Category: Reports

Two Palestinian teenagers were murdered by an Israeli settler and an Israeli soldier in separate incidents in Huwwara

27th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Huwwwara, Occupied Palestine

On Friday, July 25, an Israeli settler murdered a Palestinian teenager in the village of Huwwara, which lies approximately 10 km south of Nablus in the northern half of the West Bank. Two hours later, an Israeli sniper killed another Palestinian teenager in the same village.

After Friday prayers at the mosque in Huwwara, villagers began marching in solidarity with the victims of the Gaza massacre. The protest included many children, some of whom were carrying signs in support of their Gazan brothers and sisters. Two Israeli military jeeps were along the route, and some of the soldiers were taking pictures of the peaceful protest. As the procession wound its way back to the mosque, a settler suddenly raced alongside and slammed on the brakes.

“He was about a meter away from the kids and just started firing out the window of his car,” stated a witness. “It was clear he was trying to kill people.” The settler managed to shoot four people before fleeing the scene. 19-year-old Khalid Owda died from a gunshot wound to his abdomen, while Tarik Dmadi was shot in the chest and remains in critical condition. Hassan Dmadi was shot in the hip, while Jihad Owda was shot in the hand and has been released from the hospital.

“Had he had more ammunition, he would have kept on shooting and killed more people,” said a witness. “Killing Palestinians is no big deal for the settlers, because there is no punishment. And what about the soldiers? They were just standing there, doing nothing.”

Tragedy struck the town of Huwwara a second time two hours later, when an Israeli sniper gunned down 18-year-old Tayeb Shohaada, who, like Khalid Owda, was a  student at an-Najah University in Nablus. Israeli forces were shooting tear gas at Tayeb and roughly ten other young men, who were throwing stones in their direction from a distance of approximately 100 meters. According to Red Crescent medic, Ahmed Owda, a female Israeli sniper shot Tayeb in the face. Her sergeant then congratulated her and clapped her on the shoulder. Ahmed subsequently attempted to reach Tayeb but was unable to do so because of Israeli fire. Tayeb was eventually taken to Rafidia hospital in Nablus, where he was declared clinically dead.

The attending surgeon revealed that the damage to Tayeb’s brain was consistent with that caused by expanding bullets. Expanding bullets are banned according to the 1899 Hague Convention, but Israel has frequently been accused of employing them against Palestinians.

Memorial ceremony for both Khalid and Tayeb (photo by ISM).
Memorial ceremony for both Khalid and Tayeb (photo by ISM).

Settlers break in to Palestinian home, Palestinians arrested

25th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

Israeli settlers in the H2 (under full Israeli military civil and security control) area of Hebron, forced entry into a basement and passage connected to the home of a Palestinian, Abed Sider, which is bordered by a sealed off building now occupied by settlers at around 15:00 on July 24th. Four International Solidarity Movement (ISM) activists arrived following a phone call from Abed telling them that the neighboring settlers broke through a door into an unused part of Abed’s home.

Shortly after the ISM volunteers arrived, several Israeli soldiers, two police officers, and two plain clothed men, who appeared to be settlers, arrived. The police began to question Abed’s brother, Shaady, who also came to the house after receiving a phone call from Abed about the break in. After 30 minutes of questioning at the house, the police and army then took Shaady and Abed to Kiryat Arba police station. Abed’s wife had believed they were being taken to file a report as victims of the break-in.

A few hours after being taken by Israeli forces, family members of Abed and Shaady were informed that he had been arrested and interrogated.

Photo by ISM
Photo by ISM

They were being falsely accused of attempting to break into the neighboring settlement by the settlers who had forced entry into Abed’s basement. They were released yesterday morning.

Israeli forces invade Azzun and use Palestinian civilians as human shields

24th July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Azzun, Occupied Palestine

On Monday, July 21st, Israeli forces used Palestinian civilians as human shields in the village of Azzun, a village west of the city of Nablus.

On most evenings several Israeli jeeps are stationed just outside the Azzun’s north gate. At 10 o’clock in the evening on the night in question, approximately 15 soldiers entered the main square of the village.

Witnesses report that a few young men responded to this invasion by throwing stones at the jeeps from a distance of approximately 200 meters. The soldiers spent the next few minutes stopping cars on the road and began forcing the drivers to arrange their cars in a circle. The soldiers then forced these residents of Azzun to surrender their keys. The occupants of the cars included women and children. They were very frightened and the soldiers did not allow them to leave. The Israeli forces positioned themselves inside the circle formed by the cars, began to fire tear gas at the youths, and knelt behind the civilian occupants of the cars as to protect themselves.

