9th October 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
Yesterday at approximately 10 PM in the Qeitun region of Al-Khalil (Hebron), a group of 6 Israeli soldiers accused 14-year-old Amjad Taha of throwing fire crackers at them outside of his home. Amjad’s cousin, Muhammad Taha (17 years-old), was standing close by with his 2-year-old cousin when the Israeli soldiers began to aggressively grab Amjad. A few of the soldiers then grabbed Muhammad, who was still holding his baby cousin. The soldiers began to take Amjad, Muhammad, and their baby cousin away from the front of their house.
Jamil’s 2-year-old son
The 2-year-old’s father and the boys’ uncle, Jamil, hearing the soldiers outside his home, came outside to where the boys were to find the Israeli soldiers attempting to take his nephews and son away. Jamil took his baby son from Muhammad and then the soldiers became increasingly aggressive to both boys. The Israeli soldiers proceeded to hit Muhammad in his leg and then push him against the wall causing him more pain. While this was happening, the boy’s uncle, Osama Taha (27 years-old), ran towards Muhammad and attempted to stop the Israeli soldiers from beating him by pushing a soldier away from his nephew. Then the soldier grabbed Osama and told him that he would kill him. The Israeli soldier then shot a live bullet into the air as a warning. Seven more Israeli soldiers arrived at the scene and they proceeded to blindfold Amjad, Muhammad, and Osama. Then the Israeli soldiers violently forced them into an Israeli army jeep. As Muhammad was being forced into the jeep, the soldiers pushed his head onto the vehicle causing him pain. Amjad was also pushed against the jeep very forcefully resulting in a broken finger.
The three blindfolded Palestinians were then taken to Shuhada checkpoint in Tel Rumeida and transferred into Israeli police custody. The Israeli police took all of them to the police station by Ibrahimi Mosque in H2 for questioning. Amjad and Muhammad were held there until 1 in the morning. Osama Taha was kept in the police station and then transferred to a prison near Bethlehem where he is currently being held without charge. Osama’s brother told ISM activists: “I can’t believe they still have him. He didn’t do anything. He was just trying to protect his nephew. Osama has learning disabilities. I really fear for how this will affect him and how they will treat him.”
As a result of the Jewish holidays, the amount of soldiers in Al-Khalil (Hebron) has increased immensely. The Israeli army enters Palestinian neighborhoods almost weekly, detaining and arresting Palestinians without cause or reason. This method of harassment is one of many tools that the Israeli army uses in an effort to force Palestinians out of their homes.
2nd October 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
“The child are having problems concentrating on their school work due to their emotional state and the stress due to the daily attacks by the occupation forces, which are continuously escalating.” Stated Hebron teacher, Shukri Zaroo, to the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).
Children in al-Khalil (Hebron) are forced to pass through a military checkpoint each morning and afternoon in order to reach and leave their schools. International activists try to monitor these military checkpoints, both to document the events and to stand with the children.
ISM activists monitor the Salaymeh checkpoint (29) each school day morning and afternoon. Since school began on August 24th, this is what the ISM activists have witnessed:
August 25th: Israeli forces fired 15 tear gas grenades and canisters, as well as five stun grenades at children as they waited to go to school. Tear gas drifted into the courtyard and many children and teachers choked and spluttered in the playground. School was delayed for over an hour. At one point a Red Crescent ambulance had to be called as two teachers and two children, aged 10 and 12-years-old, required medical treatment for excessive tear gas inhalation.
August 27th: At Salaymeh checkpoint Israeli forces fired six tear gas grenades in the morning.
August 31st: At the Salaymeh checkpoint, three tear gas canisters were fired at children on their way home from school. Similarly, children passing through the Qeitun checkpoint did not end their school day unharmed. A group of children threw stones towards the checkpoint from a rooftop. The soldiers fired a total of four tear gas canisters on the roof where the children were located.
September 2nd: Eight tear gas grenades were fired overall. Two young boys threw stones at the checkpoint. This was shortly followed by a short-range tear gas canister fired by one of the soldiers, which was aimed at the stone-throwing children but primarily affected those who needed to pass the cloud of tear gas in order to reach their homes.
As more tear gas canisters were fired, many of the smaller children became scared, crying and running in panic.
