Tag: Martyr - Page 2 - International Solidarity Movement

Last tribute for a martyred in Bethlehem : “Motaz was happy when he was facing to the sea, it gave him a sense of freedom, lightless that he hadn’t before.”

3rd of December 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On Wednesday 2nd December, in Dheisheh refugee camp, Bethlehem, a mass tribute for 28-year-old Motaz Ibrahim Zawara, took place. Motaz was killed by Israeli forces the previous day when he was shot with live ammunition in his chest during a demonstration at the northern entrance of Bethlehem, near the Rachel’s Tomb checkpoint.

Between eight and nine hundred of Palestinians, wearing the red and white keffiyeh – the symbolic color of Motaz’s political party, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – were gathered to pay a last tribute to the young man. Two others families of martyred Palestinians were present – those of Khaled Jawabra killed the 26^th November in Al-Aroub refugee camp and the family of Kifah Obied, Motaz’s childhood friend killed by an Israeli sniper on 2001. ISM activist at the scene described “it was moving to see the other families there as well. It was a clear moment of witnessing the shared mourning of Palestinians families, grieving the pain of losing a child.”

Standing_women — *The three mothers of the martyrs with the pictures of their son*

Only weeks before his murder, Motaz had decided to return from his travel in France out of concern for his brother Ghassan, who had began a hunger strike in Israeli jail to protest against his illegal administrative detention. “My brother is in prison, he made a hunger strike, his life is in danger. I do not want him to die without me being there” he repeated to his friends who asked him why he left France.

Finally, Motaz died before his brother. Ghassan was released after eighteen months of illegal detention by Israeli forces last Monday night. Before going home, he spent his first moments of freedom at his brother’s grave-site, to pray with his family.

During the tribute on Wednesday, in a vibrant and powerful speech which had touched all of his relatives and friends, Ghassan evoked the pain of his brother’s absence, his empty bed and the deep injustice of the death of Motaz who loved life.

*Motaz’s family listening the speech of Ghassan*

Motaz'mother in font of a poster of her son — *Motaz’mother in font of a poster of her son*

According to friends ,”Motaz was happy when he was facing to the sea, it gave him a sense of freedom, lightless that he hadn’t before.” according to his friends.

Photo story: Palestinians protest the deaths of two martyrs

17th May 2014 | International Solidarity Movement | Ofer, Occupied Palestine

On the 16th May, Palestinians protest on the road to Ofer prison, following the murder of two Palestinian youths on the same road on the previous day during the Nakba Day protest. The youths, 22-year-old Muhammad Audah Abu al-Thahir and 17-year-old Nadim Siyam Nuwarah, were both shot with live ammunition.

The Israeli army launch another round of tear gas. Several protesters were carried from the scene by medical staff with breathing problems due to the amount of tear gas used.

Some protesters came prepared with gas masks.

A protester is treated for tear gas inhalation.

Another protester is treated for tear gas inhalation.

The tear gas canisters are hot. When they land on something flammable it will ignite. Here, the fire brigade try to extinguish a fire that had taken hold in a grassy field next to the protesters.

To protect themselves from being shot, the protesters use a metal skip. Israeli soldiers and border police were using live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets throughout the protest.

As the Israeli army use more tear gas canisters, another protester is carried away for treatment.

Protesters retreat following yet another round of tear gas.

A photojournalist makes his way back through the tear gas.

Protesters take cover as the Israeli army fires more rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition.

A protester fixes flags to a scaffold. The black flag represents the Palestinian refugees’ right to return following their expulsion in the Nakba of 1948.

Israeli soldiers take position on a nearby hill. The soldier in the middle is lining up to shoot rubber-coated steel bullets at the protesters.

A protester is shot in the leg with a rubber-coated steel bullet. Wounds from these bullets, if taken to the head or from shorter range to other parts of the body can be fatal.

Another protester is taken away for treatment after being shot in the foot with a rubber-coated steel bullet.

In all, four protesters were shot yesterday with rubber-coated steel bullets, one protester was hit with a tear gas canister in the face, another protester was shot in the face at close range with a foam-tipped projectile and one 16-year-old boy was shot in the leg with live ammunition.

The remains of martyr Ahmad Saleh finally returned to family

20th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Asira al-Qibliya, Occupied Palestine

In June 2002, Israeli soldiers assassinated 18-year-old Ahmad Saleh from the village of Asira al-Qibliya after he entered the illegal settlement of Yizhar.

Ahmad’s body was then convicted post mortem to be held for 20 years by the Israeli authorities. Today, twelve years later, the body was given back to the family and was finally able to be buried with dignity.

Two other martyrs’ bodies were also returned to their families yesterday and their funerals began in the morning from a local hospital in Nablus, and continued on to the centre of the city. The funeral procession for Ahmad Saleh continued to his home village of Asira al-Qibliya, with approximately 700 Palestinians in attendance.

For the past 12 years the martyrs’ bodies have been held inside one of the ‘cemeteries of numbers’, which are secret cemeteries in closed military areas with bare graves surrounded by stones. Each ‘grave’ has only an identification number on a metal plate; family members are not allowed to visit.

