Israeli occupying forces continue attacks
in the OPT
· 21
Palestinians, mostly civilians including 2 children, a woman and a doctor,
killed by Israeli forces
· 11
of the victims were killed in 2 extra-judicial assassinations carried out by
Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip
· Israeli
forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
· Israeli
forces moved into Ramallah and al-Bireh and injured 12 Palestinian civilians
· 5
Palestinians were killed and dozens of houses were destroyed during an Israeli
military incursion into Rafah
· 6
houses were destroyed by Israeli forces in Zo’rob area in Rafah
· More
areas of agricultural land were razed in the Gaza Strip
· Indiscriminate
shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued and Israeli fighter jets
attacked a building in Gaza, injuring a number of Palestinian civilians
· A
house in Hebron was destroyed by Israeli forces as part of the continued
campaign of retaliation against the families of Palestinians accused of
involvement in attacks against Israeli targets
· Construction
of the “separation wall” in the West Bank continued
· Continued
siege on the OPT
Introduction
This week, Israeli occupying forces escalated
violations of human rights against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPT), including extra-judicial and willful killings,
indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, incursions into Palestinian
areas, house demolitions and land leveling. They have continued to impose
a tightened siege on the OPT and 21 Palestinians, including 2 children, a woman
and a doctor, were killed by Israeli occupying forces.
In a
continuation of the official Israeli policy of extra-judicial assassination, Israeli
occupying forces carried out 2 assassinations in the Gaza Strip on Monday, 20
October 2003, which left 11 Palestinians dead, including 9 non-targeted individuals. Among the victims were a child and an on-duty
doctor and dozens of Palestinian civilians were wounded, including a number of
children.
This week, Israeli occupying forces continued
military operations in the al-Salam and al-Brazil neighborhoods of Rafah in the
southern Gaza Strip. Israeli occupying
forces moved into al-Salam neighborhood on Tuesday morning, 14 October 2003 and
into al-Brazil neighborhood the following day and withdrew from the areas on Monday,
20 October 2003, leaving behind wide-spread destruction. 5 Palestinians,
including a woman, were killed during the incursions and 29 were wounded,
including 13 children. 3 brothers were among the injured, after sustaining
serious wounds while attempting to evacuate an injured person, who later died.
During these operations, Israeli occupying forces razed areas of agricultural
land, destroyed a foodstuff factory and completely demolished 13 Palestinian
houses and 43 partially.
In a continuation of incursions into Palestinian
areas in the West Bank under the pretext of searching for allegedly wanted
Palestinians, on Tuesday evening, 21 October 2003, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Ramallah and al-Bireh and imposed a curfew. In Ramallah, Israeli
forces surrounded a mosque, at which they fired concussion grenades (sound bombs),
and wounded 12 Palestinians during an operation which lasted for more than 4
hours.
On 16 October 2003, Israeli occupying forces withdrew
from the Morag-Sofa road between Rafah and Khan Yunis following operations that
left widespread destruction to Palestinian property. During the operation,
Israeli forces razed 616 donums[1] of
Palestinian agricultural land and destroyed 136 greenhouses, 8 houses, 17 privately
owned buildings and facilities and a mosque. A number of houses were also
damaged. Field investigations conducted
by PCHR concluded that the widespread destruction was not carried out for
reasons of security, as the targeted area lies several kilometers away from the
nearest Israeli military area.
This week, in another instance of excessive use of
force, Israeli occupying forces shot dead 3 Palestinian civilians in the West
Bank. The first victim was a 14-year-old school child from Tulkarm, and the
second was shot dead from close range, as he attempted to escape from Israeli
forces after they moved into Qalqilya. Israeli forces have not returned the body of the second victim. The
third Palestinian civilian was killed in Hebron.
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including Jerusalem. Although Israeli forces reopened military
checkpoints erected along Salah al-Din Street (linking the north and south of
the Gaza Strip) on the morning of Friday 17 October 2003, they have continued
to harass civilians traveling on the road. They have maintained the closure of a
number of branch roads in the Gaza Strip and the Erez border crossing in the
north of the Gaza Strip has been closed for the 4th consecutive
week, denying thousands of Palestinian workers access to their places of work
in Israel. Israeli forces have also restricted travel at the Rafah terminal on
the Egyptian border. In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces continue to
impose a strict siege on Palestinian communities and have maintained the
closure of military checkpoints and erected a number of temporary checkpoints. Israeli forces also declared a number of areas
closed military zones and imposed curfews.
