Tag: Live Ammunition - Page 23 - International Solidarity Movement

Israeli forces use live ammunition, tear gas, on residents of Nabi Saleh during clashes

17th July 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Nabi Saleh, Occupied Palestine

Of the two main entrances to the village of Nabi Saleh, one of them – which connects to the villages of Kufr Ayn, Karawa and the town of Salfit – has been permanently closed by the Israeli army since 2001.

Last week, on the main road that connects the village with Ramallah, there was a car accident that killed a four year old child. The villagers blame the accident on congestion caused by the closure of one of these two gates.

On Thursday, July 16th at approximately 5.00 am, young men from the village began trying to open this gate. Since the two gates are next to one another and permanently surveilled by an Israeli watch tower, this led immediately to clashes in which soldiers used tear gas and live ammunition. Within the next hour, four Israeli military vehicles entered the village and began firing rubber bullets, live ammunition, sound bombs and tear gas canisters at random.

nabiii — Israeli military vehicles obstructing road in Nabi Saleh.

Largely due to the fact that most inhabitants were still in their homes at this early hour, no one was injured by bullets. However, being unable to take precautions, elderly people and children were particularly affected by tear gas entering through windows.

nabii — Clouds of tear gas in Nabi Saleh.

Clashes lasted for three hours, finishing at 8.00 am. As of 7.00 pm, the village’s last remaining entrance to a main road (the one connecting to Ramallah) has been obstructed by a newly established checkpoint. This leaves the villagers with the only alternative of using a backroad entrance leading to a circuitous route which adds up to an hour and a half to journey times.

nabiiii — Young men in the village confronting the Israeli military.

This happened in the eve of the Islamic festival of Eid Al-Fitr, when visiting relatives in other villages and cities is of enormous importance; in addition to the obstruction of access to work, healthcare and education that will inevitably follow for the inhabitants of this small village in days to come.

97% of the land area of Nabi Saleh falls under direct Israeli military control (area C), of which 60% is in the hands of settlers. The village has suffered a long history of human rights violations by Israeli forces. 13 houses are scheduled for demolition, comprising 18% of the housing stock of the village.

Since 2009, when the village initiated regular protests, numerous villagers have been seriously injured or imprisoned. 22 people have been shot with live ammunition, 15 of whom now face chronic disability as a result. Two people have been killed. 190 people have been imprisoned, most of them from Nabi Saleh itself and the remainder from other surrounding villages who joined the Nabi Saleh protests. Of these prisoners, 40% are minors and 15 are women.

Local sources stress that the large number of disabilities caused by live fire incidents should be seen in the context of a new strategy, first seen in last year’s protests against the bombing of Gaza, whereby Israeli snipers appear to aim deliberately with low calibre .22 rounds with the intention to cripple. 90% of protestors shot with .22 rounds have reportedly been injured in the left leg. Often this results in the severing of a nerve, causing irreversible loss of movement in the foot.

One such victim is Neriman Al-Tamimi. A local volunteer for Israeli human rights organisation B’tSelem, Neriman was shot in January in the village’s main road while using a video camera to film soldiers. Despite an operation to fit two metal plates in her leg, she has been unable to walk without crutches since, and will require further surgery. Two months after sustaining the injury, Neriman was again confronted by soldiers as she filmed them firing rubber bullets and tear gas canisters close to her home in the village. The soldiers asked her whether she hadn’t learned her lesson and threatened to shoot her in the other leg.

Photo credit to Bilal Tamimi.

5 Palestinians shot in Kafr Qaddum

12th June 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Al Khalil Team | Al Khalil, Occupied Palestine

At Kafr Qaddum’s weekly demonstration yesterday, 12th June 2015, Israeli occupation forces invaded the village hours before the protest was set to start. Five Palestinians were shot with live ammunition. Two were shot in the leg, one was shot in the arm and two were shot in the abdomen. One of the men shot in the abdomen was in a critical condition for some hours after being transferred to hospital.

A blood stained shirt on the ground in the streets of Kafr Qaddum — Blood stained shirt in the streets of Kafr Qaddum

The 35 year old underwent surgery to remove part of his intestines that had been damaged by the bullet. Following the operation the man’s condition stabilized. The man was not participating in the protest, he was shot while in his home standing next to the window. His injury highlights the collective punishment of the entire village for their efforts to resist the restriction of their right to freedom of movement. The local villagers said that the Israeli forces’ new tactic of extreme violence was an attempt to scare the residents into ending their weekly demonstration.

Muhammed Mhaid being carried from his home to the ambulance by protesters

After the occupation forces invaded the village they used the ‘Skunk truck’ to spray protesters and homes with foul smelling liquid. Palestinian youth began to throw stones and reflect sunlight into the eyes of the military and police by using mirrors. These actions were met with immediate use of live ammunition.

doom6 - Copy — Protesters using mirrors and slingshots

Israeli police snipers targeted anyone who passed within range and which resulted in the previously mentioned injuries. The two men that were shot in the arm and leg are both still in hospital and awaiting surgery after the bullets penetrated the bone and inflicted serious damage. Two other villagers were taken away by ambulance after suffering severe tear gas inhalation. However, many of the injured protesters were forced to travel in civilian cars to the hospital because of a lack of ambulances at hand to deal with the quick succession of injuries.

People caught in one round of tear gas amongst many fired in the village. — People caught in one round of tear gas amongst many fired in the village

The locals of Kafr Qaddum said that it was the first time in years that the Israeli forces had so aggressively invaded the village before the Friday demonstration had begun. In 2011 the village had had a similar response when they had organised the first demonstrations in protest against the closure of the main road connecting Kafr Qaddum with the neighboring villages and the city of Nablus. The road had been blocked because it ran through the illegal Israeli settlement named Qedumim.

