Tuesday, April 23, 2024, marked the 200th consecutive day of Israel’s large-scale military offensive on the Gaza Strip. Nearly 90 percent of the population is displaced, with many living in dire conditions in tents, and the few remaining schools used as shelters. Despite the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures orders to prevent genocide, Israel persists in threatening a large-scale ground invasion of Rafah, home to over 1.2 million residents and displaced persons—a threat that has loomed over the Palestinian people there for several weeks.
Our organizations — the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Al Mezan, and Al-Haq — are closely monitoring and deeply concerned about the escalation of Israeli airstrikes on Rafah. The tactics of intensified bombing of homes using heavy artillery and carpet bombing are alarming and have resulted in significant civilian casualties over the last six months.
Furthermore, concerns are growing as reports from Israeli media indicate that the Israeli army is purchasing thousands of tents to accommodate displaced individuals from Rafah. The Israeli plan to expand the so-called safe zone in the Al-Mawasi area, despite its limited capacity and current overcrowding with displaced persons, is also troubling. This expansion is purportedly capable of housing up to a million people, but the reality of its size (extending about a kilometer deep from the borders of Khan Younis to the borders of Rafah) raises doubts about its feasibility and effectiveness in addressing the humanitarian crisis.
Our organizations have repeatedly warned and expressed serious concerns about the potential consequences of a large-scale ground invasion on Rafah, similar to what has occurred in most governorates of the Gaza Strip. Such an invasion could lead to horrific massacres and raise scenarios of a second Nakba. The densely populated city, with hundreds of thousands of displaced individuals residing in tents and heavily relying on aid from the Rafah and Kerem Abu Salem Crossings, exacerbates the vulnerability of its population. The closure of these vital crossings during a potential Israeli attack would leave no suitable alternatives for the evacuation of Rafah residents and those already displaced within the city. This concern is compounded by the continued attacks and destruction that have altered the landscape of the Gaza Strip.
According to the latest update from the Palestinian Ministry of Health on April 23, 2024, Israeli military attacks over the span of 200 days have led to the killing of 34,183 Palestinians, including 14,778 children and around 10,000 women, and the injury of 77,143 others. One child is killed or injured every 10 minutes in Gaza. An estimated seven to eight thousand Palestinians are still missing, buried under the rubble, or in the streets. There have been ongoing efforts over the past few days to retrieve some of them, amid reports of finding individuals bound and buried in mass graves in Nasser and Al-Shifa Hospitals, indicating the possibility of them being killed by the Israeli army after their arrest. All of this requires the opening of a serious and independent international investigation. It is worth noting that citizens have been forced to create temporary graves in hospitals, markets, streets, and near destroyed homes due to the impossibility of transporting the people killed to official cemeteries.
After 200 days of horrific genocidal acts in Gaza, the real objectives of the attack are the continuation of the 76-year-long ongoing Nakba and the erasure and genocidal destruction of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Israel is laying the groundwork to fulfill its settler colonial plan of colonizing Gaza, played out in real time on the world’s television sets and screens. We warn that the risks of displacement are still present unless the international community intervenes effectively to prevent them.
Our organisations reiterate that silence from the international community is no longer acceptable, and mere statements of condemnation are not enough in the face of genocide and systematic and deliberate crimes to destroy the foundations of Palestinian life.
Our organizations warn of the threat of an Israeli ground invasion on Rafah. Such an attack would represent the peak of the Israeli attack on Gaza, with the intent of inflicting the highest number of casualties and civilian victims, potentially leading to mass forcible displacement towards the Egyptian borders, located mere meters away. This scenario threatens the acceleration of the Nakba on the Palestinian people and is an approaching reality.
We urgently call on the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to swiftly intervene to avert the continuing Nakba and to halt the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Our organisations warn Third States that they may be complicit in genocide through their unlimited military and financial support of Israel’s aggression on the Gaza Strip. We remind the Third States of their erga omnes obligations to protect the Palestinian people from genocide.
We further urge the international community to secure the right of return of Palestinians to their areas of residence and ensure the provision of essential services, including access to clean water, reopening closed roads, and other necessary support.
We emphasize that the key to resolving the crisis in the region forever lies in ending the illegal occupation, dismantling the Israeli settler-colonial apartheid regime, revoking all discriminatory and inhumane laws, policies, and practices against the Palestinian people as a whole, and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and the return of refugees without any conditions or restrictions.
Isma’il Ibrahim Sha’ban Qarmout (33), married with two children, resident of Jabalia al-Balad, north of Gaza, gave his testimony to PCHR on 01 April 2024.
I lived with my family in a 4-story building of 300 sqms, a house to 5 families of 24 members, including 12 children and 6 women. My 190-sqm apartment was on the first floor and I work as a biomedical engineer.
Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on 07 October 2023, we remained in our house because our area was dubbed as a “safe zone” according to an interactive map circulating on social media and the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) urging evacuations to our area.
On 19 November 2023, we started hearing the sound of nearby bombings of homes and lands, and the roaring sound of Israeli tanks and bulldozers.
At around 02:00 on 20 November 2023, the IOF called one of the neighbors and ordered him to inform all residents of our area to evacuate, because they would bomb houses there but did not specify any. I took my handbag with 25000 shekels and 5000 US dollars inside in addition to some personal documents and clothes. We were already prepared for evacuation, and during our evacuation, my grandmother with a disability, Faitma Mustafa Qarmout (88), fell on the ground and injured her leg, so we carried her and immediately fled the area. My grandmother later suffered from gangrene affecting her foot and died due to lack of healthcare triggered by the Israeli ongoing aggression on Gaza and the continuous targeting of hospitals. (I learned of her death after I was released as I will explain later.)
Fifteen minutes after the evacuation, Israeli warplanes launched two missiles as we could hear two heavy explosions, so we returned to our homes and was shocked to find my 60-year-old uncle Nayef’s house next to ours was bombed and completely destroyed. The 350-sqm house of 5 floors housed 10 apartments and 9 families of 50 members, mostly women and children. Also, our house has become rickety and uninhabitable while other nearby houses were severely damaged, and others were partially damaged.
At approximately 06:00 on the same day, we decided to go to the south of Gaza through the so-called “safe corridor” designated by IOF during the aggression for the displaced residents of Gaza and northern Gaza heading to the south. At around 08:00, my family and I headed to the “safe corridor” in my golden Daewoo Matiz car, and about 500 meters away from the corridor, I parked near the Kuwait Roundabout and we got out of the car. I was holding my 1-year-old son, Adam, and carrying my backpack with money inside. We went towards the “safe corridor” and the road was uneven and bumpy having many sand berms that had been dug by the IOF. As I approached the Israeli soldiers stationed at the checkpoint, I raised my ID card and kept walking. Suddenly, a soldier called me from behind a sand berm and ordered me to give my son Adam to his mother, Ansaf Nayef Qarmout (28), who was behind me, and to walk towards him. When I was 4 meters away from him, he ordered me to read my ID number. After he verified the number, he ordered me to drop my backpack, but I told him it contained money (25000 shekels and 5000 USD), and he should take it in his custody, but he refused and forced me to throw it, so I did. Later, He ordered me to go behind a sand berm and forced me to strip fully naked. He then ordered me to wear my clothes again and approached me to tied my hands behind my back with a plastic zip tie, blindfolded me, and led me to another sand berm, where there were two soldiers. One of them interrogated me for a few minutes about where I was on 07 October, and whether I am affiliated with Hamas or any Palestinian faction, but I said no. He then told the soldier, “take him and shoot him”, so he took me and threw me on the ground, pulling his trigger and firing 6-7 bullets above my head. I was literally shaking in fear and begging the soldier to kill me. He suddenly kicked me while wearing his boots all over my body, especially on my back, sides and thighs. After about two hours, he left and I remained lying on the ground in shock while being tied and blindfolded. Every two minutes, the soldiers would bring a detainee and throw him next to me. After 4 hours, two soldiers picked me up and threw me at the back of a military SUV, where we were 20 detainees and two of whom were atop me. The SUV then drove us on a bumpy road for an hour and then stopped. The soldiers pulled me out of the SUV and stripped my clothes off by pulling down my pants and taking off my blouse. For whole 7 minutes, I was severely tortured that I could not recognize from where the blows come. I was constantly beaten with their rifles’ butts, feet, and batons. Afterwards, two soldiers held me from my handcuffs and two others from my feet and swung me back and forth about four times and then hit my head into the SUV, causing a bleeding cut in my head. After that, they dressed me and led me to a bus, where there were two soldiers: one in front of me on the bus stairs beating me on my legs and the other from behind hitting my calf (leg) with an iron rod that he could make shorter or longer. At the time, I did not know what to do, should I step forward or backward? and that when the soldier pushed me inside the bus and the other pressed my handcuffs tighter that made me scream out of intense pain. He seated me on the chair and then other detainees, who were tortured like me, got into the bus, among them were elderlies and children of 16 years old. I was not the only one who was subjected to torture as I could see other detainees from under the blindfold and when some of them told the soldiers that they held Canadian and Belgian passports, the soldiers would torture and beat them harder. After about 4 hours, when the bus has become full of 50 detainees, it drove away for an hour, during which, we were beaten on the heads when trying to raise our heads or move to sit in a more comfortable position.
The bus stopped and dropped us off. They then gave me a 1-cm thin mattress and a light blanket. They put us in a barrack divided into two halves, each half can take up to 150 detainees, while the barrack had a flake asphalt flooring, lined with barbed wires and roofed with tinplate. I was forced to kneel while being handcuffed and keeping our heads down. Since my first day, I asked for a doctor because I suffered a chronic stiff neck and the pain got worse due to the severe torture in addition to hand numbness. After 5 days, they took me to a doctor, and I told him what I was suffering from, but he did not give me any medication. Afterwards, they put a plastic tag around my left hand holding a number that I do not remember. It bearing in mind that all the way to the doctor, who was 10 meters ahead, I was being kicked, beaten with batons, and attacked by dogs backwards and forwards.
I was held in the barrack for 20 days, during which, I was interrogated twice and the first one was after 7 days of my detention there. They took me and 6 detainees on a bus 50 meters away and put us in a barrack of 3 caravans. Before entering those caravans for interrogation, I was stripped naked and examined with a metal detector. After that, they forced me to wear a diaper and then my clothes before they tied my hands and blindfolded me.
They put me in a 2×2 caravan with two soldiers, one was sitting on a computer. They seated me on a steel chair, tied one of my hands behind the chair and the other to the chair armrest while my feet were tied as well to the chair legs, and I was unblindfolded. One of the soldiers, whom I think was an officer, began to interrogate me about the neighbors’ houses, where I was on 07 October, and if I knew anyone from Hamas. When I denied knowing anyone from Hamas, he suddenly grabbed my face and forcefully pushed me. The interrogation continued for 5 hours and then they took me out into an area of pebbled floor. Also, while waiting to enter for the interrogation or after it, I was being shackled in the “Shabeh” position, where my hands were tied to an iron bridge above me, and my toes were barely touching the ground in the so-called “waiting barrack”. I remained in that painful position until they finished interrogating other detainees. They returned us later to the barrack in the evening.
