Category: Ramallah

The Release of Prisoners and the Ceasefire in Gaza

By: Diana Khwaelid
21 January 2025

After a year and two months of suffering, displacement and genocide, the ceasefire heralds great joy on the streets of Palestine. But with Israeli forces stepping up aggression in the West Bank, Palestinians fear the war of annihilation has not ended, only moved.

Ramallah, West Bank — Celebrations bloomed in cities and villages across the West Bank following the start of the ceasefire in Gaza and the liberation 90 women and children imprisoned by Israeli occupation forces. Their release trails the release of three Israeli women held in Gaza, a delay which suggests the occupation will continue to flex its power even as it stands down militarily. The release was watched closely by dozens of Palestinian families and Palestinian and foreign activists, along with news media from around the world.

Celebrating the release of prisoners.

Some ten thousand Palestinians remain imprisoned by the occupation, in addition to 57 Israelis being held in Gaza. This “Flood of the Free” is not the first prisoner exchange deal and it will not be the last as long as so many Palestinians languish in the occupation’s prisons.

Celebration of Palestinian youth

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) teams received the three Israeli prisoners released by the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip. For this purpose, they crossed the Netzarim corridor that divides the Gaza Strip into North and South. The corridor has been a point of tension in the ceasefire talks, as occupation forces want to retain some control over the area, bisecting the strip.

A female freed captive embraces her family

Hamas confirmed on Sunday its commitment to the terms of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, and attributed the delay in handing over the names of the Israeli prisoners who will be released in the first batch to “technical field reasons.” Israeli media reported that a number of buses left Haifa’s “Damon” prison, designated for Palestinian female prisoners, amid tight security measures. Damon is located in the ruins of the Palestinian village of Khirbat Al-Dumun, whose residents were killed or expelled during the Nakba.

Gas bombs fired as Palestinians await the release of prisoners.

Meanwhile, outside Ofer prison in Ramallah, Israeli occupation forces attacked Palestinian families with tear gas as they awaited the release of their loved ones. In Al Fawakeh square in Beitunia, Ramallah, crowds cheered as prisoners were released. The women were greeted by their families and friends with hugs and tears of joy—and grief. Nearly all have lost friends and relatives since the start of the war of annihilation in Gaza on October 7th. For them, release from prison is the beginning, not the end, of a long road towards healing.

Unprecedented Coordinated IOF Attacks in West Bank

28 December 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | West Bank

Early this morning, between 1:00 am and 6:00 am, Israeli Occupation Forces invaded several cities across the West Bank. Seven of the eleven Palestinian governorates in the West Bank were invaded in a coordinated attack, the largest since October 7. Clashes were documented in Jenin, Hebron, Qalqilya, and Ramallah, with reports of invasions in Tulkarem, Nablus, and Jericho. Invasion forces stormed the cities, targeting money transfer stations, stating that funds were being funneled from these major cities to Hamas. Many eyewitness reports observed soldiers breaking open safes and, according to The New Arab, stealing at least $2.8 million from these targeted locations after classifying them as having involvement with “terrorism”. 

IOF Soldiers in Ramallah steal millions (source: FajerTV)

IOF in Qadura Refugee Camp

On the ground ISM members in Ramallah report dozens of army tanks storming and patrolling the streets before direct clashes with Palestinian youth resistance in Al Manara square and in the Qadura refugee camp. Youth were preparing to resist by smashing large rocks to break them up while tanks loaded steel bullets into their assault rifles (steel bullets, as opposed to copper, are intended to be able to penetrate helmets, concrete, and other industrial materials). 

Israeli military shell casings vs Palestinian defense weapon

Palestinians fiercely resisted the military invasion for hours, throwing rocks, metal pieces and molotov cocktails at the indestructible tanks. Invasion forces responded with live fire, rubber tipped steel bullets, tear gas, sound grenades, and other explosive devices. This bombardment withstood for several hours, mostly concentrated between 2 and 5 am, resulting in one IOF soldier shot, 14 Palestinians injured, at least 4 of which were with live ammunition, and one Palestinian, named Hazim Al-Qatawi (23), shot and killed.

