jordan Valley fired at a number of Palestinian civilian cars that were waiting
at the roadblock to pass. Two
Palestinian civilians were killed.
According to an investigation carried out by the Palestinian Society for
the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment (LAW), at approximately
14:30, a number of Palestinian civilians were in line at a military roadblock
of Israeli occupation forces in Al-Hamra area in the northern Jordan
Valley. When the driver of one of these
cars moved forward and tried to persuade Israeli soldiers to allow those cars to
pass, Israeli soldiers asked him to drive his car back. As soon as he turned the car around, the
soldiers fired at the car. It flipped
over and the driver was killed. He was later
identified as Hassan Tayseer Zubeidi, 24, from Balata refugee camp near
Nablus. He received 8 live bullets throughout
the body. Israeli soldiers continued to
fire at Palestinian cars, killing Rashad ‘Abdel-Rahman Saleh Hejja, 37, from
‘Attil village near Tulkarm, with a live bullet in the head. Hejja was killed when he was inside a taxi
coming back to his village from Jordan. The bodies of the two victims were evacuated to Jenin Hospital.
At approximately 15:00, a number of Palestinian children demonstrated
near a military roadblock of Israeli occupation forces near Qalandya
Airport. They threw stones at Israeli
soldiers who did not hesitate to fire at them. Nour El-Din ‘Abdel-Latif Hammad, 13, was wounded by a rubber-coated
metal bullet in the left eye.
After the Friday prayers, Palestinian civilians organized a peaceful
demonstration that moved towards the northern entrance of Al-Bireh where
Israeli occupation forces were positioned. A number of children moved forwards and threw stones towards Israeli
soldiers, who opened fire. Four children
were wounded:
1) Fadi Sa’id Abu Raddaha,
13, from Al-Am’ari refugee camp, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
chin;
2) ‘Alla’ Nasser Zuhdi, 13,
from Al-Am’ari refugee camp, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
head;
3) Mahmoud Nemer ‘Ayad, 15,
from Qalandya refugee camp, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
right hand; and
4) Mahmoud ‘Abdel-Jawad
Rummana, 14, from Al-Am’ari refugee camp, wounded by a rubber-coated metal
bullet in the head.
At approximately 10:00, Israeli occupation soldiers in a tank,
positioned in Hursh Sa’ada in the east of Jenin, fired at 28-year-old Ahmed
Sabri Shalabi, from Wadi Burqin village, wounding him with two live bullets in
the back and the left shoulder. Shalabi
was farming his agricultural land, which is around 400m away from the tank,
when he was fired at for no apparent reason.
At approximately 13:10, an Israeli guard at the Israeli Haboalim Bank at
Al-Zahra Street in Jerusalem fired at Mazen Ahmed El-Nabulsi, 31, from
Jerusalem, killing him with a live bullet in the neck. El-Nabulsi had been left bleeding for 10
minutes before he was evacuated to hospital in a civilian car as no ambulance
came to offer him help. According to an
eyewitness, El-Nabulsi was trying to enter the bank to put money into his
account. He was carrying a check in his
hand. He tried to talk with the
employees of the bank through his mobile phone, but the employees did not
answer his call and let the guard deal with him. The bank did not declare that it would close
earlier that day. El-Nabulsi asked the
guard several times to allow him to enter the bank, but the guard rejected
this. El-Nabulsi knocked on the door
again to draw the attention. Soon, the
guard opened the door and fired at him from a very short distance. El-Nabulsi cried: “Ya rabbi, ya rabbi” (My
God, my God) and fell onto the ground. He bled until he died. According
to the eyewitness, El-Nabulsi did not try to attack the guard rather he was
speaking to him.
At approximately 15:00, a number of Palestinian children demonstrated
near Qalandya Airport. They threw stones
towards Israeli occupation forces in the area. The Israeli forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets at the
children, wounding one, as well as a passing civilian:
1) Ibrahim Younis El-Sari’,
16, from Qalandya refugee camp, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
head; and
2) ‘Omar Shehadeh ‘Oudeh, 42,
from Al-Bireh, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head.