The second interrogation was 5 days after the first one during which I was asked the same questions. They left us in the in the barrack for 3 days with our hands tied behind our backs and blindfolded, lying on the gravel floor. The soldiers gave us too little food consisted of a slice of bread with labneh or jam, and water. When I was in the barrack, I wanted to pee, so I asked one of the detainees to help me take off my clothes, and the other detainee next to me helped me to put my clothes on without cleaning myself. This was the same with every detainee, we were helping each other to relieve ourselves in the same place we were in while the soldiers were just watching, mocking us and laughing. On the third day, they took us back to the barracks at around 16:00.
After 10 days of detention, they started daily counting us 3 times a day: at 05:00, 13:00 and 23:30. While sleeping after the count, the soldiers would make loud noises or blast loud music, and when we woke up, they would scream and hit the tin plates, so we would wake up disturbed. The breakfast, lunch and dinner were mainly a loaf of bread with a little labneh spread, and sometimes there might be a tomato or a cucumber shared by 3 detainees. And when asking the detainee, who was appointed by the soldiers to help us, to take us to the bathroom, you would take your turn after half an hour. We went to the bathroom while being handcuffed and blindfolded, noting that there was no water or toilet paper, and only the appointed detainee helped us to take off or put on our clothes.
On the 18th day of detention, at around 17:00, one of the detainees asked to go to the doctor because he was suffering from shortness of breath due to a heart attack, but the soldiers refused and ordered the appointed detainee to cover him. At about 05:00, when we were being counted, the detainee, who asked to go to the doctor, did not stand up, so they ordered the appointed detainee to wake him up, but he was already dead. We then began to shout out loud “Allahu Akbar”, “translated God is Great”, so several soldiers raided the barrack and suppressed us by throwing stun grenades, beating us with batons and unleashing their dogs at us. This lasted for half an hour, after which, they took the deceased detainee whose name we did not know.
Two days later, at approximately 05:00, the soldiers called out 20 detainees, including me, and from the other barrack they called out 20 other detainees. They removed the plastic ties and tied our hands behind our backs and our feet with iron cuffs. They put us on a bus that drove us for 10 minutes. They then dropped us off, removed my blindfold, photographed me, and forced me to kiss the Israeli flag. Afterwards, the soldier blindfolded me again and hit my face against a wall, causing my nose to bleed. Then, the soldiers beat me with iron sticks and plastic brass knuckles (a melee weapon that is fitted and designed to be worn around the knuckles of the human hand to cause unbearable pain) and I was shocked by a soldier’s electric taser baton. The soldiers then threw me on the gravel ground and dragged me all the way to a closed detainee transportation bus called Al-bosta that was 4×2.5 meters long with small holes in its ceiling. In the bus, they made me sit on a chair and constantly beat me, particularly on the head with an iron stick. We were 20 detainees, and the soldiers turned on the air heating, and we started sweating, and then blew cold air and we started shivering. After 2 hours, the bus drove us for three hours, as soon as we got off the bus, the soldiers again beat us with iron sticks. Then they removed the handcuffs but kept the blindfolds and put us all sticking together in a 2.5×2.5-meter cell. Next to the cell, I could see from under the blindfold a sink and a water tap, and after few minutes I went to drink from it until one of the soldiers saw me and kicked me so hard with his foot on my waist that made me vomit. He then dragged me to a room surrounded by barbed wire, ordered me to strip naked, grabbed my genitals and lifted me up, so I fainted. I woke up from the severe beating I had been subjected to while I was unconscious, and this was repeated three or four times, after which, he ordered me to put on my clothes while the beating did not stop.
After putting on my clothes, he tied my hands behind my back with plastic zip ties and blindfolded me. He then dragged to a bus that was 20 meters away where there was an officer who asked me, “how is it going with the intelligence?” and I told him out of fear, “all fine” and he started laughing – I have never been so broken and humiliated ever in my life as that time!- He then forced me into the bus while punching me, and I stayed there for 10 minutes until the bus was full. After Maghrib prayers, they dropped us off in a corridor where the soldiers, one by one, punched and beat us with iron sticks, until we reached the last soldier who had a cutter and removed the plastic ties and blindfolds, ordering us to run forward. As we were running, the detainees there said, “do not worry, there is no beating here”, and then I fainted. The detainees poured some water on my face, and I woke up, but I could not stand up, so they carried me all the way to the tent called “cell 11”, and I learned from them that I was in the Negev prison. My throat was so dry because I was very thirsty, so they gave me water to drink and so did those who were with me. I spent the first night without a mattress, blanket, nor food as we were sticking together while sleeping to warm each other because the weather was very cold.
At 05:00, we woke up to the inmate count, and they gave us breakfast, which was a cup of yogurt, though I do not eat it. Then at 13:00, we had lunch that was a piece of bread and an egg or cheese, and dinner was white rice. From 14:00 to 15:00, they turned on water for us, so we used to fill water in the milk cups and plastic bags of the bread and hide them in the tent grabs since there are not enough bottles in the tents.
After 10 days, they took me for interrogation and asked me the same questions: “Are you Hamas? Do you know anyone from Hamas? and Where you were on 07 October?” After taking my statement, they took my fingerprints and a DNA sample from my saliva, and photographed me. Then, they took me back to the tent. After four days, I became sick for a week and could not stand up due to cramps in my back and knees as the detainees were carrying me to the bathroom. When I asked to go to the doctor, the soldiers refused.
At around 14:00 on 08 January 2024, one of the soldiers came and called 8 detainees out, including me. He took us out of the tent, tied my hands with iron cuffs in front, and blindfolded us. They put us on a bus, which was divided into iron rooms that looked like a closed cell with small holes, as every four detainees were held in one room. After driving us for 5 minutes, they dropped us off a 3×3 cell with a small observation window on the door and a bathroom inside. After an hour, we heard the soldiers calling out the names of detainees who were with us in the tent. We thought they would be released, but they brought them to our cell until we became 20 detainees. Then, they called us five by five, and took us to a room, and checked our names more than once. Afterwards, they took us back to the cell. After an hour, they called out our names and put us in the bus with cells, each three were held in one cell. The bus then drove us away for 5 hours and then dropped us off a doctor, but I fainted right before reaching the doctor because I was fasting and only ate a piece of bread. The doctor examined me as I had low blood pressure and seizures, and he gave me one pill of Relaxone and another of Acamol. They took me back to the very first barracks, so I felt very frustrated because I thought that I would remain in detention while I was blindfolded, and my hands were tied with iron cuffs, kneeling on the ground with my head down from 05:00 till 23:30. At around 23:00, the soldiers came and took us out of the barracks, untied our hands, gave us a grey suit to wear, and tied our hands again, ordering us to sleep at the barrack gate.
At 03:00 on 09 January 2024, the soldiers came, called out 5 detainees, including me, took us out of the barrack, removed the iron cuffs and replaced them with plastic zip ties while keeping the blindfolds. They put us on a bus that drove us for 3 hours, until we arrived at Kerem Shalom crossing at 06:00, and we were 80 detainees, including workers and a woman whom I did not know. The soldiers removed our handcuffs and ordered us to walk forward and never look back. We walked for 2 kilometers and then found an UNRWA bus waiting for us that drove us to the Rafah crossing gate. I took one of the employee’s cellphone and called my family. My brothers: Moussa (28), ‘Issa (26), and Sha’ban (25), who had been all displaced to Rafah, came to take me to my wife and children at Al-Razi Primary School for Girls in Rafah. Meanwhile, my father and mother remained in northern Gaza as they could not leave, and now I sleep every day at a different house belonging to a friend or a relative, who were displaced to Rafah as well, because I do not have enough money to buy a tent and it is not allowed to sleep with my wife at the school.
100 Days of Ongoing Genocide in Gaza Amid the International Community’s Failure to Protect Palestinians
Today, 14 January 2024, Israel’s genocidal military campaign against Gaza enters its hundredth day. Over this period, Al Mezan, Al-Haq, and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) have monitored and exposed the plethora of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts constituting genocide committed by the Israeli authorities and military across the occupied Palestinian territory, with its epicenter in Gaza. A hundred days later, the international community still falls short of fulfilling its duty to protect the Palestinian people.
The Israeli military is killing an average of 250 Palestinians per day in Gaza, a higher daily death rate than any other twenty-first-century armed conflict. In 100 days, Israeli attacks have killed one out of every 100 Palestinians in Gaza and injured—often with life-altering wounds—at least two Palestinians in every 100. As we write, thousands of Palestinians remain buried under rubble, whether dead or alive, some enduring this situation for days or even weeks. Hundreds of bodies are in a state of decay, deprived of the right to a dignified burial, as Israel continues to deny medical and rescue teams access to areas where its troops and soldiers are deployed.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, between 7 October 2023 and 12 January 2024, Israel’s genocidal military campaign in Gaza killed 23,843 Palestinians and wounded 60,317 more. According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, among those killed are approximately 10,400 children, 7,100 women, 337 medical personnel, 45 civil defense personnel, and 117 journalists. Our teams on the ground emphasize that the actual number of fatalities is considerably higher than the figure announced by the Ministry of Health, as a substantial number of individuals remain trapped under the rubble.
This chilling death and injury toll occurs amidst a deliberately imposed humanitarian crisis by the Israeli authorities upon the 2.3 million Palestinian residents of Gaza. Ninety percent of Palestinians have been displaced from their homes, with many experiencing displacement on multiple occasions, notwithstanding that there is not a single place in Gaza that can be called safe. Israel employs starvation as a method of warfare: 2.3 million residents of Gaza, including our staff, face significant daily challenges in accessing food and water. Reports of deaths from hunger, particularly among children, newborns and infants, are beginning to surface. The situation is particularly catastrophic in northern Gaza, where the presence of Israeli soldiers and troops on the ground has made the delivery of humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of civilians who are still located there virtually impossible.
Due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, every facet of life there has faced utter destruction. The local healthcare system has crumbled as Israel has declared an “unrelenting war” on the health system in Gaza, rendering it incapable of delivering essential care to the injured, sick individuals, and everyday patients. Educational pursuits have been severely disrupted, with Israeli attacks causing complete destruction to 95 schools and universities, and partial damage to 295 others, as reported by the Government Media Office in Gaza. Israeli airstrikes destroyed 145 mosques, while another 243 were partially damaged. Three churches have been destroyed by Israeli attacks, along with numerous archaeological and historical sites, as well as significant cultural landmarks, contributing to the erasure of Palestinian history and life throughout Gaza.
Simultaneously with the genocide in Gaza, Israel escalated attacks against Palestinians all across historic Palestine. In the occupied West Bank, between 7 October 2023 and 12 January 2024, the Israeli military and settlers killed 336 Palestinians, including 84 children. Over the same period of time, Israel started a campaign of mass arrest: since 7 October, at least 5875 Palestinians have been detained, as further punitive measures have been imposed on them and the existing 5,200 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including administrative detainees. Palestinians in Israeli custody and detention are subjected to torture, ill-treatment, inhumane or degrading treatment, and enforced disappearances. The Israel Prison Service announced the ‘death’ of at least seven Palestinian detainees and prisoners. Palestinians holding Israeli citizenship have also experienced various forms of persecution, including arbitrary arrests, threats of citizenship revocation, and a severe crackdown on freedom of speech.
