Israeli Forces Continue to
Perpetrate Crimes in the OPTs
· 18
Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 5 children, were killed by Israeli
forces
· 10
of the victims were killed in 4 extra-judicial assassinations
· Israeli
forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip
· 27
houses were destroyed in Rafah; more than 300 Palestinians have become homeless
· About
60 donums of Palestinian agricultural land were razed in the Gaza Strip
· Houses
were raided and dozens of Palestinians were arrested
· Israeli
forces continued to shell Palestinian residential areas, injuring a number of
Palestinian civilians
· 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
· Israeli
occupying forces have continued to impose a total siege on the OPTs:
Palestinians from the Gaza Strip whose ages range between 16 and 35 have been
denied travel and a number of Palestinians were arrested at military
checkpoints and border crossings
Introduction
This week, Israeli occupying forces have escalated
violations of human rights against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPTs). Human rights violations perpetrated by
Israeli occupying forces included willful and extra-judicial killings,
incursions into Palestinian areas, indiscriminate shelling and house
demolitions. 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, 18 Palestinians, mostly civilians,
including 5 children, were killed by Israeli occupying forces.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli occupying forces conducted
6 military incursions into Palestinian areas. The largest incursion took
place on 22 April 2004 and targeted Rafah refugee camp, during which Israeli
forces destroyed 24 Palestinian houses, rendering 331 people (60 families)
homeless. These actions come in the
context of persistent Israeli military efforts to create a buffer zone along
the Egyptian border on the expense of Palestinian residential areas.
This week, Israeli occupying forces killed 4 children
in the northern Gaza Strip. Three of the
victims were killed on 22 April 2004, including a 4-year-old child who died
from tear gas inhalation. The fourth
child was killed by Israeli soldiers on 26 April 2004, when no clashes took
place.
In the West Bank, Israeli occupying forces escalated
attacks against Palestinian civilians, killing 13 of them, especially in
extra-judicial assassinations. A child
also died from an injury sustained by Israeli forces last week.
In less than 72 hours, Israeli occupying forces
carried out 4 extra-judicial assassinations in the northern West Bank, which
left 10 Palestinians dead, including a civilian bystander. Undercover units of Israeli occupying forces
carried out 3 of these assassinations. On
Thursday morning, 22 April 2004, Israeli occupying forces killed 3 Palestinians
from Tulkarm refugee camp. On Friday morning, 23 April 2004, Israeli
occupying forces assassinated 3 Palestinians in Qalqilya and injured a fourth
one. On Saturday, 24 April 2004, Israeli occupying forces committed two
extra-judicial assassinations in Jenin. In the first assassination, they killed 3 Palestinians, including a
civilian bystander. In addition, a journalist was injured. On the
same day, and only 3 hours later, Israeli occupying forces committed another
extra-judicial assassination, which killed one Palestinian and seriously
wounded another one.
On 23 April 2004, Israeli occupying forces shot dead
a university lecturer in Tallouza village, north of Nablus. They claimed
that they fired at three armed members of Hamas movement, killing one and
injuring another one, while the third was able to escape. According to
investigations conducted by PCHR, the victim was not armed and was not wanted
by Israeli forces, and there was no one else injured in the attack. On 27 April 2004, Israeli occupying forces
killed 2 members of the Palestinian resistance and wounded 5 civilians, when
they moved into Tulkarm refugee camp.
In the West Bank also, Israeli occupying forces
conducted a series of military incursions into Palestinian area, during which
they arrested dozens of Palestinians.
Israeli occupying forces have continued construction
of the “Annexation Wall” inside the West Bank, especially in the Jerusalem
district. This week, Israeli occupying forces intensified construction of
the wall on the lands of Beit Ejza village, southwest of Ramallah.
Israeli forces used force against Palestinian civilians who organized peaceful
protests against the construction of the wall.
This week, Israeli occupying forces have continued to
impose a tightened siege 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, Israeli occupying forces have
continued to impose a total siege on the Gaza Strip. They closed all
border crossings into the Gaza Strip, except for Rafah Terminal. They also
imposed restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians at 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.
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, and imposed curfews on a number of
villages. Israeli forces have also
continued to prohibit Palestinians who are under 45 from praying at al-Aqsa
Mosque in Jerusalem.
The following is a summary of gross Israeli
violations of international law perpetrated against Palestinian civilians in April
2004:
· 73
Palestinians (34 in the Gaza Strip and 18 in the West Bank) were killed by
Israeli forces, which puts the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces
since the beginning of the Intifada at 2593, including 2232 civilians.
· 192
Palestinians were injured in the Gaza Strip, increasing the number of
Palestinians injured in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the current
Intifada to 7217.
· 139
Palestinian homes were demolished in April, thus, the number of homes
demolished since the beginning of the Intifada has increased to 3206. This number does not include 156 flats that
were destroyed by Israeli forces in al-Zahraa’ town, south of Gaza city, and
does not include houses that have been demolished as a means of punishment
against families of allegedly Palestinian activists.
