International Solidarity Movement - Page 197 - Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.

Video: Israeli forces executing wounded youth in Occupied Hebron

30th October 2015 | International Solidarity Movement | al-Khalil, occupied Palestine
On October 29th Mahdi Mohtaseb was executed by Israeli forces at the Salaymeh (160) checkpoint, near the Ibrahimi Mosque in the old city of al-Khalil (Hebron). The 23-year-old from Jabal Johar, who was employed in a local sweets shop, was supposed to meet his fiancée later in the day.

At 0:22 seconds it shows an Israeli soldier shoot Mahdi in the back from close range as he lies wounded on the ground.

In a statement released the 27th of October by Amnesty International, they concluded that: “Israeli forces have carried out a series of unlawful killings of Palestinians using intentional lethal force without justification”. Amnesty also stated that “wilful killings of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention, over which all states can exercise universal jurisdiction.”

In the last week in al-Khalil, seven Palestinians have been murdered. Ezzedin Nabi Sha’ban Abu Shakhdam, 17 (Gush Etzion), Shadi Nabil Dweik, 22 (Gush Etzion), Houmam Adnan Sa’id, 23, Islam Rafiq Hammad Ibeido, 23, Mahdi Mohammad Ramadan al-Muhtasib, 23, and Farouk Abdel Qader Omar Sidr, 19.

Mahdi Mohtaseb, who is survived by four brothers, four sisters, and many grieving family and loved ones, joins the daily rising death toll of mostly Palestinian youths gunned down by Israeli forces and Israeli settlers since October 1st.

Constant settler harassment for Palestinians in Shuhada Street

30th October 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Wednesday 28^th in the evening activists from the International Solidarity Movement once again received a call from local shop owner Ghassan telling that his shop was being surrounded by settlers from the illegal settlements in al-Khalil (Hebron).

The settlers were shouting curses at the Palestinians in the shop, harassing them and physically blocking the entrance to the shop. A group of about 6 adult settlers, most with machine guns, and a dozen of children were blocking the street in front of the shop and tried to prevent internationals access to the shop. The Israeli police did provide passage through the mob of settlers but then ordered the internationals to leave the area as soon as they realized ISMers were going into the shop.

The group of settlers kept shouting insults at the shop-owner and Palestinians as well as the internationals inside the shop. The settlers attempted getting into the shop, but luckily were prevented by the Israeli forces. When groups of settlers started attacking and insulting everyone inside the shop, the police banged one of the two remaining open door-jambs closed. A female settler, as can be seen in the following video, then insulted Palestinians, threatening them and calling for their death:

Instead of preventing this violent attack, Israeli forces slammed the door shop thus locking everyone on the inside in the shop without a possibility to leave or communicate. The settlers could still be heard banging on the doors and yelling. Only after the yelling and commotion calmed down after more than half an hour, the owner slowly opened the door to see if the settlers were gone. A few soldiers were still standing outside the shop, but no one informed the people on the inside of the shop that they would be able to open the door of the shop and thus get fresh air.

Short video of the police slamming the doors shut:

Ghassans shop is one of the last remaining Palestinian shops on Shuhada Street. Most Palestinian shops in the area, which used to contain Hebrons main fruit marked, have been closed by soldiers or the owners driven away by harassment and violence. Ghassan’s shop has, since it was opened in spite of violent settler-protests in the middle of this year, experienced countless incidents of settler violence and harassment.

Surviving in Khuzaa: life in the caravans

30th October 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza team | Khuzaa, Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine

Almost a year and a half after the Zionist massacre of Gaza ended, most families in Khuzaa are still waiting for international aid and materials for reconstruction.

A typical caravan in Khuzaa, built from precarious materials. photo credit ISM — A typical caravan in Khuzaa, built from precarious materials. Photo credit ISM

Many of these families are living with their relatives or renting another home. However, many others don’t have a place to go and don’t have the financial resources to pay rent, being left with no choice but to continue surviving in the caravans that were donated, when the aggression was over, as an interim measure.