Al Mezan, Al-Haq, and PCHR reiterate that the Palestinian people in Gaza are facing an ongoing genocide. Israel’s actions in Gaza—encompassing killings, causing severe bodily or mental harm, deliberately imposing conditions of life aimed at physical destruction, and imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group—constitute genocidal acts under the 1948 Genocide Convention. These acts are committed with the intent to destroy, either wholly or in part, the Palestinian population in Gaza. This intent is substantiated by statements from official Israeli sources and individuals expressing the clear intention to carry out such destruction.
The recent address from the Israeli Prime Minister, delivered last night, underscores the lack of any inclination on Israel’s part to cease its genocidal military campaign in Gaza. The remarks made during this speech also underline Israel’s refusal to implement a ceasefire in Gaza, in violation of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/ES-10/L.27 adopted on 10 December 2023, highlighting the urgency for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to promptly issue provisional measures.
To this end, we urge the ICJ to swiftly issue provisional measures instructing Israel to cease military operations, refrain from genocidal acts in Gaza, and facilitate the entry of aid and fact-finding teams for accountability purposes, as requested by South Africa. We additionally call on all State Parties to the Genocide Convention to express their endorsements and formally support the legal proceedings initiated by South Africa at the ICJ.
We reiterate our plea to the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, to officially acknowledge and publicly affirm that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip amount to genocide. Additionally, we urge her to condemn the genocidal rhetoric emanating from Israeli officials and emphasize the inherent dangers that such rhetoric poses to the international community.
Under international law, States must not recognize illegal situations as legitimate and must refrain from assisting in maintaining the illegal situation. States must also impose a two-way arms embargo on Israel and stop the provision and transit of military equipment that may foreseeably be used in the commission of international crimes.
Responsibility at the State level should be accompanied by individual criminal accountability. We strongly reiterate our calls on the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to promptly issue arrest warrants for Israeli political, security and military officials—especially governmental officials and high-ranking military personel—believed to be responsible for perpetrating, ordering, planning, and instigating international crimes, including genocide, committed over the past 100 days as well as since 13 June 2014.
Israel’s international crimes against the Palestinian people must cease immediately and permanently. To this end, the international community must not only hold Israel and the Israeli authorities accountable, but address the root causes by dismantling Israel’s settler-colonial and apartheid regime, and ensuring that all discriminatory and inhumane laws, policies and practices against the Palestinian people are abolished once and for all. The international community must also urge Israel, the Occupying Power, to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territory, lift the closure and blockade of Gaza, and enable the Palestinian people to fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination, including their right to return.
6 Palestinians were killed, including 2 children; one succumbed to his pervious injury, and 6 others were injured, while dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and settler attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Details are as follows:
On 04 August 2023, Qusai Jamal Mu’tan (18) was killed in cold blood by settler’s fire, while two other Palestinians were injured by other settlers’ fire in Burqa village, east of Ramallah. ( Details available in PCHR’s press release.)
On the same day, Mahmoud Hussam Abu Sa’an (18) was killed by IOF’s fire after he threw Molotov Cocktails at them during their incursion into Tulkarm and its camp.
On 06 August 2023, in a crime of extra-judicial executions (assassination), IOF killed 3 Palestinians, including a child, in Jenin. (Details available in PCHR’s press release.)
On 07 August 2023, medical sources at the Palestine Medical Complex announced the death of Ramzi Fathi Hamed (17), from Silwad village, east of Ramallah, who succumbed to an abdominal injury after the security guard of “Ofra” settlement established on lands confiscated from Silwad and Beitin villages, east of Ramallah, fired two live bullets at him, as Hamed threw Molotov Cocktails at the settlement on 01 August 2023.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians.
On 04 August 2023, two Palestinians were shot with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddum weekly peaceful protest against settlements in northern Qalqilya.
On the same day, Minister Moayad Sha’ban, Head of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), and other persons suffocated and sustained bruises during IOF’s suppression of Deir Istiya weekly peaceful protest in Salfit.
Also, a Palestinian was injured with a rubber-coated bullet in his leg during clashes with IOF following their incursion into Al-Eizariya village, southeast of occupied East Jerusalem. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested a Palestinian.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 2 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip. However, neither material damage nor casualties were reported.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 208 Palestinians, including 103 civilians; amongst them 37 children, 6 women and a person with disability, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 7 children, 9 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 1015 Palestinians, including 150 children, 30 women and 16 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Land razing, demolitions, notices and settlement
On 03 August 2023, IOF razed a 4-dunum plot of land in al-Dab’a area, east of Battir village in western Bethlehem, and uprooted at least 70 olive seedlings.
On 06 August 2023, IOF forced 8 families of 36, including 10 children, to leave al-Qaboun Compound located between Kafr Malik and al-Mughayyir village, east of Ramallah, after IOF closed all roads leading to them and prevented sheep-grazing, while settlers stole their sheep.
On the same day, IOF seized a generator from a cave where ‘Aziz al-Rab’I live in Kherbet Janba, east of Yatta, south of Hebron.
On 07 August 2023, IOF confiscated 2 vehicles and ceased ad-Dhahiriya Municipality’s construction works to establish agricultural roads in al-Baha area, east of ad-Dhahiriya village in southern Hebron, under the pretext of working in Area “C”.
On 08 August 2023, IOF handed 14 eviction notices to inhabited houses and cease-construction notices to other under-construction houses in Sarta villages, west of Salfit, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area “C”.
On the same day, IOF uprooted about 20 olive seedlings and levelled agricultural lands to build a settlement road in Kafr ad-Dik village, west of Salfit.
On 09 August 2023, IOF handed 8 cease-construction notices to under-construction houses in Sinjil village, east of Ramallah, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area “C”.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 136 families homeless, a total of 796 persons, including 174 women and 352 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 136 houses; 34 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 14 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 99 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Demolitions on grounds of collective punishment
On 08 August 2023, IOF destroyed a residential unit belonging to the family of ‘Abdul-Fattah Hussein Kharousha in the old ‘Askar refugee camp, northeast of Nablus as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy against Palestinian families of those accused of carrying out attacks against IOF and/or settlers. PCHR’s fieldworker reported that IOF moved into ‘Askar refugee camp in Nablus and broke into a 4-storey house belonging to Kharousha family, as they forced 4 families living the building out, and two other families of their relatives in nearby houses under fire and teargas canisters. As a result, a Palestinian was wounded with a live bullet in the left thigh. During the incursion, IOF implanted explosives on the 3rd floor, and remotely detonated it. As a result, the 120-sqm apartment, which housed a family of 4, including a woman, was destroyed, while 3 apartments in the same building and 2 other apartments in a nearby buildings sustained damage. It is noteworthy that IOF killed ‘Abdul-Fattah Kharousha on 07 March 2023 after he was accused of an attack that killed setters on 26 February 2023.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts
On 05 August 2023, settlers from “Ma’ale Adumim” settlement, threw stones at Palestinians and their vehicles at the entrance to Al-Eizariya village, east of East Jerusalem. As a result, windows of many vehicles were broken, and Palestinians, including women and children, panicked.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 293 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 9 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them due to being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
Israeli closure, restrictions on freedom of movement, and collective punishment:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 17-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, IOF continues to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 134 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 06 August 2023, IOF closed the northern entrance to Tuqu’ village, south of Bethlehem, and reopened it later. The closure recurred the following day.
On 07 August 2023, IOF closed Qalandia checkpoint and later reopened it.
On 08 August 2023, IOF closed the detector gates established at the entrances to villages of Nabi Saleh, Aboud, and Kharbatha Bani Harith, and reopened them after about an hour and a half. This comes as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy allegedly after a settler’s vehicle was exposed to shotting near the entrance to “Ateret” settlement, which is established on the lands of Umm Safa village, northwest of Ramallah. The entrances to Silwad were also closed but reopened later.
So far in 2023, IOF have established 3,692 temporary checkpoints and arrested tens of Palestinians at those checkpoints.
6 Palestinians were killed, including 2 children; one succumbed to his pervious injury, and 6 others were injured, while dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and settler attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Details are as follows:
On 04 August 2023, Qusai Jamal Mu’tan (18) was killed in cold blood by settler’s fire, while two other Palestinians were injured by other settlers’ fire in Burqa village, east of Ramallah. ( Details available in PCHR’s press release.)
On the same day, Mahmoud Hussam Abu Sa’an (18) was killed by IOF’s fire after he threw Molotov Cocktails at them during their incursion into Tulkarm and its camp.
On 06 August 2023, in a crime of extra-judicial executions (assassination), IOF killed 3 Palestinians, including a child, in Jenin. (Details available in PCHR’s press release.)
On 07 August 2023, medical sources at the Palestine Medical Complex announced the death of Ramzi Fathi Hamed (17), from Silwad village, east of Ramallah, who succumbed to an abdominal injury after the security guard of “Ofra” settlement established on lands confiscated from Silwad and Beitin villages, east of Ramallah, fired two live bullets at him, as Hamed threw Molotov Cocktails at the settlement on 01 August 2023.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians.
On 04 August 2023, two Palestinians were shot with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddum weekly peaceful protest against settlements in northern Qalqilya.
On the same day, Minister Moayad Sha’ban, Head of the Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), and other persons suffocated and sustained bruises during IOF’s suppression of Deir Istiya weekly peaceful protest in Salfit.
Also, a Palestinian was injured with a rubber-coated bullet in his leg during clashes with IOF following their incursion into Al-Eizariya village, southeast of occupied East Jerusalem. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested a Palestinian.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 2 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip. However, neither material damage nor casualties were reported.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 208 Palestinians, including 103 civilians; amongst them 37 children, 6 women and a person with disability, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 7 children, 9 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 1015 Palestinians, including 150 children, 30 women and 16 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Land razing, demolitions, notices and settlement
On 03 August 2023, IOF razed a 4-dunum plot of land in al-Dab’a area, east of Battir village in western Bethlehem, and uprooted at least 70 olive seedlings.
On 06 August 2023, IOF forced 8 families of 36, including 10 children, to leave al-Qaboun Compound located between Kafr Malik and al-Mughayyir village, east of Ramallah, after IOF closed all roads leading to them and prevented sheep-grazing, while settlers stole their sheep.
On the same day, IOF seized a generator from a cave where ‘Aziz al-Rab’I live in Kherbet Janba, east of Yatta, south of Hebron.
On 07 August 2023, IOF confiscated 2 vehicles and ceased ad-Dhahiriya Municipality’s construction works to establish agricultural roads in al-Baha area, east of ad-Dhahiriya village in southern Hebron, under the pretext of working in Area “C”.
On 08 August 2023, IOF handed 14 eviction notices to inhabited houses and cease-construction notices to other under-construction houses in Sarta villages, west of Salfit, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area “C”.
On the same day, IOF uprooted about 20 olive seedlings and levelled agricultural lands to build a settlement road in Kafr ad-Dik village, west of Salfit.
