With Continuing Israeli War Crimes
in the OPT and the International Community Remains Silent

· 12 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a
mentally handicapped young man have been killed by Israeli forces

 

· 5 Palestinian civilians from one family, including 2
brothers, killed by Flechette shells

 

· Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into
Palestinian areas, accompanied by indiscriminate shelling

 

· Israeli forces demolished 21 houses in Rafah

 

· A new extra-judicial assassination, Palestinian killed

 

· Continued Israeli retaliatory campaign against
families of wanted Palestinians and those who carried out armed attacks against
Israeli targets

 

· Israeli forces use Palestinian civilians as human
shields during military operations

 

· A number of Palestinians arrested

 

· Continued strict siege of the OPT and a number of
Palestinians arrested at Israeli military checkpoints

 

Introduction

 

Israeli occupying forces
have perpetrated more illegal actions and human rights violations against
Palestinian civilians, including willful and extra-judicial killings, shelling
of and incursions into Palestinian areas, house demolitions, and agricultural
land leveling. This week, 12-18 December
2002, 12 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a mentally handicapped
young man, were killed by Israeli forces.

 

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli
occupying forces carried out a series of incursions into Palestinian areas,
during which they shelled these areas. On Sunday, 15 December 2002, Israeli forces moved into ‘Oraiba area in
the northwest of Rafah, demolishing 14 Palestinian houses and destroying areas
of agricultural land. On Thursday, 12
December 2002, Israeli forces demolished 2 houses in Rafah refugee camp, and on
Tuesday, 17 December 2002, they demolished 6 other houses in al-Salam
neighborhood in the south of Rafah. More
than 180 Palestinians have been rendered homeless as a result of these Israeli
attacks. 

 

On Monday, 16 December
2002, Israeli occupying forces informed Palestinians living in al-Sayafa area,
which has been under an Israeli military siege, in the north of Beit Lahia,
that they would demolish 30 houses built of iron and bricks and housing about
180 persons in one week if they are not demolished by their owners. 

 

In 6 cases of apparent
willful killing, this week, Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinian civilians,
including 5 from one family, 2 children and a mentally handicapped young
man. On Wednesday, 18 December 2002,
Israeli occupying forces positioned at the border with Egypt, south of Rafah,
opened fire at al-Salam neighborhood in the south of the town. A Palestinian child, ‘Alaa’ Mohammed Musleh
al-Sidoudi, 15, was killed by a heavy caliber bullet in the heart, while he was
playing with his friends. On Tuesday, 17
December 2002, 16-year-old Jawad ‘Essam Zeidan, from Khan Yunis refugee camp,
was killed by shrapnel from an artillery shell that hit his family’s house,
when Israeli forces shelled the camp. On
Sunday, 15 December 2002, Israeli soldiers at the border with Egypt, south of
Rafah, shot dead ‘Eid Asa’ad Mohammed Abu Hilal, 22, a mentally handicapped
man, while he was rambling near Salah al-Din Gate on the border. On the same day morning, Israeli forces shot
dead Hassan Farhan Abu Shalloula, 22, from Khan Yunis refugee camp, while he
was checking his donkey that had been injured by previous Israeli
shelling. 

 

On the same day, Israeli
occupying forces positioned at the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of
Gaza City, fired Flechette shells and live bullets of various calibers at five
Palestinian young men, who were attempting to infiltrate into Israel to find
jobs, through the border near al-Mentar crossing, east of Gaza City. The five were killed. 

 

In a continuation of the
policy of extra-judicial assassinations officially adopted by the Israeli
political and military establishments against Palestinian activists, this week,
Israeli occupying forces perpetrated a new extra-judicial assassination that
left dead Tariq Mahmoud Ahmed ‘Abed Rabbu, 25, from Tulkarm refugee camp and wanted
by those forces. They raided the houses
where ‘Abed Rabbu was hiding and shot him dead. Field investigations carried out by the Palestinian Society for the
Protection of Human Rights and the Environment (LAW) indicate that Israeli
soldiers may have liquidated ‘Abed Rabbu, especially as he was unarmed,
according to eyewitnesses, and he was besieged inside the house. 