 

 

Along with bodily harm, this extension of the ongoing occupation has resulted in storefront destruction, shattered car windows, and the street littered with remnants of destruction.

Community cleans up after shop destroyed near Al Manara square

Cab in Al Manara

 

Palestinians hospitalised in settler attack near Ramallah 

Wadi Siq school has been regularly attacked by settlers from new outposts set up near the Bedouin village, east of Ramallah

 

 

15 October, 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Wadi Siq

Armed settlers attacked Palestinians and international volunteers in the Bedouin village of Wadi Siq, east of Ramallah, on Thursday (October 12) hospitalising two people. 

Villagers were also beaten after the illegal settlers returned for a second attack later that day, ISMers were told. 

ISMers and Israeli activists in partnership with the Colonization & Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) have been based in the village several nights a week at the request of residents due to increasing intimidation and violence by settlers following the setting up of outposts nearby in recent months. 

The villagers have experienced harassment, intimidation, assault and damage to, and theft of, their property on a regular basis. This usually happens at night, increasing the trauma inflicted on villagers. 

Wadi Siq, which consists of individual family encampments widely dispersed over rocky, hilly terrain, is served by the Al-Tahidi School. Providing education for 60 Bedouin children from the age of five to 14 years, the school is also on the receiving end of attacks by settlers.

The headteacher reported that settlers have rammed the school bus with children onboard and teachers’ cars as they leave work. Thefts of school property are common with the building’s generator being stolen last week. The head is also very worried about the impact of the attacks on the physical and mental wellbeing of the children.

Last week, Israeli activist Rabbi Arik Asherman was detained after he reported to the police that the entrance to the village had been blocked by the settlers. He was then arrested and, at the time of writing, is still being held.

Following Israel’s bombardment of Gaza last Saturday, settlers have ramped up their attacks even further. 

On Thursday at around 11am a group of armed settlers set upon volunteers based at the site. Two of the CRWC personnel (Abu Hassan and Mohamad Nada) were badly beaten, requiring hospitalisation.  

Settlers also circled the village in SUV to intimidate residents while a group of volunteers were threatened with guns when they approached two settlers who were standing on the track close to one of the encampments. 

After sunrise settlers broke into a large metal storage container and stole valuable items including a solar power unit and batteries and vandalised the other items being stored. This represented a serious loss for the family concerned. 

 

Israeli Occupation forces Shoot Children in the Head and Then Arrests Them in Nabi Salah

6/9/2023 Nabi Salah, Occupied Palestine,

In the Aftermath of the Killing of infant Mohammad Tamimi the occupying forces invaded the sleeping village of Nabi Saleh again early Friday morning and aressted Wissam Tamimi, who had just turned seventeen, and twenty-two-year-old Mohammed Fadel Tamimi, from their homes. Both suffer from severe head injuries. The Israeli military blew up the doors of the family homes of two youths who are suffering from head injuries after being shot in the head by the occupying forces.  Wissam who is still a highschool student and Mohammed who is now twenty two but still suffers from the sever injuries he sustained when he was shot in the head as a child, were both arrested from their homes by the military this morning.

Mohammed Fadel Tamimi surrounded by occupiying soldiers as he is taken from his home. Friday 6/9/23

Wissam Tamimi was shot last week on June 1, 2023, the same day infant Mohammed Tamimi was also shot in the head and fatally wounded. Wissam, who was still sixteen at the time, was standing behind his uncle Bilal Tamimi, who was filming the military’s attack on their village. Bilal was wearing a vest and a helmet marked “PRESS.” Wissam was shot with a projectile that had a condensed hardened foam tip, which fractured his skull and caused a concussion. Bilal filmed the entire incident and aired it live on Facebook. In the footage, Wissam’s injury can be seen starting at minute 22. Bilal continued to film and broadcast until he himself was wounded, with his hand fractured by the same kind of projectile that wounded Wissam.

Wissam Tamimi being treated in the Ramallah hospital for a fractured skull and concussion

Wissam was released from the hospital on June 5, a day before his 17th birthday. However, he still needs to return to the hospital for further evaluation. Due to his injuries, he was unable to complete his final exams, which took place this week. This morning, the occupying forces blew up the door of his house and arrested him from his home.