One tear gas canister landed in the path of three schoolchildren, no older than six-years-old, who were walking in the direction of the checkpoint, the ISM volunteers saw how one of the two girls was dragged away from the tear gas by the boy, however the other girl did not run away, seemingly too shocked and scared to move.
An ISM volunteer present said, “I ran into the cloud of gas to get the crying girl away and into safety. In a situation like that it is difficult to show a child, who is so terrified and wary of the world around her, that she can trust you. Especially as it becomes difficult to see and breath when surrounded by tear gas. Thankfully she took my hand and I led her to the other two children who she was walking with.”
September 8th: At Salaymeh checkpoint a seven-year-old child was forcefully detained and three more were arrested, including another child.
Israeli forces also threw two stun grenades and fired approximately three tear gas canisters towards the children standing outside their schools.
September 10th: In the afternoon at Salyemeh checkpoint, Israeli border police officers fired two tear gas grenades towards schoolchildren. ISM volunteers present witnessed the assault and did not see any stones thrown beforehand towards the military. Everyone in the street suffered from the tear gas, especially two girls approximately (six-years-old), who were standing outside their house. Other children and teachers took shelter in a nearby shop.
September 14th: Israeli forces fired one tear gas grenade in the afternoon.
September 15th: Israeli forces fired two tear gas grenades in the afternoon.
September 17th: Israel border police fired two tear gas canisters towards two to three stone throwing children who were aged between eight and 10-years-old. Schoolchildren and other pedestrians who happened to be walking past were caught up in the gas. Some took refuge in a local shop. Tear gas was also deployed when children were walking to school this morning. At no time were the Israeli forces under any threat.
September 18th: In the afternoon at Salaymeh checkpoint, Israeli forces fired three rounds of tear gas at schoolchildren. Israeli border police then prevented a horse & cart, several trucks and a car from passing through the checkpoint for 40 minutes, refusing to lift the barrier so that Palestinians could access the main road.
September 21st: Israeli forces fired one tear gas grenade in the afternoon.
September 23rd: At Salaymeh checkpoint, Israeli forces fired 29 rounds of tear gas and 5 stun grenades at children going to school.
Two ambulances were called to the scene due to the immense amounts of tear gas fired and a Palestinian teacher stated that 30 school children and 15 teachers suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation.
At Qeitun checkpoint clashes had erupted and were underway between unarmed Palestinian youths and Israeli forces. An excessive amount of tear gas was used in addition to rubber-coated steel bullets and stun grenades.
Israeli forces threw stun grenades and brutally grabbed and arrested two young Palestinian boys between the ages of 14 and 15-years-old. One of the boys whilst in a headlock and handcuffed was punched several times in the side.
September 22nd: Israeli forces fired three tear gas grenades in the morning at Salaymeh checkpoint.
September 24th: Two tear gas canisters were shot at the children, one of which was fired directly at them instead of an arc (to lower the impact velocity). This practice is extremely dangerous and can cause severe injuries or death.September 25th: One tear gas grenade was thrown and four tear gas canisters were shot, one after another, at high speeds towards the children leaving school at Salaymeh checkpoint..
September 28th: At the Salaymeh checkpoint in the morning, Israeli forces fired three tear gas grenades and one stun grenade at schoolchildren.
In the afternoon, Israeli border police entered through Salaymeh checkpoint and fired 14 tear gas grenades and one stun grenade at children leaving school. Several teenagers threw stones towards the checkpoint and the soldiers began firing tear gas.
An ISM activist present stated, “Four young girls were walking past the boys throwing stones. The boys deliberately stopped throwing stones so the girls could pass safely, but the border police fired tear gas anyway.”
At one point two border police grabbed a 12-year-old boy by the arm, dragged him to the checkpoint, and detained him for 20 minutes.
October 1st: At the Salaymeh checkpoint, Israeli border police fired excessive amounts of tear gas at schoolchildren. ISM activists present counted at least 24 grenades fired.
28th September 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
This afternoon Israeli border police entered through Salaymeh checkpoint and fired 14 tear gas grenades and one stun grenade at children leaving school.
Several teenagers threw stones towards the checkpoint and the soldiers began firing tear gas.
Children running from the soldiers and the tear gas.