 

In violation of international and humanitarian law
which prohibits collective punishment, Israeli forces took retaliatory measures
against families of Palestinians who have carried attacks against Israeli
targets in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and those wanted by Israeli
forces. In this context, they demolished
7 houses, 6 in Hebron and one in Bethlehem. 

Israeli forces have maintained
the total siege imposed on the OPTs, collectively punishing the Palestinian
people. Israeli forces have partitioned Palestinian areas, transforming them
into cantons, violating Palestinian civilians’ economic, social and cultural
rights. They have also imposed curfews
on several different areas. 

 

The Shelling of, and
Encroachment into Palestinian Areas

 

Thursday, 12 December 2002

At approximately 13:00hrs,
six heavily armored military vehicles and an armored military bulldozer of the
Israeli occupying forces moved approximately 100m into Block J in Rafah refugee
camp, adjacent to the Egyptian border, south of Rafah. Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian
houses, wounding 21-year-old Ahmed Erhayel al-Soufi with a live bullet in the
back.  The Israeli military bulldozer
also demolished two houses:

 

1. They totally demolished a 166-square-meter house, in
which 6 persons lived, owned by Kayed ‘Ali Salama Barhoum, destroying all the furniture inside. The house was evacuated two months ago as Israeli
forces have been establishing an iron wall along the border with Egypt. 

2. They partially demolished a 250-square-meter house,
in which 6 persons lived, owned by Suhaila Mohammed Mallahi Barhoum. The house was evacuated two months ago for
the same reason. 

 

It is worth mentioning that
Israeli occupying forces have been establishing an iron wall along the border
with Egypt inside the Palestinian controlled areas, as the distance between the
border and the new iron wall is approximately 30m. The wall extends along a distance of
approximately 500m opposite to Blocks J, L and O in Rafah refugee camp. 

 

In a new Israeli illegal
action, Israeli occupying forces killed five unarmed Palestinian civilians from
Khan Yunis from the family of al-Astal, including two brothers. 

 

According to information
available to PCHR, late at night, Israeli occupying forces positioned at the
eastern border of the Gaza Strip, east of Gaza City, fired artillery shells and
live bullets of various calibers at five Palestinian young men, who were
attempting to infiltrate into Israel to find jobs. They were crossing the
border near al-Mentar crossing, east of Gaza City. The crime was revealed yesterday evening,
when an Israeli military spokesman declared that the Israeli army discovered
the bodies of five Palestinians who were killed by the gunfire of an Israeli
tank near the Karni crossing, east of Gaza City, on Wednesday night. Israeli forces claimed that the five young
men had ladders with which they would attempt to infiltrate through the border
fence separating the Gaza Strip and Israel, and that Israeli soldiers noticed
them and shot them dead. 

 

The Israeli military
spokesman admitted that no weapons or fighting tools were found near the
body. According to initial information
available to PCHR the five victims were unarmed civilians from the family of
al-Astal, whom were forced due to the economic crisis caused by the Israeli
total siege imposed on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, to attempt to
infiltrate into Israel to find job opportunities having lost hope in finding
job opportunities in their area. It is
evident that Israeli forces could have arrested or used less lethal means
against the five Palestinians, as the wide scale land leveling in the area had
made it open. 

 

Ambulance officers who went
to the site to evacuate the bodies of the five Palestinians asserted that the
bodies were found at least 300m west of the border between the Gaza Strip and
Israel. 

In addition to the crime of
killing, Israeli forces had left the bodies of the five Palestinians in the
area since Wednesday night. They only
informed the Palestinian side about the existence of the five Palestinians
bodies there later. Whenever Palestinian
ambulances and medical personnel went to the area in an attempt to remove the
bodies, Israeli soldiers fired at them and forced them to retreat especially in
darkness. They were able to remove the
bodies only on Friday morning. The
bodies were found approximately 300m west of the border. According to medical sources of Nasser
Hospital in Khan Yunis, to which the bodies were evacuated, the body of one of
the victims was in two pieces, while the other bodies sustained severe damage
by shrapnel from shells fired by Israeli tanks.

