Israeli
Occupation Forces continue their attacks on the oPt
· 11 Palestinian civilians killed,
including 2 children
· 1 unsuccessful extra-judicial
execution attempt and 5 civilians killed as a result
· 13 civilian houses demolished in
Rafah
· 170 donums[1]
of agricultural land razed to the south of Gaza city
Introduction
The IOF continued their attacks against Palestinian
civilians and their property throughout the past week. This resulted in the death of 11
Palestinians, including 2 children and left a large number of Palestinian
civilians with critical injuries. These
attacks resulted in the razing of large scale areas of agricultural land and
demolition of civilian properties. Dozens of civilians were arrested while in their homes or at checkpoints
and border-gates. These attacks involved
incursions into Palestinian areas and random shelling from armoured vehicles
and military aircraft as well as the excessive use of lethal force and an
attempted extra-judicial execution. These attacks were accompanied by a continued siege imposed on the
oPt. Also this week 1500 Palestinian and
Arab prisoners initiated a hunger strike in Israeli prisons in order to improve
the conditions of their confinement, seeking the application of the UN
International Minimum Standards for the Treatment of Prisoners and the Fourth
Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilians in the Time of
War.
Israeli attacks caused the death of eight civilians
in the Gaza Strip, including one child who died from injuries received in the
recent past and two willful killings. On
August 16th , to the east of Jabalyah, IOF fired two missiles at two
Palestinian farmers. IOF claimed that
its helicopters fired at two members of the Palestinian resistance who were
trying to fire Qassam rockets into Israel. Preliminary investigations by PCHR did not support this claim as no
evidence was found of military equipment in the area where the bodies were
discovered. The civilians were killed
while collecting wood from the area. IOF
targeted Sheik Ahmed Ja’abari, a leader of the Hamas movement, however he was
only moderately injured by the attack while his brother, son, nephew,
son-in-law and one other friend were killed. Medical sources in Shi’fa Hospital, in Gaza City, indicated that on the
14th August a child from Rafah camp died from injuries he had
received during an IOF incursion on 9th of August 2004. IOF made 9 new incursions into various parts
of the Gaza Strip. The most extensive
was in al Muaqa quarter and in Zeitoun, in the south of Gaza City, on the 12
and 13th August which resulted in the razing of 170 donums of
agricultural land. In Block J, in Rafah
refugee camp, on the 12th of August, the IOF destroyed ten
residential buildings in which 23 families lived, a total of 126 people. 3 residential homes in al Brazil in Rafah
were demolished, in which 13 families lived, a total of 76 people. They destroyed the water wells and related
infrastructure. As well as this a number
of civilians were wounded as a result of random shelling into residential
areas.
In the West Bank IOF killed 3 Palestinian civilians,
including an 8 year old child. One of whom was killed by an excessive use of
force and the other two were victims of willful killing. Dozens of civilians were injured, particularly
in Nablus city and camp. On 14th
of August in occupied East Jerusalem the IOF killed a Palestinian and stated
that he stabbed an IOF soldier. However
eyewitness reports indicate that it would have been possible to arrest the
suspect and prosecute him. Another two
people were killed in Nablus one of whom was left, on the 15th of
August, to bleed to death and the second on the 16th of August was
killed while playing in front of his family home. IOF continued to make incursions across the
West Bank, except in Jerhico. As a
result they destroyed a home in Beit Foriq village, to the east of Nablus,
owned by the Hannanni family. Yusef
Hannanni was killed hours before his
home was demolished when he tried to enter Itamar settlement near Beit
Foriq. Dozens of civilians were arrested
when IOF entered and searched their homes.
Israeli settlers who are living inside the oPt, in
contravention of International Humanitarian Law, continued their systematic
violations against Palestinian civilians and their properties. This was accompanied by the issuing of a
tender by the Israeli government for the building of 1001 residential units in
illegal Israeli settlements across the West Bank.
The accelerated construction of the Annexation Wall
continued inside the West Bank as IOF razed more lands to the east and north of
Jerusalem which included the lands of al Izaria, Anata, al Ram, Jaba’, Qalandia
and in the industrial zone known as “Atrot”. Engineering teams also began the process of measuring land which is inside
the proposed route for the construction of the wall to the south of Tulkarm
city and in Qalqilia municipality, in the northern part of the West Bank.
IOF continued the strict siege on the oPt, including
occupied East Jerusalem and increasingly restricted the movement of Palestinian
civilians.
In the Gaza Strip the IOF continued its systematic
violation of the right to freedom of movement with partial closures of all the
border crossings with Israel and with Egypt. Despite the reopening of the Rafah International Terminal on the border
with Egypt Palestinian civilians have continued to suffer from the limited
opening hours imposed by IOF, which represents the only gateway from Gaza to
the outside world. It is worth noting
that since 18th April IOF have continued to prevent civilians between the ages
of 16-35 from traveling through this
gateway. IOF has increased the extent of
violations against the right to freedom of movement, particularly at Abu Houli
and al Matahen checkpoints, which divide the Gaza Strip, in two parts, on Salah
al Din street which connects the north to the south of the Gaza Strip.
In the west Bank the IOF have still restricted the
movement of Palestinian civilians through establishing dozens of fixed
checkpoints at the entrances to a number of cities and dozens of random
checkpoints on main roads between municipalities. Throughout the week IOF have increased
fortification at Beit Iba and Howara checkpoints. The security procedures and fortification
are now the same as those at the Erez checkpoint in the north of the Gaza
Strip.
For more details about the violations read the
following report which covers the period from 12th of August to 18th
August.
Shelling of, and Encroachment into Palestinian areas and attacks on
Palestinian Civilians and Property.
Thursday 12th August
2004
At 0100, IOF made an incursion, supported by armoured
vehicles, including three bulldozers, a few hundred meters into Mograqa
quarter, near Netzarim settlement, to the south of Gaza City. These forces started razing Palestinian land
until later that afternoon. Approximately 100 donums of land was razed during
the incursion, mostly planted with citrus tees, olives and dates which was
owned by the civilian families Alzahar, Abu Kumail and Ashor families. Besides destroying irrigation pumps and five
wells the destruction also effected the utilities, particularly phone and
electricity lines. The IOF also destroyed 10 residential properties in Rafah
camp and to the south of Rafah city. The operation took place in Block J, near
the Egyptian border. A ten year old
child was injured and a civilian arrested after the destruction of his home.
According to PCHR preliminary investigations at
approximately 0600 IOF, in large numbers, supported by heavy military vehicles
and by helicopter gun-ships moved more
then three hundred meters into Block J in Rafah Refugee Camp. The IOF occupied a house belonging to Azmi
al Jamal and turned it into a military post. They detained the occupants in one of the rooms. A group of IOF located themselves on the roof
and opened fire at any people in the area. Under the cover of random shelling and automatic weapons from vehicles
and helicopter gun-ships the IOF began to destroy property in the camp without
providing an opportunity for people to leave their homes and remove their
property. This operation lasted until
12.00. They destroyed ten houses
completely and one house partially. In
addition to this they destroyed a carpentry workshop and caused severe damage
to the camp infrastructure. The
demolished homes were owned by al Zatma, Abu Haneen, Awaja, Aiyash and Natat
families. The homes were occupied by 23
families, a total of 126 people. One of
these houses was owned by Tariq Abu Hasanin, a member of the Palestinian resistance,
who had been killed by IOF in an armed operation about two years ago in
Rafehyiham settlement. The IOF then
arrested a Palestinian civilian Nasser Mohammad Mustapha Awaja, 20, after destroying his home. The random
shooting, which accompanied the withdrawal of IOF at 12.00, resulted in an
injury to Khalil Ahmed Almodalal, 10 years old, caused by a bullet to the
stomach. He was taken to al Najer
hospital in Rafah where his condition was described as serious, but not
critical.
At approximately 10.00 the IOF made an incursion,
supported by 10 armoured jeeps, into Balata Refugee camp east of Nablus.