On 09 August 2023, IOF handed 8 cease-construction notices to under-construction houses in Sinjil village, east of Ramallah, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area “C”.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 136 families homeless, a total of 796 persons, including 174 women and 352 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 136 houses; 34 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 14 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 99 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Demolitions on grounds of collective punishment
On 08 August 2023, IOF destroyed a residential unit belonging to the family of ‘Abdul-Fattah Hussein Kharousha in the old ‘Askar refugee camp, northeast of Nablus as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy against Palestinian families of those accused of carrying out attacks against IOF and/or settlers. PCHR’s fieldworker reported that IOF moved into ‘Askar refugee camp in Nablus and broke into a 4-storey house belonging to Kharousha family, as they forced 4 families living the building out, and two other families of their relatives in nearby houses under fire and teargas canisters. As a result, a Palestinian was wounded with a live bullet in the left thigh. During the incursion, IOF implanted explosives on the 3rd floor, and remotely detonated it. As a result, the 120-sqm apartment, which housed a family of 4, including a woman, was destroyed, while 3 apartments in the same building and 2 other apartments in a nearby buildings sustained damage. It is noteworthy that IOF killed ‘Abdul-Fattah Kharousha on 07 March 2023 after he was accused of an attack that killed setters on 26 February 2023.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts
On 05 August 2023, settlers from “Ma’ale Adumim” settlement, threw stones at Palestinians and their vehicles at the entrance to Al-Eizariya village, east of East Jerusalem. As a result, windows of many vehicles were broken, and Palestinians, including women and children, panicked.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 293 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 9 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them due to being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
Israeli closure, restrictions on freedom of movement, and collective punishment:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 17-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, IOF continues to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 134 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 06 August 2023, IOF closed the northern entrance to Tuqu’ village, south of Bethlehem, and reopened it later. The closure recurred the following day.
On 07 August 2023, IOF closed Qalandia checkpoint and later reopened it.
On 08 August 2023, IOF closed the detector gates established at the entrances to villages of Nabi Saleh, Aboud, and Kharbatha Bani Harith, and reopened them after about an hour and a half. This comes as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy allegedly after a settler’s vehicle was exposed to shotting near the entrance to “Ateret” settlement, which is established on the lands of Umm Safa village, northwest of Ramallah. The entrances to Silwad were also closed but reopened later.
So far in 2023, IOF have established 3,692 temporary checkpoints and arrested tens of Palestinians at those checkpoints.
5 Palestinians, including a child, were wounded, while dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Details are as follows:
On 14 July 2023, a child was wounded with a live bullet in the thigh after IOF opened fire during the suppression of Palestinians who were trying to prevent settlers from establishing a settlement outpost, southwest of Kobar village in Ramallah.
On 16 July 2023, 2 Palestinians were wounded with rubber bullets, and others suffocated during clashes with IOF in Bethlehem. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested 3 Palestinians.
On the same day, a Palestinian was wounded with a live bullet in the shoulder after IOF opened fire during their incursion into Tal village in Nablus. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested 2 Palestinians.
On 17 July 2023, a Palestinian was wounded with a live bullet that penetrated his back and abdomen, causing gastrointestinal perforation and his condition was deemed serious. IOF opened fire when he was in front of his house during IOF’s incursion into Al-Fawar camp, south of Hebron. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested another Palestinian.
In the Gaza Strip, 3 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, while 7 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the western Gaza shores.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 194 Palestinians, including 96 civilians; amongst them 33 children, 6 women and a Palestinian with disability, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 6 children, 7 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 985 Palestinians, including 147 children, 30 women and 16 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Land razing, demolitions, notices, and settlement
IOF displaced 50 Palestinians, including 23 children and 11 women, after demolishing 11 houses and razing agricultural lands in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, while Israeli settlers established a settlement outpost in Ramallah.
On 14 July 2023, settlers set up a tent and placed a water tank in Al-Batin area, southwest of Kobar village in Ramallah, in an attempt to establish a new settlement outpost. As a result, Kobar villagers gathered and tried to confront the settlers by throwing stones at them, but IOF instantly intervened and suppressed the villagers, wounding a child.
On 16 July 2023, IOF demolished ten 70-sqm houses of bricks and tinplate in Al-Sawahra Al-Sharqiya village in East Jerusalem, rendering 45 Palestinians, including 20 children, homeless.
On the same day, IOF forced Ahmad Qareen to self-demolish his house in Silwan in East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction, displacing him, his wife and three children.
On 17 July 2023, IOF leveled a 3-dunum plot of land and uprooted 100 olive and almond trees in the village of Husan, west of Bethlehem. They arrested the son of the land’s owner after assaulting him and his mother.
IOF also stopped the expansion works on the main road leading to al-Rashaida village, east of Bethlehem, and seized a bulldozer after arresting its driver, under the pretext of not obtaining a license.
On 18 July 2023, IOF leveled an 8-dunum plot of land planted with 210 olive, almond and forest trees in the village of Bern, east of Hebron, under the pretext of being state lands.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 120 families homeless, a total of 721 persons, including 154 women and 329 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 128 houses; 28 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 13 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 91 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts
Israeli settlers carried out 13 attacks on Palestinians and their property, threw stones at them, cut trees, and set many vehicles ablaze in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 15 July 2023, Israeli settlers, from “Havat Maon’ settlement outpost, which is established on Palestinian lands confiscated from Hebron, attacked Palestinians shepherds while grazing their sheep in the lands near Kherbet Saroura and Kherbet al-Mofqara. Afterwards, IOF arrived in the area, arrested a volunteer working for the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories “B’Tselem” and released him later.
On the same day, settlers pumped wastewater at agricultural lands in Nahalin village, west of Bethlehem. The agricultural lands have a water spring and are planted with different types of crops.
On the same day, Israeli settlers attacked a house in Sebastia village in Nablus. Afterwards, IOF intervened and arrested two Palestinians, including the owner of the attacked house.
On 16 July 2023, settlers set 4 vehicles ablaze and wrote racist slogans in Abu Ghosh village in occupied East Jerusalem.
On the same day, Israeli settlers set agricultural lands planted with olive trees ablaze in Burin village in southern Nablus, burning many olive trees. They also prevented the fire truck from reaching the area and threw stones at Palestinians’ houses in the village. When the Palestinians tried to confront the settlers, IOF fired teargas canisters at them, causing many of them to suffocate. Additionally, Israeli settlers set up a tent in the outskirts of Burin village, amid fears that it would be in a prelude to establish another settlement outpost in the area.
Israeli settlers gathered near the intersection of Jit village, east of Qalqilya, and held banners with racist slogans against the Palestinians, blocking traffic.
Also, settlers attacked Palestinians’ vehicles at the western entrance to Beitin village, north of al-Bireh City, breaking the windows of some of them.
On 17 July 2023, settlers, under IOF’s protection, deployed along Huwara main street in Nablus and threw stones at Palestinian vehicles. Also, the settlers threw stones at a Palestinian house near Huwara military checkpoint, south of Nablus. The settlers deployed on the road connecting Qusra village with Jalud village in Nablus and indiscriminately opened fire in the area.
On the same day, Israeli settlers cut about 250 grape vines and wrote the phrase “price tag” in Hebrew on stone chains in al-Bouira area, east of Hebron.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 281 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 7 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them due to being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests:
IOF carried out 166 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 89 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 women.
So far in 2023, IOF have conducted 5,362 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 2,981 Palestinians were arrested, including 28 women and 326 children. Also, IOF arrested 39 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, including 17 fishermen, 20 infiltrators into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing. IOF also conducted 19 incursions.
Israeli closure, restrictions on freedom of movement, and collective punishment:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 16-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update at the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 105 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 16 July 2023, as part of IOF collective punishment measures following the shooting attack near Tekoa village that injured 3 settlers, IOF closed all Bethlehem’s entrances, the entrance to ‘Aqbet Hasnah leading to the western rural villages, the southern entrance to Al-Khader village “al-Nashash” with a metal detector gate, the entrances to Beit Fajjar and Tekoa villages, al-Container military checkpoint, the western entrance to Beit Jala village, and the entrances to Tekoa village, southeast of Bethlehem.
So far in 2023, IOF have established 3,298 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 142 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
15 Palestinians, including 6 children, were killed, while 144 others, including 19 children, 3 women and a journalist, were wounded, while dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)’s attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Details are as follows:
On 04 July 2023, IOF withdrew from Jenin refugee camp after conducting a widescale military operation backed by more than one thousand soldiers, dozens of military vehicles, and warplanes of different types. The operation, which lasted for 40 hours, killed 12 Palestinians, including 6 civilians, amongst them 5 children; 2 of them were members of the Palestinian armed groups, and wounded 120 others, including 14 children, at least 2 women and 20 in serious condition. In addition, 109 houses were partially destroyed and became uninhabitable, while the infrastructure was extensively destroyed, including levelling of streets, and outage of power, water and internet as well as disruption of communication services. Also, about 4000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes during the operation[1][2].PCHR’s staff continues to collect information and document IOF violations and crimes during the aggression on Jenin.
On 24 June 2023, Al-Arabi Specialized Arab Hospital announced the death of Tariq Mousa Idris (39), a member of the Palestinian armed groups from ‘Askar refugee camp in Nablus, after succumbing to wounds he sustained by several bullets fired by IOF in clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into the camp the day before. In the same incursion, 5 Palestinians were arrested.
On the same day, Isaac Hamdi Al-‘Ajlouni (17), from Kafr ‘Aqab village in Jerusalem, was killed after IOF fired several bullets at him when he carried out a shooting attack at the Israeli soldiers stationed at Qalandia checkpoint, north of East Jerusalem.
Mohammad ‘Imad Abu Hassanein (21) was also killed by IOF fire during clashes at the northern entrance to Al-Bireh. (Details available in PCHR’s press release).
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians.
On 22 June 2023, an elderly woman sustained a superficial bullet wound in her shoulder after IOF opened fire to protect a group of settlers who raided and attacked ‘Urif village in Nablus.
On 23 June 2023, 4 Palestinians, including a child, were wounded with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddum weekly peaceful protest in northern Qalqilya.
On the same day, Khaled Akram Malalha (5) was shot with a live bullet in his left eye that required its enucleation. The child was injured after IOF stationed at a temporary checkpoint at the entrance to Bazariya village in Nablus opened fire at a civilian vehicle he was travelling amid clashes that broke out in the area.
On 27 June 2023, 2 Palestinians were wounded by IOF fire during confrontations in Nablus. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested 6 Palestinians, including journalist Mohammad Anwar Mona (44) from Zawata village.
On 30 June 2023, 7 Palestinians, including a child, were wounded with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddum peaceful weekly in northern Qalqilya.
On 03 July 2023, 3 children were wounded with live bullets during clashes with IOF at the entrance to Beit Ummar in Hebron. Another Palestinian was also wounded with a live bullet in the foot during similar clashes near Beit Einoun intersection in Hebron.
In the Gaza Strip, on 04 July 2023, 4 Palestinians, including a child, were wounded with live bullets and teargas canisters directly fired by IOF during a demonstration in solidarity with Jenin, east of Gaza. Journalist Fadi Shana’a was wounded with a gas canister in his foot, and another fired eat his camera while covering a similar demonstration in eastern Khan Yunis.
