Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (25 Mar. 2004)

March 25, 2004

Israeli Forces Continue to
Perpetrate Crimes in the OPTs

· 24
Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 3 children, were killed by Israeli
forces

· Israeli
forces assassinated the leader of Hamas movement Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and killed
7 other civilians with him

· Israeli
forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip

· 5
Palestinians were killed in Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis

· 11
houses were destroyed and 70 donums[1]
of agricultural land were razed in the Gaza Strip

· Houses
were raided and a number of Palestinians were arrested

· Continued
indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian residential areas and willful killings
of Palestinian civilians; 7 civilians were killed and a number of others were
wounded

· Construction
of the “Annexation Wall” in the West Bank has continued and more areas of
Palestinian land were seized

· Israeli
settlers continued their attacks on Palestinian civilians and properties and
more than 8000 donums of Palestinian land were confiscated for the purpose of
settlement expansion

· 3
Palestinian houses were destroyed by Israeli forces as part of the continuing
campaign of retaliation against the families of Palestinians accused of
involvement in attacks against Israeli targets

· Continued
use of Palestinian civilians as human shields in Israeli military operations

· Israeli
occupying forces have continued to impose a total siege on the OPTs

Introduction

This week, Israeli occupying forces escalated their
aggression on Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
(OPTs). They extra-judicially assassinated the leader of Hamas movement
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin; willful killings perpetrated by Israeli occupying forces
are human rights violations. Throughout the week, Israeli occupying forces also
conducted incursions into Palestinian areas; shot at Palestinian civilians,
including children; indiscriminately shelled residential areas and demolished
houses; and leveled agricultural land. Israeli occupying forces have also
continued construction of the “Annexation Wall” inside the West Bank and have
continued to impose a tight siege on the OPTs. This week, 24 Palestinians, mostly civilians,
including 3 children and a journalist, were killed by Israeli occupying
forces.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces conducted
6 military incursions into Palestinian areas in the context of a plan known as
“Continuous Story.” They killed a number
of Palestinians and destroyed civilian properties. The widest of these incursion targeted Abasan
village, east of Khan Yunis, on 22 March 2004. Israeli forces killed 5 Palestinians, including a man and his wife, and
injured 9 other civilians. They also
destroyed 5 houses and razed areas of agricultural land. In the other incursions, Israeli forces razed
about 70 donums of Palestinian agricultural land and destroyed 11 houses. In addition, 4 Palestinians died from
injuries sustained in previous incursions into Rafah and Gaza city.

As a result of Israeli indiscriminate shelling, this
week, 3 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children in Khan Yunis, were killed,
and a number of other civilians were wounded.

In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces conducted
a series of military incursions into Palestinian areas. A number of Palestinian civilians were
injured. Israeli forces also arrested dozens
Palestinians. Israeli forces used
excessive force against demonstrations organized by Palestinian civilians in
protest to the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. As a result, 4 Palestinian civilians,
including a child and a journalist, were killed by the Israeli gunfire.

In violation of article 33 of the 1949 Geneva
Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, 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, they destroyed 3 houses in the West Bank.

Israeli occupying forces have continued construction
of the “Annexation Wall” inside the West Bank. The Israeli High Court issued a temporary
injunction stopping the construction of the wall in Kahrabtha Bani Hareth
village, west of Ramallah, and ordered Israeli forces to bring 500 uprooted
olive trees to their Palestinian owners. Israeli forces used excessive force against Palestinian civilians and
international solidarity activists who protested against the construction of
the wall.

Israeli settlers escalated their attacks against
Palestinian civilians and their properties. In addition, Israeli occupying forces confiscated 8866 donums of
Palestinian agricultural land in the west of Jenin, for the purpose of the
construction of an industrial zone.

This week, Israeli occupying forces have
tightened the siege imposed on the OPTs and imposed severe restrictions on the
movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,
including Jerusalem.

In the Gaza Strip, following the
assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin on Monday morning, 22 March 2004, Israeli
occupying forces imposed a total siege on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They closed all border crossings of the Gaza
Strip, and portioned it into 3 isolated zones. They also closed all entrances to Palestinian areas located near Israeli
settlements and denied movement of Palestinian civilians. Such restrictions on freedom of movement are
in contravention of international human rights law to which Israel is a state
party, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights.

In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces have
continued to impose a strict siege on Palestinian communities. They have also imposed severe restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have blocked a number of roads using
cement blocks, sand barriers, and trenches. They have also erected temporary checkpoints and arrested a number of
Palestinians.

Shelling of, and Encroachment into Palestinian Areas
and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property

Thursday, 18 March 2004

At approximately 01:00, 15 Israeli military vehicles
moved into Nablus. Israeli soldiers
raided and searched a number of houses in the old town and Ras al-‘Ein
neighborhood. According to eyewitnesses,
Israeli soldiers blew up doors of houses and stores to enter them. They arrested 5 Palestinians, including 2
brothers:

1. Fadi
Hussam Estaitiya, 22;

2. Ameen
Burhan Jumayel, 25;

3. Zahi
Burhan Qanaze’, 30;

4. Mahioub
Burhan Qanaze’, 32; and

5. ‘Ali
Khalil al-‘Azizi, 24.

At approximately 02:00, 4 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Kufor Thuluth village, east of Qalqilya. Israeli soldiers raided and searched Younis
‘Abdul Rahman ‘Eissa’s house and arrested his son, Ra’ed, 22.

At approximately 02:15, 7 Israeli military vehicles
moved into Qalqilya. Israeli soldiers
raided and searched Mohammed Rajab al-Aqra’s house and arrested his son,
‘Alaa’, 22.

At approximately 05:00, 12 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Bethlehem and the neighboring ‘Aaida refugee camp. Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number
of houses and arrested 6 Palestinians, including a child:

1. Marwan
Mahmoud al-Dairbani, 17, from ‘Aaida refugee camp;

2. Mohammed
Hassan al-‘Arouj, 21, from Bethlehem;

3. Mo’tasem
Bellah Hassan Safi, 22, from Bethlehem;

4. ‘Omar
Hassan al-‘Adel, 22, from Bethlehem;

5. Marwan
‘Eissa Farrouja, 24, from Bethlehem; and

6. Ibrahim
Jamal al-Din Souman, 23, from Bethlehem.

Also in the morning, Israeli occupying forces moved
into Beit Luqia village, northwest of Jerusalem. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 4 Palestinians:

1. Tha’er
Mufid ‘Aassi, 20;

2. Na’im
‘Adnan Jamal ‘Edwan, 22;

3. Sharif
Ahmed al-Kabsa, 25; and

4. Rami
Mohammed Faraj, 25.

At approximately 11:00, Israeli soldiers positioned
in a military location at the iron wall along the Egyptian border, south of
Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian houses in Block O in Rafah refugee camp. A Palestinian child, Mahmoud Samir al-Najjar,
13, was injured by shrapnel from a live bullet in the head, while he was near
his house, approximately 400m away from the border.

