Israeli Forces Continue to
Perpetrate Violence in the OPTs
· 27
Palestinians, including 8 children and one woman, killed by Israeli forces
· 14
were killed during an Israeli military incursion into Nusseirat refugee camp
· 5
were killed in an extra-judicial assassination
· Israeli
forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
· 20
houses demolished and 22 donums[1]
of agricultural land razed in Rafah
· Houses
were raided and a number of Palestinians were arrested
· Construction
of the “Separation Wall” in the West Bank continued and more areas of
Palestinian land seized
· Indiscriminate
shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued; 3 Palestinian civilians,
including a child and a woman, killed and a number of others injured
· Israeli
occupying forces continued to impose a total siege on the OPTs
Introduction
This week, Israeli occupying forces continued to
violate the Palestinian civilians’ human rights in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories (OPTs). Human rights violations included the use of
extra-judicial assassinations and willful killings. Throughout the week,
Israeli occupying forces also conducted incursions into Palestinian areas; shot
at Palestinian civilians, including children; indiscriminately shelled
residential areas and demolished houses; and leveled agricultural land.
Israeli occupying forces also continued construction of the “separation wall”
inside the West Bank and have continued to impose a tight siege on the OPTs. This week, 25 Palestinians, mostly civilians,
were killed and more than 20 others injured by Israeli occupying forces. In addition, 2 children died from previous
injuries.
This week, Israeli occupying forces conducted 6
military incursions into Palestinian areas in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli military attack in a Palestinian
residential area in central Gaza Strip conducted on Sunday 7 March 2004, left
14 Palestinians dead, including four children, and more than 80 others wounded,
including 26 children. Israeli occupying
forces also demolished 20 houses and razed 22 donums of agricultural land in
Rafah.
In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces conducted
a series of military incursions into Palestinian areas. These incursions left 4 Palestinian civilians
dead. Israeli forces also arrested
dozens of Palestinians, including 8 children and one woman. Israeli forces destroyed a house in ‘Anza
village in Jenin, claiming they found mortar shells inside it.
In a continuation of the policy of extra-judicial
assassinations officially adopted by the Israeli government, on Wednesday
afternoon, 10 March 2004, an Israeli undercover unit assassinated 5
Palestinians in Jenin, including 4 members of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the
military wing of Fatah movement.
Israeli settlers continued to attack Palestinian
civilians and property, and this week razed areas of Palestinian land to expand
existing settlements. A Palestinian
child from Jerusalem died from a previous injury sustained when an Israeli
settler car ran over him.
Israeli occupying forces continued construction of
the “Separation Wall” inside the West Bank, and razed more areas of Palestinian
agricultural land for the purpose of this construction. Israeli forces attacked Palestinian
civilians, Israeli peace activists and international solidarity groups who
demonstrated against this construction. A
strict siege on al-Ramadin village, south of Hebron remained imposed for this
purpose.
Israeli occupying forces continued to
impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza
Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
In the Gaza Strip, these forces have continued
to impose a tightened siege on the total area, and imposed more restrictions on
movement at border crossings and military checkpoints. They have also maintained the closure of a
number of main and branch roads in the Gaza Strip by Israeli soldiers stationed
at Israeli military checkpoints. Such restrictions on freedom of movement
are in contravention of international human rights law to which Israel is a
state party, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights.
In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces have
continued to impose a strict siege on Palestinian communities and imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have blocked a number of roads using
cement blocks, sand barriers, and trenches. They have also erected temporary checkpoints and arrested a number of
Palestinians. Israeli occupying forces
claimed that they had dismantled a number of military checkpoints in the West
Bank, but this has been proven to be untrue.
Shelling of, and Encroachment into Palestinian Areas
and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property
Thursday, 4 March 2004
In another attack against Palestinian civilians and
property, Israeli occupying forces moved into the southern Gaza Strip town of
Rafah. They killed a Palestinian child,
injured 5 civilians, and destroyed 13 houses and other civilian properties.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 02:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced by heavy military
vehicles and helicopters, moved approximately 300m into Zo’rob neighborhood in
the southwest of Rafah. Israeli heavy
military vehicles destroyed the main road in the area and isolated the
southwestern parts of Rafah from the rest of the town, then raided a number of
houses and transformed their roofs into military sites. At approximately 10:00, some Palestinian
children left their homes in Imam ‘Ali Street thinking that Israeli occupying
forces had withdrawn from the area, and Israeli soldiers fired at the children
with no warning. One of the children,
Mohammed ‘Abed Hassan, 14, was killed by a live bullet in the chest. 3 other children were injured:
1. Hamdan
Edris Shatat, 12, injured by shrapnel in the right shoulder;
2. Mohammed
Hassan Dehliz, 11, injured by shrapnel in the face and left shoulder; and
3. Mohammed
Samir Farid, 8, injured by shrapnel in the head and the face.
As a result of indiscriminate Israeli shelling of the
area, which continued until 19:00, more were injured:
1. Mohammed
Ahmed al-Hashash, 14, injured by a live bullet in the left forearm; and
2. Samah
‘Abdul Rahman Jarghoun, 19, injured by a live bullet in the right thigh.