Also, 5 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, while 2 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the western Gaza shores.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 189 Palestinians, including 95 civilians; amongst them 33 children, 6 women and a Palestinian with disability, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 6 children, 7 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 962 Palestinians, including 146 children, 29 women and 16 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Land razing, demolitions, seizures and settlement
On 22 June 2023, settlers began to establish a settlement outpost on the lands of Derastia village, west of Salfit, opposite to the Emmanuel settlement. The settlers, protected by IOF, leveled the land, set up tents and pens for livestock and prevented Palestinians from reaching their lands.
On the same day, IOF demolished two under-construction houses in the northern Jordan Valley, east of Tubas, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
IOF also delivered a notice to the residents of Qarawet Bani Hassan village in Salfit, to evacuate Beer Abu ‘Ammar, which is an agricultural recreational area for the municipality, west of the village.
On 23 June 2023, IOF confiscated an excavator while working on a dirt road, east of Al-Dhahiriya village in Hebron.
On 26 June 2023, IOF handed 6 notices to vacate lands of more than 7 dunums, west of Beit Ula in Hebron, under the pretext of being state lands.
On 29 June 2023, settlers, protected by IOF, set up tents on the Palestinian lands in Umm Lakhous area in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron, in order to establish a settlement outpost, as IOF arrested 4 Palestinians who tried to confront the settlers.
On 03 July 2023, IOF forced ‘AbdulKareem Abu Tair to self-demolish part of his house in Jabal Al-Mukaber in East Jerusalem upon an Israeli municipal decision under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 105 families homeless, a total of 656 persons, including 139 women and 299 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 113 houses; 27 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 13 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 89 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Demolitions on grounds of collective punishment
On 22 June 2023, IOF destroyed the family house of detainee Kamal Hani Jouri in Nablus as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy against Palestinian families of those accused of carrying out attacks against IOF and/or settlers. PCHR’s fieldworker reported that the destroyed house was an apartment on the second floor of a 7-storey building. IOF forced the residents of the building and 10 other families in nearby houses to evacuate, implanted explosives on the second floor, and remotely detonated it. As a result, the 180-sqm apartment, which housed a family of 5, including a child, was destroyed. It is noteworthy that IOF arrested Kamal Jouri on 13 February 2023 after he was accused of participating in an attack that killed an Israeli soldier on 11 October 2022.
Since the beginning of the year, IOF have destroyed 13 houses on grounds of collective punishment.
Money and Property Confiscation on grounds of Collective Punishment
On 26 June 2023, IOF raided and searched 16 houses belonging to former detainees in the Israeli prisons in several neighborhoods and villages in occupied East Jerusalem and seized money, vehicles, belongings, and jewelry belonging to those detainees and their families. IOF also handed some of them seizure orders and imposed on them high fines under the pretext that they receive money from the Palestinian Authority (PA).
The Israeli police said in a statement that during their campaign, they seized 270,000 shekels, gold jewelry, 7 vehicles and a motorcycle, in addition to freezing 16 bank accounts.
Family members of the former detainees said to PCHR’s fieldworker that IOF seized their vehicles and gold jewelry, which are personal assets and have nothing to do with the PA.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts
On 22 June 2023, Israeli settlers, under IOF’s protection, moved into ‘Urif village in Nablus, where they threw stones at Palestinians’ houses and ‘Obadat al-Rahman Mosque, breaking its windows and ripping and setting copies of the holy Quran ablaze. Also, they burned a classroom on the first floor of ‘Urif Secondary School for Boys.
On 24 June 2023, under IOF’s protection, at least 250 settlers, from “Ateret” settlement established on Ramallah’s lands, moved into Umm Safa village, northwest of Ramallah, and conducted widescale attacks. As a result, 3 residential houses, 3 cars and about 4 cypress trees were burned, and windows and doors of 5 other houses as well as windows of 5 vehicles were broken. Also, many persons suffocated after IOF fired teargas canisters to disperse the Palestinians who tried to confront the settlers.
On 30 June 2023, Israeli settlers, protected by IOF, expelled Palestinians from their lands in Nuweitif area in Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of Salfit, under the pretext that the area is classified as Area (C).
On the same day, Israeli settlers, from “Kiryat Arba” settlement, east of Hebron, threw stones at Palestinians’ houses near the settlement and when the residents tried to confront them, an Israeli settler opened fire from his pistol at Matariyia family members. Afterwards, large forces of Israeli soldiers arrived and arrested 4 Palestinians.
On 01 July 2023, Israeli settlers, under IOF’s protection, attacked Palestinian farmers in Kafr ad-Dik village, west of Salfit. Also, IOF arrested a Palestinian and beat another.
On 02 July 2023, two Palestinians were injured after Israeli settlers threw stones at a Palestinian vehicle near the entrance to Yasuf village, east of Salfit.
On the same day, Israeli settlers uprooted 35 forest and citrus trees and damaged Palestinians’ property in Bir Abu ‘Ammar area in Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of Salfit, noting that on 22 June 2023, IOF gave notice to evacuate the area.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 260 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 7 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
Violations of freedom of worship:
On 28 June 2023, Israeli police moved into the vicinity of Bab al-Rahma prayer hall before the start of Eid al-Adha prayer, closed its doors, attacked, and pushed tens of Palestinian worshipers, arrested 15 of them from al-Aqsa Mosque and at its gates. This happened after the Israeli police filed a request to the Israeli Magistrate Court in Jerusalem last Tuesday demanding the re-closure of Bab al-Rahma prayer hall under the pretext of being a strategic area for the Palestinian factions.
On 01 July 2023, IOF closed some of al-Aqsa Mosque’s gates in occupied East Jerusalem in front of Palestinian worshipers for the second time in one week under the pretext of presence of few Palestinian worshipers and few Israeli police officers to guard the mosque, in an unprecedented step as part of the Israeli occupation’s policy to change the status quo of al-Aqsa Mosque and attempts to impose a temporal and spatial division. According to the Deputy Director General of the Islamic Endowments (Awqaf) Department in Jerusalem, Najeh Bakirat, on the second day of Eid al-Adha, 29 June 2023, the Israeli police intentionally closed Bab al-Asbat (Lions Gate), one of the most important gates in the northeastern side of al-Aqsa Mosque, under the pretext of the insufficient number of police officers to guard it as well as the few numbers of Palestinian worshipers entering through it. They also closed Bab al-Hadeed, Bab al-Qawanmah, and Bab al-Malik Faisal, and other gates of al-Aqsa Mosque, while Bab_Hutta, Bab al-Majles and Bab al-Selselah remained open. Bakirat added that on Saturday, the fourth day of Eid al-Adha, the Israeli police unjustifiably re-closed Bab al-Asbat.
On 02 July 2023, IOF handed Eng. Bassam ak-Hallaq, Director of al-Aqsa Mosque’s Reconstruction Committee of the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs in Jerusalem, an order completely banning the employees of the Reconstruction Committee from working at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and threatening to arrest any employee who returns to work inside the mosque.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 293 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 196 Palestinians were arrested, including 8 children and a journalist. Jenin refugee camp has witnessed a mass arrest campaign targeting at least 120 Palestinians. In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 2 limited incursions into eastern Bureij refugee camp on 26 and 27 June 2023.
So far in 2023, IOF have conducted 5,096 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 2,892 Palestinians were arrested, including 26 women and 326 children. Also, IOF arrested 39 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip including 17 fishermen, 20 infiltrators into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing. IOF also conducted 19 incursions.
Israeli closure, restrictions on freedom of movement, and collective punishment:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 16-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 203 temporary checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 22 June 2023, IOF closed the metal detector gate established on the road connecting Nahalin village with Jab’a village in Bethlehem to vehicles’ movement.
So far in 2023, IOF have established 3,065 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 135 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Weekly Update 15-21 June 2023)
Violation of right to life and bodily integrity:
15 Palestinians, including 7 civilians, amongst them a girl, were killed, and 116 others, including 18 children and a journalist, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)’s attacks in the West Bank, where IOF warplanes launched airstrikes for the first time in 20 years. Details are as follows:
On 15 June 2023, Khalil Yehia (20), a member of the Palestinian armed groups, was killed and another Palestinian was injured in clashes with IOF that accompanied their incursion into Nablus and demolition of a house belonging to Palestinian prisoner Osama ‘Alaa al-Taweel.
On 19 June 2023, 5 Palestinians, including 3 civilians, amongst them a child, were killed, and 91 others were injured, mostly civilians, amongst them 15 children, a journalist, and 23 in serious condition. On 20 June 2023, one of the wounded succumbed to his injury. (Details available in PCHR’s press release.) Also, Sadeel Ghasan Naghnighyia Turkman (15) died 2 days after sustaining a bullet injury in the head. Sadeel’s father said to PCHR’s fieldworker that IOF opened fire at his daughter from 120 meters while she was in the house yard photographing military vehicles’ incursion into the area, wounding her with a live bullet in her head. Sadeeel was evacuated in serious condition to Jenin Governmental Hospital, where she stayed until her death was announced in the morning of 21 June 2023.
On the same day, Zakariyia Zaghloul (20) was shot dead by IOF during clashes that broke out in Bethlehem. (Details available in PCHR’s press release.)
On 20 June 2023, in a crime of extrajudicial execution, IOF shot dead Khaled Mostafa Sabbah (24), from Nablus, at point-blank after intercepting a taxi carrying him on Tubas-Jenin main street. Also, the taxi driver sustained injuries. Later, IOF announced that Sabbah was the second perpetrator of the shooting attack in “Eli” settlement, southeast of Nablus, that took place few hours earlier, killing 4 Israeli settlers and injuring others. It is worth noting that the first perpetrator was identified as Mohannad Faleh Shehadeh (25), from Nablus, and killed in the attack.
On 21 June 2023, Omar Hashem Jabara (25) was killed, and 11 other Palestinians were injured when IOF opened fire while protecting dozens of Israeli settlers who conducted widescale attacks and retaliatory acts in Turmus ‘Ayya village in Ramallah. (Details available in PCHR’s press release).
On 21 June 2023, in a new crime of extrajudicial execution, IOF killed 3 members of Palestinian armed groups, including a child, after IOF warplanes targeted a white Tucson SUV carrying them near al-Jalamah Crossing, north of Jenin. PCHR’s fieldworker said that IOF prevented Palestinian ambulance crews from approaching the targeted vehicle and allowed the civil defense crew to put out the fire that broke out in the vehicle. They then pulled out three charred bodies from the vehicle and took them to an unknown destination. Later, the IOF pulled the vehicle to al-Jalamah Crossing. Those killed were identified as: Suhaib ‘Adnan al-Ghoul (28), Mohammed Bashar ‘Owais (27), and Ashraf Murad al-Sa’di (17). This was the first time IOF used their warplanes to carry out assassinations in the West Bank in 18 years. IOF Spokesperson claimed, “there is a precise surgery happening now to eradicate a terrorist threat.”
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians.
On 16 June 2023, 3 Palestinians, including a child, were shot with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddum weekly peaceful protest in Qalqilya.
On the same day, 2 Palestinians, including a journalist, were injured with live bullets fired by IOF in clashes in Beit Ummar village in Hebron.
On 17 June 2023, a Palestinian was shot with a live bullet in his hand by IOF during their incursion into Silat al-Harithiya village, west of Jenin. Also, several bullets fired by IOF hit an electricity transformer and cut the electricity in the camp.
