6 Palestinians killed by settlers with the protection of the Occupying forces in Qusra village

By Diana Khwaelid

Qasra village – 12/10/2023
On the evening of Wednesday 11-10-2023, a group of extremist settlers stormed the village of Qusra,
north of Nablus, and attacked Palestinian citizens. The settlers were working with the protection of the Israeli occupation army.
Palestinian youth from the village came out to try and defend from the attacks of the settlers and the Israeli army. Settlers immediately began shooting in the direction of the young Palestinians, which led to the injury of 8 Palestinians, two of whom died immediately afterwards. Two others of the injured died soon after in hospital.
The four Palestinians who died as a result of confronting settlers and defending the lands and residents of the village, are martyrs Moaz Odeh, Hassan Abu Sorour, Musab Abu Rida, and Abu
Sorour.
The settlers also attacked the funeral procession of the martyrs on their way from Salfit hospital to Qusra, near the Alsawya junction in Salfit and near Qiblan again. Here, the Israeli occupation forces also fired gas canisters and live bullets directly at the Palestinians on their way to mourn the four martyrs from the village. This led to the killing of Secretary of the Fatah movement in the village martyr Ibrahim al-Wadi and his son Ahmed al-Wadi, 25 years old.


The village of Qusra reached 6 martyrs in less than 13 hours.
The martyr Ibrahim al-Wadi and his son Ahmed, are among the most prominent Palestinian activists in
the village, and they have always been in the front lines of resisting the occupation and the settlers. They had been arrested in the past by the Occupation forces because of their political activity against the occupation.
Hundreds of Palestinian citizens participated in the funeral of the six martyrs of the village of Qasra.
Mass popular anger is palpable in the village and in all of Palestine at the continued occupation of committing its crimes against the Palestinian people, whether in the West Bank or Gaza.

Endless Israeli military campaigns in Tulkarem

By. Diana Khwaelid

Tulkarm – 5-10-2023

A rapid military operation carried out by the Israeli occupation forces in Tulkarem camp at dawn today, around 5 a.m. Dozens of Israeli military vehicles stormed Tulkarem camp in the centre of the city, in the northern West Bank.

Strong confrontations and clashes broke out between Palestinian militants who tried to confront the occupation forces and defend the camp. Between the Israeli occupying forces, it lasted almost two hours.

At the same time, the occupation forces stormed the city of Nablus, in particular the Balata camp, to secure the way for settlers to reach the Tomb of the Prophet Joseph near the camp, to perform Talmudic prayer ahead of the occasion of Jewish Throne Day. Three youths were injured by live bullets, another was injured while trying to escape. Dozens of youths suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Eyewitnesses from the camp said that they noticed the presence of Israeli special forces from the Al-Yamam battalion, so alarm sirens were activated in the camp later and armed confrontations broke out between the two parties. It lasted about 15 minutes, during which explosive bombs were thrown, and one of the occupation soldiers was shot in the head, according to eyewitnesses.

The Israeli occupation forces stormed the family home of the hunted young man (Amir Balawneh) and arrested his father (Saad Mahmoud Balawneh), 45 years old. As a means of pressure for his son to surrender to the Israeli occupation forces. On the morning of 5th September the Israeli occupation forces arrested the freed prisoner Ahmed Abu Khadra (35) from Tulkarem while he was passing through one of the military checkpoints.

Israeli media sources confirmed that the Tulkarm Battalion mounted a rapid response in the camp, and emphasized the continuous resistance to the occupation in defence of the camp. The continued resistance pays tribute to its martyrs, who were killed in an assassination carried out by the occupation forces near the village of Shufa southeast of the city.

There were injuries and deaths in the ranks of the Israeli army during its storming of the Tulkarm camp at dawn on the 5th October.

Weaponry recovered from Occupation forces in Tulkarem
Weaponry recovered from Occupation forces in Tulkarem

Approximately at 7: 15 a.m. today – after the Israeli occupation forces withdrew from the camp, with heavy material and human losses – local and Israeli media broadcast news about the assassination of two young
Palestinians by the Israeli occupation forces, near the Shufa checkpoint, in Tulkarm. Hebrew language Israeli sources claimed that Palestinian youths had carried out an attack by shooting at an Israeli settler on the 20th August of this year near the illegal settlement of Avni Hefetz.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Liaison Directorate confirmed the martyrdom of the two young men – Huthayfa Adnan Fares, (27), and Abdul Rahman Fares Atta (23).

5th September was a sad day of mourning in the city of Tulkarm, its villages and camps, the National Action factions in the city declared public mourning and a strike in honour of the spirit of the martyrs

Ten people from the city of Tulkarem have been martyred by occupying forces since the beginning of the year.

Screenshots have been taken from Quds News Network

Beit Dajan faces the occupation

Beit Dajan resists 29/9/23

By. Diana khwaelid for ISM

Palestinian activists marked the third consecutive anniversary of the revival of national events to resist the occupation of the lands of Beit Dajan – east of Nablus. At noon on Friday-2-9-2023, Palestinians set off to participate in the weekly march from the village of Beit Dajan to the illegal outpost in the village to confront the occupation and settlers, and to demand the departure of the occupation and the return of confiscated lands.