Palestinian civilians were subjected to a self-imposed curfew. The Israeli forces focused their activities on
the centre of the camp and on the main roads in and around the camp. Some children and young men congregated and
began to throw stones at the IOF. IOF
opened fire against the demonstrators which resulted in injuries to ten, most of whom were children. They were taken to hospital in Nablus for
treatment where their injuries were described as stable. The wounded are:
(1) Ahmed
Faisal Hamad Haj Hamad, 14, wounded by a bullet in the left leg.
(2) 2.
Mohamad Taiseer Mohamed Qatawy, 214, wounded by a bullet in the right hand.
(3) Karim
Jamal Abu Thabit, 26, wounded by a bullet in the chest.
(4) 4
Abdulrahman Shaker Mohammed alwzir, 14, wouned by a bullet int the head
(5) Abdulsalam
Saber Abdulsalam Abu Rezeq, 17, wounded by a bullet in the right hand
(6) Ahmed
hassan Ali Khalil, 18, wounded by splinters in his body
(7) Hisham
Hakam Abdulwahab Mohammed, 14, wounded by shrapnel in his his lower lip
(8) Amer
Abdulfatah Yiousef Alshami, 15, wounded by a bullet in the right thigh.
(9) Mohamed
Mosutapha Isama’il AlShaily, 14 wounded in the buttocks.
At approximately 16.00 IOF entered the south of
Hebron, supported by six jeeps and a truck. The force surrounded the main
offices of the Islamic Charitable Association, in First Howuoz area. They then destroyed the doors and entered the
premises. They searched and damaged property and files and furniture. The Islamic Charitable Association informed
the PCHR fieldworker that the IOF took about five computers, a printer, some
fax machines, some files and documents and some furniture from the office. Before their withdrawal, at approximately 19.00,
the IOF welded the entrance shut. They
placed a copy of military orders issued by the Middle Area Command of the IOF
instructing the Association to close down its operations until 23/03/05. It is worth noting that the IOF issued
another military order on the 20th of April 2003 instructing the
Association to close.
At approximately 18.40 the IOF located on the border
with Egypt, to the south of Rafah, shelled Palestinian residential areas in
Rafah. This resulted in a child being
wounded: Mahamoud Mousa Zorob, 17, with
a bullet in his right leg. PCHR
fieldworkers states that the child was injured while standing in Sayamat area,
about 1200m from the border. He was
taken to Najar hospital where his condition was declared as being stable.
At approximately 19.50 IOF, located in the military
camp to the north of Toofah checkpoint near Neve Dekalim settlement to the west
of Khan Yunis, fired with machine guns at Palestinian civilian property in the
Khan Yunis refugee camp. The attack
resulted in injuries to the civilian Aiman Yusef al Araj, 27, caused by shrapnel in his left
leg. He was taken to Nasser hospital in
Khan Yunis where his condition was declared as being stable.
In the evening IOF entered, supported by military
vehicles about 200 m inside the area of Johor al Diq to the south of Gaza City
and began to destroy buildings ownded by the Adia and Abu Aiad families
During the day IOF entered into Dooha village and
Rashaida in the Bethlehem municipality and Beit Marsam village in Hebron. They made further incursions into Nablus and
Tulkarm. They entered some civilian
properties and searched them. They
damaged property and arrested six Palestinian civilians who they claim are
members of the Palestinian resistance. They took them to an unspecified location.
Friday 13th August 2004
At approximately 03.00 the IOF entered, supported by
heavy military vehicles and three bulldozers, a few hundred meters into Zeitoun
neighbourhood in the south-east of Gaza City. They entered a number of residential properties, occupying them and
converting them into military posts. They then proceeded to engage in random firing in the area. They placed the civilians in each building in
one room. Under the cover of random
shooting from automatic machine guns the IOF began to raze agricultural land to
the east of the car shop in the area. The random shelling caused injuries to two Palestinian civilians who
were sent to Shi’fa hospital, where their condition was defined as stable. The injured parties are:
1. Fares
Mohammed Said Rayan, 24, injured by a bullet in his back.
2. Khader
Nahed Joha, 21, injured by a bullet in his chest.
The PCHR fieldworker stated that the IOF razed about
700 donums of agricultural land during the incursion, most of this land was
planted with citrus trees and olives owned by Sahiyon, Shoheber, Sa’ad, al
Wohedi and al Brasil families.
At approximately 14.00 the IOF entered Aida refugee
camp, to the north of Bethlehem city, under the cover of random firing against
civilians, passers-by and their property. It resulted in two civilian injuries:
1. Monjid
Saleh Abu Akar, 8, injured by a live bullet in his hand
2. Ahmed
Yusef Abu Jadoe, 17, injured by a bullet to the chest
At approximately 17.00 the IOF entered Balata refugee
camp, supported by 5 military jeeps. A
group of young men and some children congregated and began to throw stones at
the IOF who immediately opened fire at them. This resulted in two injuries for two of the stone throwers and one
passer-by. They were taken by the
Palestinian Red Crescent Ambulance to Rafilia public hospital, in Nablus, for
treatment. Their condition was declared
by medical staff at the hospital to be stable. The injured parties are:
1. Mohammad
Khalil Hassan al Khatib, 10, injured by a bullet in the left hand.
2. Nazim Saba’ Nazim Ja’ara, 53, injured by a
bullet in his back.
3. Ibrahim
Mahmoud Ali Abu Trabi, 17, injured by a bullet in his left foot.
At approximately 19.00 IOF, entered Beit Foriq
village to the east of Nablus, supported by 5 military jeeps. They planned to destroy the home of Yusef
Hannani and his family. The began firing
at residential buildings, which resulted in injuries to Nassim Mara’i Abdul
Khadir Hannani, 18, injured by a bullet in his left thigh. He was taken to hospital by the PRC ambulance
to Rafidia Public Hospital in Nablus for treatment. His condition was declared
to be stable.
At approximately 21.00 IOF entered Yata village south
of Hebron under cover of random shooting against residential areas and
passers-by. One child was injured as a
result of this, Mohammad Ahmed Abu Samra, 12, injured by a bullet in his
head. His condition was defined as
stable.
At approximately 23.00 IOF also entered Tulkarm
refugee camp to the east of Tulkarm town. Some children congregated and threw stones at the soldiers. Immediately the Israeli forces began to fire
at them causing injuries to three children from the crowd of
demonstrators. The injured were taken to
Dr Thabit Thabit Public Hospital in Tulkarm city. Their condition was declared as stable. The injured parties are:
1. Ibrahim
Kamal Hussein Jarban, 11, injured by a bullet in the back.
2. Mohanad
Mohammad Ahmed al Zagla, 17, injured by a bullet in the stomach.
3. Mo’assim
Sameer Ali Amara, 11, injured by a bullet in his chest.
During the day the IOF, supported by military
vehicles, entered al Khader village and Beit Sahour in Bethlehem
municipality. IOF entered a number of
residential buildings and searched them and damaged property. They arrested two civilians who were wanted
by IOF. They took them to unspecified
locations.
Saturday 14th August 2004
At approximately 01.30 Israeli helicopter gun-ships
operating above Rafah fired two missiles at Brazil quarter and Jinena quarter,
near the Egyptian border. The missiles
damaged an electricity pylon which caused an electricity blackout in most of
Rafah. The second missile landed between
two buildings but did not result in any injuries.
At approximately 03.10 the IOF, located at the
military camp near Tel al-Sultan quarter to the south west of Rafah, opened
fire with automatic machine guns. This
resulted in one injury, the Palestinian civilian Ahmed Salah al Din Yunis, 19,
who wass injured by a bullet in his left shoulder. At the time of the attack he was in his
home. He was taken to al Najer hospital
where his condition was defined as stable.
At approximately 1500 IOF, consisting of two jeeps,
entered Beit Fouriq village to the east of Nablus under the cover of random
shelling into residential areas. A
number of children congregated at the centre of the village and threw stones
towards the jeeps, which were on patrol. Immediately the soldiers began to fire at the demonstrators resulting in
two injuries:
1. Abdul Fatah Ahmed Abdul Fatah Nasasra, 10, injured
by a bullet to his chest.