At approximately 11:40, medical sources at Nasser
Hospital in Khan Yunis declared that ‘Adli Mohammed Abu Taha, 26, from Rafah,
died from a wound he sustained on 17 March 2004. According to PCHR’s documentation, Abu Taha
was wounded in the abdomen by shrapnel from a missile when he was resisting an
Israeli military incursion into Rafah refugee camp. During that incursion, Israeli occupying
forces killed 4 Palestinians, wounded 14 others and destroyed about 50
houses.

At the same time, Israeli occupying forces positioned
along the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian houses in
al-Brazil neighborhood. A Palestinian
woman, Najiya ‘Ayada al-Akhras, 47, was wounded by a live bullet in the
buttocks, while she was inside her house.

Friday, 19 March 2004

In the early morning, Israeli occupying forces conducted
a major military incursion into al-Mughraqa village, south of Gaza city. They destroyed 5 houses, injured 5
Palestinian civilians, and arrested 8 others. One of the houses was destroyed with its residents still inside.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 03:00, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced by heavy military
vehicles and 2 helicopters, moved into al-Mughraqa village, south of Gaza
city. They surrounded a number of houses
belonging to the Hassan family in the south of the village. Under cover of indiscriminate shelling,
Israeli soldiers raided and searched these houses, and used a number of
residents as human shields while searching the houses. In addition, Israeli soldiers used Sabri
Sa’ad Hassan as a human shield when they clashed with members of the
Palestinian resistance. Israeli soldiers
then arrested 5 members of the family and ordered residents of the houses to
vacate them. Soon after, Israeli
soldiers planted explosives inside a 150-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house
owned by Jabra Muhsen Hassan, and destroyed it. Two families counting 10 people have become homeless. Two neighboring houses were also
damaged. Israeli forces released 4 of
the detainees, and kept 23-year-old Mohammed Saqer Hassan in custody.

During this incursion, which continued until 11:00,
Israeli occupying forces raided two apartment buildings belonging to the
families of Farajallah and Abu Kumail, and held residents of each building in
one room. They searched the two
buildings and transformed their roofs into military posts from which they fired
at the area. At approximately 05:00,
Israeli soldiers raided 2 houses belonging to the Abu Kumail family and a third
house belonging to the Jawad family. They
forced the residents of the three houses out and arrested 8 of them, including
2 children. Seven of the eight
Palestinians were interrogated and then released, while the eighth one,
Mohammed Jamal Abu Kumayel, 19, remained in custody.

At approximately 05:45, Israeli occupying forces
demolished 4 houses, razed areas of agricultural land and destroyed a number of
civilian facilities:

1. They
completely destroyed a 100-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Hamdan
Mahmoud Abu Kumayel, in which 4 people lived.

2. They
completely destroyed a 100-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Fadel
Hamdan Abu Kumayel, in which 8 people lived.

3. They
completely destroyed a 100-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Ref’at
Hamdan Abu Kumayel, in which 6 people lived.

4. They
partially destroyed a 350-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Mohammed
Mahmoud Abu Kumayel, in which 25 people (3 families) live.

5. They
destroyed 4 stores owned by Isma’il Muhsen al-Haiqi over their contents.

6. They
destroyed 3 under-construction stores owned by Kamal Mohammed Abu Kumayel.

7. They
demolished the fence of al-Mughraqa village’s public clinic.

8. They
razed a 1-donum area of agricultural land planted with potatoes owned by Kahder
Mohammed Abu Kumayel.

As a result of the Israeli shelling, 5 Palestinian
civilians were wounded:

1. ‘Abdullah
Ahmed Hamad, 17, wounded by shrapnel in the neck;

2. Shehda
Mohammed al-Hour, 17, wounded by a live bullet in the left thigh;

3. Mahmoud
‘Ali Hamdan, 15, wounded by shrapnel in the head;

4. Yousef
Sami al-Tawil, 11, wounded by a live bullet in the neck; and

5. Saleh
Khalil Farajallah, 22, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the head.

Also in the morning, medical sources at Gaza European
Hospital in Khan Yunis declared that Ayman ‘Abdul Karim Abu Hashem, 24, from
Rafah, died from a wound he sustained on 17 March 2004. According to PCHR’s documentation, Abu Hashem
was wounded by a live bullet in the left knee as Israeli occupying forces opened
fire at houses in Block O in Rafah refugee camp, during a major incursion into
the area.

At approximately 08:30, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military posts near Salah al-Din Gate on the Egyptian border,
south of Rafah, opened fire at Palestinian residential areas in the town. Two Palestinian civilians were wounded by the
Israeli gunfire, which continued sporadically until 12:00:

1. ‘Abdul
Qader Hamad al-Sha’er, 8, wounded by shrapnel in the left leg; and

2. Nidal
Mohammed Abu Jazar, 23, wounded by a live bullet in the left knee.

In the evening, a Palestinian child was killed when
Israeli occupying forces opened fire at an agricultural area in Khan
Yunis.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 17:50, Israeli occupying forces positioned in military posts in
the vicinity of “Gani Tal” settlement, northwest of Khan Yunis, opened fire at
a number of Palestinian children who were playing on an agricultural area in
al-Rabwat al-Gharbiya area to the east. A Palestinian child, Fatema Mohammed al-Jallad, 7, was seriously wounded
by a live bullet in the head, while the other children were able to
escape. The child bled for 7 minutes while
others were not able to offer any help as Israeli forces continued to fire at
the area. She was then evacuated in a
civilian car to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis and from there she was
transferred to Gaza International Hospital. Medical efforts made to save her life failed and she was pronounced dead
on Saturday morning, 20 March 2004.

Saturday, 20 March 2004

At approximately 02:00, 4 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Kharsa village, south of Hebron. Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2
Palestinians:

1. Ussama
Yousef al-Shahatit, 24; and

2. Mohammed
Rateb al-Dahdour, 23.

At the same time, Israeli occupying forces moved into
Dura village and arrested Nader Fayez Younis al-Rajoub, 28.