·
311 donums were razed in the Gaza Strip, putting the total area of agricultural
land razed at 22927 donums.
Shelling of, and Encroachment into Palestinian Areas
and Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Property
Thursday, 22 April 2004
At approximately 01:00, an infantry unit of Israeli occupying
forces moved approximately 400 meters into al-Birka area in the southwest of
Deir al-Balah. Israeli soldiers raided
‘Eid Musallam al-Riati’s house and held its 12 residents in one room, and then searched
the house. About an hour later, 2
Israeli tanks and 3 military bulldozers arrived at the area. They remained in the area until 07:30, during
which they razed areas of Palestinian agricultural land and destroyed a number
of civilian facilities:
1. They
razed a 48-donum area of agricultural land, on which 3.5 donums of the greenhouse
planted with tomatoes stood, and destroyed a 60-square-meter, asbestos-roofed
agricultural house owned by ‘Eid Musallam al-Riati.
2. They
destroyed a 20-meter-long fence surrounding a house owned by Yasser Mohammed
al-Riati.
At approximately 01:10, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles, moved into Blocks J and O in Rafah
refugee camp, adjacent to the Egyptian border. Under the cover of intense shelling, they demolished 22 houses
completely and 2 others partially. Three
other houses were rendered uninhabitable by the Israeli shelling. As a result of these demolitions, 60 families
(331 people) have become homeless. Since
the beginning of the current Intifada, Israeli occupying forces have demolished
many Palestinian houses in Rafah in their efforts to expand the buffer zone
along the Egyptian border, south of Rafah. As a result, dozens of thousands of Palestinians have become homeless. (Note: PCHR has a list of the houses that were
demolished).
At approximately 02:00, Israeli occupying forces moved
into al-Khader village, southwest of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinians:
1. ‘Alaa’
Hassan Ya’qoub, 23;
2. Marwan
Yousef Salah, 22; and
3. Naji
Hassan Salah, 22.
At approximately 02:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses,
and arrested 5 Palestinians:
1. Rebhi
‘Abdul Rahman al-Jawabra, 20;
2. Mohammed
Jaber Mohammed Abu Sal, 19;
3. Wadi’
Khaled Zaqqout al-Badawi, 19;
4. Fa’eq
Khader Noufal, 18; and
5. Sami
Hussein al-Badawi, 32.
At approximately 04:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Bethlehem. They arrested
Nasser Mohammed Ibrahim Jubran, 18.
In disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians,
throughout the day, Israeli occupying forces opened fire at al-Nada housing
project in the northern Gaza Strip and killed 3 Palestinian children. In addition, 30 civilians, including a number
of children, were wounded. These
killings came during an Israeli military incursion into the area, which left 13
Palestinians dead.
According to investigations, at approximately 07:30,
Israeli occupying forces, which had redeployed in al-Nada housing project in
the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at a number of Palestinian children who
threw stones at these forces. One of the
children, Mohammed Rasem Ahmed al-Malfouh, 17, from Beit Lahia, was killed by a
live bullet in the neck.
In the afternoon, Israeli forces continued to fire at
demonstrators and ambulances. At
approximately 16:00, 10-year-old Asmaa’ Hamdi Abu Tabaq moved from her house in
al-Nada housing project to purchase goods from a neighboring grocery shop. On her way back home, she was hit by 2 live
bullets to the abdomen and the left arm. Ambulances were not able to reach her for 5 minutes, as Israeli gunfire
continued intensely. Asmaa’ was later evacuated
to a hospital in Beit Lahia, but medical efforts to save her life failed, and
she was pronounced dead 3 hours later.
In his testimony on the incident, Mohammed Salah
Nassar, a volunteer paramedic at Kamal ‘Edwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, said:
“At approximately 16:40, I was standing near an
ambulance of the Ministry of Health. I
was carrying out my job as a volunteer paramedic at Kamal ‘Edwan Hospital in
Beit Lahia. Israeli soldiers and about 6
heavy military vehicles, including 2 bulldozers, were positioned on a hill in
al-Nada area, approximately 7 meters away from me. Israeli soldiers were intensely firing at the
area, so I went to the ambulance, which was hit by several live bullets, but no
one was hurt. Then, I saw a little child
standing on the stairs of apartment tower building number 8. She was calling for us to offer her
help. She was about 20 meters away from
us. We realized that she was wounded by
the Israeli gunfire, but we were not able to reach her as the gunfire continued. About 5 minutes later, the gunfire stopped
for a while, so we hurried towards the child. The ambulance driver, Khalil al-Sidawi, and I were able to reach
her. She was putting her hand on her
abdomen to stop the blood. When the
driver carried her, internal parts of the abdomen got out. Soon after, Israeli soldiers resumed firing
at the area, and we sheltered behind a sand barrier. In the meantime, another paramedic called us
to help him evacuate two persons who were wounded by live bullets, about 5 meters
away from us, but we were not able to reach them. The Israeli gunfire stopped for a short
while, and thus we were able to take the child to the ambulance. As soon as we arrived at the hospital, the
child was transferred to the intensive care unit. She underwent a surgery, but died 3 hours
later.”