This week,
Israeli occupying forces continued construction of the “separation wall” on
West Bank territory, seizing more areas of Palestinian land. On Sunday, 19 October 2003, Israeli occupying
forces razed large areas of Palestinian agricultural land in al-Swahra
al-Sharqia village, east of occupied Jerusalem, where they uprooted approximately
500 olive trees. Israeli occupying
forces have so far expropriated most of the Palestinian land in the Jerusalem
villages of Abu Dis, al-‘Eizaria and al-Swahra. Israeli occupying forces have
also continued to close iron gates established along the “separation wall” in
the north of the West Bank, denying Palestinian farmers access to their agricultural
lands.
Extra-Judicial Assassinations
In a continuation of the policy of extra-judicial
assassinations officially adopted by Israeli authorities in violation of
international humanitarian law and other human rights instruments, on Monday,
20 October 2003, Israeli occupying forces carried out 2 assassinations in the Gaza
Strip, which left 11 Palestinians dead, including 8 non-targeted persons.
On Monday morning, 20 October 2003, Israeli occupying
forces carried out an extra-judicial assassination in Gaza City, which left
dead 3 Palestinians. 2 of the dead were allegedly wanted by Israeli forces and
the third victim was a bystander. In
addition, 9 civilians were wounded.
According to PCHR’s preliminary investigations, at
approximately 10:45am, an Israeli helicopter gunship launched a missile at a
civilian car (white Peugeot) as it stopped at traffic lights on al-Jalaa’
Street in the center of Gaza. The missile hit the front of the car,
instantly killing the passenger and the driver:
1. Khaled Ghazi al-Masri, 23, from
al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City; and
2. Eyad Fa’eq al-Hilu, 22, from Gaza City.
Shrapnel from the missile hit another civilian car
that had stopped next to the targeted car, killing its driver, later identified
as Marwan ‘Abdul Karim al-Khatib, 35, from Gaza City. In addition, 9 passing
civilians were wounded, including 1 who sustained serious injuries. A number of vehicles that had stopped at the
traffic lights were damaged in the attack.
During the evening of the same day, 7 Palestinian
civilians, including a child and an on-duty doctor, were killed in Nusseirat
refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip in an assassination attempt carried out
by Israeli occupying forces targeting members of the Palestinian resistance.
The targeted individuals managed to escape, but 50 Palestinian civilians were
wounded in the attack, including 11 children. An 8th civilian died later from his injuries.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately
21:15 on Monday, 20 October 2003, Israeli helicopter gunships launched a
missile at a civilian car (grey Peugeot) traveling approximately 150m to the
east of Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The missile
reportedly hit the front of the car, but the passengers managed to flee the
vehicle. As Palestinian civilians gathered around the scene of the attack,
Israeli helicopter gunships launched another missile towards the car, sending
shrapnel into the crowd. 7 Palestinian civilians were killed instantly,
including a 12-year-old child and a doctor from Nusseirat Medical Center who
was tending to those wounded by the first missile. 50 civilians were wounded,
including 10 seriously, one of whom died from his injuries on Wednesday
evening, 22 October 2003.
Those killed in this attack were identified as:
1. Mohammed Ziad Mohammed Baroud, 12;
2. Zein al-‘Aabedeen Mohammed Shahin, 35, a doctor;
3. Mohammed Shnaiwi al-Masri, 23;
4. ‘Atiya Yousef Mo’nes, 20;
5. Mahdi Isma’il Jarbou’, 20;
6. ‘Abdul Halim Mohammed Tabaza, 23;
7. Ahmed ‘Eid Khalifa, 49; and
8. Ayoub Musbah al-Malek, 20, who died from his
injuries on Wednesday
Note: PCHR has complete lists of the people who were
wounded in these attacks
Shelling of, and Encroachment into Palestinian Areas
and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property
Israeli Offensive on al-Salam and al-Brazil
Neighborhoods in Rafah
Israeli occupying forces continued military
operations in the al-Salam and al-Brazil neighborhoods of Rafah in the southern
Gaza Strip this week. Israeli occupying forces
moved into al-Salam neighborhood on Tuesday morning, 14 October 2003 and into
al-Brazil neighborhood the following day. They withdrew from the two areas on Monday, 20 October 2003, after
destroying large portions of the area and seriously damaging the civilian
infrastructure. 5 Palestinians,
including a woman, were killed in the incursion, and 29 people were wounded,
including 13 children.