At the same time, Israeli forces stormed the house of Muhammad Fadel Tamimi, 22, and arrested him after blowing up the door. Muhammad has been repeatedly arrested since the age of 13, enduring months of imprisonment. He has survived being shot in the head twice, once in 20017 at the age of fifteen and then again last year. Like Wissam, he has been targeted, arrested, and intimidated while suffering from a fractured skull. Muhammad suffered severe damage and lost almost a third of his skull. He has undergone a series of complex reconstructive surgeries and had customized skull implants inserted. He still relies on medication to prevent seizures.

 

Mohammed Fadel Tamimi before reconstructive therapy in South Africa
Mohaamed Fadel Tamimi Before his skull reconstruction surgery

In a media statement, South African MP Nkosi ZMD Mandela demanded the immediate release of Muhammad Fadel Tamimi and his cousin Wissam. This follows a statment in which, MP Mandela called on the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant against Bibi Netanyahu.

Manal Tamimi, a human rights defender from Nabi Salah, expressed the following: “On Tuesday, Wissam was supposed to celebrate his seventeenth birthday, a milestone that marks the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. However, instead of celebrating, he spent the day recovering from his injury and participating in the funeral of his relative Mohammad. And now, he has to endure imprisonment while still in pain. The village is going through difficult days with the arrest of Muhammad and Wissam, the death of Muhammad, and the injury of six members of our family. We call upon the international community to ensure the protection of this small village, which has a population of fewer than 650 people and has already lost six members of our family and community to occupation-related incidents in the last decade.”

Mohammed Fadel Tamimi after recieving skull implants in South Africa

Water Series: Hail of tear gas on peaceful villagers protesting settler theft of water supply in Kafr Malik

August 16 | International Solidarity Movement | Kafr Malik, Ramallah, occupied Palestine

 

This is the third of a series of reports documenting the control and devastation of water sources by Israel as a tool of oppression.

 

The residents of Kafr Malik, a town northeast of Ramallah, marched towards the Ain Samia area today to protest Israel’s theft of the village’s water supply, which has been diverted to a new illegal settlement. 

Protesters told ISM that 20 hectares of land had also been stolen from the village, where almost 3,000 Palestinians live, and handed to just five settler families. 

Hundreds attended the march and prayer – organised jointly by Fatah and the National and Islamic Parties – including the head of the Roman Catholic monastery in Palestine Abdullah Yolio.

The peaceful protest was immediately bombarded with rounds of tear gas (seen in video below) fired by occupation forces as well as hundreds of rubber-coated steel bullets and sound bombs. 

 

Israeli soldiers also tried to confiscate Palestinian flags from protesters and targeted journalists, interrupting their filming and forcing them to move if they refused to comply with what appeared to be entirely arbitrary orders. The Red Crescent treated several people for tear gas inhalation including an ISMer who had to be carried to an ambulance.

He said that Israeli soldiers: “…came up the hill behind us, and fired directly at journalists filming on the hill above the protest.” The ISMer did not suffer any serious injuries. 

Protesters including the Roman Catholic monastery suffer from tear gas inhalation

Tear gas sets dry hill on fire in Kafr Malik protest

Being cut off from the local water supply has severe implications for local Palestinian communities and is used as a means of oppression across the West Bank, from the Jordan Valley to the South Hebron Hills. 

The cutting of Palestinian water resources is not just a matter of preferential treatment, or discrimination. It is an active effort to force Palestinians out of their homes by applying psychological and economic pressure to the communities there. The cumulative effect of settler attacks and vandalism, military harassment, and economic deprivation are all part of an attempt to break the Palestinian resistance movement. The aim is to force people into being too preoccupied with constant fears, as well as by making day to day existence so difficult, that they cease to resist.

There is no reason why people should be denied the basic human rights and means to live, and this is made all the worse when the means to do so are within reach, and are taken away from them. Control of water by the Israeli apartheid state is an essential aspect of oppression of Palestinians, and is one of the most pressing issues in Palestinians regaining their rights and autonomy.

Protesters pray beside Israeli police and soldiers at Kafr Malik protest