At approximately 17:30, Fawzia Abu Qulaiq, 47, from
Um al-Nasser village to the west of al-Nada housing project, was on her way
back home after a family visit to Beit Hanoun. Her child, Asmaa’, 4, was with her. When they got close to al-Nada housing project, a tear gas canister fell
near them. The mother attempted to
escape from the area with her child, but she could not due to the intense
Israeli gunfire. About 15 minutes later,
they were able to reach home, but the child was in a very bad condition. The family evacuated the child to a
neighboring hospital, and as she was in a serious condition, she was
transferred to Kamal ‘Edwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, where she died upon arrival. According to medical sources, the child died
from tear gas inhalation.
At approximately 13:50, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military posts in the vicinity of “Gani Tal” settlement,
northwest of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in al-Amal neighborhood. A Palestinian child, Nidaa’ Nadid Mohammed
‘Awad, 9, was injured by shrapnel from a live bullet in the left foot.
At approximately 23:30, Israeli occupying forces,
reinforced by heavy military vehicles, moved approximately 300 meters into
Palestinian areas to the northwest of “Kfar Darom” settlement, southeast of
Deir al-Balah. They demolished 2 uninhabited
Palestinian houses:
1. They
completely demolished a 230-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Mohammed
Yassin Isma’il al-Khatib.
2. They
partially demolished a 230-square-meter, 2-storey house owned by Saleh Yassin
al-Khatib.
Friday, 23 April 2004
At approximately 03:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Tubas village, east of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 4 Palestinians:
1. Ahmed
Fayez Abu al-Shayeb, 22;
2. Muhsen
Hassouna ‘Abdul Khaliq, 21;
3. Ahmed
Fawzi Sa’id, 22; and
4. Ma’n
Mohammed Suleiman, 21.
In the morning, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a
university lecturer in Tallouza village, north of Nablus. They claimed
that they fired at three armed members of Hamas movement, killing one and
injuring another, while the third was able to escape. According to
investigations conducted by PCHR, the victim was not armed and was not wanted
by Israeli forces, and there was no one else injured in the attack.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 10:00 on Friday, ‘Aamer Mohammed Ahmed Abu Laimoun, 33, from
Tallouza village north of Nablus, and his sister, Samar, 30, were traveling
from their home to piece of agricultural land belonging to the family,
approximately 400 meters away from home. When they walked nearly half of
the distance, they were fired at from a neighboring olive field. The man
was killed by several live bullets to the head and the chest. His body
was evacuated in a civilian car towards the hospital. Israeli forces
positioned on Tallouza-Yassid road stopped the car and removed the body, and put
the body on the road until 13:45, when they allowed a Palestinian ambulance to
transfer the body to Rafidya Hospital. PCHR believes that an undercover
unit of Israeli occupying forces fired at the victim. The victim was a
lecturer at al-Quds Open University and the Arab American University. He
was not a member of any Palestinian resistance organization, and was not
armed.
Following this killing, Israeli occupying forces
surrounded a house in the village, and opened fire at neighboring houses. A Palestinian civilian, Ussama Mustafa Qassem
Yassin, 19, was wounded by a live bullet in the left side. Before their withdrawal from the village in
the evening, Israeli forces arrested 3 Palestinians:
1. Mohammed
Ya’qoub Hanajra, 40;
2. Mustafa
Samir Shanabla, 24; and
3. Mohammed
Mustafa Yassin, 23.
This Israeli military operation in the village aimed
to arrest ‘Emad Ya’qoub Hanajra, who is allegedly wanted by Israeli occupation
authorities.
In the afternoon, Israeli soldiers positioned in
al-Shallala Street in the old town of Hebron arrested Hanan Ja’far Abu ‘Arqoub,
17, from Dura village, southwest of Hebron. They claimed that she attempted to stab an Israeli soldier.
At approximately 16:45, Israeli soldiers positioned
in military posts at the Egyptian border, south of Rafah, opened fire at
Palestinian houses in Block O in Rafah refugee camp. A Palestinian civilian, ‘Ouda Ibrahim Abu
Tiour, 62, was wounded by a live bullet in the right shoulder, when he was near
his house, approximately 300 meters to the north of the border.
At approximately 19:00, Israeli soldiers positioned
in a military post in Tal Zo’rob area in the southwest of Rafah opened fire at
Palestinian houses in Zo’rob neighborhood. A Palestinian child, Haifa’ Riad Zo’rob, 12, was injured by shrapnel in
the back and the limbs, when she was playing near her family’s house, about 600
meters away from the source of fire.
Saturday, 24 April 2004
At approximately 03:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Nablus. They raided and
searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinians, including 2 brothers:
1. Majdi
‘Abdul Karim Ya’ish, 37;
2. Majed
‘Abdul Karim Ya’ish, 26; and
3. ‘Abdullah
Mohammed Abu Samra, 24.
