Tag: Kafr Qaddum - Page 8 - International Solidarity Movement

Hundreds of unarmed demonstrators confront live fire at Kafr Qaddum on Nakba Day

15th May 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwarra Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine

Today (15th of May), during the Nakba day demonstration in Kafr Qaddum, four young men were shot with live ammunition in their legs. One of the men got a serious bone fracture. Apart from the live ammunition being shot from all directions, Israeli forces fired several rounds of rubber coated steel bullets, tear gas and stun grenades. Throughout the protest, the Israeli military forces used a skunk truck to force the demonstrators back from reaching the closed road; closed since 2002 due to the building of the settlement Kedumim. ISMers in the demonstration saw houses and gardens being sprayed, and a boy as young as four crying, covered in the noxious chemical skunk ‘water’.

Israeli forces trip young boy over with skunk 'water" - photo by Ahmed Nazzal — Israeli forces knock down four year old with skunk ‘water” – *photo by Ahmed Nazzal*

Before the prayer had started, which end usually marks the beginning of the demonstration, soldiers attacked the gathered crowd with the chemical-laced water from the skunk truck. About 200 protesters marched up towards the closed road and were chanting words of freedom. 67 years later, the Nakba is still going on. They were soon met with rubber coated steel bullets and more skunk water.

Demonstrators assemble at Kfar Qaddum on Nakba Day

The Israeli military fired tear gas and several protesters suffered from its inhalation and its blinding effect. The military then fired sound bombs and also started firing live .22 calibre ammunition. Anas, 25 years old, was hit with one of these live bullets in his leg, fracturing it. Within a few minutes, Odaye, 21 years old, had both legs pierced from the side with one of them too – the bullet first went through one leg and then into the other. Joseph, 23 years old, was hit by two bullets in the leg. He was brought in to the hospital with a regular car as both of the ambulances had already left with casualties. Bilal, 22 years old, was also hit by a .22 bullet in his leg. He was also ferried to hospital in a private car. When the soldiers retreated, the youth continued the protest with burning tires – the smoke from the demo drifted up towards the illegal settlement of Kedumim.

Protestor shot in his leg with live ammunition

The villagers of Kafr Qaddum demonstrate weekly against the closure of the road between their village and Nablus, since 2002. The Palestinians are not allowed to travel the most direct route to Nablus, 13 km away, due to the positioning of nearby illegal Israeli settlement Kedumim. The commute to Nablus from Kafr Qaddum has now doubled.

Wounded protester rushed to hospital from Kfar Qaddum

Today’s demonstration at Kafr Qaddum was just one of many large scale demonstrations held in commemoration of Nakba Day. The Nakba is the Palestinian name for the ethnic cleansing of the vast majority of Palestinian Arabs from Historic Palestine in 1948. The systematic massacres and expulsion of some 700,000 Palestinians and the destruction of 500 villages by Zionist paramilitary groups paved the way for the creation of Israel as an ethnically and ideologically ‘Jewish State’.

Mirrors used as a distraction to Israeli's violent forces - photo by ‎المسيرة__كفرقدوم‎ — Mirrors used as a distraction to Israeli’s violent forces – photo by
‎المسيرة__كفرقدوم‎

The ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians by Israeli zionists did not stop in 1948. Both within the recognised boundaries of the Israeli state and within the illegally Occupied Palestinian Territories, Palestinians are struggling daily against expulsion and land theft. In Kafr Qaddum, as in the rest of Palestine, Israel’s attempts at ethnic cleansing are being resisted.

UN affects Kafr Qaddum’s demonstration

1st May 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwwara Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine

Today’s demonstration in Kafr Qaddum was met with live ammunition, rubber coated steal bullets, teargas and stun grenades. There was a large presence of Palestinian and international protestors. The Israeli forces shot two young men in the leg. UN observers were present.

Before prayer ended, usually marking the start of the demonstration, Israeli forces fired lived ammunition from .22 riffles at the people who had started to gather in Kafr Qaddum.

As the march started advancing up through the village, a group of Italian women joined in and were chanting songs of liberation with the crowd. Coordinated with the locals, they went to the front of the march with their fingers in the air, symbolically signing peace. Together, they stopped only metres away from the border police and military asking for the opening of the road and the freedom of the Palestinians.

Italian group of women and Kufr Qaddum protesters asking for the opening of the road — Italian group of women and Kafr Qaddum protesters asking for the opening of the road

The Israeli forces responded with stun grenades and teargas, forcing the crowd to retreat further into the village. The army went on by shooting two young men with live ammunition. The first bullet entered and exited Eanad’s leg, aged 20, while the second one stayed put inside Issam’s leg, age 22. They were both rushed to Rafidia hospital in Nablus.

Issam rushed to the hospital after being shot in the leg

An ISMer on the spot describes, “While Issam was being rushed to a car, teargas was fired over them. Ceasefire during injuries doesn’t seem to be a concern for the Israeli forces. ”

Recently, demonstrators and ISMers have witnessed an escalation of violence in Kafr Qaddum. The amount of live ammunitions shot by the Israeli forces has heavily been on the rise. Today, however, protestors were mostly met with stun grenades and rubber coated steal bullet. Local activist, Murad Shtaiwi, explained, “the UN’s rare presence today meant that the Israeli soldiers were acting quite politely”. When members of the United Nations arrive at demonstrations, they inform the Israelis in advance of their coming. This inevitably leads to a calmer day, relatively speaking.

Two UN members observing the demonstration from a roof.

After the military retreated, a pile of tires was burnt, sending black smoke into the direction of Kedumin, a neighbouring settlement built in 1975. Due to this settlement, the road leading to Nablus has been closed off to the Palestinians since 2003. This has largely increased traveling time and costs for the locals.

