Tag: Israeli violence - Page 2 - International Solidarity Movement

“I just want him to be a normal boy again’: Gaza family appeal for urgent help to support treatment of 11 year old Mahmoud who was shot in the face by an Israeli sniper

Mahmoud Sawalhi is an 11 year-old boy from Gaza who was shot in the head and the shoulder with live ammunition by an Israeli sniper on the 14th May Great Return March protests. A bullet passed through his eye and out of the top of his head, and he lost both his eye and part of his brain. His heart stopped twice in the ambulance on the way to the hospital in Gaza, and he fell into a coma for 6 days. You can watch this short video showing Mahmoud in hospital the day after he was shot.

Mahmoud in hospital in Gaza in the first days after he was shot. Image given with permission by Mahmoud’s family

Three days after he was shot, Mahmoud was transferred to a hospital in Ramallah, where he has some cousins, but he doesn’t know them very well because of the travel restrictions between Gaza and the West Bank. He had only met his cousin Samar once before when she visited Gaza for a day a year or so earlier. He didn’t recognise many of the faces he saw around him when he regained consciousness. Mahmoud’s immediate family were not allowed to travel from Gaza to the West Bank to be with him at the hospital and so he was parted from his parents and close family for over two weeks while his condition was critical. The process of getting permission to cross from the Israeli authorities was difficult, and at first Feda waited 7 hours at the Erez crossing before being turned back, despite having a permit for travel to the West Bank. The Israeli authorities then eventually allowed Mahmoud’s mother Feda to travel to be with her son in hospital, and she is still here with him.

Last Wednesday Mahmoud had an operation to remove the remaining part of his eye in the socket to prepare for a possible replacement from a donor. His condition during and after the operation was critical, and the medical team knew there was a high risk of infection. He suffered from a fever after the operation, but has since stabilised and his condition is now better. ISM visited Mahmoud and his family in hospital a few weeks ago and again today. His mother told us ‘I just want him to be a normal boy again, I just want him to be a normal child again.’ Mahmoud is doing much better than when we saw him last, but he is likely to have severe brain damage and need a great deal of support during his long-term recovery. We asked him what he wants to do when he gets out of hospital and he says ‘I want to go to the beach’. Before he was shot, Mahmoud loved to swim in the sea.

Mahmoud in his hospital bed in Ramallah in the week before his operation.

Given the conditions in Gaza where medical services have been overwhelmed with injuries deliberately inflicted by Israeli forces, Mahmoud was lucky to be transferred for treatment outside of Gaza. A WHO report for April showed that only around a third of those injured by Israeli forces in the Great Return March demonstrations were allowed to cross to Palestine, much lower than the general approval rate of 60% for medical crossings earlier this year. In 2017 the approval rating for medical exit permits from Gaza was the lowest since 2008, at around 54%, and that year 54 Palestinians died after the denial or delay of their permits by Israel.

Since the Great Return March protests began on 30 March this year, over 135 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. Head of government hospitals in Gaza, Abdullatif al-Haj, has told press that there are severe shortages of medicines. The total number of injuries is reportedly over 13,000, with over 350 seriously injured, and over 2000 children injured. Israeli forces have also been targeting medical personnel themselves. On the day Mahmoud was shot, 17 medical personnel were shot with live ammunition by Israeli snipers, and one was killed. On Friday 1st June a 21 year old medical volunteer, Razan al-Najjar was shot in the chest while treating the wounded near the fence. The sheer number of injuries in Gaza has overwhelmed the already troubled hospitals, which is why many of the seriously injured apply for a medical permit to be treated in East Jerusalem or the West Bank.

Mahmoud was one of these cases to be allowed to cross to Ramallah, but he will be forced to return to Gaza with his mother Feda as soon as his critical treatment is over. Mahmoud’s family are worried about the treatment needed for his recovery and rehabilitation longer term. It is likely that he will have lasting brain damage and psychological problems caused by his injuries. At the moment he can speak and interact, but in a limited way, and he is not expressing himself well. His family are particularly worried about his chances for rehabilitation once he returns to Gaza, because of the poor resources and medical capacity in the occupied Gaza strip.

Mahmoud’s family are appealing for international support to help in his long-term medical treatment. Maybe you can help with the following:

• His family would like advice from anyone who can offer medical consultation on the best course of rehabilitation for Mahmoud now.
• If he has to return to Gaza, his treatment will suffer, and his family do not have funds to support the complex rehabilitation he needs. Specifically they are asking for financial assistance to help cover the costs for rehabilitation equipment and treatment.
• Please contact Mahmoud’s cousin Samar: samar.sawalhi@hotmail.com if you can help in any way.

Mahmoud resting during our visit today. His family are worried about his long term recovery, particularly the brain damage he has suffered, and prospects for his rehabilitation.