 

The victims were identified
as:

1. Mohammed ‘Aadel al-Amir al-Astal, 29;

2. ‘Assaf ‘Aadel al-Amir al-Astal, 25;

3. Ahmed Fares Musallam al-Astal, 19;

4. Mohammed Fahmi Hassan al-Astal, 21; and

5. Ahmed Mohammed ‘Aayesh al-Astal, 35. 

 

At approximately midnight,
two tanks and two armored military bulldozers of Israeli occupying forces moved
from the “Netzarim” settlement approximately 150m into al-Mughraqa
village, south of Gaza City. The
bulldozers demolished three uninhabited Palestinian houses and razed a tract of
agricultural land:

 

1. They demolished a 200-square-meter, asbestos-roofed
house owned by Hussein ‘Abdul Wahab Abu Leila. 

2. They demolished a 200-square-meter, asbestos-roofed
house owned by Hassan ‘Abdul Wahab Abu Leila. 

3. They demolished a 200-square-meter, asbestos-roofed
house owned by heirs of ‘Abdul Wahab Abu Leila. 

4. They razed a 4-donum area of agricultural land
planted with citrus owned by Ra’fat Suleiman Shahin. 

 

Friday, 13 December 2002

At approximately 09:00hrs,
Israeli heavy military vehicles moved from the “Netzarim” settlement
approximately 150m into al-Mughraqa village, south of Gaza City. They destroyed some Palestinian civilian
property in the area:

 

1. They razed a 5-donum area of agricultural land
planted with citrus owned by Mahmoud Sha’ban al-Hilu. 

2. They made holes in the main and branch roads and
blocked them with hills of sand. The
main water network that feeds the village was destroyed. 

3. They demolished a 6-meter-long wall surrounding the
house of Salama Salman Abu Shallouf. 

 

Also at approximately
09:00hrs, two tanks and an armored military bulldozer of the Israeli occupying
forces moved approximately 100m into Boba’ area in the southeast of Deir
al-Balah. They razed areas of
Palestinian agricultural land:

1. They razed a 2.5-donum area of agricultural land, a part
of which was planted with olives while the other had a greenhouse planted with
onions and garlic standing on a 1-donum area, and destroyed a 200-square-meter
orchard, an agricultural pool and a 400-meter-long wall surrounding a house,
owned by Fakhri Fadhlallah al-Qedra. 

2. They razed a 500-square-meter area of agricultural
land planted with olives and palms owned by Hammad Bureik Hammad Abu
‘Amra. 

 

Saturday, 14 December 2002

At approximately 04:30hrs,
Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles, moved
approximately 500m into al-Mughraqa village, south of Gaza City. Immediately, two Israeli armored military
bulldozers razed large areas of Palestinian agricultural land:

 

1. They razed a 27-donum area of agricultural land
planted with olives and citrus and destroyed a 600-meter-long water pipeline
owned by Mohammed Farahat al-Zahhar. 

2. They razed an 11-donum area of agricultural land
planted with citrus owned by Nabil ‘Abdul Mo’ti Salim Abu Kumayel. 

3. They razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land
planted with citrus owned by ‘Abdul Hamid Asa’ad Abu Kumayel. 

 

PCHR’s field worker in the
central Gaza Strip reported that Israeli soldiers, accompanied by dogs, raided
and searched the house of Mohammed Farahat al-Zahhar and held its 26 residents
in one room. They also raided the house
of Yousef Salem Abu Rabi’ and warned its residents that they would be expelled
from the area if any Palestinian resistance men were allowed to fire at Israeli
military locations in the area. 

 

Sunday, 15 December 2002

At approximately 16:00hrs
on Sunday, 15 December 2002, two military bulldozers, four tanks, an armoured
personnel carrier and 15 military jeeps of the Israeli occupying forces thrust
approximately 150m into ‘Oraiba area in the northwest of Rafah.  They
demolished 14 houses over their contents and destroyed 7 greenhouses, a Dairy
farm and a smithy’s workshop.  PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that
the Israeli forces called out to the Palestinian civilian population of the
area through loudspeakers and demanded that they leave their homes. The
residents were extremely terrified by them.  Five women went into shock
and lost conscious.  They were evacuated to hospital.  Then, Israeli
soldiers demolished the houses and destroyed the greenhouses and other civilian
property.  Israeli soldiers also fired at members of staff from the
Palestine Television network, forcing them to leave the area. 