In an apparent willful killing that evening, Israeli
occupying forces shot dead a Palestinian child in Nablus. According to investigations conducted by
PCHR, at approximately 20:50, a number of Israeli military jeeps moved into
al-Quds Street at the southern entrance to Nablus, stopped for while, and then
moved back. At approximately 21:30,
while 17-year-old Mohammed Eshtaiwi Saleh Abu Muhsen, from Balata refugee camp,
was stepping on a stair linking between al-Qara’an area in the camp and al-Quds
Street, Israeli soldiers fired 7 live bullets at him, wounding him. The source of fire was a deserted house in
the south of the refugee camp; which Israeli soldiers were apparently hiding
in. A number of Palestinian civilians
hurried towards the child to offer him help, but Israeli soldiers did not allow
them to attend to him. About 15 minutes
later, Israeli soldiers allowed an ambulance of Palestine Red Crescent Society
to attend him, but he was dead by the time the ambulance reached him. His body was moved to Rafidya Hospital in
Nablus. edical sources states that the
child was hit by 2 live bullets in the lower jaw and the left hand. According to eyewitnesses, the child was
fired at from a distance of 20 meters, when the area was completely quiet.

Sunday, 21 March 2004

In the early morning, Israeli occupying forces killed
5 Palestinians, including a man and his wife, injured 9 others, and destroyed 5
houses in ‘Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis. Israeli occupying forces
moved into the village to arrest one of the victims, who was allegedly
wanted. During this incursion, Israeli occupying forces used excessive
force against civilian residential areas.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 02:45 on Sunday, Israeli occupying forces, reinforced by heavy
military vehicles and 2 helicopters, moved into ‘Abasan village, east of Khan
Yunis. Under cover of intense shelling, they surrounded two houses
belonging to Bassem Salem Qudaih, 38, who is allegedly wanted by Israeli
occupying forces, and his brothers. Israeli soldiers called through
megaphones on Qudaih to surrender. According to eyewitnesses, Qudaih was
in one of the houses with his wife and their four children. Residents of
the houses got out, while Bassem and his wife refused to surrender, and
allegedly exchanged fire with Israeli forces. One of the helicopters launched
a missile at the house, which exploded at the door of the house instantly
killing Qudaih and his wife, Sanaa’ ‘Abdul Hadi Qudaih, 34. The house was
also partially destroyed. Israeli forces then used ‘Omar Khader Suleiman
Qudaih, 20, as a human shield and ordered him to call through a megaphone on
Bassem to surrender, as they did not know that he was dead at the time. When ‘Omar refused, Israeli soldiers beat him
and forced him to enter Bassem’s house to check whether he was still
alive. He entered the house and found
one of Bassem’s children, ‘Aassem, 8, inside the house. Israeli soldiers asked the child about his
father, but the child did not know the destiny of his father. Israeli forces ordered ‘Omar to a house
belonging to Bassem’s father to tell its 20 residents to evacuate, then checked
Bassem’s father and brothers. Israeli
forces again shelled the two targeted house and then forced the father and
Bassem’s brother, ‘Azzam, to go to the houses to verify the destiny of
Bassem. There, they found the bodies of
Bassem and his wife at the door of one of the houses. As Israeli forces became certain of Bassem’s
death, they demolished the two houses and a 100-square-meter, asbestos-roofed
workshops in addition to destroying a car belonging to Bassem. Israeli forces then arrested 5 Palestinians –
Qudaih’s father, his three brothers, and his cousin – and withdrew from the
area at 07:30. The five were released at 10:00.

As a result of this indiscriminate Israeli shelling,
10 Palestinian civilians were injured; one of them, Thana’ei ‘Olayan Qudaih,
20, who was hit by a live bullet to the head, who was later pronounced
dead. According to eyewitnesses, an Israeli military jeep ran over him after
shooting him with and hitting him with a live bullet to the head. An
atmosphere of terror spread over the village, and as a result a pregnant woman,
Asma Mohammed Abu Tair, 27, miscarried, and a number of other civilians were in
a state of shock. Israeli forces also fired at an ambulance which arrived
to the area to evacuate the injured, wounding its driver, Ayman Salman Abu
Draz, 38, with shrapnel in the chest.

During this incursion, members of the Palestinian
resistance clashed with the invading Israeli forces. Two members of the
Palestinian resistance were killed:

1. ‘Abdul
Rahman Zaki al-Dardissi, 25, hit by a live bullet to the right shoulder; and

2. Ra’fat
Ibrahim Abu Tu’aima, 20, hit by a live bullet to the head.

Following are details of the destruction incurred to
the area by Israeli occupying forces:

1. They
totally destroyed a 170-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Bassem Salem
Qudaih, in which 9 people lived.

2. They
totally destroyed a 450-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by ‘Azmi and ‘Azzam
Qudaih, in which 7 people (3 families) lived.

3. They
partially destroyed a 180-square-meter house owned by Khader Suleiman Qudaih
and rented by Mohammed ‘Olayan Abu Daqqa, in which 2 people live.

4. They
partially destroyed a 140-square-meter house owned by ‘Abed Rushdi Qudaih, in
which 2 people live.

5. They
partially destroyed a 180-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Sami Ahmed
Qudaih, in which 6 people live.

6. They
razed a 1-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables and olives
owned by Ibrahim Hamdan Qudaih.

7. They
razed a 1-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables owned by
Joma’a ‘Abdul Rahman Qudaih.

8. They
razed a 1-donum area of agricultural land planted with wheat owned by Jaber
‘Abdul Rahman Qudaih.

9. They
razed a 1-donum area of agricultural land planted with onions owned by Khader
Salman Qudaih.

At approximately 22:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles, including a bulldozer, moved
approximately 200m into al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis, under cover
of indiscriminate gunfire. Israeli
soldiers surrounded a 170-square-meter, asbestos-roofed house owned by Majed
Mohammed al-Sumairi, 32, in which 10 people live. Israeli soldiers broke into the house and
fired a shell inside, causing wide destruction to its contents. The bulldozer also razed a 2-donum area of
agricultural land planted with olives owned by ‘Aadel Mohammed Salama
al-Sumairi, and leveled areas of agricultural land which had been already
razed. Israeli forces withdrew from the
area at approximately 01:30 on Monday, 22 March 2004.

