Tag: Israeli Army - Page 109 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli forces kill 2 Palestinian civilians and armed group member and wound 12 civilians in Jenin refugee camp

24th March 2014 | Palestinian Center for Human Rights | Jenin, Occupied Palestine

In excessive use of force, on Saturday, 22 March 2014, Israeli forces killed, 2 Palestinian civilians and a member of a Palestinian armed group and wounded 12 civilians and a members of the Palestinian National Security Forces in Jenin refugee camp, west of the northern West Bank town of Jenin. Israeli forces claimed via the Israeli media that they killed 3 Palestinians during armed clashes in the aforementioned refugee camp. However, investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) investigations refute the Israeli claim and confirm that the two civilians were killed as Israeli forces opened fire heavily at dozen of civilians who were trying to pull and carry the militant’s body in the centre of the camp.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 02:00 on the Saturday, 22 March 2014, an Israeli special military force from “Alimam” Unit in the Israeli military, which is described as “an anti-terrorism unit” infiltrated into the south of Jenin refugee camp, west of Jenin. The Israeli force surrounded a two-storey house belonging to the family of ‘Azmi Mohammed Mahmoud al-Hasaniyah (67) in Tal’et al-Ghabes area. Israeli forces then sent large military back-ups, which were deployed throughout the camp while Israeli drones were hovering overhead. Israeli snipers ascended roofs of nearby houses after they received information that Hamzah Jamal ‘Abdel Salam Abu al-Heijah (22), the local leader of the Izziddin al-Qassam brigades (the armed wing of Hamas), was in the house.

After the military back-ups had arrived, Israeli forces blew up the main door of the houses and opened fire. They then yelled at residents of the house to get out. When the residents were about to come out and Mohammed (23), the son of the house’s owner who is member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, opened the external door, he was shot in the left shoulder. Amidst the screams of his family, the shooting stopped and the residents began to get out one by one while Abu al-Heijah stayed in a room on the second floor. Israeli forces arrested Mohammed and his brother, Majd (18), and took the rest of the family members to a nearby house. They then entered a tracker dog into the house, but Hamzah killed it and this made the Israeli forces be certain that he is in the house. As a result, Israeli forces showered the house with live bullets and shells fired by machine guns and then used shoulder-fired missiles. As a result, the house was partially destroyed. Meanwhile, armed clashes broke out between Palestinian militants, who stationed in the areas of al-Sahah and Abu Thahir Mountain areas, and Hamzah from the house from one side and the Israeli forces, which were surrounding the house, from the other side. Hamzah took advantage of this and jumped from one of the western windows of the house. As soon as he stepped a few meters, the snipers opened fired and immediately killed him. They left him for two hours and he bled to death in the alley.

Young men then tried to pull his body, and Israeli forces opened fire at them. However, they managed to pull it. When they were passing by al-Sahah area, Israeli forces opened fire killing two of them: Yazan Mahmoud Basem Taha “Jabarin” (20) who was hit by a bullet to the chest; and Mahmoud ‘Omer Saleh Abu Zeinah (24), who was hit by a bullet to the chest. When the news of the death of 3 persons spread out, the camp residents started coming out of their houses. Immediately, the Israeli snipers opened fire at these civilians wounding 11 of them, including a 65-year-old woman. Thus, the number of wounded persons mounted to 12 civilians. It should be mentioned that Hamzah Abu al-Heijah is the son of Jamal Abu al-Heijah, who is serving a sentence of 9 life imprisonments in the Israeli jails. Hamzah had been subject to several extra-judicial execution attempts, the last of which was on 18 December 2013 when an Israeli special unit targeted him. However, he managed to escape and Nafe’a Jamil Nafe’a al-Sa’adi was killed.

PCHR strongly condemns this crime, which further proves the use of excessive force by Israeli forces against Palestinian civilians in disregard for their lives. PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective action to stop Israeli crimes and reiterates its call for the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under 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 Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions.

15-year-old boy murdered by Israeli forces

20th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

Early yesterday morning, 15-year-old Yousef Shawamri was shot dead by Israeli soldiers near the village of Deir Al-Asal al Fauqa.

Yousef and two of his friends were trying to pass though a hole in a wire fence to reach Palestinian land that has been stolen by the Annexation Wall, in order to collect vegetables for their families. The soldiers shot Yousef three times in the chest at close range resulting in his death. His two friends were shot in their legs and later arrested. In the past, children have crossed the Apartheid Wall at this point to collect food from the stolen land, but this is the first death.

Yousef’s body was returned to his home in the afternoon. The villagers of Deir Al-Asal al Fauqa are very close and describe themselves as coming from the same family. When Yousef was returned he was carried on the shoulders of his brothers into the local school grounds so that his people could pray and show their respect. His body was then carried; to be laid to rest on a hillside while his neighbours came out from their houses to pay their respects.