Israeli forces harass and assault Palestinians at Qalandiya checkpoint

Throughout the morning of Friday 8^th June, many Palestinians passed through Qalandiya checkpoint into Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem, in order to pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque. The Israeli government allows a slight easing of the travel restrictions that ban most Palestinians in the West Bank from entering Jerusalem, only for Friday prayers during the month of Ramadan. Older men above 45 or 50, women of any age and children under 12 are allowed to pass through to pray in Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Fridays, although this year the Israeli military have not allowed anyone from Gaza to travel to Jerusalem. Also, despite the easing of the occupation’s restrictions of freedom of movement for Palestinians during Ramadan, many older men, women and children do not get to make it through for arbitrary reasons or because of delays at the checkpoint. It was apparent that many women, children and older men were not allowed to pass through this morning.

Israeli forces eject woman from Qalandiya checkpoint waiting area

After ejecting her from checkpoint waiting area, Israeli forces push woman to floor

Outside a pedestrian entrance to the waiting area from the main road, at around 1145am, Israeli police assaulted a middle aged woman, ejecting her from the waiting area and shoving her onto the floor. Watch a video from Quds News Network here. Israeli police and border police then closed a pedestrian entrance towards the checkpoint from the main road and made many of the people, mainly women, trying to pass through walk around. Israeli forces pushed and shoved many young men and children gathered outside the checkpoint. Many Palestinians go to Qalandiya on Fridays during Ramadan to protest the ongoing travel restrictions that prevent them from going from the West Bank to the occupied city of Jerusalem. Some gathered to pray outside the checkpoint after not being allowed to pass through.

Israeli forces push people back from entrance to Qalandiya checkpoint waiting area before 12pm

Men not allowed to pass through Qalandiya to pray in Al-Aqsa mosque gather to pray outside checkpoint

Israeli police pushes boy in waiting area outside Qalandiya checkpoint

Israeli border police points tear gas launcher at people outside Qalandiya checkpoint

After pushing men towards the exit of Qalandiya checkpoint, Israeli security officer raises pepper spray at people

Israeli security officer threatens people at Qalandiya checkpoint

Women and children not allowed to pass through Qalandiya checkpoint to go to occupied Jerusalem

Inside the military checkpoint, Israeli forces harassed many men, women and children, some of whom were allowed to pass through while others were forced to wait for hours inside the checkpoint. At around 12pm, Israeli forces closed the main checkpoint going into Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli forces continued to assault people within the checkpoint, and one border police pointed a tear gas launcher at a crowd of men, women and children, threatening to fire tear gas at them. Israeli forces pushed a metal fence against a group of women and children, and started to push people out of the checkpoint, assaulting several women. The same Israeli border police officer who had pointed his tear gas launcher at a crowd of people then assaulted a group of women and children as he pushed them out of the checkpoint. Another Israeli border police officer pushed men and women from the checkpoint and threatened them by raising pepper spray in their faces. As far as ISM observed, no one was injured during the assaults, although two young girls around the age of 9 or 10 were visibly upset and crying. Outside the checkpoint, Israeli police and border police continued to push people away, including a group of women sat on the floor in a shady area, for no apparent reason.

One man, from the Nablus area, aged 50, had not been allowed to pass through to Jerusalem, and was stuck on the Ramallah side of the checkpoint, not able to meet his friend in Jerusalem and attend prayers at Al-Aqsa. As men, women and children continued to be pushed back from the checkpoint after it was closed, he laughed as he said, ‘what, do we need a Jerusalem ID to be here [in the waiting area outside of the checkpoint] now?’ He told ISM that he has been inside occupied East Jerusalem on the other side of the Israeli-controlled military checkpoints, and that it makes him sad. ‘Because it’s beautiful, and it’s our land, it’s my land.’ Many other men from the West Bank have never been allowed into the occupied city of Jerusalem because of the Israeli occupation’s travel restrictions. For more on the extent of travel restrictions imposed on all Palestinians across the occupied West Bank see here.

At around 2pm many Palestinians arriving on buses from Jerusalem walked back through Qalandiya checkpoint, returning to the rest of the West Bank. Israeli border police continued to harass people who not allowed through and were stood waiting for their friends and family to return. A group of border police started to push Palestinians selling bread, sweets and drinks on the Ramallah side of the checkpoint, demanding that they move their stalls away, despite there being plenty of room for people to walk through. Israeli border police seized cartloads of bread, sweets and drinks from the market sellers, moving them inside the gates of the checkpoint, and did not allow them to sell their goods for at least half an hour. ISM observed as two Israeli security forces filmed the Palestinians passing back through the checkpoint, apparently on personal mobile phones. One Israeli security officer approached international observers to harass and film them.