Rubber tires set alight on the road to the illegal settlement Qedumim — Rubber tires set alight on the road leading to Qedumim

The village has seen an increase in such restrictions over the last few months. On the morning of 12th June the main entrance was blocked off by military jeeps and Israeli soldiers, who were denying people access into Kafr Qaddum, claiming it was a closed military zone. Locals stated that this was a daily occurrence in recent weeks. And that not only have the occupation forces been blocking the entrance but that they have been raiding the village in the early morning.

Protesters using slingshots to throw back tear gas canisters

Kafr Qaddum’s residents are undeterred by the excessive violence they face on a daily basis. Following the harsh suppression of the demonstration on Friday, local villagers declared they will hold another demonstration on Saturday 13th June in protest against the regular early morning military incursions into their village.

Recollection and memory, Al-Nakba continues

15th May 2015 | Karam (Muhannad) | Ofer military prison, Occupied Palestine

The following post is written by the medic that was present on the scene on May 15th 2014, during the killing of Mohammad Odeh and Nadeem Nuwwarah as protesters commemorated al-Nakba near Ofer Military Prison.

During Nakba day commemoration, Birzeit’s student council were trying to gather students to go to Ofer, but it seemed that no one was interested. I decided to go by myself, so I gathered some friends and went to Ramallah and then to Ofer.

En route to Ofer, I received a call saying “a kid got shot with live [ammunition]..it’s bad.” I then asked the driver to hurry. We arrived to Ofer and there were many people. Three Israeli soldiers were standing up the hill 120 meters away with the rest of them standing 500 meters away in the field across. There was teargas and rubber bullets, which was normal. Nothing I’m not used to.

Two kids were going back and forth throwing stones at the three soldiers, even though they kept missing the soldiers they continued to try because they are kids. I went down to open my bag and I looked back to see if it’s safe and I could see the two kids coming back.

I can still remember the two kids, and two flags. One green and the other black, one was for Hamas and the other was the Nakba flag.

Medic pressing against Mohammad Odeh’s chest after he was shot with live ammunition. May 15th, 2014 - photo by AP — Medic pressing against Mohammad Odeh’s chest after he was shot with live ammunition. May 15th, 2014 – *photo by AP*

I searched inside my bag to find something that to this day I can’t remember what it was I was looking for. Suddenly I heard a shot. One shot and it was live ammunition. I jumped to the left and went down even though I know it was live and live travels faster than the sound it projects. But it was the natural accustomed reaction. Two seconds is all the time it takes for the sound to disappear. I look to my left and he was falling. Mohammad was falling to the ground. I ran to him as he was two meters away.

I was able to reach him before he hit the ground. I looked at him, checking his body. I saw a hole in his chest and I put my hand on it to apply pressure and stop the bleeding, basic first aid training.

He held my hand and looked at me trying to say something but he didn’t have the time. I screamed for an ambulance and asked for help. Two people came to help me carry him. The ambulance was 10 meters away, the man next to me was saying “Mohammad stay with us.” That’s how I knew his name.

We put him in the ambulance and returned to where we were.

I began to tell myself he is alive and he was shot in the lung and fainted, that’s why there was no blood only a hole. Only one spot of blood was on my hand. I tried to convince myself that he is alive. He is alive.

I knew though. I knew something was wrong. I became a ghost walking in Ofer back and forth towards the soldiers. News started to arrive about two martyrs. Nadeem and Mohammad. I started asking about Mohammad Abu Al Dhaher and the other Mohammad who was shot before I arrived. I started calling my friends at the hospital asking them to confirm the name.

Mohammad Odeh being carried to a nearby ambulance. Ofer military prison, May 15th, 2014 - photo by AP — Mohammad Odeh being carried to a nearby ambulance. Ofer military prison, May 15th, 2014 – *photo by AP*

Twenty minutes later, my friend who worked at the hospital called and said “it was Mohamad Abu al Dhaher. The last one you put in the ambulance.”

I stayed in Ofer. I didn’t know what to do, I wrote their names on the wall and stayed there, but I wasn’t really there. I was a ghost.

Two hours later I went to the hospital, I’m not even sure if it was two hours later. I had lost track of time at that pont. I couldn’t feel it anymore. It’s as though the whole world had stopped at that moment. I arrived to the hospital and entered inside. There were tons of people gathering. Friends, journalists..but I couldn’t look at any of them.

Afterwards, a group of protesters had marched to the hospital coming from Ramallah after they closed down the shops in honor of the martyrs. I stood in the middle of the street as they all passed by me. I didn’t know where to go, or what to do. Journalists that were asking for interviews were saying “we heard you were the last one next to the martyr.” I went away. I couldn’t say anything. I tried to find a place where I can’t see anyone, so I went behind a car and stopped for a few minutes trying to understand but I couldn’t. Everything began to flash but I couldn’t remember. I began to breathe fast and wasn’t able to move my face. People gathered around me in attempt to take me inside the hospital but I resisted and began to call out the name of a friend that can take me out. Someone knew her and after a while she arrived and tried to take me inside the hospital. I asked her to take me out of there and she did.

That’s when my trip began.

I still remember his masked face, I never remembered his face because I only saw his face on posters, a week later.

3 minutes. 3 minutes is the time we had. They always told us that our job as medics is to keep the patient alive until the ambulance arrives. But this time, even 3 minutes weren’t enough.

It has been a year now but it still feels like yesterday. Everyone has forgotten and it’s only his family that is living in torment. Today I realize that he is gone and nothing that we could have done would have stopped it. Nothing.

The only thing that we should do is keep fighting for them and for ourselves, until we find justice. Until every soldier is held accountable for their crimes.

The dead are gone…and the living are hungry.

By Karam (Muhannad)

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.