2. Saleh Salam Saleh Abu Heet, 16, injured by a
bullet in his right hand.
At approximately 17.00 eight IOF jeeps entered Nablus
and Balata refugee camps. The soldiers
entered under the cover of random shelling against residential buildings. A number of children and young men
congregated and began to throw stones at the soldiers. Immediately the soldiers
opened fire at them causing six injuries:
1. Ahmed
Safi Ahmed Qadah, 20, from Nablus, injured by a bullet to his right leg.
2. Hamdi
Iyad Mohammad Azirba, 15, from Nablus, injured by a bullet in his right hand.
3. Ahmed
Talab Naif Thokan, 17, from Balata camp, injured by a bullet in his head.
4. Ali
Awad Mustapha Marahil, 19 from Balata camp, injured by a bullet in his left
hand.
5. Mohammad
Ahmed Hassan Hashash, 17, from Balata camp, injured by a bullet in his head.
6. Ahmed
Dawoud Namir Nasser, 21, from Balata camp, injured by a bullet in his right
hand.
At approximately 23.15 the IOF located by the border
with Egypt south of Rafah, opened fire with machine guns against civilian
buildings in al Jenena quarter. It resulted in one injury to Walida Mohammad
Sha’ir, 24, with a bullet in her left knee. The PCHR fieldworker stated that
the civilian was injured while in her home, located about 900m from the border. She was taken to al Najer hospital and her
condition was defined as stable.
At approximately 23.35 medical sources in Shi’fa
hospital, in Gaza City, announced the death of a child from Rafah camp who had
been injured by IOF during an incursion into Rafah on 9th August
2004. According to PCHR’s preliminary
investigations at that time: at about 06.00 on that Monday a large number of
IOF, supported by heavy military vehicles and helicopter gun-ships made an
incursion about 300m into Block J, near to the Egyptian border to the south of
Rafah. The IOF entered two homes owned
by al Safarandi and Hassuna families. They detained the families in one room and then transformed the house
into a military post and used it to fire at any passers-by in the area. Under
the cover of random shelling from military vehicles and helicopters the forces
started to demolish houses in the camp. The incursion lasted until 18.00. As a result of the random shooting two Palestinian civilians were
injured, one of whom was a child, called Saif Suliman Barhoum, 13, injured by a
bullet in his head. He was sitting on
the roof of his home at the time, which is located about 300m from the
border. The child was taken to al Najer
hospital where his situation was declared as critical. As a result of the critical nature of his
condition he was taken to Shi’fa hospital in Gaza City. He was placed in the Intensive Care Unit in
Shi’fa and remained there until he died.
During the day, Israeli forces, supported by military
vehicles, entered Yata village and Hebron city. They entered a large number of residential buildings and began to search
them. They left the houses in disarray and arrested eight civilians who were
wanted, three of them are brothers. They
took them to unspecified locations.
Sunday 15th August 2004
At approximately 02.00 IOF helicopter gun-ships
flying over Rafah city fired three missiles in the direction of al Brazil and
al Salam quarters, both of which are in close proximity to the Egyptian
border. Two of the missiles landed near
homes which had been destroyed by previous IOF incursions in Brazil
quarter. The third landed in al Salam
quarter and did not cause any injuries or damage to property. PCHR fieldworker said that the IOF have
increased the number of troops and military vehicles they are using in
comparison to previous incursions and this has been coupled with an increase in
the use of missile attacks even when there is no ongoing military incursion. A
number of Palestinian civilians, particularly women and children, were reported
to be suffering from shock and fear.
At approximately 05.00 the IOF located at the Neve
Dekalim settlement, to the west of Khan Yunis city, fired from machine guns
against civilian properties in Namsawi quarter in Khan Yunis camp, to the north
east of the settlement . They also used
flares – one of which fell on the roof of the home of a Palestinian civilian
Omar Mahmoud Qanan, 58, and caused a fire in his living room. He was injured by
shrapnel and some burns to his legs. The
PCHR fieldworker observed that the home contained one floor made with
asbestos. The house is located about
600m from the settlement. The injured
party was sent to Nasser hospital was his condition was defined as stable.
In an example of the use of excessive force the IOF
killed a Palestinian civilian in occupied East Jerusalem in the morning. The IOF claimed that he stabbed a soldier in
the neck at an IOF checkpoint. The
soldier turned to the Palestinian and opened fire at him, resulting in his
death. The Israeli Police also mentioned
that he may be suffering from a mental disability. Eyewitnesses reported that the killing was
unjustified as it would have been possible to arrest the man and prosecute him.
According to PCHR’s preliminary investigations; at
approximately 09.00 the man Jamal Malik Bashir Abu Iysa, 40, from Shofat in the
northern suburb of East Jerusalem, entered Selsela Gate in the old city and
moved towards al Musarara area. A
soldier from IOF opened fire in his direction, he was hit by a number of
bullets and he died immediately. The IOF
took the dead body to the Legal Medical College of Abu Khabir. His body
remained there. Following this attack
the Israeli police stated that the man died as a result of stabbing the soldier
who subsequently killed him. Eyewitness
reports stated that there was a large group of soldiers who would have been
capable of overpowering the man and arresting him.
At approximately 11.00 IOF, supported by heavy
military vehicles, made an incursion 250m inside AbuSha’ar quarter in Wadi
Selga, to the north of Kussafim settlement road, to the south-east of Deir al
Balah. These forces surrounded the
quarter and located themselves on the main roads. They used megaphones to instruct men between
the ages of 16-50 to leave their homes. The men were detained in a field under
the heat of the sun while their identity cards were checked. They withdrew from the area at 14.00 without
making any arrests.
At approximately 14.00 IOF entered Nablus city and
camps, supported by military vehicles and under the cover of random shelling
against residential areas and passers-by. A number of children and young men gathered and began to throw stones
towards the IOF. Immediately the IOF
began to fire at them. As a result three
people were injured, one of whom was a passer-by. The injured are:
1. Zahir
Riad Abdul Fatah Zamily, 26, from Balata camp, injured by a bullet to the head.
2. Mohammad
Hassan Hussein Fayumi, 17, from Nablus, injured by a bullet to the head.
3. Borkan
Salah Said Atilli, 33,from Balata camp, also injured by a bullet to the head.
At approximately 17.00 IOF, located on the Israeli
border by Khan Yunis, opened fire, using automatic weapons, towards
agricultural lands and residential buildings in Abassan and Qarara areas to the
west of the border. As a result one
civilian Ahmed Abu Jamya’, 35, was injured by a bullet in his right hand. PCHR’s fieldworker stated that Jamya’ was
injured when working on his land, situated about six hundred meters from the
border. The injured party was taken to
Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis and medical sources stated that his condition was
stable.
During the day the IOF supported by military vehicles
entered Qafar Ayin village to the north-west of Ramallah and Betounia village
to the south of Ramallah. IOF entered a
number of homes and searched them leaving the homes in a state of
disarray. They arrested two civilians
who were wanted by the IOF. They were
both taken to unspecified locations.
Monday 16th August 2004
Early in the morning of Monday 16th August 2004, IOF
killed two Palestinian civilians, east of Jabalyah town, in the north of the
Gaza Strip. The two Palestinians were killed when Israeli helicopters
launched four missiles at an
agricultural field. IOF claimed that its forces targeted a cell from a Palestinian
resistance group who were trying to launch Qassam rockets at Israel.
Preliminary investigations by PCHR indicate that the
two victims were killed by shrapnel from a rocket and rounds of live
ammunition. The attack took place when the two men were collecting wood in area
which had been destroyed by an earlier IOF incursion.