Israeli border police officer confiscates juice from market sellers in Qalandiya checkpoint waiting area

Israeli border police confiscate bread from market sellers

Israeli police keep market sellers’ bread on other side of fence and don’t allow them to sell it

Israeli security officer films and photographs Palestinians returning through Qalandiya from occupied Jerusalem

Funeral held in Nabi Saleh for Izz al-Deen Tamimi, shot dead by Israeli soldiers

Mourners carrying the body of Izz Tamimi, 21 years, yesterday in Nabi Saleh

The funeral of 21 year old Izz al-Deen Tamimi was held yesterday afternoon on Wednesday 6th June in Nabi Saleh, a village north of Ramallah. Israeli soldiers shot the young man with three live bullets in the early morning, hitting his neck and chest. Israeli undercover agents and soldiers had entered the neighbouring village of Beit Rima in the early hours of Wednesday morning and arrested a Palestinian man. They also shot and wounded one other man using rubber coated steel bullets. As they were leaving the village of Beit Rima and passing through Nabi Saleh to exit to the south, young men from the village gathered to protest the Israeli army’s aggression. Izz al-Deen Tamimi was shot three times with live ammunition. Watch a video here of the aftermath of Izz’s shooting, as family and neighbours in Nabi Saleh rush to Izz and try to ensure his medical treatment.

The IDF released a statement on Twitter that a Palestinian man threw a ‘large rock’ at Israeli soldiers during an arrest, and that ‘in response, the soldier who was hit by the rock fired towards the suspect, who was injured and given medical treatment at the scene. Despite this, the suspect died. No IDF troops were injured.’ However, this conflicts with eyewitness accounts that after shooting Izz the Israeli soldiers took him and laid him down for thirty minutes before they allowed an ambulance to attend. During this time Izz reportedly lost a great deal of blood, and was later pronounced dead at the hospital in Ramallah. A local man told ISM that he went to the soldiers surrounding Izz and asked them ‘why did you have to shoot him in the neck? Why did you have to kill him?’ It should be asked whether shooting a man with live ammunition is a legitimate and proportionate response to a stone being thrown at heavily armed soldiers, none of whom was injured.

Izz al-Deen Tamimi’s funeral procession left Ramallah hospital and passed through the city centre, with hundreds of people in attendance. After leaving the city centre, cars of family and other funeral attendees were stopped at ’Atara checkpoint north of Ramallah by Israeli military in an apparent effort to halt mourners from attending the funeral in Nabi Saleh. The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) released this video showing Israeli soldiers harassing and intimidating mourners trying to reach Nabi Saleh. After this provocation, mourners were allowed to pass through. Hundreds of attendees joined the funeral in Nabi Saleh as men walked with Izz’s body up to the cemetery at the top of the village. Meanwhile, many Israeli military vehicles and heavily armed Israeli soldiers gathered at the checkpoint to the south of the village.

After the funeral, men look on as Israeli soldiers gather on the road below.

Several Israeli military vehicles arrive and gather near the road below Nabi Saleh

Israeli soldiers stand behind concrete blocks and point their gun towards the village of Nabi Saleh after the funeral of Izz Tamimi

ISM spoke with Bassem Tamimi, from the Popular Committee of Nabi Saleh and prominent anti-occupation activist. He said, ‘what will the world do now? Will the occupation end? … The international community may produce another report, another human rights report, but today it will have Izz’s name on it, but then what will happen?’ He seemed frustrated that the brutal occupation and the disproportionate violence that goes with it continues despite periodic media attention when there is a ‘flare-up’ such as has marked the recent Great Return March and Nabka 70 demonstrations. Nabi Saleh has been an ongoing site of struggle against the occupation and the policy of illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank. To find out more about the resistance to the occupation in Nabi Saleh read this interview with Manal Tamimi published today which reveals the extent of Israeli army violence, repression and harassment the people of the village face.

Many injured in Beit El protest on 15th May in commemoration of the Nakba

Palestinians marched from Arafat square in Ramallah at 11am this morning 15th May to the DCO checkpoint near the illegal settlement of Beit El to confront Israeli forces. At around 12PM there were over 1000 protestors. Israeli forces fired excessive amounts of rubber coated steel bullets, tear gas, sponge tipped batons and reportedly also used live ammunition. Palestinian medics rushed with stretchers to the injured as so many were injured. At one point a Palestinian was shot with a rubber coated steel bullet in the leg, a medic ran to treat him but was also targeted by Israeli forces with a rubber coated steel bullet. Israeli forces deployed a drone several times to drop tear gas on the demonstrators. The sounds of ambulances and scenes of them rushing up and down the road never stopped throughout today’s demonstration in solidarity with Gaza and in remembrance of Al Nakba.

Medics gather at Beit El protest to treat the wounded. Medics were also wounded by Israeli weapons.

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