Monday, 22 March 2004

At approximately 03:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Nablus and the neighboring Balata refugee camp. They raided and searched a number of houses
and arrested 7 Palestinians:

1. ‘Ameed
Ibrahim ‘Ayad, 53;

2. ‘Ammar
Hassan Abu al-S’oud, 23;

3. ‘Alaa’
Nazmi Hashash, 22;

4. ‘Abdullah
Mohammed Hashash, 28;

5. Isma’il
Mohammed Hashash, 22;

6. Mahmoud
Mohammed Hashash, 24; and

7. Sharif
Saber Thouqan, 25.

At approximately 06:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned along the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at Block K in
Rafah refugee camp. Two Palestinian
civilians were wounded:

1. Suleiman
‘Ali Barhoum, 20, wounded by a live bullet in the right arm; and

2. Shihda
Fathi al-Kurd, wounded by a live bullet in the left thigh.

At approximately 07:00, Israeli soldiers positioned
in military posts in the vicinity of “Kfar Darom” settlement,
southeast of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, fired at a number of
Palestinian children who gathered near the settlement and threw stones at
Israeli military posts. Two children
were wounded:

1. Mos’ab
Yousef Abu al-Rous, 8, wounded by a live bullet in the right leg; and

2. Mohammed
Walid al-Jourani, 10, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
abdomen.

In an excessive use of force in that morning, Israeli
occupying forces killed a Palestinian child and wounded 4 others in Khan Yunis,
when they opened fire at a peaceful demonstration organized by Palestinians in
protest against the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 08:15, Israeli soldiers positioned in “al-Nouria”
military post, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire at thousands of Palestinians who
participated in a demonstration in protest against the extra-judicial assassination
of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin by Israeli forces. The demonstration was marching on a road linking between Khan Yunis
refugee camp and al-Amal neighborhood, approximately 200 meters to the east of
the aforementioned Israeli military location. Five Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were wounded. One of the wounded, 13-year-old Mos’ab
Hussein Mohammed al-Ghalban, who was hit by a live bullet in the chest, died
shortly after he had been evacuated to the hospital. The other civilians who were wounded are:

1. Mahmoud
Hamed Farawana, 22, seriously wounded by a live bullet that entered the right
shoulder and exited the back;

2. ‘Abdul
Rahman ‘Abdul Hakim al-Farra, 15, wounded by a live bullet in the right thigh;

3. Salem
Ahmed Abu Mousa, 18, wounded by a live bullet in the left shoulder; and

4. Salem
Majed Salama al-‘Aqqad, 17, wounded by a live bullet in the right
shoulder.

At approximately 08:45, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military posts between “Neve Dekalim” and
“Gadid” settlements, west and southwest of Khan Yunis respectively,
opened fire at the cemeteries and Baten al-Samin areas to the east. A Palestinian child, Zaki Saleh ‘Abed
al-Barqi, 14, was injured by shrapnel from a live bullet in the left eye, when
he was inside his house, approximately 250m away from the source of fire.

At approximately 09:00, Israeli soldiers positioned
in military posts near al-Matahen military checkpoint, north of Khan Yunis,
fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters at a student demonstration
organized in protest against the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and at
Palestinian civilians who were waiting at the checkpoint to be allowed to
travel to the north. Two Palestinian
children were wounded by the Israeli gunfire, which continued sporadically
until 12:00:

1. Yousef
Yahia al-Namrouti, 15, wounded by a live bullet in the right foot; and

2. ‘Emad
Samir al-‘Abadla, 16, wounded by 2 live bullets in the feet.

In addition, a number of civilians, including women,
suffered from tear gas inhalation.

At approximately 09:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Seilat al-Zaher village, south of Jenin, and imposed a curfew. A number of school children gathered and
threw stones at Israeli forces. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired
rubber-coated metal bullets at the children, wounding 16-year-old Mohammed
Hisham ‘Atiya in the left hand.

In another case of apparent willful killing, in the
morning, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a Palestinian civilian in Balata
refugee camp, east of Nablus. The victim
was a correspondent of an-Najah Radio of an-Najah National University, where he
was studying journalism. This killing
was the second of its kind in the same area in less than 48 hours.

According to investigation conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 10:30, 4 Israeli military jeeps moved into Balata refugee camp,
east of Nablus. A number of Palestinian
children gathered and threw stones at the jeeps. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired at the
children. In the meantime, Mohammed
‘Aadel ‘Abdul Rahman, 22, a correspondent of an-Najah Radio, was in his
father’s restaurant. After hearing
shooting sounds, he hurried towards the source of sounds carrying his mobile
phone. When he took the mobile phone in
his hand, Israeli soldiers fired at him, and wounded him by a live bullet in
the abdomen. He was evacuated to Rafidya
Hospital in Nablus, but medical efforts to save his life failed and he was
pronounced dead at approximately 11:30. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers fired at the victim from a
distance of approximately 70-100 meters.

At approximately 12:30, dozens of Palestinian
civilians and a number of an Italian solidarity delegation demonstrated in
Toura al-Gharbia village, west of the village, in protest against the
construction of the “Annexation Wall” in the area. When the demonstrators became close to the
wall, Israeli soldiers opened fire at them, wounding 15-year-old Mohammed Subhi
Kabaha with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left side.

At noon, many Palestinian civilians demonstrated in
the center and south of Hebron in protest against the assassination of Sheikh
Ahmed Yassin by Israeli forces. They
threw stones at Israeli military posts. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition, rubber-coated metal
bullets and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. Dozens of civilians suffered from tear gas
inhalation, and 3 others, including a journalist, were wounded by live and
rubber-coated metal bullets:

1. Ahmed
Salem al-Ja’bari, 19, wounded by a live bullet in the left foot;

2. Nadim
Mustafa al-Junaidi, 17, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the abdomen;
and

3. Ma’moun
Mohammed Wazwaz, 27, a cameraman of Reuters news agency, wounded by a
rubber-coated metal bullet in the right leg.

At the same time, hundreds of Palestinian civilians
demonstrated at the northern and southern entrances to Halhoul town, south of
Bethlehem. The demonstrators threw
stones at Israeli military vehicles that were patrolling on the main road. Israeli soldiers fired at the demonstrators,
wounding 18-year-old ‘Abdul Karim al-‘Amour with a live bullet in the back.