At approximately 14:00, a number of Palestinian children demonstrated
near Qalandya Airport. They threw stones
towards Israeli occupation forces in the area. The Israeli forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets at the
children, wounding two:
1) Younis ‘Abdel-Rahman El-Khatib,
14, from Qalandya refugee camp, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
nose; and
2) Rami Hussein El-Khawaja,
16, from Bitounia, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left hand.
At approximately 20:10, Israeli soldiers in a military jeep fired at a
Palestinian civilian car that was traveling towards Yatta village in
Hebron. The car turned over and two
passengers were injured:
1) Sa’id ‘Eid Ghannam, 25,
injured in the face; and
2) Bajis Mohammed Ghannam,
40, injured in the chest and the limbs.
Israeli soldiers also arrested a third passenger, Ismail Khalil Zein,
22, and took him to an unknown destination.
At approximately 11:00, Israeli occupation forces, positioned at the
Egyptian border, south of Rafah, fired at a number of Palestinian children who
were hunting birds in Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood in the west of the city. Ayman ‘Abdel-Fattah El-Soufi, 14, was wounded
by shrapnel in the left arm. Israeli
soldiers chased the children into Palestinian control areas and arrested the
wounded child. They released him one
hour later.
At approximately 22:00, Saqer Ahmed Hammad El-Debari, 21, from Rafah,
was pronounced dead from a previous wound he received in the head from Israeli
occupation forces on 28 November. On that
day, Israeli occupation forces at the border, east of Rafah fired at El-Debari
and another young man, Salman Mansour El-Duheini, 27, also from Rafah, who
apparently were attempting to sneak into Israel. El-Debari was seriously wounded by a live
bullet in the head and El-Duheini was wounded by two live bullets in the
legs. The two young men were unarmed and
did not pose any threat to the lives of Israeli soldiers.
1) Shelling of, and
Incursions into Palestinian Residential and Controlled Areas
At approximately 07:30, Israeli occupation forces, positioned in the
vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, shelled Palestinian
houses and civilian facilities in Khan Yunis refugee camp. A number of houses were severely damaged and
two Palestinian girls were wounded whilst inside their homes:
1) Jamila Subeih Abu Salameh,
20, wounded by shrapnel in the right foot and shoulder; and
2) Hiba Khaled Abu Salameh,
17, wounded by shrapnel in the head.
PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that three artillery shells
hit an UNRWA school, causing severe damage to classrooms and offices.
In the morning, Israeli occupation forces thrust approximately 500m into
Abu Kuteila neighborhood in the northwest of Hebron, under the full control of
the Palestinian National Authority, and arrested three Palestinians, all
members of one family.
PCHR was informed that at approximately 02:30, an Israeli special
military unit, supported by a helicopter, thrust approximately 500m into Abu
Kuteiba neighborhood. The unit besieged
and raided the house of Mohammed ‘Abdel-Jawad El-Juneidi and arrested his sons
Jihad, 40; Taleb, 33; and Nidhal, 25. They were taken to areas out of the control of the PNA. At approximately 06:30, two of them were
released while the third, Nidhal, remained in custody. He was taken to an unknown destination.
At approximately 01:00, Israeli occupation forces thrust approximately
400m into ‘Eissi neighborhood in the west of Hebron, under the full control of
the Palestinian National Authority. They
raided the house of ‘Abdel-Rahim El-Shweiki and arrested his sons Manna’, 42;
Ussama, 30; and ‘Ammar, 27. They were
taken to areas out of the control of the PNA. They had been interrogated before they were released.
At approximately 02:10, around 100 Israeli occupation soldiers,
reinforced with four tanks, two helicopters and a number of civilian trucks
that carried undercover soldiers, moved into Dura town, west of Hebron. They imposed a siege on the buildings of the
municipality and the Palestinian General Intelligence Service and a police
station. They arrested two member of the
General Intelligence Service. The
incursion lasted for around 150 minutes. In the end, the detainees were released upon the intervention of the
Palestinian liaison forces.
In the evening, two Palestinian civilians were killed in Jenin in two
separate incidents, when Israeli occupation forces in tanks fired artillery
shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian civilians while they
were on their way back home.
