October 16th, 2007
approximately 10 am to 9 pm
Marda, Salfit region
Witnesses: family members and IWPS members
At around 10a.m. on the 16th of October, 2007, the Israeli army entered the village of Marda in the Salfit governate in the Occupied West Bank. The Israeli military declared curfew on the village and arrested 7 young men and detained them for half hour. The home of four families were also occupied, with soldiers taking up positions on the roof where they fired rubber bullets and sound bombs.
According to eyewitnesses at approximately 10 a.m., Israeli military jeeps, No: 443, 610100, 011259 and a Border Police jeep No 611121 entered the village of Marda. Dozens of Israeli soldiers started spreading the announcement that the village had been placed under curfew.
The Israeli soldiers occupied the roof of homes of 4 families, whose members included 15 adults and 10 children, aged 1-14 years old. IWPS team members called to the village were informed that at the morning, the soldiers had been firing rubble bullets into the village, resulting in
three civilians being injured. Despite injuries to civilians, the Israeli army refused to allow an ambulance to enter the village to attend the wounded and to transport them to hospital. Villages reported that the 7 young men were arrested by the Israeli forces but were released after a
half an hour.
An IWPS member witnessed a heated exchange between the Israeli military and the four families whose house had been invaded by the military. During the argument, the Israeli soldiers attacked and pushed to the ground a young girl, who was a member of the families.
At the time of writing this report, Israeli soldiers continue to occupy the family house and are patrolling the village, preventing any Palestinian civilians from being able to leave their homes and to move about freely. Soldiers have also begun to shoot tear gas inside villagers’ homes.
At the end of the day soldiers wired shut the occupied house. The wiring was later cut open and most people have left. There are a handful of women remaining, with one Human Rights Worker (HRW) staying with them.
***Update***
Soldiers have left as of this morning, the 17th of October.