An Palestine Red Crescent Society ambulance was hit
by live bullets and 2 civilian cars were also destroyed. During this incursion, Israeli occupying
forces completely destroyed one house and 13 others partially:
1. They
completely destroyed a 180-square-meter, under-construction house owned by
‘Alaa’ Sabri Zo’rob;
2. Partially
destroyed a 180-square-meter house owned by Bassem Sabri Zo’rob, in which one
person lives;
3. Partially
destroyed a 180-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Maher Sabri Zo’rob, in
which 23 people (3 families) live;
4. Partially
destroyed a 150-square-meter house owned by Fatema Khalil Buraika, in which 5
people live;
5. Partially
destroyed a 200-square-meter, 3-storey uninhabited house owned by Yousef
Mohammed Hussein Zo’rob;
6. Partially
destroyed a 360-square-meter, 3-storey house owned by Hassan Mohammed Zo’rob,
in which 18 people (4 families) live;
7. Partially
destroyed a 320-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Ahmed Mohammed Zo’rob, in
which 20 people (5 families) live;
8. Partially
destroyed a 200-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Mahmoud Rezeq Zo’rob, in
which 30 people (5 families) live;
9. Partially
destroyed a 225-square-meter house owned by Yousef Mohammed Zo’rob, in which 6
people live;
10. Partially destroyed a 300-square-meter,
asbestos-roofed house owned by Mohammed Mousa Zo’rob, in which 25 people (4
families) live;
11. Partially destroyed an 800-square-meter
house owned by Mahmoud Sa’id Zo’rob, in which 14 people (2 families) live;
12. Partially destroyed a 350-square-meter,
3-storey house owned by Salah Saleh Zo’rob, in which 40 people (5 families)
live; and
13. Partially destroyed a 300-square-meter,
3-storey house owned by Ussama Salem Hijazi, in which 18 people (4 families)
live.
Israeli occupying forces also razed areas of
Palestinian agricultural land:
1. They
razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Mousa
‘Ouda Hijazi;
2. Razed
a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with potatoes owned by Samir Mousa
Hijazi; and
3. Razed
a 1-donum area of agricultural land, on which a greenhouse planted with
vegetables stood, owned by ‘Ouda ‘Abdullah Hijazi.
At approximately 02:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Nablus and neighboring refugee camps and villages. They raided and searched a number of houses,
a post of the Palestinian Military Intelligence and a police station, then arrested
5 Palestinians:
1. Yazan
Nemer ‘Aaida, 15;
2. D’iab
al-Najjar, 22, from Khan Yunis, who was arrested at the Palestinian Military
Intelligence post;
3. Ramzi
al-Massimi, 23;
4. Eihab
Joseph Mansour, 24; and
5. Lu’ai
Joseph Mansour, 22.
Simultaneously, Israeli occupying forces moved into
Tulkarm, raided a number of houses, and arrested 3 Palestinians:
1. Hussam
Fathi Tammam, 19;
2. Muhannad
Bassem Khader, 20; and
3. Hisham
al-Tannour, 20.
At approximately 03:00, 15 Israeli military vehicles
moved into Hebron through its northwestern entrance, invaded Hebron University
campus, and opened fire in an apparent attempt to drive the guards away from
the campus. Israeli soldiers then raided
a number of departments and an exhibition of Palestinian culture organized by
the university. According to university
students, Israeli forces damaged the exhibition and confiscated some of its
contents.
At approximately 04:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into al-Khader village, southwest of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to
the family of Ayman Darwish Salah, 25, and then arrested him.
At noon, Israeli occupying forces surrounded
buildings of Palestinian security services in Hebron and photographed the
buildings for no apparent reason.
At approximately 19:20, Israeli occupying forces
positioned along the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at
Palestinian residential areas in the town. A Palestinian child, Ra’ed Nazmi Shafiq al-Mughari, 15, was seriously
wounded by a live bullet that entered the right eye and exited the ear. According to his brother, the child was
wounded while inside the family’s house in al-Junaina neighborhood, approximately
700m away from the source of fire.
At approximately 21:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles, moved approximately 400m into Um
al-Qurrais area in Um al-Nasser village, north of Rafah. While indiscriminately shelling the area, they
razed areas of Palestinian agricultural land:
1. They
razed a 10-donum area of agricultural land planted with fruits and vegetables
and destroyed an irrigation network owned by the heirs of Mohammed Hamdan Abu
Gharara; and
2. Razed
a 5-donum area of agricultural land planted with palms and olives and destroyed
an irrigation network and an agricultural pool owned by the heirs of ‘Abdullah
Salim ‘Abdullah Abu Jazar.
In addition, 8 houses were severely damaged by
Israeli shelling.
Friday, 5 March 2004
At approximately 02:30, 10 Israeli military vehicles
moved into Dura village, southwest of Hebron. Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 7
Palestinians:
1. ‘Abdul
Karim ‘Abdullah Abu Zunaid, 23;
2. Salem
Mohammed al-Darawish, 24;
3. Mo’ammar
Ibrahim Khallaf, 22;
4. ‘Alaa’
Mahmoud Hantash, 24;
5. Ghassan
Jihad ‘Amru, 21;
6. Yasser
Abu Sharar, 20; and
7. Najeh
Mahmoud Hantash, 21.
At approximately 02:45, 10 Israeli military vehicles
moved into Ethna village, south of Hebron. Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 5
Palestinians:
1. ‘Abdul
Hafez Ahmed al-Shamali, 20;
2. Mohammed
Ibrahim al-Shamali, 18;
3. Hani
Mahanna Tumaizi, 20;
4. Akram
Ragheb Nawaf, 21; and
5. Jibril
Abu Zalata, 25.