PCHR was informed that at approximately 15:45, while a number of
Palestinian civilians were walking in a wooded area, around 600m away from
Nablus-Jenin road, from Jenin towards their villages, Israeli occupation forces
in tanks positioned south of Jenin fired two artillery shells and heavy, medium
and light caliber bullets at them. Mohammed Mousa ‘As’ous, 19, from the Triangle of Martyrs village, was
killed by an artillery shell, and ‘Abbas Ahmed ‘Abdel-Qader, 38, from Qabatya
village, was wounded by two live bullets in the right knee.
At approximately 16:00, while a number of Palestinian children were
walking on Haifa-Jenin road towards Jenin refugee camp, Israeli occupation
soldiers in a tank positioned on the road opened fire on them. A child, Mohammed Shahla, was killed by a
heavy caliber bullet in the head. He was
identified only one hour later.
At approximately 06:00, an Israeli tank, positioned in Al-Jabreyat
neighborhood in the south of Jenin, fired three artillery shells at Palestinian
houses and streets in Triangle of Martyrs village for no apparent reason,
wounding five civilians:
1) Hadil Ismail Abu Zeid, 9;
2) Adib Mohammed Jaradat, 25;
3) Rajeh Raja Abu El-Haija;
4) Rabi’ Mohammed Nazzal; and
5) Shawqi Hassan El-Hijawi,
40.
At approximately 04:00, Yahia Mohammed Ahmed Abu ‘Aabed, 30, mentally
handicapped, from Qabatya village in Jenin, was killed by Israeli occupation
soldiers. According to an investigation
carried out by the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and
the Environment (LAW), the victim was walking on Qabatya-Jenin road near his
village, when an Israeli armored personnel carrier, positioned in the south of
Jenin, fired at him with a medium machine gun. He was killed by two bullets in the back and the chest. The Israeli forces denied residents access to
the village, the victim’s family, the ICRC and ambulances of the Palestine Red
Crescent Society to the area. Four hours
later, the Israeli forces forced the victim’s family to take his body to the
village and bury him without funeral ceremonies.
At approximately 16:30, Israeli combat helicopters and gunboats attacked
civilian facilities between the Guest House and the office of the Palestinian
President in Gaza City. The Israeli
combat helicopters fired 8 rockets at the heliport tarmac. The runway, two helicopters, a number of
offices and a number of guardrooms were totally destroyed. Additionally, a number of nearby houses were
damaged and a number of civilians suffered from nervous shock.
At approximately 18:45, an Israeli F-16 fighter jet fired an
air-to-surface missile at a PNA building in Jenin. The building was completely destroyed. The building included offices of the
Preventive Security, the General Intelligence Service, and police.
At 06:58, two Israeli fighter jets shelled the headquarters of Jenin
Governorate, and office of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and offices of
Ministry of Interior, which were located in one building in Al-Zahra
neighborhood in Jenin. The building was
completely destroyed. Additionally,
Jenin Hospital, approximately 700 north of the building was damaged. An infant, Maimouna Bani ‘Oudeh was injured
by shrapnel from shattered glass of windows.
Early in the morning, eight armored personnel carriers and two
bulldozers of Israeli occupation forces moved into Gaza International Airport
in the southeast of Rafah. According to
PCHR’s investigation, the Israeli forces entered the airport from Al-Dehneya
gate in the southeast of the airport, adjacent to a military location of
Israeli occupation forces. The
bulldozers destroyed parts of the runway. They dug 17 holes, 50-100cm deep, around 100m away from one
another. It is now impossible for any
plane to land on the airport. The
airport has been closed since 5 February 2001.
At approximately 01:25, a number of Israeli tanks and armored personnel
carriers thrust approximately 200m into areas under full control of the
Palestinian National Authority in Nablus. They took position on Al-Makhfia Street leading to Tel village. A number of Palestinian gunmen confronted the
incursion. The Israeli forces opened
fire on them, killing Amjad ‘Abdel-Rahim El-Tubassi, 26, with a medium caliber
bullet in the head.
In the meanwhile, a tank and bulldozer of Israeli occupation forces
moved into the north of Al-Bireh. Thirty
minutes later, eight tanks, two armored personnel carriers and two bulldozers
moved into Ramallah- Bir Zeit and Al-Irsal Streets in the city. A number of Israeli soldiers took position on
the roof of the Palestinian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. The bulldozers razed a tract of land and dug
trenches where tanks took position. At
approximately 03:30, a number of Israeli military jeeps moved into Al-Irslal
and Al-Balou’ areas and imposed a curfew.