The incursion into al-Brazil neighborhood was the
third offensive carried out by Israeli occupying forces in the area in one
week. Israeli occupying forces first moved into Rafah refugee camp on Friday
morning, 10 October 2003. During this
previous invasion, Israeli occupying forces caused even greater damage to
residential areas and civilian infrastructure. The attack also resulted in many civilian casualties (see PCHR Weekly Report no. 39/2003, 9-15 October, 2003). In total,
the Israeli military attacks on Rafah and its refugee camp between 10 and 19
October 2003 left 15 Palestinians dead, including 3 children and 1 woman.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, after
Israeli occupying forces moved into the al-Salam and al-Brazil neighborhoods,
they confiscated a number of houses in the area and took up positions on the
roofs. Israeli forces detained the residents of each house in one room and
conducted raids of neighboring houses, forcing the residents to vacate their homes. In 5 consecutive days, Israeli occupying
forces totally demolished 13 houses and 43 partially. They also destroyed a
foodstuff factory and much of the civilian infrastructure, including water,
electricity, and sewage services.
Israeli forces denied access to humanitarian
organizations attempting to enter the area and in one reported case, an UNRWA
water truck was fired upon by Israeli forces. Ambulances also were denied access, preventing many of the wounded from
being evacuated to hospitals. Some of
the wounded were transported to hospitals by civilian vehicles, despite the
severe risks involved.
During the incursion into al-Brazil neighborhood on
Thursday and Friday, 16 and 17 October 2003, a number of Palestinian resistance
men clashed with Israeli occupying forces, resulting in the deaths of 2 armed
Palestinians:
1. Walid Mohammed Younis ‘Abdul Wahab, 37, hit
by a live bullet to the chest; and
2. Walid Hussein ‘Abdul ‘Aal, 23, hit by a live
bullet in the head.
Following intense shelling on Saturday morning, 18
October, 2003, at approximately 04:00 on the same day, a number of Palestinian
resistance men clashed with Israeli occupying forces. These clashes left dead Tariq Subaih Abu
al-Husain, 39, who was hit by several live bullets to the chest and the right
shoulder.
Note: PCHR has complete lists of the wounded and the
houses and agricultural areas that were destroyed during this incursion
Thursday, 16 October 2003
At approximately 19:30, medical sources at Shifa
Hospital in Gaza City declared that Shadi Khalil Saqer, 18, from Rafah refugee
camp, died from an injury he sustained during the Israeli incursion into the
refugee camp on 10 October 2003.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, on
Friday evening, 10 October 2003, Israeli occupying forces that had moved into
Rafah refugee camp in the morning opened fire at a number of Palestinian
children and young men near their homes. A young man was instantly killed and Saqer was seriously wounded by a
live bullet in the neck. He was
evacuated to the intensive care unit at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City where he
remained until he died of his wounds.
At approximately 20:30, a tank, an armored personnel
carrier and 2 military jeeps moved into Nablus through its southern
entrance. They moved down al-Quds
Street, opening fire at Palestinian houses. Mahmoud Ziad Ahmed ‘Araisha, 18, from Balata refugee camp, was seriously
wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head, while near his home. It is worth noting that the rubber-coated
metal bullets used by Israeli occupying forces are lethal if fired from close
range.
In the morning, Israeli occupying forces also encroached
into al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The incursion left 3
Palestinians dead, including a 3-year-old child who died from a heart
attack. 6 other civilians were wounded,
including a 13-year-old child.
Friday, 17 October 2003
At approximately 03:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Hindaza Mount area in the southeast of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses
in the area, on the pretext of searching for allegedly wanted
Palestinians. Israeli soldiers arrested
Nasser and Nader Mohammed Jubran, 22 and 27 respectively.
At approximately 04:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles, moved approximately 400m into the center
of the West Bank city of Tulkarm. Under
cover of intense shelling, they blew up doors of shops at Jamal ‘Abdul Nasser
Street and searched those shops. Israeli
forces withdrew from the area a few hours later after causing significant
damage to a number of Palestinian shops.
In the morning, an Israeli military jeep intercepted
an ambulance of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees in
Nablus. They forced the medical
personnel of the ambulance to remove their patient from the ambulance, searched
the vehicle, and held the medical personnel and the patient for one and a half
hours. The patient was being transported
from Rafidya Hospital in Nablus to his home in Deir al-Hatab village, east of
the city.