Last winter several persons died in those caravans due to the cold weather and all of the families suffered from floods during the rainstorms.

After the strong rains of that week ISM Gaza visited some of the families. Tired of giving interviews that don’t bring any improvement to their situation, they explain how the last rains destroyed even more of their caravans.

Zuraya Mohamed Abu Reeda, refugee from Jaffa, finds herself surviving alone in one of them. Her sons live with their families in new wooden caravans that were donated by Qatar, but she prefers to stay here, as she says that her son’s caravans are already too overcrowded.

The last rains opened a hole in the roof of her caravan and flooded the entire kitchen.

The roof of Zuraya Mohammed Abu Reeda's home torn by the rain. Photo credit ISM — The roof of Zuraya Mohammed Abu Reeda’s kitchen torn by the pressure of the rain. Photo credit ISM

In another caravan lives Fatima Abdel Aziz Qudaih, 70 years old, with her daughter.

The last rains completely destroyed the bathroom of her caravan, and as a result all the sewage waters flooded the caravan and its surroundings. The smell is very strong outside and inside the caravan.

The bathroom in Fatima Abdel Aziz Qudaih's home with the floor broken from the pressure of the floods. Photo credit ISM — The bathroom in Fatima Abdel Aziz Qudaih’s home with the floor broken from the pressure of the floods. Photo credit ISM

All the families that still survive in the caravans have lost all hope. They lost their homes, spent their savings, and more than a year after the aggression was over no one has offered them a solution.

A kitchen as seen inside one of the caravans were the people of Khuzaa continue to struggle. Photo credit ISM

Palestinian residents of Hebron required to register in preparation for severe new restrictions

30th October 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

Palestinians gather in the street to be registered in the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood in occupied Hebron. It is being reported that the area will be closed off completely for people who are not residents of the area and who are not registered within the next few days.

“For the people living in the area, it will become like a prison. For people living in Hebron, the closure of Tel Rumeida will mean that the city will be split in two”, says local resident to international activists.

The names and ID-numbers of the people living in the area are being written down by soldiers on long lists, and there are dozens of Palestinians standing around Gilbert checkpoint waiting to hand over their information or be forced out. Even for the residents who will be allowed in the area, this will mean severe restriction of their movement. Every time Palestinian residents of Tel Rumeida & the area around Ibrahimi mosque (between checkpoints 209 and 29) cross a check point to get to their home, the soldiers will have to search the long list for the name.

It is not the first time the Israel has imposed such restrictions on the residents of the area. In 1994 after the Illegal settler extremist Baruch Goldstein committed a massacre in the Ibrahimi Mosque, similar measures were taken. At that time, Palestinian residents refused registration and were punished with a six month 24-hour-curfew and only allowed a few hours a week during which the residents could buy food.

Due to the increase in violence by army and settlers against Palestinians they do not dare to refuse registration this time.

Young unarmed man murdered in cold blood in Hebron

28th October 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Wednesday 28th October at 3.25pm, Islam Rafiq Obeido, 23, was shot in cold blood in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron. Human rights observers from International Solidarity Movement witnessed the young man being murdered while walking in the street near the Gilbert Checkpoint.

The eyewitness from ISM, identified as Orion, states: “I am 100% sure he was unarmed. I saw the two soldiers creeping slowly along the road outside our apartment window with their guns cocked, so I looked down the street to see why. I saw an unarmed man walking normally towards the soldiers and suddenly they shot.”

The young man was shot at a distance of around two meters and at least 12 shots were fired. He died immediately after being shot.

No shouting or running was heard on the site prior to the murder. Minutes before the incident, a policewoman was overheard at the Shuhada Street checkpoint 56 saying on her radio “he looks like a good one, shoot him.”

Another activist from the ISM states: “It was just like last night, when they shot Hoummam Said. Everything was quiet and suddenly we heard many shots outside our apartment. I am sure he was unarmed and they murdered him for no reason, just like Hoummam”