Eyewitness reports and investigations by PCHR
fieldworkers suggest that at approximately 01.15, Israeli helicopter gun-ships
fired four guided missiles at an agricultural field, close to the premises of
al Mutawsat Concrete mixing company, in the eastern part of Jabalyah. These missiles were followed by random shelling from the helicopter
gun-ships, targeting the same area. At approximately 06.30 Palestinian farmers found the bodies of the
two deceased. Ambulance crews went to
the area and evacuated the bodies to Kamal Edwan hospital. Later on, the two
deceased were identified as:
1. Mohamed Sulieman Abu Hashish, 21 years old, from
Beit Hanoun, wounded by live ammunition
in different parts of his body.
2. Musa Mansur Abu Mashy, 22 years old, from
Jabalyah, wounded by bullets and shrapnel in different parts of his body.
Israeli media later reported, quoting Israeli
security sources, that Israeli helicopters had launched guided missiles at a
Palestinian cell trying to fire Qassam rockets at Israel. The sources claimed that the helicopters also
targeted a launching pad for the Qassam rockets.
At approximately 10.00 IOF made an incursion of about
300 meters into al Brazil quarter in Rafah. The operation was accompanied by random shelling by tanks, armoured
vehicles and helicopters. The operation
last from until 06.00 the next day. During it the IOF entered three residential buildings and planted
dynamite and used remote devices to explode them which resulted in the complete
destruction of the buildings. The demolished homes are owned by civilians from
Aziz, al Jafari and al Bashity families. 13 families lived in them, a total of 76 people. It should be noted that IOF have demolished
hundreds of buildings along this border with Egypt claiming they were looking
for weapons smuggling tunnels. It
appears, however, that they are trying to widen the isolation area between the
border and civilian properties.
At approximately 12.15 the IOF located in the
military camp near Tel al Sultan quarter, to the south west of Rafah, opened
fire with automatic weapons. As a result
a child Adelhamid Hassan Abu al Sa’id, 15, was injured by a bullet to his right
thigh while in front of his home. He was
taken directly to al Najer hospital in Rafah where his situation was described
as stable.
PCHR investigations were unable to produce evidence
of military equipment or weapons in the area where the two men were killed,
which suggests that they were civilians not engaged in military operations.
In the afternoon, in another act of willful killing,
the IOF, the IOF killed a civilian from Nablus when they left him to bleed to
death. The IOF admitted the killing but
claimed that they were about to destroy a building owned by Nadir Aswad when
they saw the victim looking from a window. Believing him to be a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the
military wing of the Fatah movement, they shot him with one bullet – the IOF
claimed that he was killed instantly.
According to PCHR’s preliminary investigations and
eyewitness reports, early on in the day the IOF entered Nablus city and camps,
supported by military vehicles. They
instructed people not to leave their homes in some of the areas. The IOF occupied some buildings and took over
the roof tops, using them as military posts and used their positions to fire on
anybody moving in the area. At
approximately 14.00 a Palestinian civilian Zahir Sameer al Adham, 29, was
standing on his roof, in the area of Ras al Ayn. The IOF located on a rooftop
about 100m from him, in Darduoq building, opened fire at him without warning.
As a result he was injured by a bullet in the right side of his stomach. A number of medical staff from an ambulance
went to the building and were able to get him down to the street. An ambulance then moved towards him to take
him to the hospital for treatment but the IOF prevented it from gaining access
to the injured man. This stand-off
lasted for thirty minutes and at approximately 14.30 he died.
Over the course of the day, dozens of Palestinians
congregated and began to throw stones at the IOF. Immediately the IOF began to open fire in
their direction and as a result there ten people injured. They were taken to Rafidia Public Hospital,
to the Women’s Union and to Nablus Specialist Hospital for treatment. Two of
the injured were described as critical.
The injured parties were named as:
1. Ali Yusef Ma’rouf, 20, injured by a
bullet in his stomach and described as being in a critical condition.
2. Jihad Rafiq Amer, 21, injured by two
bullets in the stomach and right thigh, also described as being in a critical
condition.
3. Majdi Housni Mohammad, 18, injured by a
bullet in his right hand.
4. Adli Ali Hajjawi, 17, injured by a
bullet to the left thigh.
5. Hadi al Sarkaji, 15, injured by a
bullet to the right thigh.
6. Sameh al Rimawi, 15, injured by
shrapnel in the right thigh.
7. Issam Mazen Hallawa, 20, injured by a
bullet in his right thigh.
8. Mohammad Na’if Abdel Hajj Dawoud, 20,
injured by a bullet to the right thigh.
9. Ahmed Adil Mohammad AbuSalim, 19,
injured by a shrapnel in his neck.
10. Yusef
Minazal Badawi, 21, injured by a bullet in his left leg.
At approximately 18.00 IOF, supported by military
vehicles, entered 100 meters into the eastern area of Beit Hanoun, in the north
of the Gaza Strip. They destroyed al
Qilta’ well, owned by a Palestinian Co-operative society. They also destroyed a building of eighty
square meters which is also owned by the Co-op. This well was used to water a large area of agricultural land. After two
hours the IOF moved the incursion towards the north east of the village and
destroyed another well and a 220 square meter building attached to it which was
owned by Mukbil Yusef Shorab. It is
worth noting that this area has already been razed extensively in previous
incursions and includes hundreds of agricultural donums which were demolished
in the recent incursion into Beit Hanoun. At the same time the IOF located inside the border with Egypt used
machine guns against the densely populated al Brazil quarter. This resulted in a civilian, Nidal Abdullah
Abu Armana, 18, being injured by shrapnel in his left shoulder. He was taken to al Najer hospital where
medical sources stated his condition was stable.
At approximately 20.45 IOF located by Neve Dekalim
settlement to the West of Khan Yunis opened fire with automatic weapons against
civilian properties in Khan Yunis camp and Namsoui quarter to the east and the
north of the settlement. As a result one
civilian was injured, Ahmed Hamid Al Sinwar, 19, was wounded by shrapnel from a
bullet in his right leg. He was taken to
Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis and medical sources described his situation as
stable.
During the day IOF, supported by military vehicles,
entered Zababada village to the south-east of Jenin and also Silwad village to
the north-east of Ramallah and Beit Omar and Doura villages in Hebron
municipality. These forces entered
civilian properties and searched them, leaving the properties in disarray, they
arrested ten civilians who were wanted by IOF. They took them to an unspecified location.
Tuesday 17th August 2004
At approximately 02.00 the IOF entered, from the Erez
Checkpoint in the north of the Gaza Strip, into the west of Beit Hanoun via
Sultan street, supported by heavy military vehicles. Soldiers instructed residents to leave their
homes, before entering, while detaining them in an empty area nearby. For about six hours the soldiers searched the
houses using dogs. They then began to
dig under and around some of the houses claiming that they were looking for
tunnels.
At approximately 11.00 dozens of Palestinian youths
and children began to gather in Nablus city to demonstrate against the
continuous operations by IOF. The
demonstrators threw stones at the IOF who immediately opened fire on them. Consequently eight demonstrators were
injured, most of whom were children, who were then taken to the city
hospitals. Two of them were described as
being in a critical condition. The
injured parties are:
1. Islam Subhi Gandour, 16, injured with a
bullet to the back whose condition was defined as critical.
2. Shehab Ahmed Fowad Al Najar, 17,
injured by a bullet in his stomach also described as being in a critical
condition.
3. Ahmed Fayez Mohammad Zoaitir,18, injured
by two bullets in his right hand and right leg.
4. Qais Abdelrahman Ahmed Mousa, 17,
injured by a bullet in his right leg.
5. Ahmed Jemal Abdelrahim Mabrouka, 16,
injured by a bullet to the head.
6. Alaa Hilal Mohammad Badran, 15, injured
by a bullet in his right knee.
7. Salam Amira, 14, injured by a bullet in
his right leg.
8. Mohammad
Munir Fatair, 13, injured by a bullet in his left thigh.
In another act of intentional killing IOF, during the
evening, killed an eight year old Palestinian child. The child was killed having received serious
injurious from a bullet in his chest. The IOF shot at him while he was playing in front of his family home in
Hosh al Jitan in the old town of Nablus.
