At approximately 1 am, the IOF, entered the city of Jenin from Haifa Street. About ten military jeeps and at least one Caterpillar bulldozer entered the market area of Jenin city, as well as the center of Jenin Refugee Camp. They stayed for about three and a half hours, shooting at several houses inside the camp as well as throwing numerous sound bombs. Some Palestinian fighters from Islamic Jihad responded to the attack by shooting in the direction of the Israeli army. Fortunately none of the people living inside Jenin city and camp were killed, arrested or injured.
The Israeli army entered several Palestinian villages in the area during the night and early morning hours.
At 8 pm, five Israeli jeeps and a car with Israeli special forces were seen entering the village of Taain. None of the villagers could report about what they were doing there.
At around midnight, fifteen jeeps coming from checkpoint Salem entered the area around the village of Kufr Dan and stayed there for several hours. Between 1 and 5 am several IOF cars were also seen in the villages of Ash Shuhada and Jamoun. According to locals, no incidents were caused by the army there.
At 8 pm an Israeli army patrol entered a Palestinian house in the town of Misiliya. Until now it’s not clear if the army caused any damage to the house or injuries to the people living there.
In the early morning hours a new checkpoint was established at the entrance of Zababida. People coming from there reported about dozens of cars waiting. At least during the morning hours all passing cars were searched carefully, as were all males passing the checkpoint.
A Ordinary Afternoon in Jenin Refugee Camp, 9th August 2007.
It is 5.00 pm at the Jenin Governement hospital when the first rumours are spread that the IOF is once again on its way to Mukhaiyem Jenin, the Jenin Refugee Camp. Ambulance drivers jump in their cars, make their self ready for what usually happens when the Israeli Army enters the town.
Half an hour later they arrive. 7 Israeli military jeeps and one caterpillar power shovel, coming from the north through Haifa street, enter the area around the hospital. They drive along the streets, sometimes stop for awhile, disappear and come back after a few minutes. The more laps they take, the more Palestinians enter the area. In the end more then 500 Palestinian men and kids border the street, turning the area into a this typical Palestinian battlefield, that is a stone rain against Israeli soldiers, sitting well protected behind some centimetre of bulletproof steel.
Out of tiny portholes muzzles of Israeli M16 rifles can be seen, when the first shoot are fired. The IOF shoots directly inside the camp, responded by single shoots of the Islamic Jihad fighters. 14.000 people live here, crowed on not more then one squarekilometer. The risk of killing somebody by randomly shooting inside this massive populated area is enormous.
But for the Israeli army it seems to be more a chance then a risk. Nobody of the Palestinians knows why they came this time and perhaps not even the Israeli soldiers would have good explanations. In the end it was just another example of the daily humiliations and provokations, the inhabitans of Jenin Camp have to bear. None of the soldiers made a single attempt to arrest or targeted kill somebody. It was just another episode of showing the Israeli supremacy, showing that the IOF can go everywhere, ausing massive violence without any reason, even in one of the last strongholds of Palestinian resistance. And finally it was another degradation of Fatahs al-Aqsa Brigade, who recently agreed with laying down their weapons and a mutual ceasefire and who didn’t fire a single shoot since this time.
More then three hours later the tragic game is over. The Palestinian kids go back to their houses, leaving back a street, covered with stones and garbage. Another time the IOF caused unprovoked and unnecessary violence, just because they are able to. The ambulance drivers return to their station, forntunatley empty-handed, knowing that it won’t take long until they have to come back.
This morning the streets of the town of Kofor Ra’ai in the district of Jenin were almost empty except for people and families waiting on both sides of the street for transportation. It was a weird situation with no vehicles driving at 11 in the morning but it was obvious that there was a nearby checkpoint blocking cars from passing.
I was traveling for my first day at university in Jenin after a break of three weeks for the summer course, but my trip lasted for three hours which is four times more than a normal day. After thirty minutes waiting side the street, a mini bus arrived and I was lucky to get the last seat at the back. Just few minutes outside the town, an Israeli mobile checkpoint of two jeeps were stopping and checking vehicles in both directions of the road.