On the same day, a child sustained live bullet shrapnel injuries in his thigh by IOF in clashes near a military checkpoint established by IOF at the entrance to al-‘Arroub refugee camp in Hebron.
On 19 June 2023, a child was injured with 2 rubber-coated bullets in his neck and chest during clashes with IOF that accompanied their incursion into eastern Beit Furik village in Nablus.
On 20 June 2023, a Palestinian was shot with a live bullet in his right foot in clashes with IOF that followed their incursion into Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas. In the evening, 3 Palestinians were injured with live bullets when IOF opened fire at them to protect the Israeli settlers who conducted attacks in Al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya village in Nablus. Also, a Palestinian was shot with a live bullet in his foot during clashes with IOF at Husan village’s entrance in Bethlehem.
In the Gaza Strip, at least 4 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in the eastern Gaza Strip and one on fishing boats off the western Gaza shores, where Israeli gunboats pumped water at a Palestinian fishing boat, damaging its engine and ripping the fishing nets.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 173 Palestinians, including 87 civilians; amongst them 27 children, 6 women, a person with disability, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 3 children, 7 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 818 Palestinians, including 127 children, 26 women and 15 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Land razing, demolitions, notices and settlement
IOF demolished 10 housing units and destroyed 3 facilities and other property in the oPt, displacing 46 persons, including 23 children and 10 women. Details are as follows:
On 15 June 2023, IOF dismantled 4 barracks and uprooted 4 residential tents in northern Jordan Valleys, east of Tubas, under the pretext of illegal construction in Area (C). As a result, 4 families of 16, including 4 women and 5 children, were displaced.
On the same day, IOF demolished Maher Zarina’s 150-sqm house in Beit Jala village, west of Bethlehem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. The house sheltered 2 women.
IOF handed a cease-construction notice to 2 houses in western Shuyukh al-‘Arrub village in Hebron, under the pretext of illegal construction in Area (C). Also, IOF handed 7 eviction notices to 19 dunums in the same village, under the pretext of being state lands. It should be mentioned noting that these dunums house, a water well, a house, stone chains, and various crops.
On 18 June 2023, the Israeli government approved a decision allowing the Israeli Minister of Finance, one of the “Regavim” settlement organization founders and head of the Religious Zionist Party, to issue preliminary approval for planning and building in the Israeli settlements in addition to shortening settlements expansion procedures. The Israeli “Kan” radio station said that upon this decision, construction plans in the settlements will be approved without needing the approval of Israel’s top political echelons, contrary to the status quo for the last 25 years.
On 19 June 2023, IOF demolished 3 animal facilities built of tinplate in Qalandia in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of building in Area C.
On the same day, IOF handed 10 cease-construction notices to a house, buildings, rooms, and a street in eastern Yatta in Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
On 20 June 2023, the Israeli municipality demolished a 2-storey residential building in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, rendering 2 families of 15, including 2 women and 11 children, homeless. The building belonged to two brothers, namely Wafi and Bahjat al-Taweel.
On the same day, IOF forced Nasri al-Rajbi to implement the Israeli municipal order and self-demolish his 90-sqm house in Beit Hanina village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, rendering his family of 7, including 5 children, homeless.
On 21 June 2023, IOF demolished a 120-sqm apartment built of fortified tin and belonging to Ziyad Abu Sbitan in al-Tur neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
IOF also demolished a retaining fence surrounding a plot of land in Sho’afat refugee camp, occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 104 families homeless, a total of 651 persons, including 138 women and 298 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 110 houses and housing units; 26 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 12 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 89 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Demolitions on grounds of collective punishment
On 15 June 2023, IOF destroyed a residential unit belonging to the family of the Palestinian detainee Osama ‘Alaa Al-Taweel in Nablus, as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy against Palestinian families of those accused of carrying out attacks against IOF and/or settlers. PCHR’s fieldworker reported that IOF moved into Nablus, broke into a 5-storery house belonging to Al-Taweel family, and forced out its residents that included 8 families of 37, amongst them 10 women and 14 children, in addition to 10 other families from nearby houses amid firing of tear gas canisters and stun grenades to entice fear among them and prevent them from approaching the area. During the raid, IOF implanted explosives on the 4th floor of the house and remotely detonated it, destroying the 165-sqm floor that housed a family of 6, including two children. It is noteworthy that IOF arrested Osama Al-Taweel on 13 February 2023 after he was shot with three live bullets in the abdomen and thighs and accused of carrying out an attack that killed an Israeli soldier on 11 October 2022.
On 21 June 2023, IOF raided the family houses of Mohannad Shehadeh and Khaleh Sabah, who were killed after carrying out a shooting attack that killed 4 settlers the day before in the village of ‘Orif in Nablus. IOF took measurements of the two houses in preparation for demolition, as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy against Palestinian families of those carrying out attacks against IOF and settlers. Before IOF’s withdrawal, the latter arrested 6 Palestinians, including 2 children.
Since the beginning of the year, IOF destroyed 12 houses on grounds of collective punishment.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts
On 16 June 2023, settlers from the Ma’on settlement established on the lands of Hebron attacked shepherds in eastern Yatta, denied them access to the pastures in their lands that are under the Israeli settlers’ control after the establishment of the pastoral settlement outpost “Mtsad Yehuda”.
On 17 June 2023, settlers from Tafouh settlement, established on the lands of Yasuf village, east of Salfit, stole 10 sheep from a barn in the village and killed a watchdog.
On 20 June 2023, settlers carried out widescale attacks and retaliatory acts across the West Bank, following a shooting attack that killed 4 settlers in Eli settlement between Nablus and Ramallah. Details are as follows:
Four Palestinians, including one with his wife and daughter, were injured after settlers threw stones at the Palestinian vehicles near the entrance to Yasuf town, east of Salfit, carrying out riots on the roads and breaking windows of a vehicle.
A child sustained injuries after a settler who was riding a bike near the entrance to Al-Laban Al-Sharqiya village in Nablus. Later, settlers marched towards the village, and reached As-Sawiya High School, chanting “Death to Arabs”. They threw stones at the school and houses, set fire to two car workshops, attacked commercial facilities with stones, and burned 5 vehicles completely.
On 21 June 2023, at dawn, settlers attacked a Palestinian house in the town of Kafr Al-Dik, west of Salfit, by smashing its windows, setting a tractor ablaze, and stealing an electric bike.
In the evening, dozens of settlers, protected by IOF, carried out widescale attacks and retaliatory acts in the town of Turmusaya in Ramallah, and burned dozens of homes and vehicles. (Details available in PCHR’s press release).
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 252 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 7 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them due to being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 198 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 69 Palestinians were arrested, including 14 children and a woman.
So far in 2023, IOF have conducted 4,803 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 2,696 Palestinians were arrested, including 26 women and 318 children. Also, IOF arrested 39 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip including 17 fishermen, 19 infiltrators into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing. IOF also conducted 17 incursions.
Israeli closure, restrictions on freedom of movement, and collective punishment:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 16-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 106 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 20 June 2023, IOF closed Marah Rabah village’s entrance, south of Bethlehem, to vehicles’ movement in and out.
So far in 2023, IOF have established 2,862 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 131 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
A Palestinian toddler was killed, and 10 other Palestinians, including 2 children and a woman, were wounded, while dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Details are as follows:
On 05 June 2023, two-and-a-half-year-old Mohammad Hitham al-Tamimi succumbed to a bullet injury in his head in an IOF shooting in Nabi Saleh village in Ramallah on 01 June 2023. Also, his father and 3 other Palestinians, including a woman and a child, were wounded. (Details available in PCHR’s press release).
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians.
On 01 June 2023, a Palestinian was shot with a bullet in his waist after IOF unjustifiably opened fire at his vehicle while crossing the Shu’fat refugee camp checkpoint in occupied East Jerusalem. The wounded was evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, where his health condition was deemed serious.
On 04 June 2023, a Palestinian sustained bruises after being assaulted by IOF in Hebron’s Old City.
On the same day, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were shot with live bullets fired by IOF when the latter were protecting Israeli settlers, who conducted attacks in Burqa village in Nablus. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested a Palestinian.
On 05 June 2023, 3 Palestinians were injured with rubber-coated bullets and a teargas canister fired by IOF while protecting Israeli settlers who conducted attacks in Kafr Thulth village in eastern Qalqilya. Also, Israeli settlers threw stones and wounded a Palestinian in the head as well as burning a vehicle.
In the Gaza Strip, 4 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip while 9 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the western Gaza shores.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 156 Palestinians, including 78 civilians, amongst them 25 children and 6 women, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, 7 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 671 Palestinians, including 105 children, 26 women and 12 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Land razing, demolitions, notices and settlement
IOF demolished 5 houses, including 2 residential buildings comprised of 5 housing units, displacing 6 families of 43, including 13 women and 22 children. Also, IOF demolished 2 facilities and seized around 45 dunums in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 02 June 2023, IOF forced Ibrahim Abu Tair to self-demolish his 90-sqm house in Umm Tuba village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, rendering him and his pregnant wife homeless.
On 04 June 2023, IOF forced ‘Odai Surri to self-demolish a ceramic tiles showroom comprised of two buildings: one is 300 sqms and built of aluminum while the other is 100 sqms built of wood and aluminum in Jabal Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
On the same day, IOF seized a 2-dunum plot of land and handed a demolition notice to a residential house in Al-Khader village in Bethlehem.
Also, IOF handed a cease-construction notice to 2 houses and a livestock barrack in eastern ad-Dhahiriya village in Hebron under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
On 05 June 2023, the Israeli occupation authorities announced the seizure of 42 dunums and 651 square meters from Sarta and Bruqin villages in western Salfit under the pretext of “land acquisition for public interest” and expanding the settlement road known as “Street 5” that serves “Beduel” settlement established on Palestinian lands, west of Salfit.
On 06 June 2023, IOF forced 3 Palestinian families to self-demolish 2 residential buildings comprised of 5 housing units in Wadi Qaddoum neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of land acquisition for public interest. As a result, 31 persons, including 9 women and 17 children, were displaced.
On the same day, IOF demolished As’ad Shrieteh’s 120-sqm house in Al-Mazra’a al- Gharbiyia village in Ramallah.
Also, IOF demolished Fatmah Totah’s 120-sqm house in Wadi al-Jouz neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, displacing 8 persons, including 2 women and 5 children; one of them has a mobility impairment and mental disability. In the same area, IOF demolished a 50-sqm horse barrack belonging to ‘Arafat Totah under the pretext of unlicensed construction on green land.
Moreover, IOF uprooted 100 olive trees, razed many agricultural roads, and demolished a retaining wall in southern Hizam village in occupied East Jerusalem.
IOF gave demolition notices to 3 houses in eastern Yatta city in Hebron under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
On 07 June 2023, IOF confiscated a 12-sqm steel caravan in Idhna village in Hebron.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 94 families homeless, a total of 600 persons, including 125 women and 274 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 100 houses; 25 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 10 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 85 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts
Settlers carried out at least 5 attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, injuring many Palestinians and damaging their property. Also, the settlers stole 19 sheep in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 03 June 2023, settlers opened fire, threw stones and pepper-sprayed at 3 houses in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem while heading to the Tomb of “Rabbi Shimon” in the central neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.