At approximately 03:00, 5 Israeli military vehicles
moved into Tarqoumia village, south of Hebron. They raided and searched ‘Abdul Mo’ti Tannina’s house and arrested his
son, Ayman, 19.
At the same time, Israeli occupying forces moved into
Shuraim and Kufor Saba neighborhoods in Qalqilya. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 4 Palestinians:
1. Faisal
Tawfiq ‘Aaref Hamdan, 24;
2. Ra’ed
Shehada Qaqouni, 20;
3. Maher
Mahmoud Hassanain, 21; and
4. Bader
Mousa Abu Riash, 25.
At approximately 15:00, 10 Israeli military jeeps moved
into Ramallah and al-Bireh towards the Palestinian presidential compound in
Ramallah, and took position at the entrance to the compound while closing all
roads leading to it. Israeli soldiers proceeded
to check all entering and exiting the compound, and beat a number of members of
the Palestinian National Security Force who were on their way to their work at
the compound. This Israeli military
siege continued until Saturday night, 6 March 2004. No arrests were reported.
At approximately 17:00, 3 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Jaba’ village, south of Jenin. Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinian houses. A Palestinian child, ‘Abdullah Fawzi
‘Abdullah Ghannam, 10, was seriously wounded by a live bullet in the head,
while he was near his family’s house. No
clashes were reported when the child was wounded.
Saturday, 6 March 2004
At approximately 03:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Bethlehem and the neighboring al-Duha village and al-Duhaisha
refugee camp. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested 5 Palestinians:
1. Ghassan
Hassan ‘Abdul Jawad, 23, from al-Duhaisha refugee camp;
2. So’ud
Khalil ‘Eid, 40, from al-Duhaisha refugee camp;
3. Ayman
Mohammed al-Za’anin, 21, from al-Duhaisha refugee camp;
4. Asa’ad
Antoine al-Masri. 22, from Bethlehem; and
5. ‘Abdul
Rahman Yousef Miqdad, 24, from Bethlehem.
At approximately 04:00, 5 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. The raided and searched Sa’id Abu Theraa’s house and arrested his
daughter, Amira, 19.
In the early morning, Israeli occupying forces shot
dead a member of the Palestinian National Security Force in Tulkarm. Israeli soldiers fired at the victim after injuring
him and from a distance of one meter only. According to an eyewitness, the victim was in possession of his gun, but
did not use it against Israeli soldiers. The victim was not wanted by Israeli occupying authorities.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 06:15, while Tha’er Suleiman Abu Sirriya, 19, a member of the
Palestinian National Security Force from Tulkarm refugee camp, was walking with
one of his colleagues on a branch road leading to the central market of
Tulkarm, an Israeli military jeep surprised them from the other direction of
the road. When they tried to return to a
site of the Palestinian National Security Force, Israeli soldiers immediately opened
fire at them. After wounding Sirriya with
a live bullet, an Israeli soldier got out of the jeep moving towards him and
shot him dead. Israeli soldiers then threw
a smoke bomb in the area and withdrew. At approximately 06:45, the victim’s body was removed to Dr. Thabet
Hospital in Tulkarm. According to
medical sources, the victim was hit with several live bullets to the right
thigh, left knee, abdomen and head.
At approximately 21:30, Israeli soldiers on tanks
positioned at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian
houses in al-Salam neighborhood. A
Palestinian civilian, Mohammed Fathi D’ib, 25, was injured by shrapnel in the
left hand.
Sunday, 7 March 2004
In the early morning, 9 Israeli military jeeps moved
into ‘Anza village, south of Jenin. They
surrounded an 80-square-meter, 2-storey uninhabited house owned by Jawdat
Rashed ‘Obaid. They also raided a
neighboring house and held its owner, Dirar Saleh Khader, 35. Israeli soldiers planted explosives inside
the uninhabited house and destroyed it, then released Khader and withdrew from
the village. Israeli occupying forces
claimed that they had found mortar shells inside the destroyed house. According to residents of the village, the
explosion that occurred in the house was light, which indicates that there were
no shells inside the house.
At approximately 01:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved at least 2000m northwest into the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit
Hanoun. They moved near a site of the
Palestinian National Security Force and fired at the site, after realizing that
their presence was discovered. A member
of the force, Munther Ziara, 28, from Gaza city, was wounded by a live bullet
in the right foot. Israeli forces then withdrew
from the area.
At approximately 02:30, 6 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Sa’ir village, north of Hebron. Israeli forces raided and searched a house belonging to the family of
‘Abdul Fattah Jamal al-Jabarin, 32. They
forced the family out, damaged contents of the house, then arrested
al-Jabarin.
An Israeli military attack in a Palestinian
residential area in the central Gaza Strip conducted on Sunday 7 March 2004,
left 14 Palestinians dead, including four children, and more than 80 others
wounded, including 26 children.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
around 03:00, Israeli forces, including heavy military vehicles and aircraft,
moved from the Netzarim settlement, southwards along Salah al Din Street to a
point between Al-Nusseirat and Al-Bureij refugee camps. Troops then moved
from Salah Al Din Street west into Al-Nusseirat camp. Israeli forces
raided three civilian residential buildings owned by the Quweider, Aaliyan and Ghazal
families. Soldiers detained the residents inside the buildings. One
resident, Majed Ibrahim Aaliyan, 30, was forced to walk in front of soldiers as
they searched the three buildings. Soldiers set up sniper positions on
the top floors of the properties. At approximately 6am, more Israeli
troops entered the camp. During the incursion, Israeli troops opened fire
randomly into the streets of the camp, including from the positions taken in
the three houses. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli helicopters flying
overhead also opened fire in the area.
