International Solidarity Movement - Page 31 - Nonviolence. Justice. Freedom.

Israeli soldiers open fire on unarmed protesters in Tulkarm, killing four

14 October, 2023 | International Solidarity Movement | Tulkarm

By Diana Khwaelid

Four Palestinian protesters were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers in Tulkarm, northern West Bank, on Friday, October 13.

Soldiers shot live rounds into crowds who had marched from the city to the apartheid wall to condemn Israel’s crimes in Gaza on the seventh day of its deadly bombing campaign of the besieged strip.

Medical crews and ambulances were also subjected to direct fire by occupation forces.

The protesters were unarmed and had come out onto the street in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Four died from their wounds. They were the martyr Islam Abu Zant, 23, Sameh Abu Tabikh, 25, Bakr Jamin, 39, and Qasem Hakam Qasem, 23, from Tulkarm refugee camp. Qasim did nothing but hold the flag of Palestine.

Paramedics were fired on as they tried to reach the injured: a crime in broad daylight.

Another Palestinian was shot by an Israeli sniper while riding his bicycle after crossing the checkpoint. The man had not been part of the protest but was simply travelling home from work.

The march started on Friday morning from the Gamal Abdel Nasser roundabout after Friday prayers before moving on through the city towards the Tasnawuz checkpoint near the Apartheid Wall. Protesters raised the Palestinian flag and phrases were repeated condemning the Israeli occupation for its ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people and in Gaza.

The protest was part of the ‘Friday of Anger’, which also saw demonstrations take place worldwide and in the occupied West Bank in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Earlier on the same day, the Israeli occupation forces targeted a civilian car crossing the Sanaoz checkpoint near the apartheid wall with live fire, injuring people inside.

The injured were transferred to Thabet Thabet government hospital in the city. Later the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the martyrdom of one of them, Raafat Mehanna, 20, from the suburb of Shuwaika, raising the death toll in Tulkarm on Friday to 5 martyrs in less than 8 hours.

A general strike and mourning were declared in the city of Tulkarm on Saturday in honour and respect for the souls of the martyrs.

Fifty Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in the week since the start of the war on Gaza last Saturday.

CALL TO ACTION: No Ground Invasion of Gaza

13 October, 2023 | International Solidarity Movement

Occupation forces have issued a 24-hour deadline for 1.1 million civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate to the southern parts of the besieged enclave. The demand for a harrowing evacuation of terrified civilians includes an order to clear out all UN workers from the area. This is obvious preparation for a disastrous and brutal ground invasion.

Over 1,500 civilians have been killed, including hundreds of children and more than 6,000 people have been injured. A ground invasion will greatly exacerbate the loss of civilian life and the suffering and misery of the people of Gaza.

Contact your representatives NOW and demand that they put an end to the Israeli government’s blatant violations of international humanitarian law and end the oncoming ground invasion. Light up their phones and email inboxes. Circulate this alert widely!

Script:

Hello, my name is _______.

I am calling because I am horrified at the violence being inflicted on the civilians of Gaza. A ground invasion will greatly exacerbate the loss of civilian life. Urge restraint NOW!

-NO GROUND INVASION must be allowed to occur.

White House

President: Joseph Biden

Online: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Comments: 202-456-1111

Switch Board: 202-456-1414

TTY/TTD: 202-456-6213

Vice-President

Vice President: Kamala Harris

Online: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Comments: 202-456-1111

Switch Board: 202-456-1414

TTY/TTD: 202-456-6213

U.S. House of Representatives

Phone: 202-224-3121

U.S. Senate:

* Telephone: 202-224-3121

* Website: http://www.senate.gov/

Find your representative’s contact information in the house of Congress by ZIP code

If you are based in the UK, find your local MPs contact information here: https://members.parliament.uk/members/Commons