An ISM activist present stated, “Four young girls were walking past the boys throwing stones. The boys deliberately stopped throwing stones so the girls could pass safely, but the border police fired tear gas anyway.”
At one point two border police grabbed a 12-year-old boy by the arm, dragged him to the checkpoint, and detained him for 20 minutes.
In a separate incident close by, nine-year-old Razain was walking near another local school when Israeli forces threw a stun grenade close to her legs. Shrapnel from the stun grenade injured her as it exploded in close proximity, stated Razain’s grandfather to ISM volunteers.
This morning at the Salaymeh checkpoint, Israeli forces fired three tear gas grenades and one stun grenade at schoolchildren.
An ISM activist present stated, “Around three young boys ran towards the checkpoint and threw stones towards the armed Israeli soldiers. They then fired a tear gas grenade towards the the children walking to school, forcing them to run through clouds of gas. This continued for around 40 minutes, with several more children throwing stones and two more tear gas grenades being fired. At one point the soldiers entered through the checkpoint towards the schools and threw one stun grenade. Many of the children were very afraid, it’s clearly no way to begin a day of education. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to concentrate and learn when your day begins with military violence.”
24th September 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
Muhammed (Photo supplied by family)
Monday afternoon in Hebron, two young Palestinian men were arrested and abused north of Qeitun after being falsely accused of stone throwing.
21-year-old Muhammad Ghaleb Abu Sbeih was walking home from work when soldiers from the Israeli military force arrested him. Six boys had been throwing stones in the area and Muhammad was accused of taking part even though the soldiers had no evidence. A local Palestinian stated that Muhammad had been beaten while walking up to the checkpoint where he was held for two hours along with 19-year old Shadi Abdel Hamed Al-Atras.
When the boys’ families arrived the soldiers were rude to the mothers and Muhammad’s sister. Muhammad’s mother heard her son’s screams from inside the army jeep in which he was being held captive and beaten. Initially, the soldiers denied that anyone by that name was in the jeep but then changed their tactics and started mocking the family, saying bad words to the women in both Arabic and Hebrew.
The soldiers kept laughing and joking around and at one point they wanted the password for Muhammad’s iPhone to access it. After being held inside the jeep for two hours, Muhammad and Shadi were finally driven away and the soldiers shouted, “with love Muhammad“ and clapped.
The young men were driven to Kiryat Arba police station and are still being held. According to the DCO (District Coordination Office) Muhammad is being transferred to Ofer court and Shadi has been moved to a checkpoint in Hebron where he will hopefully soon be released.
23rd September 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine
Today at Salaymeh checkpoint in Hebron, Israeli forces fired 29 rounds of tear gas and 5 stun grenades at children going to school.
The morning started off peaceful as children passed through the checkpoint but as word spread that two Palestinians had been murdered by the Israeli army the night before, tensions began to rise quickly. Israeli forces had a clear presence at the checkpoint from the start. A few small stones were thrown by a small number of young boys, but landed nowhere near the checkpoint.
Three Israeli Border police proceeded to fire the first round of tear gas at the children. In total, 29 tear gas canisters and 5 stun grenades were fired. This was extremely excessive and unnecessary as the Israeli border police were clearly in no danger. Two ambulances were called to the scene due to the immense amounts of tear gas fired and a Palestinian teacher stated that 30 school children and 15 teachers suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation.
International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activists then left Salaymeh checkpoint and headed over to Qeitun checkpoint around 5 minutes away as they heard the firing of tear gas.
At Qeitun checkpoint clashes had erupted and were underway between unarmed Palestinian youth and Israeli forces. An excessive amount of tear gas was used in addition to rubber coated steel bullets and stun grenades.
A small group of older boys were throwing stones but they did not manage to reach the Israeli forces. However, the commander insisted on firing despite the presence of the many young children, some as young as 8 years old, in front of them attempting to get to school.
Later on the Israeli forces threw stun grenades and brutally grabbed and arrested two young Palestinian boys between the ages of 14 and 15 years old. One of the boys whilst in a headlock and handcuffed was punched several times in the side. ISM activists ran up to ask the boys their names and correct ages but the Israeli forces were very hostile. They were both forced through the turnstiles and were kept at the checkpoint for a few minutes before Israeli forces marched them to the police station near the Ibrahimi mosque.