Finally it was our turn after one hour of waiting! One Israeli soldier motioned to our driver to get closer and told only males to get out of the bus and get our ID cards out. Two soldiers were already occupying a roof of a house by the street; I could only see the barrel of the gun of the soldier from where I was standing.
After five minutes, anther soldier asked us to walk forward and form a line. In an aiming motion, he was pointing his gun at each one of us slowly and one by one. It felt like he was looking for someone to shoot at. The soldier aims at each old man and tells them to go back to the bus. One of the Palestinians who was with us said that, this checkpoint was for students who are traveling to their universities from home after the break.
The same soldier was keeping our IDs on the top of the jeep; he looked at one ID while keeping his gun pointing at us and asked the first Palestinian who was about 19 years old to walk towards him. Immediately, the soldier told the young Palestinian in Arabic to turn around and lift his shirt up. The young Palestinian was detained!
While we were standing there mumbling from the heat, a small yellow taxi jumped over a queue of approximately thirty Palestinian vehicles in order to bring an old sick man through the checkpoint. The two soldiers on the roof of the house yelled loudly at the driver to go back and wait in line. The driver was waving and trying to address to the soldier that he has a sick person. The soldier cursed him in Arabic and told him to move back.
A big soldier approached to see what was happening and said in Hebrew to the soldiers on the roof “maybe he has a patient” then he motioned to the driver to go to the checkpoint. Meanwhile, an old woman who was apparently a relative to the sick person was trying to speak to the first soldier. The soldier on the ground behaved like if he was a doctor, checking the old person and asking him questions, it was obvious that the old sick man was unable to move and leaning his head against the person next to him.
The detained Palestinian was released after twenty minutes and interrogated by the same big soldier who checked the patient. The soldier confiscated the boy’s wallet and cigarettes, we all thought that the army was going to arrest him and leave which is an ironic tactic that the IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces) uses at checkpoints to round up random young Palestinians. The soldier gave only 10 shekels and two cigarettes back to the boy and stole the rest. When the boy asked him about the rest of his stuff, the soldier replied that what he gave him is enough for a boy!! Was that soldier asking for more money and cigarettes from the old sick man too?!
After anther twenty minutes, the soldiers asked the driver to get the bus closer to check it with everyone out, including women and children. We were all asked to walk to the checkpoint one by one and get in the bus. As I approached the soldier who was holding our IDs and was apparently the officer in charge I asked in English, “Do you know what you are doing? you should know that this is a horrible checkpoint.”
The soldier looked confused and didn’t hear so I replied “This is a horrible checkpoint!” then got on the bus immediately. After we all were in the bus, the officer came to my window and said “You are not in a position to tell us what we should do at the checkpoint, ok!” the officer didn’t wait and walked away!
In the bus, I was told by the boy that he recognized the soldier who stole his stuff and that most people of Tulkarem city know this soldier as a thief stealing money and gold from homes that the IOF occupies during invasions. The last case that was reported on for robbery done by the IOF was by an old mother of five children in Tulkarem, she last all her gold and money which she has inherited from her dead husband. As the boy was telling me about the horrible things that happened in Tulkarem, how he travels and the crimes of the IOF, he replied to my long silence while listening to him “What do you think of these people?”, “What do you think of this life?!”
Jenin in mourning for three miltary activists and a 17-year-old girl, all assassinated by the Israeli army Sunday from Ma’an News, 23 April 2007
Jenin – Ma’an – Only a few hours separated the assassination of three Palestinian military activists and that of a high school student, a 17-year-old girl called Bushra Bargheish, from Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank.
The Israeli soldiers’ bullets penetrated her head while she was revising for her final school exams, the ‘tawjihi’. She had been dreaming of pursuing her higher education in political science in the hope of becoming an eminent Palestinian woman in the future. She was known amongst her peers as friendly and giving, and they were stunned to hear about her death.