There are at least 300 known Palestinian martyrs from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip whose bodies are withheld within one of these ‘cemeteries of numbers’, with more remaining in Israeli morgues.

Palestinian judge assassinated by Israeli soldiers at Allenby bridge border

13th March 2014 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus Team | Nablus, Occupied Palestine

On Monday March 10, Raed Zeiter, a 38 years-old judge originally from Nablus, was assassinated by the Israeli forces at the Allenby Bridge Border.

The man, who has been working in Amman since 2011, was going out of the bus to pass the border to Palestine at around 8am when the border authority ordered him to go in the “humiliation sas” for “security reason”. Excessive force was used against Raed Zeiter to bring him to this interrogation room, what would have brought him to push back the soldier. The Israeli forces immediately shot three bullets at Zeiter’s chest and didn’t let anybody get to the injured man for at least twenty minutes. Raed Zeiter died before the ambulance could arrive, one hour later.

Zeiter was buried the day after in Nablus, leaving behind a wife and two young children, one of whom is in a coma in hospital.

This murder occurred in a dramatic bleeding time. Indeed, in the same day, three others Palestinians, Ismail Abu Judah, 23, Shahir Abu Shanab, 24, and 33-year-old Abd al-Shafi Muammar suffered the same fate in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike. Fidaa Muhye Addin Majadlah and Ibrahim Adnan Shukri died in Tulkarem area after a car chase by Israeli police. And Saji Darwish for his part, was also shot by Israeli soldiers nearby Ramallah. He was 18 years.

Three killed in Qalandiya: Protests spread across West Bank

26th August 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Ramallah Team | Qalandiya Refugee Camp, Occupied Palestine

At around 2am on 26^th August 2013, eleven military jeeps invaded Qalandiya refugee camp during an operation to arrest a recently released prisoner. Residents of the camp tried to stop the army from arresting the man by throwing stones at military jeeps. Confrontations then erupted, with the Israeli soldiers shooting tear-gas canisters, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition at the youth defending the refugee camp. Nineteen people were injured from live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets and two were killed on the spot, with a third dying shortly afterwards. Around six of these are still reportedly in a critical condition. Demonstrations mourning the martyrs and out of anger at their deaths spread across the West Bank, with particularly fierce clashes at Qalandiya checkpoint and in the city of Hebron.

Poster showing the three martyrs, along with women on a roof overlooking the funeral march today. — Poster showing the three martyrs, along with women on a roof overlooking the funeral march today (photo by ISM)

During the early morning raid, 32-year-old Robin Ziad, a UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) worker, was on his way to work when he was shot in the chest with live ammunition. Younes Jahjouh, aged 22, was shot in the chest; while 20-year-old Jihad Aslan was shot in the neck – also with live ammunition. Robin and Younes died immediately from their wounds, whereas Jihad was transferred to Ramallah hospital, where he was declared clinically dead later in the morning. Israeli forces continued their raid, arresting the man they were looking for and leaving the refugee camp at around 7.30am.

Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of the three martyrs at Qalandiya refugee camp, as friends and family members carried their bodies through the camp to the cemetery where they were buried. Gunshots and chants protesting their killing were heard throughout the ceremony as mourners filled the streets surrounding the cemetery.

After the funeral, dozens of youths marched along the main road to Qalandiya checkpoint and made barricades of burning tyres to prevent the Israeli military from approaching. Israeli forces arrived from across the checkpoint and shot several rounds of tear-gas canisters and sound bombs, while Palestinian youth defended the area by throwing stones at the Apartheid Wall, the checkpoint and the heavily armed and armoured soldiers.

Demonstrators burned tyres at Qalandiya checkpoint (photo by ISM)

As confrontations continued, Israeli forces shot many rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets at protesters, injuring at least ten. Medical personnel present at the scene also treated an old man who had suffered from the effects of excessive teargas inhalation.

Across the West Bank, there was a general strike as shops and businesses shut down for the day in solidarity with the martyrs and in protest against the occupation that caused it. Also, as news spread of the three martyrs, solidarity demonstrations sparked in many other cities and refugee camps.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Hebron in response to the killings. Demonstrators armed with stones were met with teargas canisters, rubber coated steel bullets and sound bombs from the Israeli army.

The clashes continued for around eight hours and shut down the main shopping streets of Hebron, where barricades were constructed from burning tyres and empty water tanks. Israeli soldiers invaded the Palestinian Authority controlled H1 area, taking up positions on the roofs of residential buildings. The Israeli forces arrested at least four Palestinians, including Amjad Ibrahim Al-Natcha, 19, and three children.

Soldiers invade H1 and shoot rubber bullets at demonstrators (photo by ISM)

Confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian youth protesting the killings also happened at Al Fawwar refugee camp near Hebron, Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem and Al Ram, amongst others.

Tomorrow, 27^th August, has been declared the “Day of Anger” and more protests throughout the West Bank in response to the Qalandiya killings and the continued occupation are expected.