Four children were killed by Israeli gunfire and more
than 80 civilians were injured, 26 of them children. Ten of the injured
remain in a serious condition.
The children killed were identified as:
1. Mahmoud Abdullah Younis, 11;
2. Mohammed Amer Abu Zuraiq, 12;
3. Mohammed Ali Bedawi, 15; and
4. Haitham Mohammed Al Issawi, 16.
Israeli troops withdrew at approximately 09:30.
During the incursion, Israeli troops engaged in armed clashes with Palestinian
resistance groups. During these clashes, 10 members of the Palestinian
resistance were killed. Members of the resistance killed in this
incursion were reported as Mohammed Ismail al Shatali, 21; Shadi Abed
As-Saidni, 21; Faris Fatehi al Hawajri, 25; Omar Mohammed al Jamal, 18; Hazem
Rauhi Aqel, 20; Ahmed Hassan Harb, 22; Khaled Qassem al Hazqi, 23; Moussa Manar
Hemo, 25; Yousef Mahmoud As-Sinwar, 26; Hassan Ahmed Zuhud, 42.
Also at approximately 03:00, 7 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Halhoul village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinians:
1. Majed
Ahmed Ibrahim Abu ‘Asba, 32; and
2. Mohammed
Hassan Karaja, 28.
At approximately 04:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Bethlehem. They surrounded
Ahmed Khulaif’s house in al-Khulaifat neighborhood and forced the family
out. Israeli soldiers raided and
searched the house then arrested the owner’s son, Haitham, 17.
At approximately 15:30, an infantry unit of Israeli
occupying forces moved approximately 150m into al-Qarara village, north of Khan
Yunis. Israeli soldiers raided and
searched a number of houses belonging to the families of Abu Sabet an Abu
‘Aamer. This Israeli military operation
continued for 4 hours.
At approximately 23:30, Israeli soldiers positioned
in a military location near “Netzer Hazani” settlement, northwest of
Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses to the east. A Palestinian woman, Fairouz Ramadan
al-Saqqa, 37, was wounded by a live bullet in the pelvis, while she was inside
her house in al-Qarara village, approximately 1500m away from the source of
fire.
Monday, 8 March 2004
At approximately 03:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Jenin. They opened fire at
Palestinian houses. Israeli soldiers
raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Zafer Abu Sakha, 30.
At approximately 04:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Bethlehem. They raided and
searched a house belonging to the family of ‘Omar Habib, 18, and arrested
him.
At approximately 09:30, an Israeli tank was
positioned on a settler road linking “Morag” settlement and
“Gush Qatif” settlement bloc, south west of Khan Yunis. Israeli soldiers on the tank opened fire at a
number of Palestinian farmers who were working on their agricultural land to
the north. A Palestinian child, Khaled
Suleiman Mohammed Madi, 16, was instantly killed by several live bullets in the
head, abdomen, and limbs. The child and
his brothers were helping their father establish an irrigation network for
their agricultural land, approximately 1km away from the tank.
On Monday morning, Israeli occupying forces moved
into al-Qarara village, north of Khan Yunis, then raided and searched a number
of houses belonging to the families of Abu Sabet and Abu ‘Aamer. Two
hours later, Israeli forces ordered residents of 5 homes belonging to the Abu
‘Aamer family to vacate their homes in half an hour, and gave warning of firing
at any person coming within the vicinity of the homes, which would be
eventually demolished.
On behalf of the owners of the five houses, PCHR
submitted an appeal to the Israeli High Court requesting termination of the
demolition order. The court issued a temporary injunction halting the
demolition and gave the Israeli prosecutor 24 hours to respond.
Following are details of these houses:
1. A
180-square-meter house owned by ‘Abdul Rahman Hassan Abu ‘Aamer, in which 7
people live;
2. A
120-square-meter house owned by ‘Awni ‘Abdul Rahman Hassan Abu ‘Aamer, in which
8 people live;
3. A
120-square-meter house owned by ‘Essam ‘Abdul Rahman Hassan Abu ‘Aamer, in
which 11 people live;
4. A
180-square-meter house owned by Marwan ‘Abdul Rahman Hassan Abu ‘Aamer, in
which 8 people live; and
5. A
160-square-meter house owned by Ibrahim ‘Abdul Rahman Hassan Abu ‘Aamer, in which
8 people live.
In the evening, Israeli forces dug a trench near
these houses.
At approximately 16:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations near “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west
of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian civilians who were participating in
the funeral procession of Khaled Madi, who had been killed by Israeli forces in
the morning. A child, Nidal Khalil
al-Sha’er, 14, was wounded by a live bullet in the left hand.
At approximately 17:00, 9 Israeli military vehicles
moved into al-Duha village near Bethlehem. They surrounded a house belonging to the family of Ahmed al-‘Azza,
27. Israeli soldiers called on him to
get out of the house and he did. Then,
Israeli soldiers raided and searched the house and arrested him.