6 Palestinians killed by settlers with the protection of the Occupying forces in Qusra village

By Diana Khwaelid

Qasra village – 12/10/2023
On the evening of Wednesday 11-10-2023, a group of extremist settlers stormed the village of Qusra,
north of Nablus, and attacked Palestinian citizens. The settlers were working with the protection of the Israeli occupation army.
Palestinian youth from the village came out to try and defend from the attacks of the settlers and the Israeli army. Settlers immediately began shooting in the direction of the young Palestinians, which led to the injury of 8 Palestinians, two of whom died immediately afterwards. Two others of the injured died soon after in hospital.
The four Palestinians who died as a result of confronting settlers and defending the lands and residents of the village, are martyrs Moaz Odeh, Hassan Abu Sorour, Musab Abu Rida, and Abu
Sorour.
The settlers also attacked the funeral procession of the martyrs on their way from Salfit hospital to Qusra, near the Alsawya junction in Salfit and near Qiblan again. Here, the Israeli occupation forces also fired gas canisters and live bullets directly at the Palestinians on their way to mourn the four martyrs from the village. This led to the killing of Secretary of the Fatah movement in the village martyr Ibrahim al-Wadi and his son Ahmed al-Wadi, 25 years old.

The village of Qusra reached 6 martyrs in less than 13 hours.
The martyr Ibrahim al-Wadi and his son Ahmed, are among the most prominent Palestinian activists in
the village, and they have always been in the front lines of resisting the occupation and the settlers. They had been arrested in the past by the Occupation forces because of their political activity against the occupation.
Hundreds of Palestinian citizens participated in the funeral of the six martyrs of the village of Qasra.
Mass popular anger is palpable in the village and in all of Palestine at the continued occupation of committing its crimes against the Palestinian people, whether in the West Bank or Gaza.

Settlers attack in Tuwani, Masafer Yatta

Yesterday afternoon, 12th of October, settlers attacked the village of Tuwani, in the south of Hebron, assaulting the residents, injuring one. The settlers shot live ammunition in the direction of the Palestinians and internationalists in the village. They also raised Israeli flags on the Palestinians’ land. Local sources reported that these were settlers wearing army uniforms. The settlers vandalised and destroyed cultivated land of the residents and stormed one of the houses.

These attacks are increasing drastically in the occupied West Bank, with settlers taking advantage of the current situation of violence in Gaza, knowing that all forms of violence will go either unnoticed or will be excused.

He did nothing, but he didn’t survive

By. Diana Khwaelid for ISM

Al-Baqa al-Sharqiya village-Tulkarm – 11-10-2023

Ali Alyan, 31, a resident of the village of Baqa al-Sharqiya, northeast of the city of Tulkarem, was killed by the Israeli Iron Dome rockets which were countering the resistance rockets fired from Gaza near the occupied city of Ashkelon. Tuesday evening – 10-10-2023.

Ali was married with two sons, he was working at his workplace with his eldest son when the rocket was intercepted, he and his son were injured, he and his son were taken to the hospital, but he did not survive and his son miraculously survived. Five other citizens were injured by shrapnel and burns as a result of being hit by the Israeli Iron Dome rocket, sent to intercept the Palestinian reistance rocket.

The resistance’s rockets were intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome at the same time as the war with Gaza was being fought.

Severe damage resulted from the interception. Five Palestinian houses in the village were significantly damaged as well as three cars belonging to Palestinian citizens, four shops were damaged, a workshop which was near the site of the Iron Dome rocket launch. The main street in the village was destroyed.

Ali, who was working in one of the workshops near the launch of the rocket, did not know that it was his last day, and he did not know what would happen to him, he was working in his workshop safely, and yet he did not survive.

It was sad day in the city of Tulkarem and the village of eastern Baqa, to bid farewell to the young Ali Alyan and mourn him. His body was laid to rest on Wednesday morning, and his family took a last farewell look. Ali left his family, friends, wife and children behind him. Hundreds of Palestinians participated in the funeral of
the martyr Ali Alyan and chanted angry phrases in solidarity with the people of Gaza at a time when the Strip is going through difficult and sad times.

He was taken to the mosque so people to pray for him, after which he was transferred to one of the village’s cemeteries, the residents of the village of Baqa al-Sharqiya declared mass mourning in the village, out of respect and in honor of his soul.