The use of civilian human shields is prohibited by Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel ratified this convention in 1951.

Israeli forces have a long history of using Palestinian civilians as human shields. From the years 2000 to 2005, they admitted to using human shields more than 1,200 times. This practice was banned by the Israeli Supreme Court in 2005, but human rights groups have accused the Israeli army of continuing to use it. During the Gaza massacre of 2008-2009 Israeli occupation forces were accused by Amnesty International, as well as former Israeli soldiers, of using Palestinian children as human shields.

A story from Balata refugee camp

22nd July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Balata, Occupied Palestine

The Abu Leel family are refugees, who fled from Haifa to Balata refugee camp in Nablus in 1948.

Asma Alshmeer gave birth to 10 healthy children, five of whom have been killed by the Israeli military.  The first was killed when he was a child during the first intifada. A soldier came to the family home and knocked on the door.  When the family did not open the door, he threw a tear gas grenade inside the house, and child died from gas suffocation.  The second son was killed during the second intifada.  A soldier stopped his car and ordered him to pick up a stone.  When he bent down to pick it up, the soldier executed him.  The third son was killed by an Israeli rocket attack during the second intifada when he was praying in the souq (market) during a protest in support of Palestinian prisoners. Asma was unable to fully speak about the last two stories, due to devastating pain of the loss.

Of the remaining five children, four have spent considerable time in prison; one for two years, three of them for five and a half years and the last one is still in prison serving a life sentence. This story is a typical experience of Palestinian refugees living in Palestine. Almost every family living in the refugee camps has had family members killed, imprisoned or badly injured by soldiers, and many have had their homes damaged or destroyed.

There are many refugee camps both inside and outside of Palestine. The refugee camps were built following the Nakba (catastrophe) in 1948 when Palestinians were forced from their homes. In the beginning all the refugee camps were build in small areas made of tents as people initially believed this to be a temporary situation.  However, as time progressed, the number of refugees living in the camps has only increased, particularly following the 1967 war and Israel’s subsequent occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Due to land confiscation and the oppression of the occupation, more and more Palestinians have been forced into the camps, which have been ill prepared to deal with this influx.

Refugee camps all around Palestine therefore suffer from difficult conditions, including lack of adequate infrastructure and severe overcrowding.  30,000 residents live in an area no bigger than 0.25 square kilometers in Balata. Streets are narrow, and daylight limited. These difficult conditions and trauma of the occupation have caused social problems including unemployment, drug abuse, domestic violence, and lack of formal education.

However community organizations are working hard to respond to these difficulties.  For example the Children Center in Balata Camp arranges activities with the children to help them deal with the trauma of domestic violence.  The center is also planning to conduct interviews with young boys who have been in prison, to write about their experience and to offer support as they attempt to recover.

Askar refugee camp, which is also in Nablus, has a population of 31,629 people. There the local Women’s Center provides support to women to support their independence both economically and in terms of education.

Some members of the Women's Center in Askar refugee camp (photo by ISM).
Some members of the Women’s Center in Askar refugee camp (photo by ISM).

They cover issues of gender equality and provide support in the context of domestic and marital difficulties. The center also offers a kindergarten and a fitness room and provides vocational adult education.  Courses include cookery, cosmetology, sewing and embroidery. Due to their lack of funding, the two centers are in search of organizations that are able to provide support.

Young man injured by Israel army live ammunition in invasion of Iraq Bureen

21st July 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Iraq Bureen, Occupied Palestine

On Thursday, July 17, 19 year old Mohamad Yousef Kadan was shot  by an Israeli soldier in Iraq Bureen, near Nablus in the northern half of the West Bank, during an army invasion into the village.

Mohamad was playing football with his friends in Nablus. As he and a friend were returning home for work in Iraq Bureen, the youths were approached by an Israeli soldier. “He was screaming in Hebrew and shooting live ammunition into the air” said Mohamad.

The boys fled back to the village, where they were confronted by seven soldiers. Without warning, the soldiers shot at the boys from a ten-meter distance, hitting Mohamad in the groin, the bullet exiting his body through his buttocks.

The soldiers then proceeded to arrest him, when people from the village approached the scene. The soldiers pulled back, and Mohamad was brought to the hospital. Though his injuries were described as severe, Mohamad is preoccupied with the risk of arrest. “In many cases, when people come home from the hospital, they are arrested at home.”