 

The following table shows details of the houses that
were demolished:

 

 

It is worth mentioning that
Israeli occupying forces had threatened through loudspeakers to demolish those
houses on Friday, 13 December 2002, but they abstained.  Owners of those
houses did not receive any written warning that their houses were to be
demolished, and they were not given an adequate space of time to resort to the
judiciary. 

 

The greenhouses that were
destroyed were:

 

· a 1-donum green house owned by ‘Ali Ahmed Daoud
‘Abdul ‘Aal;

· two 1-donum greenhouses owned by Kayed Ahmed Daoud
‘Abdul ‘Aal; 

· four 1-donum greenhouses owned by Husnia Hassan Daoud
‘Abdul ‘Aal;

 

Israeli forces also razed a
250-square-meter area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by ‘Awadh
Ahmed Daoud ‘Abdul ‘Aal. They destroyed
a 100-square-meter animal farm, killing 15 animals, owned by Hakema Ibrahim
Daoud ‘Abdul ‘Aal. They also destroyed a
5-square-meter smithy’s workshop owned by Daoud Ahmed Ibrahim ‘Abdul ‘Aal. 

 

At approximately 17:00hrs,
Israeli occupying forces positioned at the border with Egypt, south of Rafah,
opened fire at al-Brazil neighborhood in the south of the town. Two Palestinian children were wounded:

 

1. Sawsan Salama Mohammed al-Salaq, 14, was seriously
wounded by a live bullet in the chest; and

2. Hikmat Salama Mohammed al-Salaq, 12, was wounded by
shrapnel in the head. 

 

According to eyewitnesses,
the two sisters were wounded while inside their house, approximately 500m away
from the border. Israeli forces denied
the access of ambulances to the area to evacuate the two sisters, so residents
of the area were forced to evacuate them to hospital in civilian cars. The first victim was evacuated to Shifa’
Hospital in Gaza City, since she was in serious condition. Israeli forces at al-Matahen checkpoint,
north of Khan Yunis, obstructed the passage of the ambulance that evacuated
her. 

 

It is worth mentioning that
al-Brazil neighborhood is subjected to daily unjustified Israeli shelling. 

 

Monday, 16 December 2002

At approximately 01:00hrs,
Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of “Neve
Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, shelled Palestinian houses in
Khan Yunis refugee camp, especially heavily in Block I. Heavy caliber bullets hit roofs of houses and
their shrapnel wounded two Palestinian civilians:

 

1. Basema Salah Suleiman Huneideq, 19, was wounded by
shrapnel in the left shoulder; and

2. Riadh Rashad Mansour, 25, was wounded by shrapnel in
the right thigh. 

 

In addition, a number of
houses were damaged, and a donkey owned by Hassan Farhan Abu Shalloula was
injured. 

 

Tuesday, 17 December 2002

At approximately 03:00hrs,
an infantry unit of Israeli occupying forces, accompanied by three tanks, moved
approximately 150m into Wadi al-Salqa village, south of Deir al-Balah. They raided two houses of the family of Abu
Qassem. They held residents of each
house in one room and searched the two houses, using Nabil Sa’id al-Sayed Abu
Qassem as human shield. In the end, Israeli
soldiers arrested Rasmi al-Sayed Suleiman Qassem, 52, and his son Mohammed,
17. 

 

At approximately 15:00hrs,
Israeli occupying forces positioned at the border with Egypt, south of Rafah,
opened fire at al-Salam and al-Brazil neighborhoods in the south of the
town. A Palestinian child, Islam Khaled
al-Sha’er, 5, was wounded by a live bullet in the left leg. PCHR’s field officer in Rafah reported that
the child was wounded when she was inside her house in al-Jonaina neighborhood,
approximately 1000m away from the border. 

