List of demonstrators killed during protests against the Wall

23. 19 November 2012:

Rushdi Tamimi, age  31

Shot with live ammunition  at a demonstration protesting the israeli assault on Gaza inNabi Saleh. The bullet entered through the thigh to the abdomen. Died of his wounds in Ramallah hospital two days later.

22. 10 December 2011:
Mustafa Tamimi, age 28
Evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva after being shot in the face by a tear gas canister at close range during the weekly protest in Nabi Saleh on 9 December 2011. He died from his wounds.

21. 1 January 2011:
Jawaher Abu Rahmah, age 36
Evacuated to Ramallah hospital after inhaling massive amounts of tear-gas during the weekly protest in Bil’in on 31 December 2010. She died of poisoning the next morning.

20. 5 June 2009:
Yousef ‘Akil’ Tsadik Srour, age 36
Shot in the chest with 0.22 calibre live ammunition during a demonstration against the Wall in Ni’lin.

19. April 17, 2009:
Basem Abu Rahme, age 29
Shot in the chest with a high-velocity tear gas projectile during a demonstration against the Wall in Bil’in.

18. December 28, 2008:
Mohammad Khawaja, age 20
Shot in the head with live ammunition during a demonstration in Ni’lin against Israel’s assault on Gaza. Mohammad died in the hospital on December 31, 2009.

17. December 28, 2008:
Arafat Khawaja, age 22
Shot in the back with live ammunition in Ni’lin during a demonstration against Israel’s assault on Gaza.

16. July 30, 2008:
Youssef Ahmed Younes Amirah, age 17
Shot in the head with rubber coated bullets during a demonstration against the Wall in Ni’lin. Youssef died of his wounds on August 4, 2008.

15. July 29, 2008:
Ahmed Husan Youssef Mousa, age 10
Shot dead while he and several friends tried to remove coils of razor wire from land belonging to the village in Ni’lin.

14. March 2, 2008:
Mahmoud Muhammad Ahmad Masalmeh, age 15
Shot dead when trying to cut the razor wire portion of the Wall in Beit Awwa.

13. March 28, 2007:
Muhammad Elias Mahmoud ‘Aweideh, age 15
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Um a-Sharayet – Samiramis.

12. February 2, 2007:
Taha Muhammad Subhi al-Quljawi, age 16
Shot dead when he and two friends tried to cut the razor wire portion of the Wall in the Qalandiya Refugee Camp. He was wounded in the thigh and died from blood loss after remaining in the field for a long time without treatment.

11. March 15, 2006:
Khaled ‘Issa Khaled ‘Attiyah, age 18
Killed by gunfire while hiding with three friends, waiting to throw stones at passing army jeeps during a demonstration in the village of Karbatha al-Misbah.

10. May 4, 2005:
Jamal Jaber Ibrahim ‘Asi, age 15
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Beit Liqya.

9. May 4, 2005:
U’dai Mufid Mahmoud ‘Asi, age 14
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Beit Liqya.

8. February 15, 2005:
‘Alaa’ Muhammad ‘Abd a-Rahman Khalil, age 14
Shot dead while throwing stones at an Israeli vehicle driven by private security guards near the Wall in Betunya.

7. April 18, 2004:
Islam Hashem Rizik Zhahran, age 14
Shot during a demonstration against the Wall in Deir Abu Mash’al. Islam died of his wounds April 28, 2004.

6. April 18, 2004:
Diaa’ A-Din ‘Abd al-Karim Ibrahim Abu ‘Eid, age 23
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

5. April 16, 2004:
Hussein Mahmoud ‘Awad ‘Alian, age 17
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Betunya.

4. February 26, 2004:
Muhammad Da’ud Saleh Badwan, age 21
Shot during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu. Muhammad died of his wounds on March 3, 2004.

3. February 26, 2004:
Abdal Rahman Abu ‘Eid, age 17
Died of a heart attack after teargas projectiles were shot into his home during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

2. February 26, 2004:
Muhammad Fadel Hashem Rian, age 25
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

1. February 26, 2004:
Zakaria Mahmoud ‘Eid Salem, age 28
Shot dead during a demonstration against the Wall in Biddu.

Three others, all minors or mentally disabled were killed just for being in proximity of the Wall:

December 19, 2006:
Du’aa Naser Saleh ‘Abd al-Qader, age 14
Killed by gunfire in Far’un when she approached the Wall with her friend.