In the evening, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a
Palestinian civilian and injured 3 others in Salfit village, south of
Nablus. They also arrested one of the
injured and 3 other Palestinians.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately
19:30, an undercover unit of Israeli occupying forces traveling in 3 civilian
cars that had Palestinian registrations moved into Salfit village, south of
Nablus. A few minutes later, 8 Israeli
military jeeps moved into the village to reinforce the undercover unit. The undercover unit moved towards the center
of the village. Members of the unit got
out of cars and opened fire at Palestinian civilians. One of these civilians, Khaled Taha ‘Abdul
Hafez Madi, 34, was seriously wounded by several live bullets. According to eyewitnesses, Madi was on his
way back home carrying his 3-year-old child. After he had been wounded, he continued to walk towards his home and fell
onto the ground in front of its door. He
was taken in an ambulance to a hospital, but died on the way to the
hospital. According to medical sources,
he was hit by 3 live bullets to the abdomen. Also as a result of the Israeli gunfire, 3 Palestinians were wounded:
1. Yousef
‘Abdul Jawad al-Ber, 28, a member of the Palestinian General Intelligence,
wounded by several live bullets throughout the body then arrested by Israeli
soldiers;
2. Ahmed
Jamal Farid Yassin, 14, wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh; and
3. Mohammed
Hussein ‘Eid Haniya, 23, a member of the Palestinian National Security Force,
wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh.
Israeli forces also arrested 3 Palestinians:
1. ‘Emad
Rashid Hawari, 27;
2. ‘Abdul
Fattah Jamil Shahin, 25; and
3. Mahmoud
‘Omran Fatouni, 26.
At approximately 21:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations near “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west
of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in the cemeteries and Baten
al-Samin areas. A Palestinian civilian,
Tamer Mahmoud Buraika, 22, was injured by shrapnel from a live bullet in the
face.
Tuesday, 9 March 2004
At approximately 02:40, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations in the vicinity of the “Gush Qatif”s
settlement bloc, north and west of Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian houses in
Tal al-Sultan neighborhood in the west of the town. A Palestinian civilian, Nidal ‘Atallah Hamad,
30, was wounded by a live bullet in the right foot.
At approximately 03:30, 5 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Bazaria village, northwest of Nablus. They raided a number of houses and forced
their residents out. Israeli soldiers
severely beat ‘Ezzat Amin ‘Ali, 28, injuring him throughout the body. Israeli soldiers also arrested 3
Palestinians:
1. Mohammed
Jaber Tamim Salem, 25;
2. Isma’il
‘Abdul Jabbar Tamim Salem, 25; and
3. Maher
‘Abdul Qader Nemer, 26.
At approximately 04:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinians:
1. Tha’er
Ahmed ‘Abdul Qader Sabbana, 23;
2. ‘Alaa’
Fahmi al-Shiqdam, 25; and
3. Mahmoud
Zaki ‘Ouda Bahar, 22.
At the same time, Israeli occupying forces moved into
Sourif village, northwest of Hebron. They raided and searched Mohammed Amin Ghunaimat’s house and arrested
his son, ‘Ali, 22.
At approximately 04:15, a number of Israeli military
jeeps moved into ‘Asala village, southeast of Qalqilya, and imposed a
curfew. They raided a smith workshops
owned by Bassam Daoud Suleiman, 45, confiscated its contents, and arrested
Suleiman. They also arrested Ghaleb
Shehada Radi, 36.
At approximately 04:30, 7 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Bieta village, south of Nablus, and imposed a curfew. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 4 Palestinians:
1. Munir
Barham, 26;
2. Fu’ad
Jarawan, 25;
3. Jamal
Darwish, 24; and
4. Khaled
‘Abdul Rahim, 24.
At approximately 09:00, 3 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Qarawat Bani Zaid village, northwest of Ramallah. They fired live ammunition and tear gas
canisters at Palestinian houses. A
number of school children gathered and threw stones at the jeeps. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired at the
children, wounding 2:
1. Mohammed
‘Eissa ‘Arar, 14, wounded by 2 rubber-coated metal bullets in the hand the
face; and
2. Majd
Sami ‘Arar, 17, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the chest.
At approximately 11:30, 30 Israeli military vehicles,
supported by 2 helicopters, moved into Jenin, opened fire at Palestinian houses,
and imposed a curfew. A Palestinian
woman, Dalal Maujahed Mohammed Abu al-Hassan, 22, was killed by 2 live bullets
in the back. In addition, Saif al-Din
Shawqi al-Dahla, 35, a cameraman of France Press Agency, was wounded by a live
bullet in the left leg, the third time al-Dahla was wounded by the Israeli
gunfire since the beginning of the current Intifada. Also during this Israeli military incursion,
3 Palestinian civilians were wounded:
1. Fadi
Mohammed Sadiq Yassin, 23, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the head, and
pronounced dead in the evening;
2. Tha’er
Salem Abu Sorour, 23, wounded by shrapnel in the abdomen; and
3. Haitham
Murad Yasser Furaihat, 11, wounded by shrapnel in the chest and the upper
limbs.
Israeli forces also arrested 4 Palestinians:
1. Mohammed
Radwan, 22;
2. Anas
Jihad Hifnawi, 21;
3. Arafat
Mahmoud Qandil, 28; and
4. Mohammed
Mutlaq al-Sa’di, 19.
At approximately 14:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations to the west of Khan Yunis opened fire at
Palestinian houses in Khan Yunis refugee camp. A Palestinian civilian, Zakaria Sa’id Radi, 54, was injured by shrapnel
in the left shoulder.