In his testimony on the incident, Taher Zuhair ‘Aahed
Kousa, 24, an ambulance officer from Nablus, said:
“At approximately 10:30 on Friday, 17 October 2003, I
received instructions to transport a patient, Ayman Khaled, 32, from Rafidya
Hospital to Deir al-Hatab village. I and
an ambulance driver, Jarir Zakaria Qanadilu, 35, traveled to the hospital. We took the patient– who was suffering from
fractures in the pelvis after he had been wounded by a live bullet– to Salem
village, east of Nablus, in order to move then to Deir al-Hatab village. I saw 4 Israeli soldiers standing near a
military jeep that parked near a house. Immediately, the 4 soldiers got onto the jeep and followed us. They intercepted our way. Then, Israeli soldiers got out of the jeep
and pointed their guns at us and forced the driver to stop the ambulance. They ordered me and the driver to get out of
the jeep with our hands up. They took
our identity cards and searched the ambulance. They forced us to take the patient out of the ambulance. The officer of the Israeli patrol asked me:
‘Where are the weapons?’ I told him that
it is an ambulance and that he could search for the weapons. They released us an hour and a half later
after having humiliated us. They ordered
us to go to Beit Fourik checkpoint, where we were searched by Israeli soldiers
again.”
At approximately 22:30, Israeli occupying forces
again moved into Nablus through its southern entrance. They moved down al-Quds Street, opening fire
at Palestinian houses in Balata refugee camp, east of the city. 4 Palestinian civilians were wounded by the
Israeli gunfire:
1. Mohammed
Zuhair Mohammed ‘Owais, 22, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the chest;
2. Wa’el
Mohammed Edris Riahi, 34, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the back;
3. Tawfiq
Mar’ei al-Tirawi, 17, wounded by 2 live bullets in the legs; and
4. Ahmed
Mohammed Zuhdi Marshoud, 18, wounded by a live bullet in the right hand.
Saturday, 18 October 2003
In an apparent willful killing, Israeli occupying
forces shot dead a Palestinian child in the northern West Bank town of Tulkarm this
morning.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 10:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced by heavy military
vehicles, moved into Tulkarm and its refugee camp. At approximately 12:30, Israeli forces were
deployed in a street adjacent to a number of schools in the west of the
town. They provoked school children who
were leaving their schools on their way to their homes. A number of school children gathered and
threw stones towards Israeli forces. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired at the children, killing 14-year-old
Yahia Hassan Mahmoud Rihan with a live bullet in the head. In addition, 6 other children were wounded:
1. Nidal
Mahmoud Hamed, 14, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head;
2. Mustafa
Akram Bala’awi, 15, wounded by shrapnel from a live bullet in the head;
3. Ussama
Bilal al-Madani, 13, wounded by a live bullet in the right leg;
4. Khaldoun
Riadh al-Ghadban, 14, wounded by shrapnel in the right hand;
5. Mahmoud
Bassem ‘Abdul Mo’ti, 15, wounded by shrapnel in the right hand; and
6. Mahmoud
‘Abdul Latif al-Safa, 15, wounded by shrapnel in the face.
At approximately 21:00, Israeli soldiers in military
locations in the vicinity of “Gani Tal” settlement, northwest of Khan Yunis,
opened fire at Palestinian houses in al-Amal neighborhood and al-Rabwat area to
the south and east of the settlement respectively. Mahmoud Mohammed Zaqqout, 70, from al-Amal
neighborhood, was wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh, while he was
inside his house, approximately 700m away from the source of fire.
Sunday, 19 October 2003
At approximately 18:00, Israeli soldiers in military
vehicles positioned in the north of Jenin, opened fire at al-Zahraa’
neighborhood in the west of the town for no apparent reason. 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded:
1. Yazid
Hussein Badawia, 13, wounded by shrapnel in the legs; and
2. Ahmed
Walid al-Zar’eini, 18, wounded by a live bullet in the abdomen.
Monday, 20 October 2003
At approximately 08:20, Israeli fighter jets attacked
a building under construction owned by ‘Ammar Mushtaha in the densely populated
al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. The building was largely destroyed and 21
Palestinian civilians were wounded, including 7 children. PCHR’s field worker in Gaza City reported that
most of the wounded were residents of neighboring houses. An Israeli military
spokesman claimed that the attack had targeted a weapons store.