July 8, 2005:
Mahyoub Ahmad Nemer ‘Asi, age 15
Was shot by a private security guard while he was in his family’s plot, about 200 meters away from the path of the Wall.

January 22, 2005:
Fatah a-Deen Muhammad ‘Ali al-Khuli, age 20
Killed by gunfire near Habla (Qalqilya district) when he approached the Wall. al-Khuli was mentally disabled.

Beit Hanoun demonstration commemorates Cast Lead massacre

28 December 2010 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza

A demonstration commemorating the beginning of “Operation Cast Lead” was held Tuesday in the Gazan city of Beit Hanoun. Families of victims were in attendance, as were 5 International Solidarity Movement activists. Two years have passed since the Israeli attacks on Gaza, which killed over 1400 people in just 23 days. The vast majority of victims were civilians, including 350 children, according to the United Nations and other major human rights organizations.

The Local Initiative demonstration began at the railway street in Beit Hanoun, near some of the most horrendous attacks which occurred during the land, air and sea bombardment of Gaza. The group of around 40 continued into the ‘buffer zone’ to within 100m of the Israeli border, holding flags and photos of children killed two years ago. During the 23-day attack, none of Gaza’s 1.5 million inhabitants (including 800,000 children) were safe.

Beit Hanoun was not spared this horror, and stories from the attacks continue to haunt survivors. Abed Hamdan carried a banner with pictures of his youngest brother and two youngest sisters, Ismail (9), Haia (12) and Lama (4). While marching towards the border, demonstrators stopped at an intersection with al-Seka Street. At approximately 7:45am on 30 December 2008, Haia, Ismail and Lama were taking rubbish to this intersection when they were hit by two missiles launched from an F16 fighter jet. According to the children’s uncle, their bodies were found in three different locations, each about 50 meters away from where the missiles hit. Relatives ran with Lama and Haias’ bodies to Beit Hanoun Hospital, but the girls had died at the scene. Ismail sustained shrapnel wounds to his abdomen and chest, and had several broken bones. He died the following day in Al Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City. According to witnesses, the Hamdan children had been directly targeted by the Israeli, US-made F16 jet.

The demonstration passed a collapsed building, where a father described being the lone survivor from his family after the building was bombed. The group then proceeded into the ‘buffer zone’, the strip of land along the Israeli border where attacks continue, injuring and killing countless farmers and rubble-collectors and depriving many of their livelihoods.[1] Demonstrators gathered in the ‘zone’ for speeches, under surveillance from the Erez Crossing watchtowers where Israeli snipers frequently shoot at demonstrators.

Local Initiative co-ordinator Saber Al Zaaneen spoke about the devastation still felt two years after the Israeli military’s attacks. “We’re here to reject the Israeli-imposed ‘buffer-zone’ that takes away so much of our farmland, and in defiance of the 23-day Zionist aggression 2 years ago, horrors once again visited upon us the Palestinians of Gaza, told to the world by the United Nations Goldstone Report.[2] The burning and bleeding under the rubble of the killing from the air, land and sea will never beat us. Long live Palestine, our steadfastness is strengthened by the memory or our loved ones, the hundreds of children murdered while the world watched on their television screens. We emphasize our legitimate right to resist occupation, and use all methods of struggle and fight until the end of Israel’s inhuman siege and bring our eventual liberation.”

International Solidarity Movement activist Adie Mormech expressed the urgency required for the international community and solidarity movements to act.
“The world is now aware of these well-documented crimes against humanity, the massacres, occupation, ethnic cleansing and siege of the Palestinian territories – all collective punishment[3] and serious violations of the 4th Geneva Convention. We cannot stand for this. We cannot allow Lama, Ismail and Haia to die with no justice to them or their family, or the families of the 1400 others massacred in the Israeli attacks. So where is the action? Where is the compensation? Where are the peacekeepers? Where are the sanctions on Israel? How many will they kill the next time, perhaps soon, if nothing is done about the 4 year medieval siege of Gaza or the murder of hundreds of Palestinian children? It is up to international civil society to do all they can and to boycott, divest and sanction from the Israeli Apartheid regime.”

