Tag: Martyr - Page 2 - International Solidarity Movement

Justice for Nadeem? Attorney General rumored to drop manslaughter charges against soldier who killed Nadeem Nuwara

17th January 2017 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil Team | Ramallah, Occupied Palestine

Palestinian teen, Nadeem Nuwara, was fatally shot in the chest by Israeli forces on Nakba Day, 2014. 17-year-old Nadeem allegedly threw a stone at soldier, Ben Dery, who proceeded to fire live ammunition in return. Israeli Forces killed both Nuwara and another teenager, Mohammed Salameh, during the Nakba Day demonstration near Ramallah.

The tragedy of Nuwara’s death still weighs heavily on his family, friends, and community. In an interview with Roya TV, Nuwara’s mother tells a reporter: “I wish [the soldier] gave him sometime to go back to his mother so I could at least get enough of him before he took him from me.” But, to the soldier, Nadeem was not a son or a brother. He was not a friend. He was not a talented basketball player or mischievous teenager with hopes and dreams. To the soldier, Nadeem was a faceless threat. He was fit to be cast aside, destroyed, murdered. The soldier did not conceive of the fact that Nadeem was human—exercising his right to protest the injustices that the occupation has imposed on the Palestinian community.

According to reports, the Israeli forces were not supposed to use live ammunition during this Nakba Day demonstration. They were given red-marked magazines with rubber-coated steal bullets and blanks. Allegedly, Dery replaced the contents of the marked magazine in an M-16 with live ammunition in order to hide the fact that he was disobeying orders. Now, over 2 and a half years later, the Attorney General is rumored to be dropping the manslaughter charges against Dery. He is being offered a plea bargain in which he will admit to negligence—claiming that the live ammunition was accidentally in his weapon. The plea bargain is to be presented at court on January 19. Nadeem’s father, Sayim Nuwara, told Ma’an News that he wrote a letter to the Attorney General expressing the family’s sadness and frustration with the plea bargain. There will be a demonstration during the hearing to pressure the court to reject any plea bargain.

Unfortunately, this case is not unique. When Palestinians are killed, the cases are often dragged out so that the families will grow tired and drop the case. The supposed immunity of Israeli soldiers is all too common here. But, the issue here is so much bigger than a corrupt justice system. Israeli soldiers have been trained to dehumanize Palestinians. The prevailing attitude of the Israeli forces is one of hatred, fear and impunity. Until Israelis and Palestinians can recognize the humanity in each other, the violence will continue. The injustices become normalized. Everyone lives in fear and frustration.

“It is true that death has become a norm and a ritual in our life which is crowded with sorrows, disappointments, and losses” (@JusticeforNadeem)

Thousands join the funeral of Malik Shahin, killed on tuesday in Bethlehem

9th of December 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied

On Tuesday, thousands of Palestinians joined the funeral of 20-year-old Malik Akram Shahin in the streets of Bethlehem. Malik was shot dead by Israeli forces on Monday night, during a detention raid in the Dheisheh refugee camp where he lived with his family. He was the fifth martyr in his city alone.

The mourners, wearing the symbolic red and white keffiyeh of Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine – Malik’s political party – held the funeral procession from the Beit Jala hospital to the martyr’s home. Malik is the second person from Dheisheh refugee camp to be killed by Israeli forces since the murder of Motaz Ibrahim Zawara on October 14th during a demonstration in Bethlehem.

According to medical personnel from Beit Jala Governmental Hospital, Malik was killed with an explosive bullet fired at his head, which smashed his skull and exploded into “hundreds of pieces.” Also called ‘dum-dum’ bullets, the use of this kind of explosive ammunition is forbidden by international law and considered as a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, of which Palestine is a member as of last April. Medical sources added that considering where Malik was shot in the head with this type of bullet, there was no doubt that the intention was to kill him.

Following Malik’s funeral, clashes took place at the northern entrance of Bethlehem near the Rachel’s Tomb checkpoint; two Palestinians were injured and evacuated to the hospital, while many people suffered from tear gas. As demonstrated by Malik’s death by illegal ammunition, Israeli forces are guilty of serious violations of international law and human rights; such violations have been in constant and troubling increase across the occupied Palestinian territory since the beginning of October.

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.