At noon, Israeli occupying forces arrested Khalil
‘Ali Edris, 36, from al-Amari refugee camp, in al-Bireh. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli occupying
forces moved into the south of al-Bireh and erected a checkpoint on
Ramallah-Jerusalem road. Israeli
soldiers then stopped a civilian car and forced the driver out of the car on
gunpoint, then beat and arrested him. The driver was identified as Khalil Edris, the brother of the deceased Wafa’ Edris who
carried out a bombing in Jerusalem in 2002. Israeli soldiers also severely beat Jamil Abu Mayala. He sustained bruises and fractures throughout
the body.
At approximately 16:10, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations in the vicinity of “Gadid” and
“Neve Dekalim” settlements, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire at
Palestinian houses in the cemeteries and Baten al-Samin areas to the east. A Palestinian civilian, Musleh Kamel Zo’rob,
31, was wounded by a live bullet in the left hand, while he was walking in the
street, approximately 800m away form the source of fire.
In the evening, a number of Israeli military jeeps
moved into Housan village, west of Bethlehem, and imposed a curfew. Israeli occupying forces had earlier imposed
a curfew on the village for 10 consecutive days, before it had lifted it for
only 3 days.
At approximately 21:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations between “Gani Tal” and “Neve
Dekalim” settlements, northwest and west of Khan Yunis respectively,
opened fire at Palestinian houses to the east. A Palestinian woman, Sanaa’ Ahmed al-Batta, 36, was injured by shrapnel
from a live bullet in the face, while she was inside her house in the center of
Khan Yunis, approximately 2km away from the source of fire.
Late at night, Israeli occupying forces moved into
al-Duhaisha refugee camp near Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Ahmed
‘Abbas, 30, and arrested him.
At the same time, 6 Israeli military jeeps moved into
Kufor al-Dik village, southeast of Qalqilya. They opened fire at Palestinian houses. A Palestinian civilian, Mohammed Ahmed ‘Omar Fassoul, 45, was wounded by
2 live bullets in both shoulders.
Wednesday, 10 March 2004
At approximately 02:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Nablus and Balata refugee camp. They arrested 4 Palestinians, including a child:
1. Salah
Ahmed al-Qouqa, 21, form Nablus;
2. Firas
Ayman Za’tar, 16, from Nablus;
3. ‘Abdul
Karim Khalil Sharai’a, 22, from Balata; and
4. Mohammed
Friras al-Zaghloul, 29, from Balata.
At the same time, Israeli occupying forces moved into
Beit Fourik village, east of Nablus. They raided and searched 2 houses and arrested 2 Palestinian children:
1. Taher
Yahia Ahmed Hanani, 16; and
2. Mahmoud
Bassam Mahmoud Hanani, 16.
At approximately 03:00, an undercover unit of Israeli
occupying forces moved into Tulkarm refugee camp. A few minutes later, more Israeli forces
moved into the camp to reinforce the undercover unit. They arrested 4 Palestinians, including 3
children:
1. Majdi
Mohammed Hussein ‘Atiya, 17;
2. Ramzi
Fakhri ‘Abdul Rahman ‘Aarda, 17;
3. Mohammed
‘Aatef Abu Sari, 19; and
4. Mohammed
Nassar, 17.
At the same time, 3 Israeli military jeeps moved into
Sirris village, south of Jenin. They
raided and searched 2 houses and arrested 2 Palestinians:
1. Malek
Khalil Qutait, 19; and
2. Mahmoud
‘Abdul Hamid Qutait, 20.
At approximately 07:30, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles, including a bulldozer, moved
approximately 200m into al-Brazil neighborhood in Rafah, adjacent to the
Egyptian border. They opened fire at
Palestinian houses. A Palestinian woman,
Rabab Hassan al-‘Owaisi, 24, was injured in the abdomen. During this 9-hour incursion, Israeli
occupying forces demolished one house completely and 6 others partially:
1. They
completely demolished a 300-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Khalil
Mohammed Abu Samak, in which 14 people (4 families) lived;
2. Partially
demolished a 200-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Nazmi ‘Ayada al-Akhras,
in which 11 people live;
3. Partially
demolished an 80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by ‘Abdullah Saleh
al-Lahwani, in which 12 people live;
4. Partially
demolished an 80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Khader Mohammed
al-Lahwani, in which 7 people live;
5. Partially
demolished an 80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Mansour Saleh
al-Lahwani, in which 10 people live;
6. Partially
demolished an 80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Kayed Saleh al-Lahwani,
in which 11 people live; and
7. Partially
demolished an 80-square-meter, under-construction house owned by Ya’qoub Shaker
al-Hour.
At approximately 11:30, Israeli occupying forces
positioned along the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of Gaza city,
opened fire at Palestinian houses in al-Shojaeya neighborhood. A Palestinian child, Mohammed Maher Yassin,
13, was wounded by a live bullet in the left shoulder.
In the evening, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a
Palestinian child in al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. They claimed that a Molotov cocktail was
thrown by him at Israeli military units near the camp, therefore Israeli
soldiers fired him. PCHR’s
investigations and eyewitnesses’ testimonies refuted this claim.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 20:30, 15-year-old Tha’er Mohammed Haroun al-Halaiqa, from
Shioukh al-‘Arroub village, north of Hebron, was on his back to his village
south of al-‘Arroub refugee camp. While
walking at the northern entrance to the camp, Israeli soldiers patrolling
inside the camp opened fire at him from a close distance from behind and hit
him by a number of live bullets. He fell
onto the ground. Residents of the camp
hurried towards the child to offer him help, but an Israeli soldier moved
towards him and opened fire at him from a distance of 6 meters only. He died on the way to the hospital. According to medical sources, the child was
hit by 15 live bullets throughout the body.