In the afternoon, Israeli occupying forces shot dead
a Palestinian civilian in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron, while he was in
the balcony of his house. Two civilians
were also wounded by the Israeli gunfire.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 13:00, hundreds of Palestinian civilians demonstrated at the
eastern entrance to Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They threw stones at Israeli military
vehicles, which fired at the demonstrators. The clashes continued for hours. As Israeli soldiers opened fire at the demonstrators, they were forced
to move back to the village, but Israeli soldiers chased them inside the
village, and then opened fire at houses. At approximately 16:05, Tariq Ahmed Judai’ al-‘Allami, 31, was hit by a
live bullet to the heart, and died before arriving at the hospital. According to eyewitnesses, the victim was hit
by a live bullet while he was in the balcony of the second floor of his house,
approximately 250 meters away from the main entrance to the village. The victim was married and a father of two
children. In addition, 2 other
Palestinian civilians were wounded in the clashes:

1. Mohammed
‘Eish Sabarna, 20, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left eye; and

2. Salama
Mohammed Abu Sara, 22, wounded by a live bullet in the right leg.

At approximately 13:30, dozens of Palestinian
civilians gathered near Bilal Ben Rabah Mosque (Rachel Tomb), north of
Bethlehem. They threw stones at Israeli
occupying forces positioned in the area. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired at the demonstrators, wounding two:

1. Mo’ein
Mohammed Hussein al-Atrash, 21, from al-Duhaisha refugee camp, seriously
wounded by a live bullet in the neck; and

2. Munther
‘Abdullah Shou’ani, 21, from Bethlehem, wounded by a live bullet in the right
leg.

At approximately 13:35, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis,
opened fire at Palestinian residential areas in Khan Yunis. A Palestinian civilian, Akram Mahmoud
Hunaideq, 18, was wounded by a live bullet in the left foot.

At approximately 15:00, a number of Palestinian
civilians gathered at the entrance to Taqou village, south of Bethlehem. They threw stones at Israeli military
vehicles on the main road. Israeli
soldiers fired at them, wounding 18-year-old ‘Abdul Karim al-‘Amour with a live
bullet in the back.

At approximately 16:30, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in a military location in Tal Zo’rob area in the southwest of Rafah
opened fire at Palestinian houses in Z’orob area. A Palestinian civilian, Fadel Mohammed
al-Qassas, 45, was wounded by a live bullet in the buttocks, while he was at
the door of his house.

In the evening, Israeli soldiers positioned on an
observation tower, west of Qalqilya, fired at a Palestinian child who was on
the roof of his house wounding him with a live bullet in the abdomen.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, and
the child’s mother’s testimony, at approximately 17:30, 16-year-old Daoud Wa’el
Yousef Noufal was on the roof of his family’s house in the west of
Qalqilya. Israeli soldiers positioned on
a military observation tower, approximately 150 meters to the west of the
house, fired at him. He was seriously
wounded by a live bullet in the abdomen.

At approximately 17:45, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military locations at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened
fire at Palestinian houses in Block J in Rafah refugee camp. ‘Aatef Mohammed ‘Awaja, 18, was seriously
wounded by a live bullet in the head, while he was near his house.

At approximately 23:00, an infantry unit of Israeli
occupying forces moved approximately 100 meters to the northwest of “Kfar
Darom” settlement, southeast of Deir al-Balah. Israeli soldiers raided Farhana Ghaith
al-Louh’s house and held its 33 residents in one room. They searched the house and transformed the
upper floors of the house into a military post, then remained in the house
until 08:00 on Wednesday, 24 March 2004.

Tuesday,
23 March 2004

At approximately 10:00am, medical sources at Gaza
European Hospital in Khan Yunis declared that ‘Abdullah Hassan al-Mughayar, 18,
from Rafah, died from a wound he sustained on 17 March 2004. According to PCHR’s documentation,
al-Mughayar was hit by shrapnel from a shell to the head while he was with
other members of the Palestinian resistance confronting an Israeli military
incursion into Rafah refugee camp. Thus,
the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli occupying forces during that
incursion increased to 7.

At approximately 11:00, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles, including 3 bulldozers, moved
approximately 200 meters into al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis. They razed large areas of Palestinian
agricultural land:

1. They
razed a 1-donum area of agricultural land planted with palms and fruits owned
by Ahmed Joma’a Salama al-Sumairi.

2. They
razed a 1-donum area of agricultural land planted with palms and fruits owned
by Mohammed Joma’a Salama al-Sumairi.

3. They
razed a 5-donum area of agricultural land planted with palms and fruits and
destroyed an irrigation network and a car owned by Ibrahim Joma’a Salama
al-Sumairi.

4. They
razed a 2-donum area of agricultural land planted with palms and fruits and
destroyed an irrigation network owned by Mazen Mohammed Salama al-Sumairi.

5. They
razed a 10-donum area of agricultural land planted with wheat owned by Ibrahim
Humaidan al-Sumairi.

6. They
razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with palms and olives owned
by Salaha Ahmed Ibrahim al-Sumairi.

7. They
razed a 30-donum area of agricultural land planted with wheat and uprooted 40
olive trees owned by Asa’ad Jomai’an Salama al-Sumairi.

8. They
razed a 1-donum area of agricultural land planted with palms owned by Mansour Jomai’an
Salama al-Sumairi.

9. They
razed a 2-donum area of agricultural land planted with palms and destroyed an
irrigation network owned by ‘Ouda Humaidan al-Sumairi.

10. They razed a 1.5-donum area of
agricultural land planted with palms and demolished a 16-square-meter bird farm
owned by Intissar Ahmed Ibrahim al-Sumairi.

11. They razed a 3-donum area of
agricultural land planted with olives owned by Su’ad Salman Hussein
al-Sumairi.

12. They razed a 1-donum area of
agricultural land planted with palms and fruits, destroyed an irrigation
network and demolished a 16-square-meter bird farm owned by Najwa Zayed
al-Sumairi.

13. They razed a 2-donum area of
agricultural land planted with palms and wheat owned by ‘Abdullah Ahmed
al-Sumairi.

In addition, Israeli soldiers damaged a
220-square-meter house owned by ‘Abdul Rahman Musallam al-Sumairi, in which 8
people (2 families) live. According to
the owner, Israeli soldiers have raided the house every night since Saturday,
20 March 2004. They searched the house
and hid inside until the morning. They
also destroyed a balcony and a kitchen in the house.

At approximately 12:00, a number of Palestinian
children gathered and threw stones at Israeli forces at the entrances to
al-Fawar refugee camp, south of Hebron. Israeli soldiers fired at the children, hitting and wounding 16-year-old
‘Alaa’ Hassan Houshia with a live bullet to the left side of his body.