Palestinian, international and Israeli activists have participated in the weekly demonstration against the occupation and in defence of the village lands that were confiscated by the Israeli occupation forces for 3 years in a row.

Palestinian activists from the National Action factions and the Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) participated in the weekly demonstration to express their anger and condemnation and continue to face the occupation until the liberation of the village lands. The occupation forces suppressed the demonstrators with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, and the Israeli occupation forces assaulted the demonstrators.

The Palestinian activist Mansour, Moayyed Shaaban (the head of the CWRC), and Nasr Jaish (the activity and coordinator of the National Action factions in Nablus
and the village of Beit Dajan) were attacked.

Medical and press crews were also attacked. Journalists Abdullah Bakhsh and Diana khwaelid were assaulted and dozens were injured by suffocation.

For three years now, the Palestinians in the village of Beit Dajan have been continuing their patriotic activities and weekly demonstrations until they regain their right to stay, liberate the village from the occupation and settlers, and regain their lands. The demonstrators were threatened to retreat and leave the area at gunpoint, but the Palestinians decided to continue and face the occupation despite everything.

An international activist from the International Solidarity Movement also suffered an injury to her foot and was treated earlier by Palestinian medical staff.

Palestinian, international and Israeli activists raised the Palestinian flag to emphasize the right to survival and the Palestinian presence in the village, the area and the confiscated lands.

 

Beit Dajan resists 29/9/23

Beit Dajan resists 29/9/23

Beit Dajan resists 29/9/23

Beit Dajan resists 29/9/23

Beit Dajan resists 29/9/23

Beit Dajan resists 29/9/23

Palestinians in Qaryut reassert their right to visit their spring, despite IOF violence

Villagers march to their spring in Qaryout

On Friday 15th of September the people of Qaryut – a village between Nablus and Ramallah – held a demonstration reasserting their rights over the village spring.

The village is close to the illegal settlements of Eli and Shilo, and every Friday settlers come to wash in the spring. This is a clear act of provocation, aimed at staking a claim on even more of the surrounding land.

There are often clashes between village youth and the settlers at the spring, and the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) protecting them. This week, however, the community had called on other communities to join them in reasserting their rights to the spring. The protest was also over the closure of the main road into the village by the occupation forces. The demonstration began after Friday prayers and marched down from the village toward the spring.

The IOF blocked the road, firing tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets. One man was shot in the face and injured with a rubber coated bullet. Several people were treated by the Red Crescent medical services after inhaling gas.

Settlers could be seen on the hillside watching the army’s repression of the demonstration

A tear gas canister was fired through the window of a building in Qaryout

The photo above shows the moment a tear gas canister was fired through the window of a building in Qaryut, you can see the gas billowing from inside.

The whole village of Qaryut was flooded with gas fired by the IOF. Canisters rained down onto residents – threatening to cause serious injury

Demonstrators persisted – however – and were eventually able to march to the spring. This video shows them dancing in celebration.

Palestinians from many communities in the West Bank had come to support the people of Qaryut in their demonstration.

Olive Harvest 2022: Call for Volunteers

 

September 15 | International Solidarity Movement | Occupied Palestine

ISM is issuing an urgent call out for volunteers to join the 2022 Olive Harvest at the invitation of Palestinian communities, starting next month. 

Olive trees are a national symbol in Palestine. As hundreds of thousands of trees have been uprooted by the Israeli military and illegal settlers – more than 11,700 olive trees were destroyed in 2021 alone – harvesting has become more than a source of income, but a form of resistance. 

Recent years have also seen an explosion in settler violence against Palestinian communities, and a series of illegal settler outposts set up across the West Bank.

The new outposts – primarily located in the northern regions of the West Bank close to the cities and towns of Salfit, Hares and Nablus – puts Palestinian farmers in these areas at an increased risk of violence and attacks this Olive Harvest. 

ISM is calling for volunteers to join Palestinian farmers on the ground to support them to assert their right to earn a living and be present on their lands. 

International activists joining the harvest engage in non-violent direct action, practical support and document human rights abuses against Palestinians, which enables many families to pick their olives.  ISM activists work alongside other international organisations to support farmers during the Olive Harvest. 

The harvest will begin on October 1 and run until mid-November 2022. We request a minimum 2 week commitment but we ask that if possible, volunteers could stay as long as they can. Our work is dependent on relationships with the Palestinian communities in which we work, and a long-term presence is a massive help towards that end. We kindly ask volunteers to start arriving in the first week of October if possible, so we are prepared when the harvest begins. ISM activists will receive training upon arrival with information on what to expect and how to act in what can be tense situations. 

To register your interest in joining the Olive Harvest this year contact ismtraining@riseup.net

 

When: October 1 – mid-November 

Where: the occupied West Bank, Palestine

How to sign up: email us at ismtraining@riseup.net

 

More information on the Olive Harvest: 

  • https://www.btselem.org/settler_violence/2021_olive_harvest