The demonstrators returned to Beit Hanoun, with talk of more violence ahead and the prospects of another impending Israeli assault on the Gaza. Israel’s blockade of Gaza continues unabated, despite being denounced by the European Union, The Red Cross and all major human rights groups as collective punishment, illegal according to article 33 of the 4th Geneva Convention.

On 2nd December 2010, 22 international organizations including Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid, and Medical Aid for Palestinians produced the report Dashed Hopes, Continuation of the Gaza Blockade[4] stating that there had been no material change to the devastating effects of the siege, and calling for international pressure on Israel to unconditionally lift the blockade.

The Hamdan family remains in ruins from the loss of their 3 youngest children. When their father, Talal Hamdan, spoke of their deaths in his home, there was still a quiet disbelief in his voice at what had happened to them. The family’s sorrow is unending.

“We’re just a simple Palestinian family”, Talal said, sitting in the garden of his home which is two kilometers from the ‘buffer zone’. Before the war, he and his wife spent their evenings watching the children playing in the garden, in the spot where he sat. “There is no life anymore. The children are now usually nervous, argue a lot, my eldest son has given up work and my other son Abed has stopped bodybuilding for which he used to train for competitions.” The family finds it impossible to deal with the terrible loss. “Haja was such a smart girl,” her father remembers. “She was the first in her class, danced dabka, and was able to read the whole Qur’an.” For his remaining four daughters and two sons, a small sum of money initially came from the Palestinian government. One of his daughters received psychological help from Doctors without Borders. The help only lasted two months however, and only reached on of an entire community stricken with grief.

Talal and his wife continue to sit in front of their house in the evening, watching their garden. However their world is now very different, like many others in Palestine. When asked if he had a message for the world, Talal shook his head. “I just want people to know that they were innocent children being killed, who never did anything wrong in their lives”.

References:
[1] http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_special_focus_2010_08_19_english.pdf
[2] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/12session/A-HRC-12-48.pdf
[3] http://gisha.org/UserFiles/File/publications/GazaClosureDefinedEng.pdf
[4] http://www.amnesty.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_21083.pdf

Fear and unrest in Silwan as soldiers surround village

26 December 2010 | International Solidarity Movement & SilwanIC

Since early this morning, Israeli forces have been surrounding the village of Silwan, creating fear among the villagers that a Palestinian family will be evicted. A new wave of unrest has overcome Silwan in the past few days, with two houses demolished on Christmas day, and clashes sweeping through the village on Friday after a young Palestinian was shot with a rubber bullet.

The Silwan Information Center claims to have received exclusive information that an Israeli court has approved the eviction of a Palestinian family, in order to resettle the soon-to-be evicted settlers of the Beit Yonatan Settlement. Israeli courts have ordered that the Beit Yonatan settlement be evicted, so authorities are attempting to take over the Abu Nab on the grounds that it was once the site of a Yemenite Synagogue.

This controversial eviction was planned to take place today, the 26th, while the international community is preoccupied with the holidays. However, Jerusalem Police issued a statement last claiming that the eviction would not take place today, with no further information about when it would happen.

While Yemenite pilgrims did for a time inhabit the Baten al-Hawa district of Silwan, the were only relegated to the area after being rejected by the jewish people living in the Old City. After a short time they left to resettle elsewhere.

In what is becoming an argument increasingly employed by Israeli expansionists in Jerusalem however, land that was ever owned or inhabited by Jews in the past must become property of modern-day Jewish owners. Similar arguments have been employed throughout the complex legal battles that have taken place in Sheikh Jarrah for several decades now.

While Israeli authorities may attempt to find legal loopholes allowing a Jewish “right of return” to historical lands, a decisive law the ensures just the opposite has existed for Palestinians for some 60 years: the notorious Absentee Property Law. The Law has enabled the Israeli state to become “custodian of absentee properties”, that is, all land abandoned by Palestinian land-owners during the Nakba in 1948, when the creation of the Israeli state forced some 900,000 Palestinians to flee their homes and land, the vast majority of which had been in their families for centuries.