At approximately 05:00, a number of Israeli military jeeps moved from
“Ofar” military location into Bitounia. They occupied the cemetery of the town and shelled nearby Palestinian
houses.
At approximately 07:15, an Israeli tank fired two artillery shells at a
Palestinian house, owned by Walid Hassan El-Sharif, in Ramallah. Five members of the family were wounded by
shrapnel:
1) Walid Hassan El-Sharif,
38;
2) Ussama Walid Hassan
El-Sharif, 11;
3) Fida’ Walid Hassan
El-Sharif, 10;
4) Shadi Walid Hassan
El-Sharif, 6; and
5) Khuloud Walid Hassan
El-Sharif, 30.
At approximately 11:00, an Israeli combat helicopter fired three rockets
at the headquarters of Palestinian Military Intelligence in Salfit, causing
severe damage. A nearby building that
includes a number of offices was also damaged. At the same time, another Israeli combat helicopter fired two rockets at
a site of the Palestinian National Security Forces in Wadi Al-Matwi area, west
of Salfit, totally destroying it.
In the meanwhile, Israeli combat helicopters attacked targets in
Rmallah. Two combat helicopters shelled
the offices of the Palestinian Ministry of Interior. Two rockets hit the offices, completely
destroying them and a car. A number of
nearby official offices were damaged. Then,
the helicopters shelled a site of the Palestinian President’s Guard (Force 17),
completely destroying it.
At approximately 11:20, two Israeli combat helicopters fired 6 rockets
at a Palestinian police station, completely destroying it. They also fired 6 rockets at a site of Force
17, partially destroying it.
At the same time, Israeli combat helicopters fired two rockets at a
building of the Palestinian Preventive Security in Khan Yunis, severely
damaging it. They also fired two rockets
at a site of the Palestinian National Security Forces, partially destroying it.
At approximately 12:00, two Israeli F-16 fighter jets fired two rockets
at the offices of the Palestinian Preventive Security in Al-Nasser neighborhood
in Gaza City, completely destroying it. A passing school child, Mohammed Mahmoud Ibrahim Abu Marasa, 15, from Al-Shati
refugee camp, was killed by shrapnel throughout the body, and a civilian
employee in the offices, Mohammed Ahmed Mahmoud Siam, 23, from Al-Zaytoun
neighborhood, was killed by shrapnel in the abdomen. A number of nearby houses were also severely
damaged and civilians were extremely terrified. Dozens of civilians, mostly children, were injured.
At the same time, Israeli combat helicopters shelled civilian and
security facilities near the office of the Palestinian President and Ansar
Compound in Gaza City. A three-story
building of Force 17 was completely destroyed, a park of cars of the
Palestinian President was severely damaged and a number of cars were destroyed,
and an office of the Palestinian National Security Forces was damaged.
At approximately 13:10, Israeli F-16 fighter jets shelled a site of
Force 17 in Al-Towam area in the northern Gaza Strip. The site, which was shelled more than once in
the past year, was severely damaged. A
number of nearby houses were also severely damaged.
At approximately 20:30, Israeli occupation forces, positioned at the
Egyptian border, south of Rafah, shelled Block “O” area in Rafah refugee camp,
adjacent to the border. Khalil
‘Abdel-Fattah Abu Shawish, 24, was seriously wounded by shrapnel in the head
and the right arm.
At approximately 22:00, Israeli occupation forces, positioned in the
vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire on Khan
Yunis refugee camp. Ahmed Fadhel
El-Majaydeh, 25, was wounded by a live bullet in the right forearm, and a
number of houses were severely damaged.
At approximately 04:30, an Israeli tank thrust approximately 500m into
the northeast of Rafah. It partially
demolished a Palestinian house, in which 10 people live, owned by Zayed
Mohammed Abu Rezeq. The electricity and
water networks of the area were damaged.
At approximately 14:00, Tariq Khaled As’ad Fashasha, 20, from Jaba’
village, south of Jenin, was wounded in the left leg by a medium caliber bullet
fired by an Israeli tank. He was on his
way to his bother’s house when he was fired at.