At approximately 03:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into ‘Ana village, south of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinians:
1. Mahmoud
‘Abdullah ‘Atayani, 24; and
2. Saleh
‘Adel ‘Amour, 23.
At the same time, Israeli occupying forces moved into
Beit Leed village, east of Tulkarm. They
arrested Eyad Mutee’ Zabada, 25.
At approximately 04:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Qalqilya. They raided a house
belonging to the family of ‘Aatef Daoud Sha’ban, 30, who was wounded during an
extra-judicial assassination carried out by these forces on the previous day. They claim that Sha’ban is the leader of
al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of Fatah movement, in Qalqilya. He was not at home. Later, Israeli forces withdrew from the
town.
Sunday, 25 April 2004
At approximately 00:00, 3 Israeli tanks and 2
military bulldozers moved approximately 200 meters into al-Rabwat area in the
northwest of Khan Yunis. They razed
areas of Palestinian agricultural land:
1. They
razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with potatoes and corns and
destroyed an irrigation network owned by ‘Othman Yousef al-Agha.
2. They
razed a 3-donum area of agricultural land planted with potatoes and destroyed
an irrigation network owned by ‘Eid Saleh al-Agha.
3. They
razed a 2-donum area of agricultural land planted with wheat and parleys.
4. They
razed a 1-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables and destroyed
an irrigation network and a water pipeline owned by Fu’ad Mousa al-Agha.
5. They
razed a 2-donum area of agricultural land planted with vegetables owned by
Mohammed Hafez Fares.
At approximately 02:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Bani Na’im village, east of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested ‘Olayan
Mohammed al-Zaidat, 28.
At approximately 06:30, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Nablus and neighboring refugee camps. They opened fire at Palestinian houses. A number of Palestinian children and young
men gathered and threw stones at Israeli military vehicles. Israeli soldiers fired immediately at the
stone throwers, wounding 9, including 4 children:
1. ‘Essam
Joma’a Ramadan ‘Olaiwi, 25, hit by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right
hand;
2. Sa’ed
Hani Ahmed Hamdan, 13, hit by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the left hand;
3. ‘Aahed
‘Atallah al-Dairi, 28, hit by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the left leg;
4. Mutafa
Hani Qaddoumi, 29, hit by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the left leg;
5. Tamer
Sufian al-Kilanai, 14, hit by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the neck;
6. Fayez
Mohammed Libbada, 17, hit by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the neck;
7. Mohammed
Khalil Shuqair, 26, hit by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the neck;
8. ‘Emad
Ibrahim ‘Olaiwi, 16, hit by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right leg; and
9. Mo’taz
Mohammed ‘Aashour, 17, hit by 2 rubber-coated metal bullets to the left hand
and side.
At approximately 13:45, Israeli occupying forces
moved into the university neighborhood in the northwest of Hebron, and opened
fire in the air. Israeli soldiers
stopped 2 Palestinian taxis and held passengers for two hours. 5 Israeli soldiers then moved into the campus
of Hebron University and arrested a student, ‘Alaa’ Mohammed al-Tarash,
20.
At approximately 14:00, Israeli occupying forces
positioned in military posts in the vicinity of “Neve Dekalim” settlement, west
of Khan Yunis, opened fire at Palestinian houses in al-Nimsawi neighborhood to the
east. A Palestinian civilian, Hani Hamdi
al-Hindi, 23, was wounded by a 2 live bullets in the abdomen and the right
leg.
At approximately 17:30, Israeli soldiers positioned
in a military post near al-Tuffah checkpoint, west of Khan Yunis, opened fire
at Khan Yunis refugee camp. A
Palestinian civilian, Nidal Yousef Abu Yousef, 18, was wounded by a live bullet
in the left foot.
At approximately 19:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Tulkarm. An Israeli tank was
positioned near the cemetery in the west of the town. A number of Palestinian children gathered and
threw stones at the tank. Immediately,
Israeli soldiers fired at the children. A passing Palestinian civilian, Anwar Mohammed ‘Abdul Qader, 30, was
wounded by a live bullet in the right side.
Monday, 26 April 2004
At approximately 01:00, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Beit ‘Awa village, west of Hebron. They raided a house belonging to the family of Ra’fat Hussein Shalash,
21, and arrested him.
At approximately 13:10, Israeli occupying forces
moved into Sheikh ‘Ejlin village in the south of Gaza City. They raided and searched two houses owned by
Shehada and Joma’a Ahmed ‘Awad. No
arrests were reported. Joma’a ‘Awad told
PCHR that Israeli forces confiscated 2 mobile phones from his house.