 

At approximately 18:00hrs,
Israeli occupying forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles and covered
by intense shelling, moved approximately 100m into al-Salam neighborhood in the
south of Rafah, adjacent to the border with Egypt. Soon, two Israeli armored military bulldozers
started demolishing a number of houses. During the operation that continued until Wednesday morning, 18 December
2002, Israeli military bulldozers demolished six Palestinian houses:

 

1. a 260-square-meter house, in which 9 people used to
live owned by ‘Emad ‘Awadh Ahmed Mansour;

2. a 200-square-meter house, in which 7 people used to
live, owned by Hamdi ‘Awadh Ahmed Mansour;

3. a 205-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which
14 people used to live, owned by Mohammed Walid Suleiman Shaqfa;

4. a 150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 3
people used to live, owned by ‘Omar Mohammed ‘Ali ‘Awadh;

5. a 150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which 2
people used to live, owned by Ahmed Mohammed ‘Ali ‘Awadh; and

6. a 300-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, in which
19 people used to live, owned by Walid Ibrahim Mohammed Jarwana. 

 

Residents of these houses
had already evacuated them as they had been subject to repeated Israeli
shelling and attacks. Israeli forces
also razed a 5-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives, and
destroyed an agricultural pool, a store, a water pump and an irrigation network
owned by ‘Abdul Rahman Mohammed ‘Abdul Hadi Qeshta. 

 

At approximately 23:00hrs,
Israeli occupying forces in military locations in the vicinity of the
“Neve Dekalim” settlement and in the “al-Nouria” military
location, west of Khan Yunis, shelled Palestinian houses in Khan Yunis refugee
camp. An artillery shell hit the roof of
a 240-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house, approximately 100m east of
“al-Nouria military location,” owned by ‘Essam ‘Abdul Wahab
Zeidan. The shell penetrated a room
where the owner’s son, Jawad, 16, was sleeping. Shrapnel from the shell hit him in the abdomen, the hands and the
legs. His brothers, who were sleeping in
an adjacent room, got up and called an ambulance of Palestine Red Crescent
Society. He was evacuated to hospital,
but all efforts made to save his life failed and he was pronounced dead 15
minutes later. As a result of the
Israeli shelling, Shehda Hassan Abu Sahloul, 65, was also wounded by shrapnel
in the right thigh. 

 

Wednesday, 18 December 2002

At approximately 01:00hrs,
Israeli occupying forces in a military location in the Tal Zo’rob area in the
southwest of Rafah opened fire at the nearby Zo’rob square. A Palestinian civilian, Mohammed Hamdan
al-Dabbas, 27, was wounded by shrapnel in the left foot while near his house.

 

At approximately 14:35hrs,
Israeli occupying forces positioned at the border with Egypt, south of Rafah,
opened fire at al-Salam neighborhood in the south of the town. A Palestinian child, ‘Alaa’ Mohammed Musleh
al-Sidoudi, 15, was critically wounded by a heavy caliber bullet in the heart,
while he was playing with his friends in their area, approximately 200m away
from the border. He was evacuated to
hospital, but all efforts made to save his life failed. 

 

Extra-Judicial Assassinations

 

In a continuation of the
policy of extra-judicial assassinations officially adopted by the Israeli
political and military establishments against Palestinian activists, this week,
Israeli occupying forces perpetrated an extra-judicial assassination that left
dead a Palestinian, from Tulkarm refugee camp, allegedly wanted by those
forces.

 

According to information
available to PCHR, at approximately 15:30hrs, undercover units of Israeli
occupying forces, reinforced with 15 heavily armored military vehicles and four
helicopters, moved into the Nour Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm. They surrounded al-Manshia area and opened
fire at houses and passing Palestinian civilians. When this Israeli operation, which was
described by Israeli military sources as a wide scale one, began, Tariq Mahmoud
Ahmed ‘Abed Rabbu, 25, from Tulkarm refugee camp who was hiding in Nour Shams
refugee camp, attempted to escape from the area by moving from one house to
another. He moved into the house of
‘Omar ‘Aaref seeking shelter. The owner
advised him to hide in a cupboard and left the house, which was subjected to
intense Israeli gunfire. Soon, the
Israeli undercover units broke into the house firing intensely. ‘Abed Rabbu was instantly killed. Field investigations carried out by the
Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment
(LAW) indicate that Israeli soldiers may have liquidated ‘Abed Rabbu, for,
according to eyewitnesses, he was unarmed and was besieged inside the
house. According to a medical report
issued by Dr. Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarm, there were injuries in the
body that were not caused by live ammunition. The report stated:

