Tag: Israeli Army

VIDEO: Mornings in Khalil: child and adult detention

30th October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

This morning, Wednesday 30th October, as children made their way to school Israeli soldiers burst from an alleyway firing stun grenades and detained two 10-year-old boys. In a separate incident nearby, a Palestinian was detained and taken to a military base for unknown reasons.

This morning international activists were monitoring checkpoint 29 where many children pass through on their way to school, when approximately 6 Israeli soldiers ran from an alley, firing stun grenades directly at a group of children. The soldiers immediately grabbed one child (10-year-old) Nor and another (10-year-old) Mohammed, before firing another stun grenade towards the rest of the school children causing them to flee in panic.

Israeli soldiers marched the two young children to a nearby police station, refusing to answer why they were being taken when questioned by international activists. When a relative attempted to communicate with the boys, Israeli soldiers forcibly pushed him away and refused to answer his questions.

The children were detained inside the police station for approximately 45 minutes before being transferred to the Palestinian District Coordination Office (DCO) at 9:30.

Shortly after the young children were released, a Palestinian was questioned at a checkpoint on his way to work when he was aggressively pushed, handcuffed and taken to Tel Rumeida military base. No reason was given for this detention and the Palestinian was released shortly after.

Children in Khalil are routinely harassed on their way to school in this way; arrests and stun grenades are commonly used against them. Palestinians living under occupation experience regular detentions and arrests which are executed without just cause or reason.

Israeli soldiers blocking the entrances of Ni’lin village

28th October 2013 | Ni’lin Village | Ni’lin, Occupied Palestine

Since last week the village of Ni’lin is being targeted daily by midnight raids from the Israeli occupation forces. The soldiers have been shooting tear gas into people’s homes while they are sleeping. Only two people have been arrested but ten houses have been invaded by the soldiers.

Israeli forces in the village of Ni'lin (photo by Ni'lin village)
Israeli forces in the village of Ni’lin (photo by Ni’lin village)

The arrested are Naha Nafi, 21, and Tariq Kawaja, 24. Another three young men were sought after but could not be found.

The situation has escalated in the last few days. Israeli soldiers have started blocking the entrances of Ni’lin preventing people from entering or leaving the village. For the villagers who commute to Ramallah for work or studies this collective punishment has caused huge problems.

However, 11 pm on Saturday night a large number of Israeli jeeps invaded the village, seemingly just to cause disturbance. The soldiers began harassing villagers, firing their rifles without any apparent reason. As youths gathered to drive the soldiers out of the village they were directly fired upon with rubber coated steel bullets. One young man was hit in his leg and many bystanders suffered from tear gas asphyxiation. Also at this occurrence tear gas was fired into the homes of sleeping villagers.

At present the entrances to Ni’lin is still being blocked by the Israeli military. The villagers are awaiting their next move with anxiety.

Palestinian boy beaten at checkpoint leads to clashes in Hebron

24th October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

On Tuesday 22nd October in Khalil, a15-year-old Palestinian was beaten for not having identification (ID) that the Israeli government does not issue until the age of 16.

At approximately 2:30pm on Tuesday, Mahmod from Tel Rumeida (not his real name) was attempting to pass through checkpoint 56 on his way home. When asked to produce his ID, he explained to the soldiers that he was only 15-years-old so had therefore not yet been issued an ID. The soldiers did not believe this and pushed him against a wall, whilst in this position a soldier struck him three times, twice in the abdomen with the butt of his rifle and once on the back of his head with his fist.

Mahmod then collapsed to the ground and started to have a bout of violent seizures. These seizures lasted for over 15 minutes before he was taken to an ambulance on the H1 (Palestinian) side of the checkpoint. By this time his family arrived and was able to accompany him to hospital.

Upon seeing the injuries of Mahmod some local Palestinian youth proceeded to throw stones at the building that was in front of the checkpoint. This proceeded for 15 minutes before a group of Israeli soldiers occupied two local Palestinian buildings overlooking the checkpoint. The Israeli forces began by throwing stun grenades at the youth and sporadically firing rubber coated steel bullets at the gathering crowd.

The clashes continued this way until Israeli forces began to move forward, forcing the Palestinian youth back, allowing Israeli soldiers to occupy a building in this Palestinian “controlled” area. Upon entry to this building the army took control of the roof before having to withdraw one level as rocks were thrown towards there position. It seemed that as the soldiers were unable to clearly see the gathering crowd, they blew a small hole in the side of the occupied building to allow them to fire rubber-coated steel bullets. This indiscriminate fire blew out the back window of a passing Palestinian vehicle. The clashes lasted for around three hours, with many stun grenades thrown by the Israeli army, though no more injuries were reported.

Updated: Family home ransacked and young teenager detained during Eid

16th October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Khalil Team | Hebron, Occupied Palestine

The young teenager and his father with the Israeli soldiers
The young teenager and his father with the Israeli soldiers

Yesterday, 15th October, a young teenager visiting his family was detained from inside a Palestinian home after it was forcibly entered and searched by armed Israeli soldiers on the evening of Eid.

A Palestinian family’s home was entered on the evening of the 1st day of the Muslim festival of Eid by at least 8 Israeli soldiers. According to other family members the soldiers were searching for a toy gun. The family of 6 were locked into one room whilst the Israeli soldiers ransacked their home breaking beds, upturning furniture, and throwing clothes and jewelry around the house. International activists asked to enter the house but were forcibly prevented by several armed soldiers.

The Israeli soldiers eventually left the house, detaining the young teenage boy and his father. When the international activists tried to question the soldiers about the detention, they were aggressively and forcibly pushed away and prevented from communicating with the father and son.

The father and his son were marched to a military base where the father was released soon after, leaving the teenager detained alone for several hours.

He was then taken from the military base in a police vehicle and released to his family. He was ordered to report to the police station at 9am this morning. This is the third time in three weeks that the Israeli army has entered this Palestinian home with little or no reason given for these intrusions

A family in Qaryut was stopped by Israeli soldiers from harvesting their olive trees

14th October 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Qaryut, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday, Sunday 13th October, Palestinian farmers and international activists were picking olives in Qaryut when it was observed that two members of settler security from the illegal settlements of Eli and Shilo were nearby. The settler security then attempted to intimidate the olive farmers, before soldiers arrived and forced both the Palestinians and internationals from the land with a supposed military order.

Israeli soldiers force Palestinians from their land with a supposed military order
Israeli soldiers force Palestinians from their land with a supposed military order

At around 9am yesterday, two armed members of nearby settler security approached the Palestinian land and stood on a hill overlooking the farmers, shortly afterwards a military vehicle arrived. Fifteen minutes later six soldiers approached the property of the farmer and declared the place Area C and a closed military zone. The farmers and international activists were informed they had to leave. The farmer and the internationals were given 30 minutes to remove themselves from the area, and were threatened with force. They also confiscated the ID of a Palestinian man who came to mediate and wouldn’t return it for 90 minutes.

The farmer and internationals then moved to another area as the soldiers had said, the day before, it would be safe for harvesting. Suddenly that area had also become a closed military zone. When the commander was asked for some justification for this order, he showed a map printed on paper without any official stamp or signature and refused to allow any photographs of the map to be taken.

This behaviour from the Israeli army was not unsurprising as on Saturday 12th October, also in Qaryut, Israeli soldiers forced the same farmer from his land after nearby settlement security arrived.