In a case of apparent willful killing, in the afternoon,
Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian child in Beit Lahia in the
northern Gaza Strip.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 15:00, Israeli soldiers positioned in a military post to the
southeast of “Nissanit” settlement, north of Beit Lahia, fired one live bullet
at a number of Palestinian children who were in al-Hawouz area, about 400
meters away from the aforementioned military post. The bullet hit 15-year-old Mousa Ibrahim
al-Mauqayad, in the back. He was
evacuated to a hospital in Beit Lahia, but he died shortly after arrival. The area was completely quiet when the child
was shot. Israeli forces later opened
fire at the area. Two Palestinian
civilians, including a child, were wounded:
1. Nassim
Salim al-Manai’a, 16, wounded by a live bullet in the right leg; and
2. Mohammed
‘Abdul Latif Abu al-Jabin, 50, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
right leg.
At approximately 15:00, Israeli soldiers positioned
in a military post in ‘Oraiba area in the northwest of Rafah, fired at
17-year-old Wafaa’ Mohammed Jouda, from Rafah refugee camp, when she was
walking in Imam ‘Ali Street, about 100 meters away. She was seriously wounded by a live bullet in
the abdomen. Residents of the area
attempted to reach her, but Israeli soldiers prevented them and offered her
first aid. About one hour later, Israeli
forces allowed a Palestinian ambulance to evacuate her to a Palestinian
hospital. According to her family, Wafaa’
is suffering from a psychological disorder.
At approximately 23:40, in complete disregard for the
lives of Palestinian civilians, Israeli forces positioned in military posts in
the vicinity of “Gadid” settlement, southwest of Khan Yunis, fired 4 artillery
shells at Hannibal ‘Ata Zo’rob’s house, about 300 meters to the east and hit
the house. The 7 sleeping residents of
the house barely escaped from the house, which was severely damaged. The children
were extremely terrified.
Tuesday, 27 April 2004
In the early morning, medical sources at Ramallah
Hospital declared that Islam Hashem Rezeq Zahran, 13, from Seor Abu Mash’al
village, north of Ramallah, died from a wound he sustained last week. According to PCHR’s documentation, at
approximately 11:00 on Sunday, 18 April 2004, a number of Palestinian
schoolchildren in Deir Abu Mash’al village, north of Ramallah, organized a
demonstration. They moved towards the entrance of the village and threw
stones at a neighboring Israeli military observation tower. Israeli
soldiers fired at the children, seriously wounding Zahran with a rubber-coated
metal bullet in the head.
Also in the morning, Israeli occupying forces killed
2 members of the Palestinian resistance and wounded 5 civilians, when they
moved into Tulkarm refugee camp. One of
the victims was left bleeding for about 30 minutes without medical
attention.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 03:00, Israeli occupying forces moved into Tulkarm refugee
camp. They were positioned at the
entrance of the camps and on the main roads. Israeli military jeeps patrolled in the alleys of the camp and opened
fire at houses. At approximately 08:00,
an Israeli military jeep moved towards Hanoun crossroads in the east of the
camp. Two members of the Palestinian
resistance clashed with Israeli soldiers. Soon, Israeli soldiers who had earlier seized Nasser Abu Jamous’ house
fired at members of the Palestinian resistance wounding them. When Basel Abu Shihab, 22, tried to offer
them help, Israeli soldiers fired at him. He was wounded by 2 live bullets in the feet. Israeli forces continued to fire at the area,
wounding 4 civilians. Israeli forces
prevented ambulances from evacuating the wounded to hospitals. About 30 minutes later, a number of civilians
were able to reach the wounded. One of
them, Ashraf Taher Hassan Nafe’, 25, was dead, and another one, Amjad Rebhi
‘Ali ‘Emara, 21, died upon arrival at the hospital. According to medical sources, Nafe’ was hit
by several live bullets to the head and the neck, whereas ‘Emara was hit by a
live bullet to the head. The two were
members of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of Fatah movement.
After the victims and the wounded had been evacuated
to Dr. Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarm, Israeli forces surrounded the
hospital and ordered Mohammed Mousa ‘Abdul Rahim Muqaitesh, 19, who was one of
the wounded, to be handed over. Even
though physicians asserted that he was in a serious condition, Israeli forces
insisted on their order. They
transferred him in a military ambulance to an unknown destination. The others who were wounded are:
1. Rami
‘Aaref Khattari, 22, seriously wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the
face;
2. ‘Emad
Rasmi Dumairi, seriously wounded by several rubber-coated metal bullets in the
chest and the face; and
3. Rami
Mohammed Ghanem, 16, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right
leg.
Later, a number of Palestinian children gathered in
the center of the refugee camp and threw stones at Israeli forces. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired at the
children and passing civilians, wounding 6:
1. Ahmed
Samir Abu Madiya, 11, seriously wounded by a live bullet in the head;
2. Mousa
Saleh al-Aa’raj, 15, wounded by shrapnel in the ear;
3. Samer
Bassam al-Masri, 16, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left foot;
4. Mohammed
Yousef Barahma, 14, wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet in the shoulder;
5. Samer
Rashid ‘Abbas, 28, wounded by several rubber-coated metal bullets throughout
the body; and
6. Mahmoud
Raja Sarhan, 25, wounded by several rubber-coated metal bullets in the legs.