 

“‘Abed Rabbu’s body
was brought to the emergency unit at Dr. Thabet Thabet Hospital. He was killed by intense Israeli
gunfire. Upon checking, it was clear
that ‘Abed Rabbu was shot by four live bullets in the chest, and the left arm,
side and thigh.

 

In addition, five passing
Palestinian civilians were wounded by the Israeli gunfire. According to medical sources, Israeli forces
denied access to ambulances to the refugee camp to evacuate the wounded. Palestinian civilians were forced to carry
the wounded and walk a distance of approximately 2km to reach the
ambulances. 

 

Shooting at Palestinian Civilians

 

Friday, 13 December 2002

Early in the morning, Israeli occupying forces shot
dead Jadallah Mousa Shouka, 32, from Bethlehem, with three live bullets in
Thabra village, south of Bethlehem. Then, they demolished two houses in the village, where Shouka and
another Palestinian were hiding. (See
the section of Collective Punishment Measures against Families of Wanted
Palestinians and Those Who Carried out Armed Attacks against Israeli Targets). 

According to the information available to PCHR, at
approximately 04:45hrs, Shouka woke up for the dawn prayer. He turned on the lights in the house in which
where he lived. The house is an old one
in Thabra village, south of Bethlehem, owned by Mousa Abu ‘Aahour. Shouka noticed a strange movement outside. He realized that Israeli soldiers were
surrounding the house, so he immediately left it in an attempt to escape. Israeli soldiers fired at him. He fell approximately 400m away from the
house. At approximately 07:30hrs, his
body was brought to al-Hussein Hospital in Beit Jala in an ambulance of the
ICRC. According to medical sources, he
was shot by three live bullets in the chest and the right arm and thigh. As there were no eyewitnesses in the area, it
was not clear whether Shouka was killed instantly or after he had been arrested
by Israeli soldiers. Israeli forces also
arrested Khader Mahmoud Abu ‘Aahour who was in the house with Shouka. Israeli forces claim that Shouka and Abu
‘Aahour are wanted for being members of Hamas. 

 

Sunday, 14 December 2002

In the morning, Israeli
occupying forces that have been in control of Nablus since 20 June 2002, opened
fire at Palestinian school students and civilians who broke the curfew imposed
on the city. Faisal Street and al-Shuhada square in the center of the city saw
most of the action. Eight students and
another civilian were wounded:

 

1. ‘Anan Kamal ‘Abdul Nabi Kalbouna, 18, was wounded by
a live bullet in the jaw and by shrapnel in the left shoulder;

2. Nadine Jamal Dhamra, 13, was wounded by shrapnel from
a live bullet in the head;

3. Walaa’ Hussam ‘Abdul Raziq ‘Amira, 12, was wounded by
a rubber-coated metal bullet in the nose;

4. ‘Omar ‘Abdul Fattah Ibrahim, 6, was wounded by
shrapnel in the jaw;

5. Ahmed Hussein ‘Abdul Raziq Qatanani, 18, was wounded
by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left leg;

6. Mahdi ‘Atallah Humeidan, 18, was wounded by two live
bullets in the legs;

7. Ahmed Akram Hussein Sa’ada, 16, was wounded by
shrapnel in the left leg;

8. Ahmed ‘Ali Ahmed Qara’an, 18, was wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the right hand; and

9. Shawqi Hamed Mustafa Rawajba, 28, was wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the right arm. 

 