On 04 June 2023, Israeli settlers, from “Homesh” settlement, which is established on the lands of Silat ad-Dhahr village in southern Jenin and Burqa and Bizzariya villages in northwestern Nablus, attacked Palestinian houses at the main entrance to Burqa village. Also, the settlers set a Hyundai car ablaze, broke the windows of 2 other cars and smashed the windows of 3 houses.
On 05 June 2023, Israeli settlers, from the pastoral settlement outposts, which are established on the lands of ‘Ein Samiya compound in eastern Ramallah, sneaked into the Palestinian land in the same compound. They damaged crops and greenhouses, cut branches of trees, and damaged water tanks.
On 07 June 2023, settlers stole 19 sheep from a barn belonging to a Palestinian from Kafr ad-Dik village in western Salfit.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 219 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 7 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them were due to being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 190 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 99 Palestinians were arrested, including 6 children. On 01 June 2023, IOF conducted a widescale arrest campaign against 23 Palestinians from Tuqu village in Bethlehem. On 06 June 2023, IOF locked the residents of a building housing 3 families of 14 on the ground floor near the annexation wall in Zeita village in Tulkarm, and turned it into a military barrack. One of the building residents said that IOF forced them to leave their apartments and locked all of them on the ground floor, informed them that they will stay in the house for 3 days.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF carried out a limited incursion into eastern Khan Yunis on 05 June 2023.
So far in 2023, IOF have conducted 4,431 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 2,545 Palestinians were arrested, including 25 women and 291 children. Also, IOF arrested 34 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip including 12 fishermen, 19 infiltrators into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing. IOF also conducted 16 incursions.
Israeli closure, restrictions on freedom of movement, and collective punishment:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 16-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 120 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
As part of their collective punishment policy, IOF continued their cordon on al-Mughayyir village, east of Ramallah, for 24 consecutive days by closing its eastern and western entrances, under the pretext of providing protection for settlers living in the nearby pastoral settlement outposts.
According to PCHR’s fieldworker, on 01 June 2023 in the morning, IOF removed the sand berms from the western entrance and re-opened it after 19 days of its closure while the western eastern remained closed. As the villagers continued to protest the closure of the eastern entrance and their attempts to re-open it, IOF moved into the village on 03 June 2023 and conducted a widescale incursion; during which 15 Palestinians were arrested.
Ameen Abu ‘Aliyia, Head of Mughayyir Village Council, said that IOF have completely closed the village’s eastern entrance while they close the western entrance daily from 06:30 to 14:00, preventing the villagers from entering and exiting the village and forcing them to take dirt roads to reach their workplaces.
So far in 2023, IOF have established 2,646 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 126 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
2 Palestinians Killed, and 10 Houses and 1 Apartment Bombed in Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza Strip, Death Toll Rises to 33, including 4 Women and 6 Children
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue their widescale aggression on the Gaza Strip, which began at dawn on Tuesday, 09 May 2023. After the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) issued a previous press release, IOF warplanes conducted more airstrikes on residential houses, agricultural lands, sites of the Palestinian armed groups, and others. As a result, 2 members of the Palestinian armed groups were killed, and other Palestinians were wounded. Thus, the death toll since the Israeli aggression started has risen to 33, including 15 civilians, amongst them 6 children and 4 women. According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the number of injuries has risen to 147, including 48 children, 26 women and 10 elderlies. Also, 10 residential houses and a residential apartment were destroyed in Israeli airstrikes, bringing the number of targeted houses and apartments to 24, including 22 completely destroyed. Moreover, a hospital and a healthcare center sustained damage due to nearby airstrikes.
This comes at a time the humanitarian crisis and disruption of public life exacerbate, as schools have been closed and fishing at Gaza Sear has been suspended for the fourth consecutive day, leaving 3500 fishermen without a source of income. Also, due to closure of crossings, movement of Gaza imports and exports has stopped, including the entry of fuel needed for the operation of Gaza Power Plant that is about to run out, forcing the Plant’s administration to turn off one of the three turbines to prolong its working hours and implying that the plant will totally shut down within 72 hours.
The following are the most significant developments:
12 May 2023
At 14:15: IOF warplanes bombed and completely destroyed Sameer Taha’s 2-storey house of 3 apartments in Jablia.
Around the same time, IOF warplanes launched 2 missiles at Ahmed al-Hashash’s asbestos house in northern Rafah. As a result, al-Hashash’s house was completely destroyed in addition to 3 other asbestos houses while a person was injured.
At 15:55: IOF warplanes bombed and completely destroyed Kamal Abu Tair’s 3-storey house of 5 apartments in ‘Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis.
At 16:20: Eyad al-‘Abed al-Hasani (51), a commander of Al-Quds Brigades, and his Deputy, Mohammed Waleed ‘Abed al-‘Aal (33) were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential apartment on the 5th floor of a building in al-Nasser neighborhood in western Gaza City. As a result, the apartment was destroyed and 5 Palestinians, including 2 children, were injured. IOF announced that IOF and Shin Bet (Shabak) killed in a joint targeted operation Eyad al-Hasani, head of the Palestinian Islamic ‘s (PIJ) operations unit at, along with another operative.
Around the same time, IOF warplanes launched 2 missiles at Hussain Ma’rouf’s 3-storey house of 4 apartments in Beit Lahia, destroying it completely.
At 20:30: IOF warplanes bombed and completely destroyed a 5-storey house belonging to Mohammad Yassin in Al-Zaytoun neighborhood.
At 20:35: IOF warplanes launched two missiles at a house belonging to Yehya Abo ‘Obeid behind the southern side of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. As a result, the house was completely destroyed while the Hospital sustained partial damage as well as the Ministry of Health (MOH)’s Ambulance and Emergency building, that is 100 meters away from it. Also, 10 Palestinians, including 2 children and 4 women, were injured; among them three were injured inside the hospital, including an ill child.
Moreover, as a result of recurrent airstrikes on nearby lands, MOH’s Muscat Primary HealthCare Center sustained partial damage. The Center is comprised of 2 floors and a basement on an area of 1500 sqm and houses other departments including South Central Ambulance Department serving the Rafah and Khan Yunis areas and is located in Gizan Al-Najjar area. MOH has also announced the evacuation of the ambulance station and referring all its services to Nasser Medical Complex, following the damage inflicted to the Center and breakdown of the communications network.
13 May 2022:
At 01:30: IOF warplanes bombed a 3-storey house belonging to Salim Hasan Abu Al-‘Ata in eastern Shuja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza, extensively destroying two floors, and injuring one person.
At 03:00: IOF warplanes bombed and completely destroyed a 5-storey house belonging to Hazem Muhanna on Yarmouk Street, north of Gaza City.
At 10:05: IOF warplanes launched 2 missiles at a 3-storey house belonging to Faraj Banat housing 3 apartments near Beit Lahiya roundabout. As a result, 2 women were injured, and the house was completely destroyed.
At 11:45: IOF warplanes launched two missiles at a 3-storey house belonging to Al-Za’anin family and housing 6 apartments in Beit Hanoun. As a result, the house was completely destroyed.
PCHR strongly condemns the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip and warns of any further losses of civilian life and damage to civilian property, urging the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take serious action into the situation of Palestine.
PCHR reiterates its call upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfil their obligations as per Common Article 1 of the Convention, “undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances,” and their obligations under Article 146 of the same Conventions, i.e., to hold accountable persons accused of committing grave breaches of the Convention.
The Gaza Strip has been under attack for the fifth consecutive day in the context of a military operation launched by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on 9 May 2023. Innocent civilians have been killed and wounded, and civilian objects, including civilian houses and apartments, have been targeted and destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
According to the documentation by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), as of the time writing this paper, more than 31 Palestinian have been killed, including 15 civilians, amongst them 6 children and 4 women, and more than 100 Palestinians have been wounded. In addition, 30 civilian buildings have been completely destroyed and over 100 have been partially destroyed. The Israeli occupation authorities have also decided to collectively punish 2 million Palestinians in the Strip by closing the two main crossings in the Strip Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing further deteriorating the humanitarian conditions in the Strip.
PCHR monitors with great concern the silence of the International Criminal Court Prosecutor over the crimes committed by the IOF against the Palestinian people in the context of its illegal occupation in Palestine. Thus far, the ICC prosecutor has not issued any public statement regarding Palestine since assuming office.
PCHR calls on the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Mr. Karim Khan to issue a public statement condemning Israel’s crimes in an effort to contribute to the seizing of the ongoing aggression, during which apparent war crimes and crimes against humanity continue to be committed, and obligating Israel to respect international human rights and humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity.
While PCHR is aware of Mr. Karim Khan’s stance of opposing public statements in the context of Palestine, as he publicly stated in a meeting during the Assembly of State parties with non-governmental organizations in December 2022, PCHR calls on Mr. Karim Khan to reverse this policy, and prioritize the situation in Palestine due to the scale and enormity of the crimes that have been and still being committed, and issue a public statement immediately.
While preventative public statements might not necessarily achieve the wanted goal, they have proved to have worked before and can deter Israeli practices that may contribute to the ongoing crimes against humanity and war crimes. For example, when former ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda issued a preventative statement regarding the planned forced eviction of the Bedouin community of Khan Al-Ahmar in the West Bank, the then-Israeli Foreign Minister confirmed that Israel did not evict Khan al-Ahmar out of concerns of an ICC investigation. This unequivocally shows that such preventive statements can provide sufficient deterrence.
The lack of accountability, including the non-issuance of preventive statements for the repeated crimes against the Palestinian people, means the granting of immunity to those who practice war crimes and encourages the commission of further crimes and violations against the Palestinian people. More civilians are expected to be killed and wounded and more civilian objects are expected to be targeted by the IOF if the Israeli military operation in the Strip continues.
This is not the first time that Israel committed apparent war crimes and crimes against humanity in the context of its military operations against the Strip. Previous operations including, Operation Cast Lead (2008-200), Operation Protective Edge (2014), and Operation Guardian of the Walls (2021), prove clearly that there is a systematic pattern by the IOF in targeting civilians and civilian objects. As the Prosecutor is clearly aware of the crimes that could have been committed in the context of this military operation due the evidence of previous operations, he should have issued a preventative statement warning of the commission of violations which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity when the Israeli authorities announced the start of this operation.
In addition, PCHR calls on the ICC Prosecutor to expedite his investigation into the situation in Palestine. More than two years have passed since the former ICC Prosecutor Ms. Fatou Bensouda, opened an investigation in Palestine and eight years since the opening of a preliminary examination. Mr. Karim Khan is yet to take any action with regards to the investigation in Palestine other than his announcement that he intends to visit Palestine during 2023. As victims’ representatives, PCHR is yet to receive any communication from the Office of the Prosecutor concerning the investigation in Palestine since Mr. Karim Khan assumed office. The delay in taking practical steps is questionable given that the Palestine is amongst the most well-legally documented conflicts in the world.
At the same time, PCHR has been monitoring Mr. Karim Khan’s conduct in other situations, especially Ukraine. In less than a year, Mr. Karim Khan opened an investigation and issued arrest warrants for Russian perpetrators suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine. He has also been very active in his media activity conducting numerous media interviews and issuing public statements on the Court’s website and twitter with regards to the situation in Ukraine.