Extra-Judicial Assassinations
In a 72 hour period, Israeli occupying forces carried
out 4 extra-judicial assassinations in the northern West Bank, which left 10
Palestinians dead, including a civilian bystander. Undercover units of Israeli occupying forces
carried out 3 of these assassinations. During these attacks, targeting wanted Palestinians, these units prioritize
killing the targeted persons rather than arresting them.
On Thursday morning, 22 April 2004, Israeli occupying
forces killed 3 Palestinians from Tulkarm refugee camp. They claimed that
the three were armed and exchanged fire with them, but investigations conducted
by PCHR refute this claim. The three victims were members of the
al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of Fatah movement.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 03:30 on Thursday, sounds of shooting were heard in the area
located between Tulkarm and the neighboring Nour Shams refugee camp. At
approximately 05:00, a number of residents of the area went to the place where
the shooting took place to check what had happened. They found 3 bodies
in the area. They called for an ambulance which transferred the bodies to
a hospital in Tulkarm. The three victims were identified as:
1. Bilal ‘Ali Mousa Abu ‘Amsha, 29, hit by
several live bullets to the chest;
2. Ayman Yousef Fayez Barahma, 28, hit by
a live bullet to the face; and
3. Ghanem Mahmoud Ibrahim Ghanem, 22, hit
by a live bullet to the face.
PCHR’s field worker in Tulkarm who went to the site
of the incident reported that he saw blood between cars, on which the victims
apparently slept, and the place where their bodies were found. According
to eyewitnesses, the sounds of shooting indicated that the gunfire was directed
from one side. According to medical sources, the victims were shot from a
very close distance.
On Friday morning, 23 April 2004, Israeli occupying
forces assassinated 3 Palestinians in Qalqilya and injured a fourth one.
The four are members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of Fatah
movement. Israeli forces claimed that the four Palestinians attempted to
escape form arrest, so Israeli soldiers fired at them. However,
investigations conducted by PCHR concluded that an undercover unit of the
Israeli forces fired at the victims without any warning. The victims were
hit by live bullets from the front, which refutes the Israeli claim that they
attempted to escape.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 01:00 on Friday, an undercover unit of Israeli occupying forces
moved into Qalqilya using a civilian car. They moved towards al-Saba’
Street in the west of the town. Immediately, members of the undercover
unit opened fire, without warning, at 4 Palestinians in the street, killing
three of them:
1. Mohammed Kamel Mohammed Nazzal, 25, hit
by a live bullet to the heart;
2. Mohammed ‘Abdul Hafiz Salim Nazzal, 30,
hit by a live bullet to the heart; and
3. ‘Abdul Rahman Wasef Nazzal, 22, hit by
several live bullets to the head and the abdomen.
The fourth Palestinian, ‘Aatef Daoud Sha’ban, 30, was
seriously wounded by several live bullets in the chest and the abdomen.
On Saturday, 24 April 2004, Israeli occupying
forces committed another extra-judicial assassination in Jenin, which killed 3
Palestinians, including a civilian bystander. In addition, a journalist
was injured.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 12:45 on Saturday, an undercover unit of Israeli occupying forces
moved into al-Jabriyat area in the southwest of Jenin using a civilian car with
a Palestinian registration. The car moved towards the Jenin-Nablus
road. Israeli soldiers opened fire at two Palestinians who were walking
on a branch road in the area. The two, who are members of al-Aqsa Martyrs
Brigade, the military wing of Fatah movement, were instantly killed:
1. Sa’id Ahmed Hardan, 30, hit by several
live bullets to the face, the chest and the abdomen; and
2. Kamal ‘Abdullah Masa’id, 28, hit by
several live bullets to the face, the chest and the abdomen.
A passing Palestinian civilian, Mohammed Mazen
‘Azzouqa, 19, was also killed by several live bullets lodged in the upper-body.