The bereaved mother
Bushra’s mother, who is in her fifties, said: “At around 9:30 pm on Saturday evening, my daughter and I completed the evening prayer (‘Al-‘Isha’). After she finished, she sat down and began praying that she passes her exams, and then she kissed me. She said, ‘Mom, I need your prayers that I pass my exams.’ Then I kissed her for the last time in my life, and she continued with her studying.”
She added: “After a long day filled with bad news of deaths, I began thinking of my son Abdur-Rahman, who is being persecuted by the Israelis as a wanted resistance fighter. As I began worrying about all this, I heard a crack of bullets in my own home coming from Bushra’s room. I ran quickly, and saw the remains of bullets on the closet and the walls. I shouted at Bushra who was lying on the floor; I thought she got down to protect herself from the gunshots. However, I saw a pool of blood spilling out from her head, and then I realized that she had been hit. I called her several times, yet I received no answer because her soul had departed. I hurried to the door in order to call for help, but an Israeli soldier stopped me at the door and ordered me to evacuate everybody from the house. I yelled at him, ‘You are the cold-blooded killer of my daughter!'”
Ambulance denied entry
The mother added that the soldiers prevented the ambulance from approaching the house to transfer Bushra to hospital until a paramedic approached forcibly against the soldiers’ will.
“He told me that my daughter has departed [this world],” Mrs. Bargheish said, “and he carried her body after he wrapped it, and approached the soldiers yelling that she had been killed.”
“Nevertheless,” added the mother, “the soldiers insisted on seeing the victim’s face and body to make sure she was a female, before they let the paramedic take her to the ambulance.”
Mass funeral and calls for revenge
Thousands of Palestinian mourners took part on Sunday in the funeral procession for yesterday’s four fatalities in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
Three Palestinian military activists had been assassinated by the Israeli forces and the high school student, 17-year-old Bushra Bargheish. The assassinated activists were Mahmoud Jalil, 21, an activist in the Al-Quds brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad; Abbas Ad-Damj, 21; and Ahmad Al-‘Issa, 24, both activists in the Al-Aqsa brigades, the main military wing of Fatah.
The funeral started from the governmental hospital in Jenin. Thousands of local residents took part with brigades’ fighters in the lead, who fired gunshots in the air to express their anger at the Israeli criminal acts of assassination. The mourners condemned the Israeli practices and called for immediate retaliation.
The body of Ahmad Al-‘Issa was taken to his village of origin, Sanur, located south of Jenin city, where he was buried. Meanwhile, the funeral rally continued with the other three bodies taken to Jenin refugee camp for burial. Both the Al-Aqsa and the Al-Quds brigades pledged to take revenge.
Young girl killed in Jenin refugee camp, eight Palestinians killed by Israeli troops in 24 hours by Saed Bannoura, IMEMC, Sunday April 22, 2007
Palestinian medical sources in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank, reported on Saturday evening that a 17-year old girl was shot and killed by Israeli military fire during an invasion of Jenin refugee camp. The invasion is the third in less than 24 hours. A total of eight Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army in 24 hours.
The sources identified the girl as Boshra Naji al Wash; she was hit by a round of live ammunition in the head causing instant death. At the time, Boshra was reportedly on the roof of her home revising for her final school examinations
She was at home in the Jenin refugee camp when the army randomly fired at dozens of houses. . The invasion was carried out by thirty armored vehicles and jeeps, and was concentrated in Jenin refugee camp and the western section of Jenin city close to the camp.
Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of fighters exchanged fire with the invading forces. Several residents suffered after inhaling gas fired by the army, and several houses were hit by live rounds; damage was reported.
On Saturday evening, soldiers assassinated three fighters of the Al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of Fateh and the Al Quds brigades the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad during an invasion of Kafer Dan town, west of Jenin.