At approximately 12:30, Israeli occupying forces
launched a third aerial attack on a room in an agricultural area of the
al-Tuffah neighborhood to the northeast of Gaza City. No casualties were
reported, but the room was burnt. Such
aerial attacks in densely-populated civilian areas demonstrate increasing
disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians by the Israeli occupying
forces.
At approximately 14:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by 5 heavy military vehicles, including a bulldozer, moved
approximately 150m into Zo’rob neighborhood in the southwest of Rafah. Under the cover of intense shelling, they
totally demolished 6 Palestinian houses:
1. A
150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed uninhabited house owned by ‘Abed Rabbu
Suleiman Salim Barhoum;
2. An
80-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Fadhiya Suleiman Barhoum, in
which 3 people lived;
3. A
150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by ‘Abdul Karim Suleiman Isma’il
Barhoum, in which 5 people lived;
4. A
150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Suleiman ‘Abdul Karim Suleiman
Barhoum, in which 4 people lived;
5. A
150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by ‘Adnan ‘Abdul Karim Suleiman
Barhoum, in which 9 people lived; and
6. A
180-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Hadi Joma’a Suleiman Barhoum,
in which 2 people lived.
Tuesday, 21 October 2003
In the context of repeated incursions into
Palestinian areas in the West Bank under the pretext of searching for allegedly
wanted Palestinians, Israeli occupying forces moved into Ramallah and al-Bireh
and imposed a curfew. They surrounded a
mosque in Ramallah and fired concussion grenades (sound bombs) at the building. 12 Palestinians were wounded during the 4
hour Israeli military operation.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 18:20, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced by 40 military
vehicles and a number of civilian cars, in which undercover units were
traveling, moved into Ramallah and al-Bireh. This incursion was accompanied by intense Israeli gunfire targeting
Palestinian residential areas. Israeli
forces imposed a curfew on the residents of the two towns. Israeli soldiers confiscated a number of
buildings and took positions on the rooftops. Other Israeli forces surrounded Jamal ‘Abdul Nasser mosque on al-Ersal
Street in the center of Ramallah. Israeli
soldiers fired live ammunition and sound bombs to terrify about 250 worshippers
who were attending evening prayers. As
the prayers ended, Israeli soldiers ordered the people to evacuate the mosque
in groups of 4. For 4 hours, Israeli
forces searched and interrogated the worshippers, but no arrests were
reported. As a result of the Israeli
gunfire that accompanied the incursion, 12 Palestinian were wounded, including
one who sustained serious injuries (PCHR has a list of these
Palestinians).
In the evening, medical sources in Jenin declared
that Fadi Tawfiq ‘Asa’sa, 19, from al-Shuhada’ Triangle village, southeast of
Jenin, died from an injury he sustained last year. According to PCHR’s documentation, ‘Asa’sa
was run over by Israeli military undercover units while those units were chasing
a number of allegedly wanted Palestinians on the first day of the Islamic
holiday of Greater Bairam (in February),. He was evacuated to a number of hospitals, the last of which was Ramabam
Hospital in Haifa, where he died.
Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Early in the morning, in an excessive use of force,
Israeli occupying forces shot dead a Palestinian in Hebron.
At approximately 01:30, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles, moved into al-Hawooz area in the west of
Hebron. They chased ‘Abdul Hadi ‘Abdul
Muttaleb al-Natsha, 35, into a field and arrested him. According to eye-witnesses, Isreali forces
began to fire indiscriminately into the surrounding areas after arresting
al-Natsha. While Isreali forces were
firing al-Natsha appeared to fall to the ground do to an injury sustained to
one of his legs. Israeli soldiers then
approached close to where al-Natsha was laying and shot him in the head. Israeli soldiers then put his body on the front
of a military jeep, and later inside another military jeep. Israeli forces also arrested 4 Palestinians
in the area. They then withdrew from the
area under cover of intense indiscriminate gunfire.
In a similar incident, Israeli occupying forces shot
and killed a Palestinian in Qalqilya who they were chasing, and have not released
his body as of the writing of this report.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 03:30, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced by heavy military
vehicles, moved into Kufor Saba neighborhood in the southeast of Qalqilya. Under cover of intense indiscriminate
gunfire, Israeli forces raided a number of houses under the pretext of
searching for Palestinians who were allegedly wanted by Israeli authorities.