In addition, ‘Ali Sadiq al-Samoudi, 38, correspondent of al-Quds daily local
newspaper and al-Jazeera Satellite Channel, was wounded by a live bullet in the
nose as he passed by the area. Israeli
occupying forces claimed that the journalist was wounded by live bullets fired
by Palestinian gunmen, but al-Samoudi denied this claim. In his testimony on this incident to PCHR,
al-Samoudi said:
“At approximately 12:00 on Saturday, 24 April 2004, I
was in my office in Abu Baker Street in the center of Jenin. I learnt that an undercover unit of the
Israeli military moved into Abu Zuhair area in the southwest of the town. Immediately, I put on a press suit and steel
helmet, took my camera and traveled with Mohammed Ballas, correspondent of
al-Ayyam daily local newspaper, towards the area to report on what was going on
there. At approximately 12:10, we
arrived at the area. We heard people
shouting that the Israeli military had killed a number of young men, without
specifying the exact number. They were
pointing at a car that stopped behind the building of the Municipality of
Jenin. We moved slowly forward. I could see a civilian car stopping in the
area. I saw a person sitting behind the
steering of the car, and it was clear that he was dead. Until then, I had not seen any Israeli
soldiers in the area. A number of people
moved towards the car. Immediately, they
were fired at. I saw Mohammed ‘Azzouqa
falling onto the ground about 50 meters away from me. The source of fire was a house in the area,
in which a number of Israeli soldiers were positioned, as I later discovered. Soon, about 10 Israeli military jeeps arrived
at the area. People escaped. I remained, photographing what was going on,
and Israeli soldiers did not intervene. At approximately 12:45, a jeep moved towards me. It stopped near Mohammed Ballas and I. A number of angry Israeli soldiers got out of
it pointing their guns at us. The
ordered us to leave the area and we complied. We moved towards the area where the (Israeli) military was
positioned. We were walking alone on an
open road controlled by the (Israeli) military. When we were about 50 meters away from the Israeli military jeeps,
Mohammed Ballas called me. As I moved my
head to respond to him, I was hit by a live bullet to the nose. I ran towards the (Israeli) military and
asked for help. I passed by 5 military
vehicles and an ambulance and no one offered me help. I ran for about 200 meters to reach a
Palestinian ambulance, which transported me to Dr. Khalil Suleiman Hospital,
where I underwent surgery. I think that
the live bullet would have hit my forehead if Mohammed Ballas did not call
me. I think the live bullet was fired at
me by an Israeli sniper to kill me.”
On the same day, and only 3 hours later, Israeli
occupying forces committed another extra-judicial assassination in Jenin
too. A Palestinian was killed and
another one was seriously wounded.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at
approximately 15:15, 2 civilian vehicles that had Palestinian registrations
were seen traveling on Nablus-Jenin road from the south to the north. When they got close to al-Shuhada square,
south of Jening, they slew down. Immediately, persons who were in one of the cars fired at two young men
who were at the junction, wounding them. Soon after, 7 Israeli military jeeps arrived
at the area and closed it. About one
hour later, they allowed a Palestinian ambulance to reach the two young men. The ambulance evacuated them to Dr. Khalil
Suleiman Hospital in Jenin. One of them,
Husni Mustafa Daraghma, 22, was dead, while the other one, Eyad Rafe’ Daraghma,
21, was in a serious condition. The two
are residents of Tubas village and are students at the Arab American University
in Jenin. Israeli occupying forces
claimed that one of the young men was carrying an explosive belt, but they
later retracted this. The two young men
are members of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of Fatah movement,
who are wanted by Israeli forces.
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.
Continued Siege on the
OPT
This week, Israeli occupying forces have
continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPTs and imposed severe
restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank, including Jerusalem.
Gaza Strip
For the fifth consecutive day, Israeli occupying
forces have continued to impose a total siege on the Gaza Strip. They
closed all border crossings into the Gaza Strip, except for Rafah Terminal.
They also imposed restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians at 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.
At approximately 06:00 on Friday, 23 April 2004,
Israeli forces closed the two checkpoints. They held and searched dozens
of Palestinian vehicles in between.
At approximately 10:00 on Sunday, 25 April 2004,
Israeli forces closed the two checkpoints and held and searched a number of
Palestinian vehicles. They arrested two
Palestinians:
1. Ibrahim
‘Ali Abu Hussein, 17, from Rafah; and
2. ‘Abdul
Qadrer Busaisu, from Gaza City.
At approximately 19:00 on the same day, Israeli
forces closed the two checkpoints again and arrested Nasser ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Abu
Mour, 17, from Rafah.
Israeli occupying forces have maintained the closure
of Sofa crossing, northeast of Rafah, and Karni crossing, east of Gaza
City. They have also continued to close
Erez crossing at the northern entrance to the Gaza Strip, denying access of
thousands of Palestinian workers to their work places in Israel. They have also denied access of Palestinian
workers to Erez industrial zone.
In violation of the right of health, for two weeks,
Israeli occupying forces have denied access of Palestinian patients from the
Gaza Strip to hospitals in Israel and the West Bank to receive medical
care. They have also denied entry of
medicines into the Gaza Strip.
Israeli occupying forces have imposed more restrictions
at Rafah Terminal, the only outlet of the Gaza Strip to the outside world since
the beginning of the current Intifada. The Israeli intelligence often summon and interrogate a number of
Palestinian travelers. On Saturday, 24
April 2004, Israeli forces arrested Hussein Tawfiq Mansour, 23, from Khan
Yunis, while he was on his way back into the Gaza Strip.
In the context of the policies of collective
punishment, Israeli occupying forces have continued to prohibit Palestinians
between the ages of 16 and 35 from traveling through Rafah Terminal on the
Egyptian border since 16 April 2004. Rafah Terminal has been the only
outlet for citizens of the Gaza Strip to the outside world since 14 February
2001, when Israeli occupying forces destroyed Gaza International Airport.