According to preliminary investigations by PCHR and
eyewitness reports, at approximately 16.15 the child Khalid Jamal al Asta was
playing near his home in the area, when shooting was heard to come from Ras al
Ayin area in the old town. The child was
heard to shout and he fell down. When
his mother heard him shouting she quickly went to him and saw him bleeding from
the chest. She carried him and put him
in an ambulance of the Palestinian Red Crescent which was near-by. The child was taken to the Ara’bi-Ingliizi
Hospital in the town. However he was
dead on arrival. An autopsy indicated
that he had a bullet in his chest. The
eyewitness told the PCHR fieldworker that the area was in a state of complete
quiet at the time of the attack.
At approximately 17.00 IOF located around Tel
al-Sultan quarter, in Rafah, opened fire with machine guns. As a result the Palestinian civilian Mohammad
Tala’t al Tartouri was injured by a bullet in his right arm. The injured party was sent to al Najer
hospital and medical sources defined him as being in a stable condition.
During the day, the IOF, supported by military
vehicles, entered Juyos village in Qalqilia municipality, Kherbit al Musbah and Beit Legia villages in Ramallah
municipality, Deisha camp south of Bethleham. A large number of these forces entered into a number of civilian homes
and searched them and left them in disarray. They arrested six civilians who were wanted by IOF. They were taken to an unspecified location.
Wednesday 18th August 2004
At approximately 00.30, IOF foot-soldiers entered
about 300m into Qezan al Najar area to the north of Moraj settlement, south of
Khan Yunis city. The IOF entered the
home of Juma Hamdan al Shaer and placed the residents in one room of the
house. Three families lived in the
house, a total of 25 people were placed in this one room. They searched the house and left it in
disarray. After they withdrew they
arrested the son of the aforementioned civilian, Jihad al Shaer, 35.
At approximately 12.00 IOF made an incursion,
supported by military vehicles, into al Fariah refugee camp to the south-east
of Jenin. They began to close all of the
entrances to the camp and established military checkpoints while other
foot-soldiers moved around the narrow streets of the camp, entering from all
directions under the cover of random shooting towards residential areas. Dozens of children and youths congregated and
threw stones at IOF which immediately opened fired at them. As a result two of them were injured and were
taken to the Dr. Khlail Suliman Public Hospital in Jenin. Medical sources described one of them as
being in a critical condition and the other as stable:
1. Yusef
Mohammad Sarhaan, 21, injured by a bullet in the chest and was described as
being in a critical condition.
2. Jalal
Mohammad Subah, 17, injured by a bullet in his left leg.
Later on the IOF supported by heavy military vehicles
entered Deisha camp to the south of Bethleham and also Qalqilia and Nablus
cities and Marda village to the south of Nablus. IOF raided a number of buildings and searched
them and left the homes in a state of disarray. They arrested seven civilians
who they said were wanted, including one woman. They were taken to an unspecified location.
At approximately 11.40 IOF located inside the
Egyptian-Gaza border opened fire towards residential areas in Block J in
Rafah. This resulted in an injuries to a
child, Annas Yusef Abu Taqia, 7, in his right shoulder who was taken to al
Najer hospital where his condition was described as a stable.
At approximately 15.30 IOF who are located in
military posts to the north of Toofah checkpoint and around Neve Dekalim
settlement, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire towards residential areas in Khan
Yunis. After two hours a helicopter
began operating overhead and opened fire from machine guns towards a graveyard
in Namsoui quarter. This resulted in the
injury of three people, one of them a child, who were taken to Naser hospital
in Khan Yunis where their conditions were described as stable:
1. Mohammad
Ali Abu Khrais, 16, injured by a bullet in his right arm.
2. Hamada
Suliman Awad, 11, injured by shrapnel in his arms.
3. Mustapha
Mohammad al Masri, 35, injured by a bullet in his left arm.
IOF, later that evening, attacked two civil
institutions in Gaza City within a short space of time. The missile attack caused massive structural damage
to the buildings. According to
preliminary investigations by PCHR, at approximately 22.00 the IOF helicopters
attacked the al Raiashi battery shop which is located in Zeitoun quarter in the
south east of Gaza City. The two rockets targeted the shop directly. The attack destroyed all of its
contents. The shop is located on the
first floor of a residential building consisting of three floors. The shop is owned by Amil Saleh Mustapha
Riasi, a brother of Riam al Riasi, who detonated a suicide bomb in the Erez
checkpoint on the 14th of January 2004. The building was partially damaged by the
explosion, although nobody was injured. The same building was attacked on the 13th of July. After a few minutes the helicopters attacked
with another two missiles towards a metal workshop in Asqula in the east of
Gaza which is owned by civilians Ziad Mohammad Ibrahim Hasuna. The two rockets hit the target directly and
caused massive structural damage to the workshop, which is about 300 sq
meters. One of these missiles hit the
wall of a nearby workshop causing partial destruction. This workshop is owned
by Said Mohammad Khalil Islaih and is a panel-beater’s workshop. It is about 270 square meters. It should be noted that the workshop of
Hasuna was attacked in this fashion on the 14th July.
Extra-Judicial Executions
IOF military forces carried out an unsuccessful
assassination attempt at 00.00 targeting Ahmed al Ja’bari, a leader of the
Hamas movement. The attack resulted in
the death of five Palestinian civilians, including his son, his brother, his
nephew, his son-in-law and a friend. He
sustained moderate injuries in the attack. Three other civilians were injured, including a child and another
brother of the target who is condition is defined as serious. This attack
illustrates the further escalation in violence and further violations of human
rights committed by IOF. This policy of
extra-judicial execution is a state-sanctioned policy authorized by the highest
level of the Israeli occupation authorities.
According to PCHR’s preliminary investigations and
eyewitness reports, at approximately 00.00 on Wednesday 18th of
August 2004, a large explosion occurred in the Diwan, a traditional
indoor recreational area near the home where family and friends gather, located
in the densely populated Shejiyia neighbourhood in the east of Gaza City. The Diwan is owned by Sheik Ahmed al
Ja’abari, 38, a prominent Hamas figure who was present with a number of his
relatives and friends. The explosion
resulted in the death of five people who were named as:
1. Fathy Said al-Ja’abari, 41,brother of the target.
2. Mohammad Ahmed al-Ja’abari, 21, son of the target.
3. Borhan al Ja’abari, 19, a nephew of the target.
4.Salah Abdelkarim al Haiya, 21, son-in-law of the
target
5. Alaa Ali Sharif, 26.
Israeli military sources claimed responsibility for
the attack in a statement to the Israeli media. IOF stated that their military aircraft attacked the home of a prominent
Hamas leader.
Collective Punishment against Families of Wanted
Palestinians and Those Who Have Carried out Armed Attacks against Israeli
Targets
In violation of international humanitarian law, in
particular the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons
in Time of War of 1949, article 33 of which prohibits punishing any protected
person for “an offence he or she has not personally committed,” Israeli forces
took retaliatory measures against the families of Palestinians Israel alleges have ordered,
facilitated, or carried out attacks against Israeli targets.
In this context IOF, on Friday evening the 13th
of August 2004, destroyed the home of Yusef Ahmed Hassan Hannani, from Beit
Foriq village to the east of Nablus. According to PCHR preliminary investigations at approximately 19.00 IOF,
consisting of five jeeps, entered Beit Foriq under cover from random shooting
against residential areas. The incursion began with shelling and firing into
these areas. The IOF surrounded his
family home and ordered the residents to leave without giving them the chance
to remove their property. A number of
soldiers started to put explosive devices in the corners of the house and at
approximately20.30 they used remote devices to detonate the explosives. The explosion completely destroyed the home
and all of its contents. The house
consisted of three floors over a space of 140 sq meters. There were three families living there,
consisting of ten people, including four children. Yusef Hannani was killed at the age of 29, at
approximately 09.00, on the same morning, when he tried to make an incursion
into Itamar settlement, south west of Beit Foriq.
Continued Siege on the oPt
This week, Israeli occupying forces have
continued to impose a tightened siege on the oPt and imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including Jerusalem.