At the same time, dozens of Palestinian civilians
demonstrated at the northern entrance to Hebron. Israeli occupying forces fired live
ammunition and tear gas canisters at the demonstrators. Sa’id Ra’ef ‘Abdul ‘Aal, 33, was wounded by a
live bullet in the left thigh. In
addition, Ibrahim Khalil Ghandour, 63, from Hebron, suffered from tear gas
inhalation. He was evacuated to the
intensive care unit at ‘Aalia Hospital in Hebron as he was in a critical
condition. He was pronounced dead at
approximately 02:30 on Wednesday, 24 March 2004.

At approximately 13:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military posts west of Rafah opened fire at Palestinian houses in
Tal al-Sultan neighborhood in the west of the town. A Palestinian civilian, Zaki Malu al-‘Ein,
31, was wounded by a live bullet in the pelvis, while he was working in a
school, which was still under construction at the time.

At approximately 14:00, Israeli soldiers occupying
forces positioned along the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at
Palestinian houses in al-Junaina neighborhoos, approximately 700 meters to the
north. A Palestinian woman, Najah Farhan
Abu Sabala, 40, was wounded by a live bullet in the back while she was inside
her house.

Two hours later, Israeli occupying forces opened fire
at the same area. A Palestinian
civilian, ‘Abdullah Mohammed al-Qassas, 52, was injured by shrapnel in the left
hand, while he was near his house.

Wednesday, 24 March 2004

At approximately 00:50, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles including bulldozers and supported by 2
helicopters, moved approximately 100 meters into Khan Yunis refugee camp. Under cover of indiscriminate shelling, they
destroyed a number of buildings established in the area between the refugee
camp and the “Neve Dekalim” settlement:

1. They
destroyed a 60-square-meter, iron-roofed house owned by ‘Abdul Qader Ya’qoub
‘Abed Siam, in which 7 people lived.

2. They
destroyed a 16-square-meter room and uprooted a number of olive trees owned by
Ameen Ya’qoub ‘Abed Siam.

3. They
destroyed a 15-meter-long fence owned by Mohammed Shihda Hussein Abu
Rezeq.

At approximately 01:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into al-Duha village and al-Duhaisha refugee camp, south of
Bethlehem. They raided and searched a
number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinians:

1. Mohammed
‘Adnan Abu Najma, 22;

2. ‘Alaa’
‘Ali al-Satafi, 23; and

3. ‘Abdullah
Ibrahim Jaber, 22.

At approximately 02:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus. They raided and searched about 40 houses and arrested 2 Palestinians,
including a girl:

1. Rimah
‘Abdul Majid Habayeb, 18; and

2. Mohammed
Daoud Abu Hamdan, 19.

At the same time, Israeli occupying forces moved into
‘Ein Beit al-Maa’ refugee camp, west of Nablus. They raided and searched Mohammed Mustafa Ma’rouf’s house and arrested
his son, Bader, 16.

At approximately 02:30, 7 Israeli military jeeps
moved into Jayous village, northeast of Qalqilya. Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number
of houses and arrested 6 Palestinians:

1. Adam
Ghassan Ahmed Harami, 21;

2. Ziad
Ghassan Ahmed Harami, 24;

3. Wajdi
Hussein Hamdan Baida, 20;

4. Haitham
Jihad Nemer Salim, 34;

5. Shadi
Tawfiq Mahmoud Salim, 19; and

6. Ahmed
Mohammed Tawfiq Khaled, 20.

At approximately 03:30, 12 Israeli military vehicles
moved into Tubas village, east of Jenin. Israeli soldiers raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3
Palestinians:

1. Hamada
Hamza Bikari, 22;

2. Ahmed
‘Aqab Daraghma, 21; and

3. Hamdallah
Fawaz Hamdallah, 20.

At approximately 07:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Hawara village, south of Nablus. They raided a 2-storey house owned by Mohammed Ibrahim al-D’ib. They held its 8 residents in one room and
transformed the rest of the house into a military post.

In the morning, medical sources at Shifa Hospital in
Gaza city declared that Hammam Mohammed Abu al-‘Amrain, 26, from Sheikh Radwan neighborhood,
died from a wound he sustained on 11 February 2004. According to PCHR’s documentation, Abu
al-‘Amrain was seriously wounded in the head and the chest when he and other
members of the Palestinian resistance confronted an Israeli military incursion
into al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of Gaza city. During that Israeli military operation, 12
Palestinians were killed and about 40 others were wounded by the Israeli
gunfire and shelling.

At approximately 16:25, Israeli occupying forces positioned
in the vicinity of the “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west of Khan Yunis, opened
fire at Palestinian residential areas in the town. A Palestinian civilian, Islam Hussein
Khurais, 24, was hit by a live bullet and wounded in the abdomen.

Extra-Judicial Assassination

In an act of state terrorism, on Monday morning, 22
March 2004, Israeli occupying forces assassinated Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, 66,
founder and political leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas),
immediately after he had left the mosque after finishing the dawn prayer.
In addition to Sheikh Yassin, 7 Palestinian civilians, 3 of whom were Sheikh
Yassin’s bodyguards, were killed and 17 others injured, including two of Sheikh
Yassin’s sons. This illegal and belligerent act is an implementation
of the Israeli authorities’ threats to assassinate Sheikh Yassin, which were
recently articulated by Israeli political and military officials. This is
the second use of illegal and excessive force of this kind committed by Israeli
occupying forces against a top figure in a Palestinian organization. Israeli
occupying forces previously assassinated the Secretary General of the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine Abu ‘Ali Mustafa in Ramallah on 27 August
2001.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 05:20 on Monday morning, Israeli helicopter gunships launched 3
missiles at Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, 66, an elderly disabled man, after he had left
the Islamic Association Mosque in the densely populated al-Sabra neighborhood
in the center of Gaza city, after the dawn payer. Sheikh Yassin was
traveling on his wheelchair accompanied by 3 bodyguards, when one of the
missiles directly hit Sheikh Yassin and his bodyguards. The other two missiles exploded in the
surrounding area and killed 4 other civilians. In addition to those
killed, 17 civilians were injured, including Sheikh Yassin’s two sons: ‘Abdul
Hamid, 33; and ‘Abdul Ghani, 29. Four children were among those injured.
‘Abdul Hamid and 5 of the injured remain in serious condition. All of the
casualties were worshippers who had just left the mosque following the dawn
prayer. The other 7 victims killed were identified as:

1. Mo’men
Ibrahim al-Yazouri, 28;

2. Rateb
‘Abdul Rahman al-‘Aloul, 35;

3. Khamis
Mushtaha, 32;

4. Ameer
Ahmed ‘Abdul ‘Aal, 25;

5. Rabi’
‘Abdul Hai ‘Abdul ‘Aal, 18, a bodyguard of Sheikh Yassin;

6. Ayoub
Ahmed ‘Atallah, 26, a bodyguard of Sheikh Yassin;

7. Khalil
‘Abdul Elah Abu Jayab, 30, a bodyguard of Sheikh Yassin.

Israeli media reported, after the incident, that
Israeli government sources announced that the assassination was approved by the
Israeli government. Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon personally sanctioned and supervised the attack.