The internationally condemned Apartheid Wall imprisons the West Bank and directly affects may communities’ throughout Palestine. It runs for 420 kilometres, and has stolen 12% of the West Bank. Under the Oslo Interim Agreement a further 60% of the West Bank has been lost due to many illegal settlements and the military control of the Israeli army. Israeli forces have murdered 1519 Palestinian children since September 2000, an average of 1 child killed every 3 days.

Kafr Qaddum’s protest honors Palestinian martyrs

14th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine

Today’s demonstration in Kafr Qaddum was held as a tribute to the seven martyrs who were killed by the Israeli army the past month in the West

Protesters surrounded by tear gas (Photo by ISM)

Bank. The participants carried posters of one of the martyrs, Moataz Washaha, who was assassinated by Israeli forces on February 27^th, in his family home in Bir Zeit.

Before the weekly demonstration started the army and border police were already stationed on the closed road going through the illegal settlement of Kedumim and on the hilltop overlooking Kafr Qaddum. When the demonstration was marching along the road, the army threw sound grenades and shot large amounts of teargas canisters at people. Several persons suffered from teargas inhalation and other four were hit by teargas canisters fired directly at them. During the protest, Israeli soldiers tried to get to the demonstrators by hiding between the houses, but were successfully pushed back by the villagers.

Since July 2011, the village of Kafr Qaddom holds weekly demonstrations against the occupation of Palestine and the closure of the road connecting Kafr Qaddum to Nablus. The road was closed in 2003 as a result of the construction of the illegal settlement of Kedumim. Now, residents of Kafr Qaddum have to make a 15 minutes detour to get to Nablus. The settlement of Kedumim together with four other surrounding settlements, have taken 4000 dunums of the village’s land. Farmers seeking to reach their lands face threats, attacks and arrests from settlers and the army.

Palestinian judge assassinated by Israeli soldiers at Allenby bridge border

13th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Nablus, Occupied Palestine

On Monday March 10, Raed Zeiter, a 38 years-old judge originally from Nablus, was assassinated by the Israeli forces at the Allenby Bridge Border.

The man, who has been working in Amman since 2011, was going out of the bus to pass the border to Palestine at around 8am when the border authority ordered him to go in the “humiliation sas” for “security reason”. Excessive force was used against Raed Zeiter to bring him to this interrogation room, what would have brought him to push back the soldier. The Israeli forces immediately shot three bullets at Zeiter’s chest and didn’t let anybody get to the injured man for at least twenty minutes. Raed Zeiter died before the ambulance could arrive, one hour later.

Zeiter was buried the day after in Nablus, leaving behind a wife and two young children, one of whom is in a coma in hospital.

This murder occurred in a dramatic bleeding time. Indeed, in the same day, three others Palestinians, Ismail Abu Judah, 23, Shahir Abu Shanab, 24, and 33-year-old Abd al-Shafi Muammar suffered the same fate in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike. Fidaa Muhye Addin Majadlah and Ibrahim Adnan Shukri died in Tulkarem area after a car chase by Israeli police. And Saji Darwish for his part, was also shot by Israeli soldiers nearby Ramallah. He was 18 years.

Nabi Saleh honors Muataz Washaha

8th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Team Ramallah | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

On Friday 7^th March the protest at An Nabi Salih took on a special significance after local Palestinian man, Moutaz Washaha, was assassinated in his home town of Bir Zeit on Thursday last week. A group of more than 50 Palestinian locals, activist and journalists gathered for the weekly demonstration against the expropriation of the village’s water spring, which has been diverted to a settlement close by.

Palestinians taking cover from stun grenades fired by Israeli forces. 7th March 2014

The protesters, proceeded away from the village down the hill towards the street which separates the village from Al Qaws spring with was stolen by the illegal settlement of Halamish in 2009. Israeli forces launched a slew of teargas against the unarmed protestors.

Four Israeli soldiers intercepted the protestors at the settlement road and unsuccessfully attempted to arrest two protestors. After some 25 protesters had made it onto the road more soldiers arrived and attempted to violently arrest two young girls who had entered the road. One of the girls is 14 years of age and she was met with physical violence from soldiers who were intent on arresting her. The protestors prevented the arrests, however during their attempt a soldier hit a local woman in the back with his rifle butt causing her to faint. Activists then called for a local ambulance and gave first aid while local Palestinians argued with the soldiers over their behavior.

Palestinians continued marching along the road past the illegal settlement while soldiers threw stun grenades into the crowd. On reaching the observation tower local children climbed onto the road blocks flying the Palestinian flag while soldiers and police looked on. The main body of the protest moved back to village while clashes continued resulting in at least 5 injuries from rubber coated steel bullets and one case of excessive tear gas inhalation. Some Palestinian women reported sexual harassment by Israeli soldiers as well as verbal assault joined with physical violence.

The village of Nabi Saleh has been demonstrating against Israeli colonialism for 5 years now, they have lost two local Palestinians in these demonstrations. Mustafa Tamimi who was shot with a teargas canister from close range in 2011, and Rushdi Tamimi killed with live ammunition in 2012. The village’s persistence continues in the face of Israeli brutality.