The Gaza Strip
The IOF continued to systematically violate the human
rights of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by prohibiting and
restricting their right to freedom of movement. They have imposed a continuous siege on the Gaza Strip, partially
closing all of the borders in and out of Gaza which link Gaza to the outside
world. They have imposed severe
restrictions on the free movement of Palestinian civilians and their goods by
dividing the Gaza strip at various internal checkpoints. They partially reopened Rafah International
Terminal, on the border with Gaza and Egypt, which is the only access point
from Gaza to the outside world. Those
people wishing to travel through the terminal suffered greatly as a result of
the limited opening times imposed by IOF. This caused a backlog of travelers waiting to travel through. IOF also imposed closures at the internal
checkpoints inside the Gaza strip, particularly al-Matahan and Abu Houli
checkpoints on Salah al Din road, the main road from the north to south of the
Gaza Strip. IOF imposed a closure at
these checkpoints between 20.00 to 03.00 every day. During the day, when the checkpoint
was open, civilians were subjected to intensive search policies which caused
severe delays to their travels. Cars
were stopped, searched and impounded and on occasion some civilians were
arrested.
During the morning of Thursday 12th of
August the IOF closed al-Matahan and Abu Houli checkpoints and stopped a large
number of cars and checked the identity cards of civilians. This lasted for a number of hours and the
closure was imposed erratically throughout the day. The IOF arrested four civilians, one of whom
is called, Jihad Suileman AbuTiar, 21, from Khan Yunis. He is a trainee in the Palestinian
police-force. At approximately 12.30,
on Sunday the 15th of August, IOF closed the two checkpoints after
detaining dozens of cars and lorries in the empty space to the west of the
checkpoint, which is surrounded by concrete blocks. They ordered the men to get out of the car
and detained them in this area, under the heat of the sun, while they checked
their identity cards. They also ordered
a number of them take off some of their clothes as part of the search. The
searches lasted until 19.00 that evening. They arrested four civilians including Mohammad Abdelhamid Mansour
Hijju, 23, from Deir al-Balah. He is a
father of, Iman Hijju a new born baby, who was killed by IOF when she was being
held by her mother in al Amal quarter in Khan Yunis at the start of the
Intifada. Eyewitness said to the PCHR
fieldworker that the IOF subjected Mohammad Hijju to a violent attack before
arresting him with the other prisoners, before taking them to an unspecified
location. The same scenario was repeated
at approximately 14.00 the next day, Monday 16th August 2004 and
lasted about six hours. IOF extensively
searched all travelers they stopped. The
soldiers intentionally humiliated and degraded the Palestinian civilians they
had detained. They arrested a civilian
Ahmed Jalal Ahmed Hussein, 28, from Shaboura camp in Rafah. They took him to an unspecified location. This policy of closing and searching
continued on Tuesday the 17th of August. At approximately 06.00 on Wednesday 18th
of August the IOF again closed the checkpoints and delayed thousands of
employees from traveling to their workplaces. They reopened the checkpoint after three hours. They allowed five vehicles from either side
of the checkpoint to pass at any one time, which caused a severe traffic
jam. During these operations of closing
the checkpoints a back-log of hundreds of civilians developed on either side of
the checkpoint, waiting in the heat of the sun. On a number of occasions the IOF opened fire with tear gas and machine
guns towards the gathered civilians.
The IOF continued to impose a strict siege on the al
Mawasi area in Khan Yunis and Rafah. Throughout the week they prevented civilians from entering the area
through the Toofah checkpoint. On the morning off Tuesday 17th
August 2004 the IOF closed the Toofah checkpoint which is the only entrance and
exit point for the area. They allowed
civilians to leave the area but prevented them from re-entering the area. The IOF regularly impose random closures at
this checkpoint and prevent civilians from traveling through it. Even when the checkpoint is officially opened
the IOF still place huge restrictions on movement forcing civilians to go
through extensive searches using dogs, electronic cards and metal
detectors. Civilians are regularly
stopped and detained while trying to pass through Toofah. IOF still prevent all men between the ages of
16 – 30 and all women from 16 – 25 from passing through without prior
coordination with the
IOF. A number of residents of the al Mawasi area
informed the PCHR fieldworker that the IOF prevented many people who meet the
IOF security requirements from entering or leaving the checkpoint.
The people in al Sayafah area, between Dogit and Elai
Sinai settlements in the north of the Gaza Strip, are living under the same
conditions. The IOF continues to control
the only gate in and out of the area and prevents all civilians from passing
through the checkpoint unless there is exceptional circumstances and prior
coordination. The IOF allowed only five
people to pass through each day to purchase basic provisions. They are only
allowed to pass through at certain specified hours and they are subject to
humiliation and degrading treatment during the security check process. This process of security checks also involves
strip-searches, searches with dogs and metal detectors. They have prohibited
supplies of domestic gas from entering the area for more then three months;
which causes serious suffering to the civilians in the area who are forced to
use wood for cooking instead of gas. Farmers are prevented from moving freely to tend their agricultural land
which damages the crops. The people in
Ma’ani area next to Kvar Darom settlement, 28 families a total of 138 people, are also suffering similar conditions
and also face severe difficulties in access to and from the area.
IOF have continued to close the Erez checkpoint from
the 27th of June for Palestinian civilians but is partially open for those who work in Israel
and in the Erez Industrial zone. From
the start of June the IOF allowed approximately 500 Palestinian workers to
travel to Israel, this number has been gradually increased to 3000. However the workers are subjected to such a
complex process of security checks and humiliation that only 1500 workers are
able to enter Israel. One of the workers
told the PCHR fieldworkers that “we have to wake up early in the morning and to
walk nearly four kilometers, and then to pass through hours of security checks,
including through a number of metal detectors, while soldiers engage in a
process of insulting and humiliating us.” Israeli occupying authorities have continued to partially open the Sofa
passage, to the east of Rafah. They only
allowed access for construction materials but they prevented people from
crossing. The Qarni commercial passage,
east of Gaza city, which is considered the main terminal for goods coming in
and out of the Gaza Strip, has only been partially opened in the past several
months. Notably the constant closure of
this terminal has had an obvious negative impact upon the local market.
Despite the reopening of the Rafah International
terminal at the Egyptian-Palestinian border, the suffering of travelers has
continued as a result of the IOF policy of limited opening hours, in
contravention of international agreements between Israel and Egypt to open it
24 hours a day for 363 days a year. The
closure forces large numbers of civilians to congregate on both sides of the Terminal
waiting to pass through. It should be
noted that the IOF have been sporadically opening and closing the Terminal over
the last three months of this year. They have prevented large numbers of people
from traveling through and have imposed strict security procedures on those
people permitted from traveling.
Since the start of the Intifada the IOF have claimed,
to the international community, that that the Rafah terminal is consistently
open. In fact they have imposed severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians and only allowed certain categories of Palestinians to
cross the border. In particular
civilians between the ages of 16 -35 have been prevented from traveling out of
Gaza since 18th April. This has
prevented thousands of students and those in need of medical treatment from
traveling.
West Bank
Israeli Military forces have continued to impose more
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They erected more
checkpoints and imposed curfews on many villages, camps and cities in the West
Bank.
The following is not a comprehensive list of all
closures but contains details of some of the most severe closures imposed on
the West Bank.
Jerusalem
In Jerusalem the Israeli forces continued to impose
more restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians throughout the
municipality. In the morning of Saturday
14th of August dozens of taxis from Nabi Samuel village, to the
northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, were detained. Eyewitness reports indicated that the cars
were owned by villagers from the north-west of the city. The IOF claimed that the drivers did not have
permits to allow them to travel on the settlement roads. It is worth noting that the IOF, under such
circumstances, impound cars for periods of up to one month. The IOF informed the people in al Misdara in
the Shufat neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem that it is a closed
military zone. Eyewitness have informed
PCHR that special units of the IOF border Police, supported by a number of
military vehicles, entered into the area on Sunday 15th of August
2004. They imposed closures on all the
access routes to the area and imposed a siege on it, before ordering people not
to leave their homes. This was coupled
with closures imposed on other neighbourhoods of the city, such as al Aisawia,
Surbahir, Omtoobah, Silwan and Thouwri. They also increased the numbers and activities of military activities
operating in the north of the city, particularly in al Ram and Dahia al Bariid
areas. Eyewitness reports indicated that
IOF located on the Dahia al Bariid checkpoint to the north of the city
intentionally slowed down their security procedures while checking Palestinian
civilians in order to make them feel nervous and under threat. They subjected them to humiliation and
degrading treatment.