Sheikh Yassin had survived a previous assassination
attempt on 6 September 2003, when Israeli warplanes attacked an apartment
building in which Sheikh Yassin and Isma’il Haniya, another leader of Hamas,
were present. The two leaders were lightly injured during that incident.

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 00:40 on Friday, 19 March 2004, 12
Israeli military vehicles moved into Jabal al-Mawaleh neighborhood in the south
of Bethlehem. They surrounded a
130-square-meter, 3-storey house belonging to family of Jamil Khalf Mustafa
Humaid, who was killed while carrying out an armed attack against
“Efrat” settlement, south of Bethlehem, on 31 March 2002. Israeli soldiers raided the house and forced
its 11 residents out without allowing them to remove any of their belongings. Then, Israeli soldiers planted explosives on
the first floor of the house. At
approximately 02:00, they destroyed the first floor and caused severe damage to
the rest of the building.

At approximately 00:00 on Sunday, 21 March 2004,
Israeli occupying forces moved into al-Duhaisha refugee camp, south of
Bethlehem, and imposed a curfew. At
approximately 00:20, they raided two houses belonging to the families of
Mohammed Ahmed ‘Abdul Rahman Daraghma and Rami Mohammed Hussein ‘Eissa, who
were killed in Jerusalem two years ago. They forced residents of the two houses and 15 neighboring houses out,
and planted explosives inside the two houses. At approximately 02:40, they destroyed the two houses. As a result, 11 neighboring houses were
damaged. The first house consisted of 3
floors and stood on a 150-square-meter area of land. Three families, totaling 14 people, lived in
it. The second house also consisted of 3
floors and stood on a 130-square-meter area of land. Two families, totaling 11 people, lived in
it.

Continued Siege on the
OPT

Gaza Strip

Following the assassination of Sheikh
Ahmed Yassin on Monday morning, 22 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces imposed
a total siege on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They closed all border crossings into the Gaza Strip, and divided it
into 3 isolated zones. They also closed
all entrances to Palestinian areas located near Israeli settlements and
prevented Palestinian civilians from moving freely. Such restrictions on freedom of movement are
in contravention of international human rights law, to which Israel is a state
party, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights.

Israeli occupying forces positioned at
the Abu Houli and al-Matahen checkpoints on Salah al-Din Street, the main road
between the north and south of the Gaza Strip, continued to obstruct movement
of Palestinian civilians. The two checkpoints, which are open for a
maximum of a few hours each day, have become notorious for acts of humiliation
and harassment by Israeli soldiers.

On Thursday afternoon, 18 March 2004, Israeli forces
closed the two checkpoints for several hours. During this closure, they held and searched a number of vehicles.

At approximately 11:00 on Saturday, 20 March 2004,
Israeli occupying forces closed the two checkpoints. They held dozens of Palestinian vehicles in
between and searched passengers. This
closure continued for 5 hours.

On Monday morning, 22 March 2004, Israeli forces
imposed more restrictions at the two checkpoint and later closed them. Hundred of Palestinian civilians and vehicles
had to wait in long lines. Soon, an
Israeli tank arrived at al-Matahen checkpoint, north of Khan Yunis. Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition and
tear gas at Palestinian civilians, wounding two children. The two checkpoints were reopened at 14:00.

On Monday morning, 22 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces closed the Erez crossing and industrial zone in the northern Gaza Strip,
denying thousands of Palestinian workers access to their work places. Israeli forces also closed Sofa crossing,
northeast of Rafah, and Karni crossing, east of Gaza city.

Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on al-Mawasi area in the southern Gaza Strip. They have
continued to close Tal al-Sultan checkpoint at the entrance to the area, in
Rafah and impose restrictions on movement of Palestinian civilians through
al-Tuffah checkpoint at the entrance to the area in Khan Yunis. On
Thursday, 18 March 2004, Israeli forces closed al-Tuffah checkpoint and denied
movement of Palestinian civilians.

Palestinians living in al-Mawasi area, of which there
are approximately 15,000, live under extremely tight restrictions, which also
apply to the entry of foodstuffs into the area and access to schools and
farms. It takes residents of the areas several hours to cross Israeli
military roadblocks and checkpoints. Palestinians living outside the area
are prohibited from entering. Israeli forces have assigned numbers to
residents of the area. These numbers are
to be added to their identity cards. Palestinians who do not have these numbers
will be prevented from entering the area. Women from the area married to
men living outside the area cannot visit their families.

They have also continued to
impose a tightened siege on al-Sayafa area in the northern Gaza Strip. On
Monday, 22 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces closed the area and denied
movement in and out of the area. On 9
March 2004, they started to issue magnetic cards to 262 Palestinian civilians
living in the area and farmers living outside the area. Moving in and out
of the area will be facilitated through the use of these magnetic cards.

In the same context, since
Monday morning, 22 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces have denied movement of
Palestinian civilians living in al-Ma’ni area near “Kfar Darom” settlement in
the central Gaza Strip.

The West Bank

Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a
strict siege on Palestinian communities. They have also imposed severe restrictions on the movement of
Palestinian civilians. They have blocked
a number of roads using cement blocks, sand barriers and trenches, and imposed
curfews on a number of villages.

Jerusalem

Israeli occupying forces have imposed more
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians since Monday morning, 22
March 2004. They have started to
construct a part of the separation wall north of Jerusalem. Israeli soldiers positioned at Dahiat
al-Barid military checkpoint at the northern entrance to the city denied access
of Palestinian civilians from the West Bank to the city. Israeli forces also imposed a strict siege on
Palestinian villages located northwest of the city.

Ramallah

Israeli occupying forces imposed more restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. They reinforced their presence at the entrances to the town and
restricted movement of Palestinian civilians. Israeli soldiers positioned at military checkpoints around the town
obstructed movement of Palestinian civilians, especially those exiting the
town.