During the incident, Ahmed Khamis ‘Atiya, 28, attempted to escape into an
alley. Immediately, Israeli soldiers
fired at him from a close distance and transferred him to an Israeli ambulance,
transporting him to an unknown destination. Later, the Israeli military liaison
informed their Palestinian counterparts that ‘Atiya had died and that they were
in possession of his body.
At approximately 05:00, an Israeli tank positioned on
the border with Israel, east of Gaza City, fired what appears to be a flechette
tank shell in the vicinity of Palestinian houses located near al-Mentar (Karni)
crossing. 2 Palestinian civilians were
wounded:
1. Mohammed
Hilal Helles, 19; and
2. Akram
Hamed Bakroun, 18, who has been declared clinically dead.
PCHR’s field worker in Gaza City reported that Helles
and Bakroun were wounded by shrapnel while they were near a house belonging to
one of them, approximately 70m away from al-Mentar crossing.
At approximately 10:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved approximately 600m into the east of the northern Gaza Strip town of
Jabalya. From 10:00 until 17:00, they
razed areas of Palestinian agricultural land:
1. They
razed a 2.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and citrus
owned by Hussein Mohammed Dardouna.
2. They
razed a 2-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and citrus owned
by Hassan Yousef al-Batash.
3. They
razed a 1.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Hassan
‘Ali al-Batash.
4. They
razed a 1.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and citrus
owned by Ramadan Shaker Khader.
5. They
razed a 1.5-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives and citrus
owned by Sa’id Shaker Khader.
6. They
razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Na’im
Khader.
7. They
razed a 2-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Shafiq
Junaid.
8. They
razed a 2-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by Sha’ban
Junaid.
9. They
razed a 2-donum area of agricultural land planted with olives owned by ‘Addas
Junaid.
10. They razed a 2-donum area of
agricultural land planted with olives and destroyed a well owned by No’man
al-Zain.
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.
At approximately 01:00 on Wednesday, 22 October 2003,
Israeli occupying forces moved into al-Bassa neighborhood in the west of
Hebron. They surrounded and raided a
3-story apartment building, where the Abu Shakhdam family lives. They broke into a flat on the second floor of
the building where 9 people, including 4 children lived, owned by Ghaleb
Mohammed Yassin Abu Shakhdam. An Israeli
officer told the owner that his flat would be destroyed and ordered him to
vacate it. Israeli soldiers then forced
residents of other flats out of the building and gathered them all
approximately 100m away. Then, they
planted explosives inside the second-floor of the building and blew it up. As a result of the explosion, 3 houses
belonging to the owner’s brother were damaged. The owner’s son, Shadi, 19, has been detained by Israeli occupying
forces.
Continued Siege on the OPT
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
On Friday morning, 17 October 2003,Israeli occupying
forces reopened military checkpoints erected along Salah al-Din Street, which
links the south and north of the Gaza Strip. However, they have continued to
abuse and humiliate Palestinian civilians traveling on the road, and have
continued to impose a closure on a number of branch roads in the Gaza
Strip. Abuse and harassment of
Palestinians is especially rampant at the Abu Houli and al-Matahen checkpoints.
For example, at approximately 10:30 on Thursday, 16 October 2003, Israeli occupying
forces held and searched a number of Palestinian vehicles between the two
checkpoints, and arrested Mohammed Sa’id Abu ‘Oun, 31, from Jabalya. At approximately 15:00 on Friday, 17 October
2003, Israeli occupying forces closed the two checkpoints and held and searched
dozens of Palestinian vehicles, and again on Saturday, 18 October 2003, Israeli
occupying forces held and searched dozens of Palestinian vehicles and arrested
Nidal ‘Obaid Madiouf Sha’at, 28.
Also on Saturday, 18 October 2003, Israeli occupying
forces held an ambulance of the Palestine Red Crescent Society between Abu
Houli and al-Matahen checkpoints from 15:00 to 20:30. The ambulance was transporting a woman in
labor from Gaza city to Rafah. Israeli
soldiers searched the ambulance and checked its medical staff.
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip, restricting movement
of Palestinian civilians exiting and entering the area. They have also restricted movement of goods
at al-Mentar crossing, and continued to close Erez crossing in the north of the
Gaza Strip, denying access of Palestinian workers to their places of work in
Israel. Israeli occupying forces have
also continued to deliberately impose restrictions on Rafah Terminal on the
Egyptian border. Hundreds of Palestinian
civilians, including women and children, have been crowded at the Egyptian side
of the crossing waiting to be allowed to come back into the Gaza Strip. The Israeli intelligence agents often summon
and interrogate or arrest Palestinian travelers at this checkpoint. For instance, on Saturday, 18 October 2003,
they arrested Ahmed Abu Hilal, 37, from Khan Yunis, while he was on his way to
Egypt.