Monday, 15 December 2002

In an apparent willful
killing, in the morning, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a Palestinian
civilian in Khan Yunis and left him bleeding to death. According to PCHR’s investigations, at
approximately 07:30hrs, Hassan Farhan Abu Shalloula, 22, from Khan Yunis
refugee camp, got out of his house to check his donkey that was injured inside
its pen by the Israeli shelling early in the morning. This was approximately
10m away from an Israeli military location on a hill near the “Neve
Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis. When he got close to the pen, Israeli soldiers fired at him. He was wounded. He bled for more than 15 minutes without
people being able to evacuate him due to the continuous Israeli gunfire. Then, Israeli soldiers allowed people to
evacuate him. He was dead. According to medical sources, he was shot by
a live bullet in the head. Abu Shalloula
is brother of Mohammed Abu Shalloula, who was killed by Israeli shelling on 7
October 2002. 

 

In another apparent willful
killing, in the evening, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a mentally
handicapped Palestinian civilian in Rafah. According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 20:00hrs, while
‘Eid Asa’ad Mohammed Abu Hilal, 22, mentally handicapped, from Rafah, was
rambling near Salah al-Din Gate on the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, Israeli
soldiers in the area shot him dead with several live bullets. When news of the incident was revealed, a Palestinian
ambulance moved towards the area to evacuate the body, upon coordination with
the Israeli side, but Israeli soldiers fired at it and forced it to travel
back. At approximately 10:00hrs on the
following day, Tuesday, 17 December 2002, a Palestinian ambulance was able to
evacuate the body to hospital. According
to a paramedic who participated in the evacuation of the body, the body was
approximately 15m away from the gate, and Israeli soldiers ordered him and his
colleagues to take their clothes off the upper parts of their bodies and move
around a tank positioned near the body. The Israeli daily Yediot Aharanot quoted an Israeli military
spokesman as claiming that Israeli soldiers positioned at the Israeli-Egyptian
border, south of Rafah, “fired at a Palestinian who ran towards an armored
military vehicle, apparently trying explode a bomb he was carrying, and the
Israeli explosives experts will check his body tomorrow morning.” 

 

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

 

In violation of international and humanitarian law
which prohibits collective punishment, Israeli forces took retaliatory measures
against families of Palestinians who have carried out attacks against Israeli
targets in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and those wanted by Israeli
forces.

After a number of resistance men had carried out a
military attack near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the south of Hebron, Israeli
occupying forces demolished five Palestinian houses; two of which were
uninhabited, and a sixth house in Beit Kahel village. They also demolished a building that served
for meetings of the family of al-Rujbi. 

At approximately 02:30hrs, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced with heavy military vehicles, raided al-Rujbi neighborhood in
Hebron. They surrounded a
130-square-meter, two-story building, the third floor included five stores,
while the second one served for meetings of the family of al-Rujbi. An Israeli military bulldozer demolished the
building over its contents. Then,
Israeli forces moved towards a 100-square-meter two-story house, in which 10
people lived, owned by Nazhmi Munir al-Rujbi. They forced residents of the house out and demolished it without
allowing them to evacuate the furniture. 

At approximately 04:00hrs, Israeli occupying forces
surrounded a 135-square-meter, two-story house, in which two families of 10
people lived, owned by Zeidan ‘Abdullah al-Rujbi. An Israeli military bulldozer started
demolishing the wall of the house, while residents of the house were still
inside. When the owner exited to check
what was going one, Israeli soldiers forced residents of the house out and
demolished it.

At approximately 06:15hrs, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced with heavy military vehicles, moved into Beit Kahel village,
northwest of Hebron. They surrounded a
125-square-meter two-story house, in which 8 people lived, owned by Mohammed
‘Ali ‘Asafra. They forced residents of
the house out and destroyed it. ‘Asafra
is father of ‘Ali ‘Asafra, 20, who was arrested by Israeli forces at the end of
last October. 