Santa Claus brings rubber bullets, tear gas, and arrests

25 December 2010 | International Solidarity Movement

While the media’s attention was focused on the Christmas spectacle in Bethlehem and people were celebrating Christmas eve, the village of An Nabi Saleh, located in the Ramallah region and in the direct neighborhood of the illegal settlement Halamish, faced another reality. Yesterday’s demonstration was met by excessive violence on behalf of the Israeli military. Several people were injured; three Israeli activists and one Palestinian member of the community got arrested.

Even before the demonstration began, at about 9:00am, several Israeli jeeps entered the village. A 16 year old Palestinian encountering them alone got shot by 12 rubber coated steel bullets, aimed from close range directly at his chest area. He was brought to the hospital in Ramallah, but did not suffer severe injuries.
The demonstration started after the prayer. The demonstrators, the people of An Nabi Saleh and a group of Israeli and International activists, were joined by Santa Claus as they walked down the main road of the village to the junction, chanting slogans. At the junction they were met by the Israeli military and Border Police, who tried to forcefully put an end to the demonstration by hitting demonstrators and using sound bombs.

The demonstrators retreated back into the village, while the shebab engaged in a confrontation with the army that carried on throughout the whole day. The military used sound bombs, excessive amounts of tear gas, and shot rubber bullets: many of them aimed directly at people.

Two people–-a 60 year old villager and his 50 year old wife–-were hit in the head by rubber bullets shot through the window, while inside their house. They were brought to the hospital. Several more demonstrators suffered from the effects of inhaling massive amounts of tear gas. One elderly man had to be treated by an ambulance after tear gas canisters entered his house.

16-year-old Palestinian shot by 12 rubber coated steel bullets at close range

In the chaos caused by the military, three Israeli activists and one Palestinian were arrested. One of the Israelis was released a few hours after being detained, while the other two were kept first in Halamish and later at the Russian compound in Jerusalem. They have been accused of stone-throwing and might face charges.

The 20 year old Palestinian, Allae Tamimi, was transferred to Ofer Military Prison, where he is going to be investigated. He was released from Prison only a short while ago with the condition that he won’t participate in any demonstrations, for which he would face a sentence of 6 months in prison. This arrest comes three days after the arrest of Bahaa Tamimi, another member of the community of An Nabi Saleh.

When the day came to a close, Santa Claus had brought only more tear gas and rubber bullets for the villagers of An Nabi Saleh. Merry Christmas!

Demonstration to re-open Shuhada Street returns to Hebron

25 December 2010 | Youth Against Settlements

Saturday, in the city of Hebron, Israeli occupation forces suppressed an anti-settlement movement in the city to reopen Shuhada Street. Two internationals and two Israeli activists were arrested; four activists were beaten.

Seventy activists participated in the demonstration, which took place at the eastern entrance to Al-Shuhada Street, which was closed by the Israeli military in 1994.

Participants raised Palestinian flags and banners, demanding that Shuhada Street be opened, and an end to all forms of racial discrimination practiced by the occupation. They chanted—in Arabic, English and Hebrew–to condemn the closure of the street and the practices of the military and the settlers against the citizens of Hebron.

The protesters tried to enter Al-Shuhada Street, but Israeli border police, and soldiers who had gathered there, blocked the demonstrators at gunpoint, declaring the area a closed military zone. The soldiers became violent toward the non-violent demonstrators in the market area near the settlement of ‘Abraham Avenue’. Israeli soldiers and police arrested three solidarity internationals, and attacked demonstrators, beating wounding 4 demonstrators.

The demonstration is not violent, to emphasize the fundamental right of Palestinian human rights, the right to move freely in the city of Hebron through Shuhada Street.

One demonstrator said, “we demand, all countries in the world to exert pressure on Israel to stop settlement expansion and dismantle the settlements as a prerequisite to achieving a just peace.”

It is worth mentioning that Al-Shuhada Street, which is located in the heart of the city of Hebron, was once a main street connecting the northern and southern neighborhoods of Hebron. The trade in these areas is now paralyzed, and the Israeli occupation forces have closed more than 600 shops by military order since the end of 2000. More than a thousand shop-owners have had to close their shops in the old city, and about 100 military checkpoints and gates have been set up by the occupation forces, without care for the lives of Palestinian civilians living in the area.