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 Sunday morning, 25 April 2004, Israeli
forces closed al-Tuffah checkpoint.
Israeli forces have also continued to impose a
tightened siege on al-Sayafa area in the northern Gaza Strip. In
the same context, Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose severe
restrictions on the 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.
Ramallah
Israeli occupying forces imposed more restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians through military checkpoint surrounding
the town. They also erected new checkpoints
at the entrances of a number of neighboring villages. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli soldiers
positioned at Halmish checkpoint, north of Ramallah, beat and insulted a number
of Palestinian young men. Israeli
soldiers positioned at a checkpoint on ‘Atara bridge, north of Bir Zeit
village, imposed more restrictions of Palestinian civilians traveling to
Ramallah. They forced civilians to get
out of cars and checked them. On Sunday
morning, 25 April 2004, Israeli occupying forces imposed a curfew on Bitounia
village, west of Ramallah.
Bethlehem
On Saturday morning, Israeli occupying forces erected
a checkpoint in Haramla area in the southeast of the town and prohibited access
of Palestinian civilians to the center of the town. They also prohibited movement of civilians
through the eastern, western and southern entrances to al-Khader village and
chased those who tried to use alternative agricultural roads. On Monday morning, Israeli forces imposed a
curfew on Beit Jala. The curfew remained
effective until the evening.
Hebron
Israeli occupying forces imposed more restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. They erected more checkpoints inside the town. On Monday morning, 26 April 2004, Israeli
forces imposed a strict curfew on the villages of Ethna and Tarqoumia, and
closed all roads leading to the two villages.
On Thursday, 22 April 2004, Israeli forces positioned
at the eastern entrance to Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron, arrested 2
Palestinians:
1. Maher
Ibrahim Sabarna, 22; and
2. Ibrahim
Shehada Sabarna, 23.
Nablus
Israeli occupying forces imposed more restrictions on
the movement of Palestinian civilians. They closed all checkpoints around the city. Palestinian civilians were not able to travel
to the middle and south of the West Bank until Tuesday, 27 April 2004, when
they were allowed access to these areas but under strict controls. Israeli forces also erected a number of
checkpoints on the Nablus-Ramallah road.
Jenin
Since Friday morning, 23 April 2004, Israeli forces
have imposed more restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They erected more checkpoints around the
town. They also chased Palestinian
civilians who resorted to alternative branch roads.
Tulkarm
Since Monday morning, 26 April 2004, Israeli forces
have imposed more restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians. They have continued to close al-Kafriyat
checkpoint, south of the town. They have
also continued to move into the town and control the main road to restrict the
movement of Palestinian civilians even inside the town itself.
Qalqilya
After they had assassinated 3 Palestinian on Friday
morning, 23 April 2004, Israeli occupying forces reinforced their presence at
military checkpoints erected on the main roads. They also imposed more restrictions on the movement of Palestinian
civilians through the sole entrance to the town.
Israeli Settlement Activities and Attacks by Settlers
against Palestinian Civilians and Property
Israeli settlers who live in the OPTs in violation of
international humanitarian law have continued to attack Palestinian civilians
and their properties.
On Saturday evening, 24 April 2004, a number of
Israeli settlers form “Susia” settlement to the east of Yatta village, south of
Hebron, severely beat a Palestinian farmer, Shehada Abu ‘Arram, and stole his
tractor. Israeli soldiers escorted the
settlers during this attack.
On Sunday evening, 25 April 2004, dozens of armed
Israeli settlers moved form “Yitshar” settlement, south of Nablus, moved into
‘Ourif village to the south. The
settlers, who were escorted by Israeli soldiers, fired at Palestinian civilians
and bunt dozens of olive trees.
At approximately 10:00 on Monday, 26 April 2004, a
number of Israeli settlers from “Ma’oun” settlement to the east of Yatta
village, south of Hebron, burnt 35 donums of Palestinian agricultural land
planted with wheat and parleys. They
also burnt a tractor owned by No’man al-Hawamda. The settlers prevented Palestinian fire
engines from extinguishing fire.
At approximately 15:00 on Monday, 26 April 2004, a
number of Israeli settlers from “Metaniel” settlement, southwest of Hebron,
burnt 15 donums of Palestinian agricultural land planted with olives and
almonds owned by the families of al-Sammou’ village, south of Hebron. According to eyewitnesses, more than 400
trees were burnt.
*****
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
conspiracy of 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 non governmental organizations 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 amount to the level of the expected decision by the court.
8. In
recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls
upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the 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 solidarity groups to the OPTs, PCHR calls upon European countries
to deal the same way with Israeli citizens.
11. PCHR reiterates that any political
settlement not based on international human rights law and humanitarian law
cannot lead to a peaceful and just solution of the Palestinian question.
Rather, such an arrangement can only lead to further suffering and instability
in the region. Any peace agreement or process must be based on respect for
international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law.
“END”
Public Document
**************************************
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on
+972 8 2824776 – 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328
Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail:pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