Nablus

Israeli occupying forces imposed more restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. They erected more checkpoints around the city. On Monday morning, they imposed a curfew on
the villages of Madama and Bourin, southwest of the city. On Saturday evening, 20 March 2004, Israeli
soldiers positioned at Za’tara checkpoint, south of Nablus, arrested Ibrahim
Ussama al-Khadour, 26, from Bani Na’im village in Hebron, while he was
traveling from Jenin to Hebron.

At approximately 15:00 on Sunday, 21 March 2004,
Israeli forces positioned at Beit Eiba military checkpoint, west of Nablus,
arrested Eyad Hassan Subhi Sawan, 22, from Ematin village, east of Qalqilya,
while he was traveling from Nablus to Qalqilya.

Qalqilya

Israeli occupying forces erected a number of
checkpoints on the main roads linking between the town and other Palestinian
communities. According to eyewitnesses,
Israeli forces erected a checkpoint at the eastern entrance to the town. Israeli soldiers at these checkpoints
searched Palestinians vehicles and restricted their movement.

Jenin

Israeli occupying forces erected more checkpoints on
the main roads and imposed a curfew on Seilat al-Zaher village, south of the
town. They also declared the northern
Jordan Valley a closed military zone and denied access of Palestinian civilians
to the villages of Bardala, Kardala and ‘Ein al-Baida.

Hebron

This week, Israeli occupying forces imposed a curfew
on large parts of the town. They also
restricted access of Palestinian civilians from neighboring villages to the
town. They denied access of school
children to their schools in several areas, especially in Beit Ummar
village.

On Saturday afternoon, 20 March 2004, Israeli
soldiers positioned at a military checkpoint at the entrance to al-Shuhada
Street in the center of Hebron stopped 6-year-old Ahmed Sami Abu Mrkhia while
he was on his way back home from school. They forced him to open his bag. An Israeli soldier put live bullets and bombs in the bag and started to
shout: “a terrorist.” The soldiers asked
one of his colleagues to photograph the child with the bag. Then the soldier took the ammunition out of
the child’s bag and allowed him to go.

On Monday afternoon, 22 March 2004, Israeli soldiers
arrested Randa Muhsen al-Shahatit, 18, from Kharsa village, while she was
walking in the center of Hebron.

Tulkarm

Israeli occupying forces imposed more restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians between the town and neighboring
villages. They erected temporary
checkpoints on the roads leading to some villages and denied movement of
Palestinian civilians.

On Saturday, 20 March 2004, Israeli soldiers erected
a spontaneous checkpoint at the entrance to Far’oun village, south of
Tulkarm. They searched Palestinian
vehicles and arrested Nash’at Lutfi Khalil ‘obaid, 25, a taxi driver from
Far’oun village.

That evening, Israeli forces erected a spontaneous
checkpoint at the entrance to Saida village, north of Tulkarm. They arrested 4 Palestinians, including 3
bothers:

1. Badran
Na’im Raddad, 19;

2. Bader
Na’im Raddad, 20;

3. Nasser
Na’im Raddad, 21; and

4. ‘Obaid
Eyad Adib Raddad, 18.

They also detained ‘Omar Mohammed ‘Abdul Ghani, 25,
for 3 hours, during which they beat him.

On Sunday morning, 21 March 2004, Israeli forces
erected a checkpoint on Ektaba-Deir al-Ghosoun road, north of Tulkarm, and
arrested Bassam Jouda, 26.

Bethlehem

Israeli occupying forces imposed a tightened siege on
the town. According to eyewitnesses,
Israeli forces reinforced their presence at the entrances to the town. They seized Saleh Yaghmour’s house in
Chrimsan Street in Beit Jala and transformed it into a military post.

Israeli Settlement Activities and Attacks by Settlers
against Palestinian Civilians and Property

In addition to the construction of the
“Annexation Wall”, this week, Israeli occupying forces carried out a
number of settlement activities in the West Bank.

The so-called Civil Administration of Israeli
occupying forces issued an order confiscating 8866 donums of Palestinian
agricultural land in the villages of Seilat al-Harthia, al-Yamoun, al-‘Aaraqa,
Ya’bad, Toura and Nazlat Zaid, west of Jenin. Israeli occupying forces intend to establish an industrial zone on these
lands.

On Sunday morning, 21 March 2004, Israeli occupying
forces razed areas of Palestinian agricultural land in Kissan village,
southeast of Bethlehem. Residents of the
village have not been able to specify the total area of land that has been
razed and the Israeli military has forcibly denied them access to the
area.

On Monday, 22 March 2004, Israeli occupying forces
delivered notices to Ibrahim and Mohammed Salman al-‘Azazma, from Yatta village
south of Hebron, warning them that their houses would be demolished, claiming
that they had been built without licenses.

Israeli settlers also continued to attack Palestinian
civilians. On Saturday, 20 March 2004, a
number of settlers from “Taqqou” settlement, southeast of Bethlehem, attacked 3
Palestinian civilians who were grazing animals, approximately 3 kilometers away
from Taqqou village. The settlers, who
were escorted by Israeli soldiers, beat the three civilians and detained them
inside the aforementioned settlement for at least 7 hours. These civilians are:

1. Khaled
Mohammed Mahmoud, 30;

2. Nemer
Mahmoud al-Badan, 25; and

3. Mohammed
Mahmoud Sabbah, 24.

On Monday, 22 March 2004, a number of Palestinian
civilians were able to save Yassin Draghma, 45, from Bardala village in the
northern Jordan Valley from a number of Israeli settlers, protected by Israeli
soldiers, who were about to kill him. According to eyewitnesses, the settlers took Daraghma from his village
with the intention of killing him, but Palestinian civilians were able to save
him.

*****

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 believes the silence
practiced by the international community has encouraged Israel to act as a
state above law and continue to violate international human rights and
humanitarian law.

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 solidarity groups 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 OPTs.

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
welcomes the UN General Assembly resolution, which referred the issue of the
Separation Wall inside the OPTs to International Court of Justice to give a
consultative opinion. There is no doubt
that the wall is illegal, which obligates the international community to take
steps that meet the stipulations of the anticipated decision by the court.

8. In
recognition of the ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR
calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPTs, 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 solidarity groups, and urges them
to continue their role in pressuring their governments to secure Israel’s
respect for human rights in the OPTs 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
international organizations (including IGO’s and NGO’s) to the OPTs, PCHR calls
upon all European countries to apply the same treatment to Israeli citizens
seeking access to their states.

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

[1] 1 donum is
equal to 1000 square meters.