Ramallah
IOF closed Qalandia checkpoint, south of Ramallah
city, from the afternoon of Wednesday 11th of August and this
closure remained in place until the Sunday 15th of August. Throughout the week the IOF established a
number of spontaneous checkpoints near al Jeeb village, to the south west of
Ramallah; in Beir Naballa and al Jadera, to the south; Jaba, to the south east;
at al Atara bridge and at Oyunharamia, to the north of Ramallah. They prevented Palestinians from traveling
freely and claimed that they were looking for wanted Palestinians. During this time Palestinian civilians were
subjected to degrading and humiliating treatment.
Bethlehem
The IOF, on the morning of Thursday 12th
of August, imposed further restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians in the area of Bethlehem. Eyewitness reports stated that hundreds of Palestinian civilians were
delayed for hours at al Kontainer checkpoint, located at the cross roads
between Sawahara Shariqia village and Wadi Anar road, to the north east of
Bethlehem. Eyewitness reports indicated
that the forces closed the checkpoint from the early hours of the morning and
stopped all movement through the checkpoint. The soldiers pursued civilians over the near-by hills and mountains and
hundreds of cars were queued up for at least one kilometer, at the
checkpoint.
Nablus
The IOF intensified their unjustified policy of
imposing an increased number of checkpoints throughout the area. The PCHR fieldworker reported that IOF added
remote controlled metal turnstiles to Beit Iba checkpoint, to the east and to
Howara, in the south. The fieldworker
reported that IOF increased the fortification at the checkpoint by adding metal
sheets and additional concrete guard rooms. As a result of an attempt by a Palestinian to enter the Itamar
settlement to the south-west of Nablus the IOF closed Beit Foriq checkpoint to
the east of the city. They also
instructed people in the village not to leave their homes. This affected about ten-thousand people. On the evening of Friday 13th of
August the IOF prevented people from entering or leaving the village. They also cut the telephone lines into the
area. Reports indicated that those
Palestinians who were trying to return to their village through the checkpoint
were humiliated by Israeli soldiers. Soldiers gave Mohammad Qasim Ahmed Hannani, 33, a severe beating while
he tried to return from Nablus. He is a
teacher in Beit Foriq secondary school. IOF are still preventing most Palestinian civilians under the age of 35
from passing through this checkpoint without prior coordination with the
IOF. People over the age of 35 and
university students are allowed to pass through the checkpoint on Saturday and
Wednesday each week. Hundreds of
civilians are forced to climb through the mountains and walk for long distances
in order to reach their destinations.
Jenin
IOF continued to impose closures on Jenin from the
early morning Thursday 12th of August. The eyewitness reports stated that IOF have
created a number of military checkpoints on the main connecting roads between
the city and its surrounding towns and villages. Further reports indicated that a checkpoint
was established between al Zababda and Aqaaba villages. Similar checkpoints were established at the
entrance to Tamoun village, to the south-east of Jenin. On the morning of Saturday 14th
of August, IOF started to bulldoze secondary roads in the flat lands near Dotan
Military Camp. They also placed concrete
road blocks at the main entrance to Maraka village, to the south of Jenin. They established new military checkpoints on
the main road to Nablus, near Beir al Basha village. They prevented cars from using the road on
both sides and searched the cars and their occupants. They also established
another checkpoint near Kaffir Goad village, west of Jenin.
Tulkarm
IOF, for the 5th consecutive week, have closed Anaab
gate on the road from Nablus to Tulkarm. Civilians have been prevented from driving through and consequently thousands
have been forced to walk through the checkpoint. This has caused them to be late arriving at
their workplaces. The PCHR fieldworker
noted that the IOF added a number of military checkpoints along the main
connecting roads into the city. In the
early hours of Sunday morning 15th of August, the IOF raided Tulkarm camp and located
themselves at the northern gate and stopped dozens of cars coming on the Nablus
road for a number of hours. They checked
the identification cards of the taxi drivers and their passengers. In the early morning the IOF closed the
Kufriat checkpoint at the southern entrance of Tulkarm city. They prevented people from entering or
leaving the area and designated it as a closed military zone. Eyewitness reports indicated that Israeli
soldiers threatened civilians with machine-guns instructing them to
disperse. Civilians in villages to the
south of the municipality were ordered to return home which stopped a number of
employees from reaching their jobs.
Qalqilia
PCHR fieldworkers reported that IOF established a
number of military checkpoints throughout the week at the crossroads of the
main routes in the municipality which further limited the right to freedom of
movement. Eyewitness reports stated that
they placed a checkpoint at the only entrance to Qalqilia city and at the
entrance to Azun village, to the east and also near Jius village, to the north
of Qalqilia. IOF stopped civilian cars
and comprehensively searched the cars and the occupants. At that time the Israeli Police increased the
number of checkpoints on all the municipality roads and issued dozens of
unjustified fines to Palestinian drivers. A number of taxi drivers working on that route said two Israeli police
patrols established checkpoints on the main roads between Qalqilia, Nablus and
Tulkarm. They issued a number of
unjustified fines to Palestinian drivers.
Checkpoint Arrests
The IOF have continued using their checkpoints as a
means for trapping Palestinian civilians and arresting them.
Forces at Qalandia checkpoint, south of Ramallah,
during the afternoon of Thursday 12th of August, arrested Bassam
Mustapha Asa’d, 32, from A’raba village south of Jenin. He works as a taxi driver. He was arrested and taken to an unspecified
location and his car was impounded.
On the morning of Saturday 14th of August
IOF located at Zatara checkpoint, to the south of Nablus, arrested a
Palestinian civilian Sohib Sulieman Qaran, 19, a resident of Qalqilia. He was traveling to Ramallah city at the
time. IOF located at Anab Gate, east of Anabta village, to the east of Tulkarm,
arrested a civilian Thaer Farouq Mansouri, 20, from Tulkarm camp, while he was
heading from Ramallah to his home.
Early in the morning of Monday the 16th of
August the IOF established a spontaneous checkpoint near Anab Gate and arrested
Nizar Farhan Shihada, 18, from Anabta village. They took him to an unspecified location. Eyewitness reports stated that was suffering
from a mental disability. In the
afternoon IOF also established a spontaneous checkpoint near Dr Thabit Thabit
Public hospital, in Tulkarm, they stopped a number of cars and checked them and
then arrested Morad Mahmoud al Rays, 39, and took him to an unspecified
location. On Thursday morning the 17th
of August IOF established a spontaneous checkpoint at the entrance of Anabta
village. They carefully searched a
number of Palestinians and checked their identity cards. They arrested Na’im Hussein Najabli, 26, and
thoroughly searched him before taking him to an unspecified location.
Continued Construction of the Apartheid Wall inside
the West Bank
IOF have continued constructing the Annexation Wall
in the West Bank and have concentrated on razing lands around occupied east
Jerusalem and also in the areas around Tulkarm, in the north of the West
Bank. This is not a comprehensive report
of all construction activity but is an outline of the most significant work
carried out in the past week.
Jerusalem
The IOF bulldozers and military vehicles continued to
raze civilian land in the area between Ma’alay Adomim Settlement, to the east
of Izaria village which is to the east of Jerusalem and also in the area near
to the Nabi Yacub settlement in Ayad Wadi between al Bariid and al Ram suburbs
in the north of Jerusalem. Eyewitness
reports indicate that military vehicles and bulldozers with pneumatic drills
razed land for long periods of time. This includes lands in al Azaria and Anabta villages to the east of
Jerusalem; also around Jaba’ village, to the north east of Jerusalem; in Qalandia
area to the north of Jerusalem to the industrial area which is known as
“Atarot” to the north of the city. Local
sources reported that IOF finished working in al Qussarat area in Wadi Ayad.