Extra-Judicial Assassination
In a continuation of the policy of extra-judicial
assassinations officially adopted by the Israeli government, on Wednesday
afternoon, 10 March 2004, and undercover unit of Israeli occupying forces
assassinated 5 Palestinians in Jenin, including 4 members of al-Aqsa Martyrs
Brigade, the military wing of Fatah movement.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 15:00, 5 Palestinians were traveling in a civilian car, black
Toyota, to the east of Jenin. When they
arrived at iron-made buildings in the area, they were surprised by the presence
of two civilian cars, approximately 50m away from them. Immediately, armed persons inside the two
cars opened fire at the 5 Palestinians, killing them instantly. The armed individuals held the body of one of
the victims, but delivered it to a Palestinian ambulance half an hour
later. The bodies of the five victims
were removed to a hospital in Jenin. The
victims were identified as:
1. ‘Aamer
Mohammed Saleh al-Qasrawi, 20, from Jenin;
2. Ayman
Mahmoud Saba’na, 22, from Qabatyra village;
3. Mohammed
Ahmed Khairallah Abu Samra, 25, from Qabatya village;
4. Eihab
Taleb Abu Ja’far, 26, from Jenin; and
5. Basel
Khaled al-Mahdi, 15, from Jenin.
On Friday morning, 5 March 2004, medical sources at
Shifa Hospital in Gaza city declared that Mo’taz Nafez Hussein al-Shurafi, 10,
from Jabalya, died from an injury he sustained on 28 February 2004.
According to PCHR’s documentation, the child was
injured by shrapnel throughout the body, when an Israeli helicopter gunship
launched a missile at a civilian car, in which 3 activists of the Islamic Jihad
were traveling, in Jabalya. The three
activists were killed and 11 civilian bystanders were injured, including the
aforementioned child.
Continued Construction of the “Separation
Wall”
Israeli occupying forces have continued construction
of the “Separation Wall” inside the West Bank. They confiscated more area of Palestinian
land and demolished more homes for this purpose.
On Thursday morning, 4 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces razed large areas of Palestinian land in Masha village, east of
Qalqilya. The area of this land was
estimated at 600 donums. The land is
located between the wall and the Green Line. Since the construction of the wall in the area was completed,
Palestinians have not been allowed access to the land unless they obtain
permits from the “Israeli Civil Administration.”
Since Wednesday, 3 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces have continued to impose a strict siege on al-Ramadin village, southwest
of Hebron. They have continued to survey
the area to build a large part of the wall there, which will isolate 4000
Palestinians behind the wall.
On Saturday morning, 6 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces razed approximately 15 donums of Palestinian agricultural land planted
with grapes and almonds in Beit Ummar village at Hebron-Bethlehem road, north
of Hebron. They will establish a
2-kilometer-long fence, extending from al-‘Arroub refugee camp to the south of
the village, claiming that the fence will protect Israeli vehicles traveling on
bypass road 60.
On Monday, 8 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces
used force against Palestinian civilians, Israeli peace activists and
international solidarity groups who demonstrated against the construction of
the wall near the villages of Beit Laqia and Beit Diqqu, southwest of
Ramallah. According to eyewitnesses,
Israeli occupying forces fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets and
tear gas canisters at the demonstrators, injuring dozens of them.
On Tuesday afternoon, 9 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces used force against Palestinian civilians who demonstrated against the
construction of the wall near al-Midia village, west of Ramallah. A number of demonstrators suffered from tear
gas inhalation.
Israeli occupying forces used excessive force against
Palestinian civilians who demonstrated against the construction of the wall in
Biddu village. Four Palestinian
civilians were killed and dozens of others were injured.
Continued Siege on the
OPT
Israeli occupying forces have continued
to impose severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
Israeli occupying forces have continued
to impose a tightened siege on the Gaza Strip, and imposed more restrictions on
movement at border crossing and military checkpoints. They have also maintained the closure of a
number of main and branch roads in the Gaza Strip by Israeli soldiers stationed
at Israeli military checkpoints. Such restrictions on freedom of movement
are in contravention of international human rights law to which Israel is a
state party, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights.
Israeli occupying forces positioned at
the Abu Houli and al-Matahen checkpoints on Salah al-Din Street, the main road
between the north and south of the Gaza Strip, continued to obstruct movement
of Palestinian civilians. The two checkpoints, which are open for a
maximum of a few hours each day, have become notorious for acts of humiliation
and harassment by Israeli soldiers.
On Friday morning, 5 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces closed the two checkpoints. They
held dozens of Palestinian vehicles in between and checked passengers.
At approximately 06:20 on Saturday, 6 March 2004,
Israeli occupying forces closed the two checkpoints and held and searched
dozens of Palestinian vehicles in between. The same happened on the same day afternoon.
At approximately 16:00 on Wednesday, 10 March 2004,
Israeli occupying forces closed the two checkpoints. They
held dozens of Palestinian vehicles in between and checked passengers. They arrested Waked Mos’ad Abu Samhadana, 32,
from Rafah.
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip. They have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians through Tal al-Sultan
checkpoint at the entrance to the area in Rafah and al-Tuffah checkpoint at the
entrance to the area in Khan Yunis.
