Palestinian man and his 3-year-old niece assaulted by Israeli soldiers

3rd October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

Israeli soldiers at the Sider family home after the violent incident occurred
Israeli soldiers at the Sider family home after the violent incident occurred

On Tuesday 2nd October local Khalil shop owner Abed Sider and his 3-year-old niece were hospitalised after being assaulted by several soldiers.

On the day of his birthday at 6:30pm, Abed had his home invaded by five Israeli soldiers who had come to interrogate his three year old niece on allegations of stone throwing. The Israeli forces dragged Abed from his home into the street; this aggressive action caused injury to his arm which later necessitated hospital treatment. Additionally the Israeli soldiers injured Abed’s three-year-old niece who also required hospitalisation.

The soldiers alleged that nearby illegal settlers from Beit Hadassah had made several complaints of stone throwing from the little girls’ bedroom window that overlooks the settlement playground. The window in question is sealed and caged to protect the Sider family from the constant attacks from the settlers.

An Israeli commander later came to the Sider family home and was convinced by Abed’s brother, Shadi, to view footage of the incident that showed the soldier’s aggressive actions. After viewing the video, the commander stated that the soldiers had been acting “out of accordance” with Israeli army policy and that they will be reprimanded and moved to a new post out of Hebron.

This is another incident in a long line of harassment and intimidation that Abed has had to endure; his seven-year-old son was recently blinded by an acid attack from settlers, and is in Jordan awaiting surgery to restore his vision. The Israeli government has refused Abed and his family the necessary travel permits to visit their son and pay for the treatment.

Israeli forces use excessive lethal force killing Palestinian civilian and wounding and arresting another in the north of the Gaza Strip

2nd October 2013 | Palestinian Centre for Human Rights| Gaza, Occupied Palestine

In an excessive use of lethal force, on Monday, 30 September 2013, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian civilian, and wounded another one before arresting him, near the border fence, east of Beit Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and the testimony given by Naim Khalil, an ambulance officer in the Palestine Red Crescent Society(PRCS), at approximately 19:15 on Monday, 30 September 2013, sounds of artillery shells and flash bombs that were followed by heavy gunfire were at the border fence, east ofal- Misreyin Street in the east of Beith Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip. At approximately 20:00, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) informed the PRCS in Jabalia that there was a body of a Palestinian civilian near the border fence. After coordinating with the Israeli side, an ambulance of the PRCS headed to the above-mentioned area, and the paramedics started searching for the body. After approximately 20 minutes of search, they found the body of the killed man who was lying on his stomach about 400 meters far from the border fence. The victim was  hit by several bullets in the back and one bullet in the back of the head, and was wearing civilian clothes and possessing no equipment. The search process continued till 21:50, as the paramedics were informed that there was another person in the area, but they didn’t find anyone, before their director called them and asked them to evacuate the area for there was nobody else there. The paramedics took the body to Kamal Odwan Hospital in Biet Lahia, where the victim was identified later as Hweishel Ismail Hweishel Hanajra, 35, from al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The victim’s family stated to a PCHR fieldworker that their son had headed to the area in order to infiltrate into Israel to find a job, as a result of his difficult living conditions.

The PCHR fieldworker was informed that Israeli forces advanced into the area immediately after the incident, and chased and arrested a wounded man. According to the ICRC, the detainee is Subhi Hussein Salem Abudib, 36, from al-Bureij camp. Moreover, the artillery shelling caused material damage to Musleh Al-Tarabin’s abandoned house that is covered with tin plates, located about 700 meters far from the border fence; cracking its walls, damaging 4 water barrels, punching tin plates, and killing birds and a donkey.

PCHR expresses deep concern for such crimes which reflect the continued use of excessive force by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in disregard for their lives, and points out that the infiltrations through the border fence along the Gaza Strip are repeated due to the crippling economic blockade in Gaza.

PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective actions to put an end to such crimes and reiterates its call for the parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949 to fulfill their obligations under Common Article 1; i.e., to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Article 85 of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions.

Cars burnt by settlers in Huwwara

2nd October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Huwwara, Occupied Palestine

In the early hours of 1st October settlers from the settlement of Bracha set fire to two cars parked outside the house of Edrees Shehadeh in Huwwara. This attack forms part of a sustained campaign of intimidation against the village, which includes the 2002 murder of Adnan Shehadeh-Howwara, the 21 year old son of Edrees Shehadeh. Adnan was shot to death by a settler as he was standing on the roof of his family’s house.

The family car after it was set on fire (Photo by ISM)
The family car after it was set on fire (Photo by ISM)

The family was woken at 2 a.m. by the noise of settlers setting fire to their car, parked among olive trees next to their house. The perpetrators ran away up the hill upon discovery and the residents managed to put out the fire. The other car, a white Fiat, was completely destroyed.

A plastic bottle containing gas and a box of Israeli branded matches was found on the ground next to the car that was saved. This car was parked next to the children’s room, and the smoke from the fire could have harmed them if it had not been put out so quickly. In recent years 12 cars belonging to the family have been set alight.

Other recent settler attacks to this village include stone-throwing at a house situated even closer to the settlement. Additionally more than 30 olive trees growing on the hill were damaged with axes, killing many of them and resulting in loss of livelihood for the owners.

Photos: Detainees’ families and supporters hold weekly vigil in Gaza Red Cross

2nd October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Gaza Team | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

On Monday morning, hundreds held a weekly sit-in in the International Committee of the Red Cross’ Gaza City office to support Palestinians detained by Israel. The regular gathering, which began in 1995 and has continued for nearly two decades, brings together families and supporters of many of the 422 Palestinian political prisoners from the Gaza Strip, as well as 4,646 from elsewhere in occupied Palestine.

VIDEO: Israeli soldiers fire tear gas canisters and stun grenades at school children

1st October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

This morning, Tuesday 1st October, Israeli soldiers fired two tear gas canisters and four stun grenades at children on their way to school.

In this case, a few children threw stones and pebbles at Israeli forces as the soldiers stood watching them walk to morning classes. The response from the Israeli soldiers present was incredibly disproportionate.

The incident occurred near checkpoint 29 in Khalil (Hebron) and is not an isolated event. International activists in Khalil monitor several checkpoints each morning, as Israeli soldiers regularly harass, intimidate and fire weapons on children as young as 5-years-old.