Also in Jenin, one resident was killed on Saturday at dawn after the army invaded Kafer Dan village, west of the city. The resident was identified as Mohammad Abed, 22; he was hit by several rounds of live ammunition as he was standing on the rooftop of his house.
Two other fighters were assassinated on Saturday night after midnight in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The two were identified as Amin Abu Lubbada and Fadel Nour. They were killed after the army invaded Al Qasaba neighborhood and exchanged fire with resistance fighters.
Also on Saturday, one resident was killed and two others were injured after the Israeli air force fired missiles at a vehicle they were driving in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The resident was identified as Kamal Anan, 37.
The army claims that the fighters fired homemade shells at the Israeli Negev town of Sderot. Israeli sources reported that three homemade shells were fired at Sderot after the army assassinated three fighters in Jenin.
Two Israelis were reportedly injured and damage was reported to some houses.
Several armed groups said that these assassinations and attacks put an end to the fragile truce, and vowed fierce retaliation.
Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyya, slammed the military escalation and said that these “crimes show the brutality of the occupation and the clear Israeli intentions of escalation in the area”. The Palestinian legislative council also slammed the attacks and the assassinations.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Al Quds Briagdes stated that fighters of the brigades along with fighters of the Al Aqsa brigades carried out several attacks against military targets near Jenin.
He added that these attacks come in retaliation “to the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.”
Las IOF (FUERZAS DE OCUPACION ISRAELIES) Ejecutan Extra Judicialmente a un Palestino Despues de Arrestarle en Jenin. from PCHR, 19 Abril 2007
El Martes por la tarde, 17 Abril 2007, las Fuerzas de Ocupacion Israeliees (IOF) ejecutaron extra-judicialmente a un miembro de las Brigadas de los Martires de al-Aqsa (brazo armado del movimiento de Al Fatah) cerca de la ciudad de Jenin en el norte de Cisjordania. Las IOF le dispararon causandole la muerte, despues de haberle arrestado.
De acuerdo con las investigaciones llevadas a cabo por el PCHR, (Centro Palestino pro Derechos Humanos) aproximadamente a las 12.30 del Martes, una unidad movil camuflada de las IOF llegaron a la interseccion de Shuhada en la carretera de Jenin – Nablus, viajando en un vehiculo civil con placa de matricula Palestina. El vehiculo se detuvo cerca de un complejo de tratamiento de piedras que pertenece a Fayez ‘Alawna. Dos soldados de las IOF salieron del vehiculo e interceptaron un coche Palestino que circulaba por el area. El conductor salio del coche con las manos en alto. Los dos soldados se dirigieron a el, y uno de ellos le dio un puntapie en el abdomen. El conductor cayo de espaldas. Los dos soldados entonces le cogieron y le golpearon contra un arbol de la carretera. Cuando cayo al suelo, uno de los soldados de las IOF se acerco a el y le disparo un tiro mortal a la cabeza y otro al abdomen a bocajarro. La victima fue identificada mas tarde como Ashraf Mahmoud ‘Aaref Hanaisha, de 24 anos del pueblo de Qabatya cerca de Jenin. Las IOF manifiestan que estaba en busca y captura.
El Centro Palestino Pro Derechos Humanos, PCHR condena firmemente este odioso crimen, y :
1) Reitera su condena de las ejecuciones extra-judiciales cometidas por las Fuerzas de Ocupacion Israelies (IOF), y senala que unicamente pueden servir para incrementar la tension de la zona y amenazar las vidas de los Palestinos civiles.
2) Hace un llamamiento a las Principales Partes Contratantes de la Cuarta Convencion de Ginebra de 1949 a que cumplan sus obligaciones de acuerdo con la Convencion y aseguren la proteccion de los civiles Palestinos en el Territorio Palestino Ocupado.
(Traduccion del Ingles desde Palestina, por amdelmar, de ISM Catalunya)
www.internacionalesporpalestina.org