Tulkarm
IOF started measuring land on the morning of Monday
morning the 16th of August in the villages of al Ras, Faron,
Qafarsour, Kherbat Jibara to the south of Tulkarm city. Village council sources reported that a
number of groups of Israeli engineers were operating in the area, protected by
Israeli security. They started to mark
the land with numbers and to divide it for planning purposes in the areas of
Kherbat Abu Mansour and Jabal Azandiq in the Faron region. In this context engineers also examined lands
in Khilit al Kharab, Hariq, al Moetima in the al Ras region. In the location of Wadi al Berak from the
lands in the region of Qafasour, next to Salait settlement in the north. Sources added that all these lands where
located inside the planned route of the Annexation Wall.
Qalqilia
The IOF used bulldozers on the morning of Wednesday
18th of August a large area of Palestinian lands inside the Isba
Salman. Local sources reported that IOF
razed about 350 donums from land which is inherited from the Hussein Quzmar and
Abdulrahman Salman and Ahmed Sa’id Shwahna. It is worth noting that the lands which have been razed is located
between the route of the Annexation Wall and the 1967 green-line. The owners of the land used to enter it
through a gate which is established by IOF at the entrance to al Isba.
Settler attacks on Palestinian civilians and their
properties
Those Israelis living in settlements, which are
illegal according to international law, have continued their systematic attacks
against Palestinian civilians and their properties. The following is a list of the most
significant crimes committed by Israelis settlers in the past week: it is not
intended to be a comprehensive list.
At Thursday morning the 12th of August IOF
started to raze lands, using bulldozers, in the area of Khalail al Loz, to the
south east of Bethleham, in the West Bank. Local sources indicated that IOF issued warrants seizing about 134
donums of land, which will be used to build a settlers-only road. Sources added that the forces posted notices
informing the population that the land was being confiscated and would be
demolished and that the area was a closed military zone. The Palestinian Ministry for Local Affairs
stated that this would divide agricultural lands in Bethlehem from the main
town and in so doing would choke the local agricultural and tourist
industry. It is notable that this area
contains prime agricultural land and is within the natural boundaries of
Bethlehem. In the same context the
settlers have been destroying crops in the Ayin al Qasis area to the west of
al Khadder village, which is to the west of Bethlehem. The land owner Ahmed Mahmoud Abudusalam Salah
was shocked in the morning when he found
his crops, his grape trees and his apricot trees had been up-rooted and
destroyed over an area of about 10 donums. This was in addition to destroying the walls which divided the land
which covered an area of about 500sq meters.
On Monday morning the 16th of August in
Bethlehem the IOF started to raze agricultural land located between Artas
village and Rahal Wadi in Bethlehem city. Local sources reported that the IOF bulldozers razed lands in Wadi Abu
Zaarour, which is owned by two civilians from Artas village and Rahal Wadi as
part of the plan to complete the aforementioned settlement road.
Israeli newspapers published a tender on Tuesday 17th
of August for the construction of 1001 new living units immediately in an
Israeli settlement located in the West Bank, in contravention of international
humanitarian law. The advertisement
exposes the policies of the Israeli government who committed to stop building
settlements as part of the Sharon-Bush Disengagement plan. The tender is taken from the website of the
Israeli newspaper Yadot Ahronot as follows:
“The main hill in Karnishamron settlement, to the east
of Qalqilia – 24 residential units. The
quarter to the east of Ariel settlement, south of Nablus, 214 residential
units.. Location 7 in Mala Adumim settlement, east of Jerusalem, 141 units. The project to build Sarlil Moqim in Beitnar
Elite settlement, to the north east of Bethlehem – 604 units, only for Jewish
Rabbis. Any other new tenders will be
published in the newspapers.
In the next few months in some settlements as
follows:
Givat Haharsina – 156 residential units, Ivrat – 99
units, Peter Elite – 118 units, Geva Benjamin – 132 units in addition to
another 128 in Ariel settlement.”
The IOF, using bulldozers and diggers, razed
Palestinian civilian land in Beit Iqsa village to the north west of occupied
east Jeruslaem. Eyewitness reports
indicated that IOF started, at the beginning of the week, to raze a wide-scale
area of the village land. The IOF claim
they are planning to build road-tunnels and train lines between Jerusalem and
Tel Aviv. Sources stated that the IOF
brought large digging equipment to the area as well as electricity generators
and flood-lights. The evidence indicates
that they will start a new settlement project in the area. Sources stated that this work was advertised
by the Israelis some months ago. It is
worth noting that IOF prevented the 1500 residents of Beit Iqsa from reaching
their lands, which is close to the areas which became Israel in 1948. The reason given by IOF is that this is a
closed military zone. The eyewitnesses
clarified that this project will prevent a large number of farmers from
reaching their land which is under threat of seizure from IOF, much of which is
planted with citrus trees, almond trees and olive trees.
On Wednesday morning 18th of August a
settler from Bedwill settlement razed a wide area of land from the area Deir
Balut, to the west of Salfit, which is owned by the civilian Tasir Jubara
Abullah. He said that a number of armed
settlers razed his land and up-rooted the olive trees and placed barbered wire
around his land in order to annex it to the settlement.
On the 14th of August a number of settlers
from the expanding Ramat Yishai settlement, which is located around the Tel al
Remeda in Hebron, attacked a child, Mohammad Hamid Abu Aisha, 15. Eyewitness reports stated a number of settlers
were throwing stones at the child while he was standing in front of his home
which is near the border of the settlement. This caused bruising on his back and chest.
Recommendations to the International Community
1. PCHR
calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to
fulfill their legal and moral obligations under article 1 of the Convention to
ensure Israel’s respect for the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories. PCHR calls on the
international community to immediately “ensure respect” for the Convention.
2. PCHR
calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to
convene a conference to take effective steps to ensure Israel’s respect of the
Convention in the OPTs and to provide immediate protection for Palestinian
civilians.
3. PCHR
calls upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to
comply with its legal obligations detailed in article 146 of the Convention to
search for and prosecute those responsible for grave breaches, namely war
crimes.
4. PCHR
recommends international civil society organizations, including human rights
organizations, bar associations and NGOs to participate in the process of
searching for Israeli war criminals and to urge their governments to bring these
war criminals to justice.
5. PCHR
calls upon the European Union to activate article 2 of the Euro-Israel
Association Agreement, which provides that Israel must respect human rights as
a precondition for economic cooperation between the EU states and Israel. PCHR further calls upon the EU states to
prohibit import of goods produced in illegal Israeli settlements in the oPt.
PCHR also requests the application of the EU Guidelines on Arms Sales and
requests that EU Missions and Embassies in Israel and the oPts press the
Israeli government to apply and implement in full the recently agreed EU
Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders.
6. PCHR
calls upon European governments to change their positions towards the
Palestinian cause at UN bodies, particularly the General Assembly, Security
Council and Commission on Human Rights.
7. PCHR
requests that the international community follow the advisory opinion of the
ICJ when it called on the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention,
through the UNGA and UNSC, to take effective measures to stop the construction
of the annexation wall in the West Bank.
8. In
recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls
upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the oPt, including for
facilitating family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
9. PCHR
appreciates the efforts of international civil society, including human rights
organizations, bar associations, unions and NGOs, and urges them to continue
their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel’s respect for human
rights in the oPt and to end its attacks on Palestinian civilians.
10. In
light of the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli government and its
occupying forces on access of human rights defenders to the oPt, PCHR calls
upon European countries to deal the same way with Israeli citizens.
11. PCHR
reiterates that any political settlement not based on international human
rights law and humanitarian law cannot lead to a peaceful and just solution of
the Palestinian question. Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further
suffering and instability in the region. Any peace agreement or process must be
based on respect for international law, including international human rights
and humanitarian law.
“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
Trial Version