At approximately 17:10, Yousef ‘Abdel-Rahim Abu Hassan, 25, from Jenin,
was wounded in the face by shrapnel from a heavy caliber bullet fired by an
Israeli tank. He was at a window of his
house when an Israeli tank opened fire on Palestinian houses.
At approximately 21:30, Israeli occupation forces, positioned in the
vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement and Al-Tuffah checkpoint, west of Khan
Yunis, fired artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian
houses in Khan Yunis refugee camp. The
shelling continued up to 01:00 on the following day, during which a number of
houses were damaged and 3 Palestinian civilians were wounded:
1) Maher Mohammed El-Masri,
28, wounded by shrapnel in the head;
2) Wa’el Jom’a Khalifa, 15,
wounded by shrapnel in the right ear and hand; and
3) Ghassan ‘Abdel-Jalil
El-Salibi, 24, nervously shocked.
2) Arrests
This week, Israeli occupation forces arrested many
Palestinians. The 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 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- |
Hisham ‘Abdel-‘Azziz ‘Arafat |
28 |
Rafah |
30 November |
Arrested at Rafah Border Crossing |
|
2- |
Ashraf Ibrahim El-Satari |
27 |
Rafah |
1 December |
Arrested at Rafah Border Crossing |
|
3- |
Nidhal Mahmoud Daghlas |
22 |
Burqa, Nablus |
2 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
4- |
Bader Mahmoud Halabia |
32 |
‘Eizaria, Jerusalem |
2 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
5- |
Yazan Mahmoud Halabia |
22 |
‘Eizaria, Jerusalem |
2 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
6- |
Mushir Mahmoud Halabia |
19 |
‘Eizaria, Jerusalem |
2 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
7- |
Hadi Mahmoud Halabia |
17 |
‘Eizaria, Jerusalem |
2 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
8- |
Ahmed Na’im ‘Ayad |
32 |
Abu Dis, Jerusalem |
3 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
9- |
Eyad Fahed Abu Hilal |
24 |
Abu Dis, Jerusalem |
4 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
10- |
Isamil Mohammed Bahar |
20 |
Abu Dis, Jerusalem |
4 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
11- |
Ra’ed Mohammed Bahar |
30 |
Abu Dis, Jerusalem |
4 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
12- |
Murad Mohammed Bahar |
29 |
Abu Dis, Jerusalem |
4 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
13- |
Ibrahim Mohammed Bahar |
21 |
Abu Dis, Jerusalem |
4 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
14- |
Saleh Mohammed Bahar |
20 |
Abu Dis, Jerusalem |
4 December |
Arrested at his house |
|
15- |
Wa’el ‘Awadh Abu Hatab |
32 |
Khan Yunis |
5 December |
Arrested at Abu Houli roadblock |
|
16- |
Five unidentified men |
|
Khan Yunis |
5 December |
Stripped and arrested on a road north of Khan Yunis |
3) A Palestinian Infant Dies at an Israeli Military Roadblock Due to the
Obstructed Access to Hospital
On Tuesday morning, 4 December,
Tamer Khaled Quzmar, 8 months, died after Israeli occupation forces at a
military roadblock at the southern entrance of Qalqilya obstructed his access
to hospital. The infant suffered from
inflammation in the trachea.
4) Two Palestinians Killed in
Mysterious Circumstances
At approximately 19:00 on Monday, 3 December, a heavy blast occurred at
the center of Bethlehem. A bomb exploded
inside a flat on the 4th floor of a housing building in Al-Safat
Street in the southeast of the city. Two
Palestinians, Ra’fat Ibrahim Bajali, 25, from Za’tara village and resident of
Bethlehem, a member of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, and Nidhal
‘Abdel-Karim Sandouqa, 24, from Bethlehem, a member of Force 17, were
critically injured. They died later at
hospital. Bajali and Sandouqa were known
as activists of Fatah Movement and were wanted by Israeli occupation
forces. Palestinian security sources accused
agents of Israeli security services of planting a bomb in the flat and
destroying it by remote control, targeting the two young men.
*****
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 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 Israeli occupation forces on the entire Occupied
Palestinian Territories.