The West Bank
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on Palestinian communities in the West Bank. They have continued to close military
checkpoints and erected a number of temporary ones on the main roads and side
roads. They have also declared some
areas closed military zones and imposed curfews on others.
Salfit
On Friday evening, 17 October 2003, Israeli occupying
forces imposed a curfew on Marda village, south of Salfit. A number of Israeli soldiers raided an olive
press in the center of the village and reportedly assaulted and forcibly
removed Palestinian farmers and workers who were inside the facility.
Jenin
On Saturday, 18 October 2003, Israeli occupying
forces denied access of students and teaching staff to the campus of the Arab
American University, which is located in al-Zababda village, southeast of
Jenin. For this purpose, Israeli forces
erected roadblocks on the roads leading to the campus, and about 100 Israeli
soldiers were deployed on dirt roads to prevent any possible access to the
campus through back roads.
Tulkarm
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on the district for the 3rd consecutive week.
Al-Kafriayt area, south of Tulkarm, has also been isolated for the 3rd
consecutive week. On Friday, 17 October
2003, Israeli occupying forces closed Beit Leed junctions, east of Tulkarm, and
denied access of Palestinian civilians to the town. They also threw tear gas canisters at these
civilians, beat a number of taxi drivers and punctured the tires of a number of
vehicles. In the meantime, Israeli occupying
forces have continued to keep the gate closed at the entrance to Baqa al-Shaqia
village, north of Tulkarm, for the 20th consecutive day, denying
movement of Palestinian civilians into and out of the village.
Bethlehem
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on Bethlehem and Beit Jala. They have also continued to close entrances to eastern and western
villages of the district. Isreali forces
have closed the northern and western entrances of Beit Jala, and have denied access
of medical supplies, medical personnel and patients to the Arab Society for
Rehabilitation of the Handicapped in the north of the town.
Furthermore the living conditions of the 92
Palestinian families living in al-Seder and Panorama areas in the northwest of
Beit Jala have deteriorated as Israeli occupying forces have isolated the two
areas from the rest of the town.
For the 3rd consecutive week, Israeli
occupying forces have continued to close Wadi al-Nar road, northeast of
Bethlehem, which links the south and north of the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinian civilians have not
been able to reach their places of work and schools. Israeli forces have also continued to close
all roads linking Bethlehem and its eastern and western villages.
Qalqilya
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on Qalqilya for the 18th consecutive day. They have erected new military checkpoints
and roadblocks to tighten the siege imposed on the town.
The Northern Jordan Valley
Israeli occupying forces have continued to isolate
Palestinian communities in the northern Jordan Valley from the rest of the West
Bank, declaring them closed military zones. Palestinian farmers expect a poor agricultural season due these latest
Israeli measures.
Hebron
Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on Hebron and its surroundings. They have continued to close all main roads linking Hebron and Bethlehem
for the 3rd consecutive week. On 16 and 17 October 2003, Israeli occupying forces razed large areas of
land at the northern entrance to Hebron and on both sides of al-Fawar-Dura
road, southwest of Hebron, and replaced the sand barrier established in the
area with an iron gate and an observation tower.
*****
PCHR calls:
1. Upon the international community to
provide immediate and independent international protection for
the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
2. Upon the High Contracting Parties to
the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to reconvene to take effective
measures to protect Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, in accordance with their obligations under article 1 and article
146, to ensure respect for the Convention.
3. Upon the international community to
investigate and prosecute before international courts those believed to have
committed war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
4. Upon the ICRC to enhance its presence,
expand its activities, and intensify its field operations throughout the
Occupied Palestinian Territories.
5. Upon the European Union to activate
Article 2 of the Euro-Israeli Association Agreement, which provides that Israel
must respect human rights.
6. Upon the international community to
provide humanitarian and medical assistance for the Palestinian people, whose
living conditions are continuing to deteriorate as a result of the continued
siege imposed by Israeli occupation forces on the entire Occupied Palestinian
Territories.
“END”
Public Document
**************************************
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on
+972 8 2824776 – 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.
E-mail:[email protected], Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