Palestinians living in
al-Mawasi area, of which there are approximately 15,000, live under extremely
tight restrictions, which also apply to the entry of foodstuffs into the area
and access to schools and farms. It takes residents of the areas several
hours to cross Israeli military roadblocks and checkpoints. Palestinians
living outside the area are prohibited from entering. Israeli forces have
assigned numbers to residents of the area numbers to be added to their identity
cards and prevented without such numbers from entering the area. Women
from the area married to men living outside the area cannot visit their
families.
They have also continued to
impose a tightened siege on al-Sayafa area in the northern Gaza Strip. On 9 March 2004, they started to issue
magnetic cards to 262 Palestinian civilians living in the area and farmers
living outside the area. Moving from and
into the area will be through those magnetic cards.
The West Bank
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on Palestinian communities. They have also imposed severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians. They have blocked
a number of roads using cement blocks, sand barriers and trenches, and imposed
curfews on a number of villages.
Jerusalem
On Friday evening, Israeli occupying forces imposed a
tightened siege on al-Ram village, north of Jerusalem. They closed all entrances to the villages and
checked Palestinian civilians. This
week, Israeli occupying forces imposed more restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians at the entrances to Jerusalem. They erected more checkpoints and chased
Palestinian civilians on branch roads.
Ramallah
On Saturday morning, 6 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces closed all entrances to Ramallah and al-Bireh. They also erected 3 more checkpoints around
the two towns. On the same day
afternoon, Israeli occupying forces declared the area between Ramallah and
Jerusalem a closed military zone and closed Qalandya military checkpoint,
denying passage for thousands of Palestinian civilians. Also in the afternoon, Israeli soldiers
positioned at Bitounia village, south of Ramallah, forced 3 Palestinian
civilians from Beit Leqia village, west of Ramallah to take off their clothes,
and arrested two of them: Sa’id Saleh Mafarja, 38; and Khaled Husni ‘Aassi,
32.
Nablus
This week, Israeli occupying forces have continued to
impose restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians at the entrances
to the city. They closed a number of the
checkpoints erected around the city and denied movement of Palestinian
civilians. They also continued to
humiliate Palestinian civilians while traveling on the main roads.
Tulkarm
This week, Israeli occupying forces have continued to
impose restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They continued to humiliate Palestinian
civilians traveling through Israeli military checkpoints. On Sunday, 7 March 2004, they cut ID cards of
three Palestinian civilians, and detained 14-year-old Ibrahim Ahmed Sayef for
two hours.
Jenin
On Friday evening, 5 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces isolated the northern Jordan Valley from the rest of the West Bank. On the following day, they denied access of
Palestinian civilians to Jenin through its southern entrance.
Qalqilya
On Sunday, 9 March 2004, Israeli forces erected a
checkpoint at the entrance to the town and denied movement of Palestinian
civilians from and into the town. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers stopped and searched
Palestinian vehicles and checked the ID cards of passengers.
Salfit
Israeli occupying forces have imposed more
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They erected more checkpoints around the town
and closed the entrance to Kufol Hares village. Israeli forces also reinforced their presence on Trans-Samria road. On Thursday, 9 March 2004, they erected a
checkpoint on Brouqin-Salfit village. They checked Palestinian civilians and restricted their movement.
On Thursday morning, Israeli soldiers positioned at a
military checkpoint at the entrance to Brouqin village, southeast of Qalqilya,
arrested Hani ‘Abdul Hadi Hamza al-Dik, 24, a member of the Palestinian
National Security Force, from Kufor al-Dik village. On Sunday morning, 7 march 2004, Israeli
soldiers positioned at al-Kafriyat checkpoint, south of Tulkarm, arrested
Mo’ayad Nasarallah, 25, from Tulkarm refugee camp.
Israeli Settlement Activities and Attacks by Settlers
against Palestinian Civilians and Property
In addition to the construction of the
“Separation Wall”, this week, Israeli occupying forces carried out a
number of settlement activities in the West Bank.
On Thursday morning, 4 March 2004, a number Israeli
settlers seized a Palestinian house in al-Qazazin neighborhood in Hebron owned
by the al-Batash family. They remained
in the house for two hours, during which they damaged its contents.
On the same day, settlers organized patrols together
with Israeli soldiers in the old town of Hebron. They photographed Palestinian houses.
On Friday, 5 March 2004, a number of Israeli settlers
from “Kiryat Arba” settlement, east of Hebron, uprooted 150 trees owned by the
Da’na family along a settler road, which links between the settlement and the
Ibrahimi mosque in the old town of Hebron.
On Saturday morning, 6 March 2004, a number of armed
settlers from “Mtsvi Ya’ir” settlement to the south of Yatta village, south of
Hebron, razed about 110 donums of Palestinian agricultural land in Quyous
area. These areas of land belong to the
families of Abu Fannar, al-Debes and Tuhfa.
On Monday evening, 8 March 2004, 16-year-old Khaled
Mousa Hudaib, from the old town of Jerusalem, died from a previous injury he
sustained when an Israeli settler ran over him a week earlier, as he had just
left his school in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
On the same day, an Israeli settler severely beat
Mazian Tayseer Salhab, 21, from Hebron. She sustained serious bruises and injuries throughout the body. Israeli soldiers saw the attack, but did not
intervene to stop it.
*****
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.
3. Upon the international community to
investigate and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches perpetrated 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