The fire's smoke heading towards the illegal settlement — The fire’s smoke heading towards the illegal settlement

Israeli forces shoots six, teenager shot in the eye in Kafr Qaddum

24th April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwwara Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine

Yesterday’s Friday demonstration in Kafr Qaddum continued the trend of senseless and extreme violence from Israeli forces against Palestinian villagers, as the ISM has reported on numerous occasions. Even before the villagers had begun their march, one Palestinian teenager was shot in the foot with live ammunition (a 0.22 caliber bullet) by an Israeli sniper and rushed to the hospital.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Villagers of Kafr Qaddum begin their weekly protest

This weeks march had only lasted for a few minutes before protesters were met with tear gas and stun grenades, causing around 100 protesting villagers to run for cover behind nearby houses.

Teenager most likely loses his eye after getting shot

Sudden panic arose seconds later, when another young Palestinian teenager was shot straight in his eye with a rubber-coated steel bullet. At the time of writing, non-confirmed reports suggests that the boy will not be able to recover from the damages inflicted and will lose his eye. The injured Palestinian was first taken to the Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, only to be quickly transferred to Ramallah Hospital for surgery. The ISM is waiting for a final confirmation on the outcome of the injury.

Teenager shot in the eye rushed into the ambulance

The brutality of the Israeli occupation forces only continued after this, first shooting Friday’s third victim in his leg and the fourth in his back, both with rubber-coated steel bullets. Yet another two Palestinian teenagers were subsequently shot. While it remains unclear where the bullets hit their bodies, reports from the ground said they only suffered superficial damages.

The march continues

The villager’s march towards the eastern outskirt of the village resumed after the extreme violence and finally reached a point overlooking the illegal Israeli settlement Kedumim, established in 1975. This is a focal point for the weekly demonstrations, because Israel has closed the road which prior to 2003 connected Kafr Qaddum with Nablus, located 14 kilometers to the east and an important Palestinian commercial center. The road closure therefore significantly increases traveling costs and sharply reduces employment opportunities for the villagers of Kafr Qaddum. Since the Second Intifada the village has seen a staggering unemployment rate of 75 per cent. Some estimates suggest that the road closure has led to a yearly emigration rate of between ten and fifteen per cent of the total population.

Rubber tire burning “not good” for settler laundry

Upon reaching this point of the road, the protest assumed its usual form of villagers setting fire to tires.

This is done as a response to the massive amount of tear gas used against them by Israeli forces and to send a strong signal demanding the road re-opened. Israeli forces usually respond quickly to the burning of tires, as Israeli settlers have issued several complaints that it leaves a terrible smell over the settlement and prevents them from hanging out their laundry to dry.

As yesterday’s fire grew and there was a surprising lack of response from the Israeli military, the Palestinians called of for the discontinuation of the protest shouting halas, Arabic for “enough”.

Israeli forces shot five in Kafr Qaddum

17nth April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Huwwara Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine

This week’s Friday demonstration in Kafr Qaddum followed the same violent pattern as the previous ones during the past weeks. The Israeli occupation forces began their shooting before the demonstration even started. Soldiers and border police fired tear gas, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammonition at the protestors. Hammam Khalid Aqil, age 19, was hit by two rubber-coated steel bullets, one in his leg and one in his head.

Israeli forces arresting an unconscious man

He was badly injured and while he was still unconscious the Israeli army arrested him and took him to a hospital in Israel where he is now under intensive care. His condition is extremely serious, even so it took several hours before his parents were allowed to come and see him at the hospital.

Palestinian Prisoners Day in Kafr Qaddum

The demonstration was slightly bigger than usual with between 150-200 villagers and activists participating. Because April 17th is Palestinian Prisoners Day many protestors were carrying pictures of family members and friends who are currently suffering in Israeli jails.

The occupation forces met the demonstration with terrifying brutality. They used the skunk-water truck to spray down not only protestors but family homes and gardens covering the village in a foul stink.

At least five more people were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets. Maamoun Shtaiwi, 36, and Anna Johnson, a 30 year old ISM volunteer, were both shot in the head and taken to the hospital in Nablus where they were treated for their wounds. Maamoun’s injury required 13 stitches. One Palestinian activist was hit in the leg, and one in the chest, and an Israeli photographer had the camera on his helmet smashed.

Escalating violence at Friday Demo in Kafr Qaddum

10th April 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Kafr Qaddum, Occupied Palestine

The Israeli military did not even wait for Kafr Qaddum’s Friday demonstration to start before firing at the crowd of demonstrators today. Before prayers had finished the Israeli military began firing at the demonstration with teargas, stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets. A 16-year-old child was hit in the head with a tear gas canister. He was taken to hospital with head injuries. International activists working with ISM have observed a pattern during recent Palestinian demonstrations of lethal violence starting at the beginning of the protest.

Israeli military bulldozer- splattered with paint thrown by protesters — Israeli military bulldozer splattered with paint thrown by protesters

The Israeli military at this demonstration consisted of a mix of regular army and Border police. The military used two military bulldozers and a skunk truck to clear rubble and attempt to disperse the crowd. The protesters responded by disabling both bulldozers and skunk truck with bottles filled with paint throw at the windscreens of the vehicles.

During the course of the demonstration Internationals witnessed a child of approximately 8 years old suffering from tear gas inhalation. Another 8 year old was wounded in his hand with a rubber-coated steel bullet.

The military moved into the village using .22 rifles and throwing stun grenades. The demonstration continued until the military withdrew.