Also in the morning, Israeli occupying forces
surrounded the house of the family of ‘Emad ‘Abdul Ghani ‘Abdul Jawad al-Razem,
who was killed while attempting to carry out an armed attack against those
forces several months ago. According to
his brother, Bilal al-Razem, four Israeli soldiers raided the house located in
‘Aqbat Taffouh neighborhood in the west of Hebron. At approximately 07:00hrs, Israeli forces
arrived at the area and forced residents of the house out. At approximately 09:20hrs, they informed the
family of their intention to demolish the flat where their deceased son used to
live. They gave him 7 minutes to
evacuate furniture and then they destroyed the flat. The house consists of three flats, in which
11 people lived. The destruction cracked
walls of the other two flats, rendering them uninhabitable. 

After having killed Jadallah Mousa Shouka who was
hiding in Thabra village, south of Bethlehem, on Friday morning, 13 December
2002, Israeli occupying forces destroyed two 40-square-meter houses owned by
Hassan and Mousa Khalil Abu ‘Aahour, claiming that Shouka used to live in
them. 

 

Continued Restrictions on Freedom of Movement

 

On Monday, 16 December
2002, Israeli forces closed al-Tuffah checkpoint separating Khan Yunis from its
al-Mawasi area for several hours. Dozens
of people were not able to go back home. Palestinian civilians are subject to humiliation by Israeli soldiers at
the checkpoint. 

 

This week, Israeli forces
have regularly closed al-Matahen and Abu Houli military checkpoints on Salah
al-Din Street, the main road between the north and south of the Gaza
Strip. At approximately 03:00hrs on
Saturday, 14 December 2002, Israeli forces closed al-Matahen and Abu Houli
military checkpoints. Israeli soldiers
searched a number of cars and checked the identity cards of passengers. They arrested a number of people.

 

At approximately 21:30hrs
on Sunday, 15 December 2002, Israeli soldiers stopped an ambulance of the Palestinian
Ministry of Health near al-Matahen checkpoint, while it was on its way towards
Rafah, after having evacuated 13-year-old Sawsan Salama al-Salaq, who was
seriously wounded by a heavy caliber bullet in the chest fired by Israeli
forces in Rafah, to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City. Israeli soldiers held the medical personnel –
two doctors, a nurse and a driver – in a checking yard near the
checkpoint. They forced them to take
their clothes off and insulted them. This Israeli measure continued until midnight. 

 

On Monday, Israeli forces
closed al-Matahen and Abu Houli checkpoints for several hours. They also fired at people, but no casualties
were reported. 

 

At approximately 07:00hrs
on Tuesday, 17 December 2002, Israeli forces closed the two checkpoints
again. The blocked and searched dozens
of cars between the two checkpoints and checked the identity cards of
passengers. Israeli forces reopened the
two checkpoints two hour later. At
approximately 13:00hrs on the same day, they closed the checkpoints again. The closure continued until the late hours at
night, during which Israeli forces searched many cars. They also searched two ambulances and checked
the identity cards of their medical personnel. Israeli forces also arrested 9 Palestinians. 

 

At approximately 16:00hrs
on Tuesday, 17 December 2002, Israeli forces at al-Tuffah checkpoint, west of
Khan Yunis, denied entry of a Palestinian ambulance, which is the only one that
serves al-Mawasi area, into the area. The ambulance had exited the area towards Khan Yunis for maintenance
works, but Israeli forces did not allow it to enter the area again. 

 

In the West Bank, Israeli
soldiers at military checkpoints and roadblocks humiliated Palestinian
civilians and forced them to do acts that harm the public morals. According to a female eyewitness from
al-Naqoura village, northwest of Nablus, on Tuesday, 17 December 2002, Israeli
soldiers in the village, which has become the main entrance to Nablus for
people coming from Jenin and Tulkarm, forced a Palestinian young man to urinate
before the eyes of female and male students who were on their way back
home. Whenever the young man wanted to
cover, Israeli soldier beat him. Israeli
soldiers forced many Palestinian civilians from ‘Assira village, north of
Nablus, including teachers to stay day and night in cold weather at an Israeli
military checkpoint between their village and Nablus.

 

 

********

 

  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 in order to take
effective measures to protect Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, in accordance with their obligations under Article 1, to ensure
the respect of the Convention.

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

4. Upon the ICRC to enhance its
presence, expand its activities, and intensify its field observations
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”