PCHR believes that this is extremely important not only for the ICC but for the whole international criminal justice system. At the same time, it is also crucial that the same level of attention, activity, and resources is applied to other situations including, Palestine, to avoid perceptions of selectivity and politicization. Victims should not be competing for justice and double standards should not have a place in justice.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue their widescale aggression on the Gaza Strip for the second consecutive day as it began at dawn on Tuesday, 09 May 2023, when 3 commanders of Al-Quds Brigades (AQB), the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), were assassinated by bombing their houses over their families and neighbors’ heads. During the aggression, which continues up to the preparation of this report, IOF conducted extensive airstrikes and artillery shelling against residential houses, agricultural lands, sites of Palestinian armed groups, and others. As a result, so far 25 Palestinians, including 13 civilians, 6 children and 4 women, have been killed, and 63 others, including 15 children and 15 women, have been wounded. These attacks on civilian areas reflect Israel’s blatant disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians and non-observation of the principle of distinction and proportionality binding on IOF under international law. The bombing has also caused complete and partial destruction to dozens of housing units, rendering dozens of families homeless, as PCHR’s fieldworkers are still documenting the destruction. Meanwhile, PCHR is still investigating certain incidents that inflicted losses among civilians and property. PCHR’s preliminary investigations indicate casualties fell after homemade rockets had fallen in three incidents, during which 3 civilians, including 2 children, were killed and 26 others were wounded, including 7 children and 5 women.
The following are the most significant developments:
On 09 May 2023, IOF launched an aggression on the Gaza Strip, conducted extensive air raids and bombed a vehicle and 4 apartments on the heads of their residents. As a result, 15 Palestinians, including 4 children and 4 women, were killed, and 20 others, including 4 children and 4 women, were wounded. IOF warplanes fired 2 missiles at 2 floors of a 6-storey residential building in al-Rimal neighborhood in central Gaza City, resulting in the killing of 6 Palestinians, including a woman and 2 children, and injury of 6 others, including 2 women. Those killed were identified as Jamal Saber Mohammed Khaswan (52), a dentist and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Wafaa Charity Association; his wife, Mervat Saleh Mohammed Khaswan (44); and their son Yousef (19), a student at the Faculty of Dentistry. All of them were civilians and lived on the 6th floor. And those killed on the 5th floor were identified as Tareq Ibrahim Mohammed ‘Izz al-Deen (51), a commander at al-Quds Brigades; and his two children ‘Ali (9) and Mayar (7).
Around the same time, Israeli warplanes fired 2 missiles at family house in eastern Gaza City. As a result, five, including 2 women and 2 girls, were killed, and 6 others, including 3 children and 2 women, were injured. Those killed were identified as Khalil Khaled al-Behtaini (44), a commander at al-Quds Brigades; his wife Laila Majdi Mostafa al-Behtaini (42); his 4-year-old daughter Hajar; a 19-yeat-old girl namely Dania ‘Alaa ‘Ataa ‘Adas and her sister Eman (17), who succumbed to her injuries at around 10:00, noting that Dania and Eman lived adjacent to the targeted building.
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes targeted at a 1-storey house in Al-Jeneina neighborhood in Rafah. As a result, Jihad Shaker Diab ‘AbdulHafez/Al-Ghanam, Secretary of al-Quds Brigades’ Military Council who was an amputee, and his wife Wafaa Nimr Tawfiq Al-Ghanam (62) were killed, and 6 others sustained various wounds, including a child and the targeted commander’s son. More details are available in PCHR’s press release.
In the same evening, Wael Muhammad Sabri al-Agha (34), and Saed Jawad ‘Abd Farwana (28), members of the Palestinian armed groups, were killed, and two other Palestinians were injured in an Israeli airstrike on a civilian car in al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Yunis.
On 10 May 2023, the bombing continued against agricultural lands, sites of Palestinian armed groups, and houses. As a result, 7 Palestinians were killed, including 3 civilians: 2 were children. PCHR is still investigating the nature of the missile that killed them and injured 36 others, including 8 women and 10 children.
Muhammad Yousef Abu Ta’ima (23) and ‘Alaa Maher Abu Ta’ima (28), who were members of the Palestinian armed groups, were killed in an airstrike that targeted them in an agricultural field in ‘Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis.
Meanwhile, Ayman Karam Saidam (26) and ‘Alam Al-Dein Sameer ‘Abdul-‘Aziz (23), who were members of the Palestinian armed groups, were killed, and 2 others were wounded as a result of an Israeli airstrike on an agricultural land in Al-Shokah village, east of Rafah. In addition, 8 Palestinians, including 3 children and 3 women, were wounded in an airstrike on an agricultural land near residential houses in Al-Salam neighborhood, south of Rafah.
Also, Ahmed Mohammed al-Shebaki (50) was killed and his wife Yusra Othman al-Shebaki (50) was seriously injured after a missile fell on their house in Qleibo area in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip. PCHR is still investigating the incident, as initial information raises suspicion that it might be a homemade rocket.
Moreover, Yazan Jawdat ‘Eliyan (16) and Layan Belal Mohammed Modawikh (8) were killed and 12 others, including 2 children and 2 women, were injured after a missile fell on a 5-storey house on al-Sahaba Street in Gaza City. PCHR is still investigating the incident, as initial information raises suspicion that it might be a homemade rocket.
In addition, 13 Palestinians were injured, including 2 women and 5 children; one seriously injured, after a missile fell on a house in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip. PCHR is still investigating the incident, as initial information raises suspicion that it might be a homemade rocket.
Meanwhile, IOF warplanes launched at least 2 missiles at a 3-storey house in al-Qarara area, northeast of Khan Yunis. As a result, the house was destroyed and 4 families of 20, including children and women, were displaced. It should be noted that one of the area residents received a call to evacuate the nearby houses.
Moreover, IOF warplanes launched 2 missiles at a 3-storey house of 3 residential apartments in Beit Lahia, completely destroying it and rendering 4 families of 16, including 4 women and 8 children, homeless. It is worth noting that the house’s owner received a call from IOF only 40 minutes before targeting the house telling him to evacuate.
On 11 May 2023, 3 Palestinians, including 2 brothers; one of them a commander of Al-Quds Brigades, were killed and 7 other civilians, including a girl and 3 women; one was pregnant, were injured after IOF warplanes fired 3 missiles at a residential apartment on the 5th floor of a building in Hamad Residential Compound, west of Khan Yunis. Those killed were identified as: ‘Ali Hasan Ghali (50), member of al-Quds Brigades’ Military Council and head of the rocket launching unit; his brother Mahmoud (23); and their relative Mahmoud Waleed Mohammed ‘Abdul Jawaad (26). All of them were in the targeted apartment, while the other injuries were reported in nearby apartments. IOF announced that IOF and Shin Bet (Shabak) killed in a joint targeted operation the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s rocket launching force in the Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, 8 Palestinians, including a woman, was killed, and 35 others, including 6 children, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in IOF’s attacks in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 04 May 2023, IOF killed 3 members of Palestinian armed groups and wounded 3 civilians in an extrajudicial execution crime committed by IOF during their incursion into Nablus’s Old City. (Details available in PCHR’s press release).
On the same day, Eman Ziyad ‘Odah (26) was shot dead by IOF stationed in central Huwara village, southeast of Nablus, claiming that she stabbed an Israeli soldier, as IOF declared.
On 06 May 2023, two members of Palestinian armed groups namely Hamza Jamil Kharyoush (23) and Samer Salah Shaf’y (20) were killed and another Palestinian was injured while 2 others were arrested after one of them was injured during IOF’s incursion into Tulkarm refugee camp, where they cordoned off a house and clashed with Palestinian armed group members who were fortified inside the house.
On 10 May 2023, IOF killed 2 members of Palestinian armed groups namely Ahmed Jamal ‘Assaf (19), from Qabatiya village, and Rani Waleed Qatanat (24), from Jenin refugee camp, and wounded 2 other Palestinians; one seriously injured, during armed clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into Qabatiya village in Jenin. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested a Palestinian and confiscated a vehicle as the two Palestinians mentioned above were killed near it.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF’s incursion into the Palestinian cities and villages, or IOF’s suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians. Twenty Palestinians, including 5 children, were injured in stone-throwing clashes with IOF during the latter’s incursion into several villages in Ramallah, Hebron and Bethlehem. Also, 12 Palestinians, including a child, were injured in Kafr Qaddum weakly peaceful protest, east of Qalqilya. Additionally, 2 Palestinians were injured near the annexation wall in Qalqilya when they were on they way to work in Israel.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks and aggression have killed 136 Palestinians, including 69 civilians; 24 of them were children, and 6 women, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, 7 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 274 Palestinians, including 85 children, 21 women and 12 journalists, were injured.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF demolished 6 houses and 6 facilities, including a school that was demolished twice, while Israeli settlers built a settlement road on Palestinian lands in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 04 May 2023, IOF demolished a 70-sqm restaurant, which is a building built of steel, aluminum and wood in Al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
On 07 May 2023, IOF demolished al-Tahadi Primary School (5) in Jeb al-Deeb village, east of Bethlehem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C. Dozens of villagers tried to confront the demolition, but IOF attacked them and heavily fired live and rubber-coated bullets and teargas canisters at them, wounding 5 of them. The villagers later re-built the school, but IOF- re-demolished it for the 2nd time on 10 May 2023. It is worth noting that the 170-sqm school serving 60 students is funded by the European Union (EU), and it included 5 classrooms, a tent, a number of bathrooms, a playground, and a container used as a kitchen.
On the same day, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his 82-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem, pursuant to an Israeli municipal decision issued under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Also, IOF demolished two 140-sqm houses in Al-Auja village in Jericho and razed a 150-sqm cement slab in al-Jiftlik village, north of Jericho.
On 08 May 2023, IOF notified to cease construction works in a concrete slab and 2 houses in Ma’een village in Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C.
On 09 May 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his under-construction house of 50 sqms in Ras al-‘Amoud neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, pursuant to an Israeli Municipal’s decision issued under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
On the same day, Israeli settlers, from “Havat Yair” settlement that is established on Deir Istiya village’s lands in western Salfit, built a new 700-meter-long settlement road leading to “Al-Majur” and “Nuwaitif” water springs on Palestinians’ lands in Qarawat Bani Hassan village.
On 10 May 2023, IOF demolished an animal barrack in Jabel Mukaber village and two 100-sqm shops in Wadi Qaddoum neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
On the same day, IOF demolished a room built of bricks and used as a commercial facility and a 120-meter-long wall in eastern Yatta in Hebron.
Also, IOF demolished a floor housing two 230-sqm apartments belonging to 2 brothers in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem, rendering 9 persons, including 2 women and 5 children, homeless.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 69 families homeless, a total of 439 persons, including 86 women and 192 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 76 houses; 18 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 8 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 70 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts:
Three Palestinians were injured; 2 of them with live bullets, in settlers’ attacks in the West Bank. Details are as follows:
On 05 May 2023, Israeli settlers broke into Maghayir al-‘Abeed area in eastern Yatta in Hebron, where they made their sheep step on the agricultural crops. Later, an Israeli force arrived and detained a Palestinian whom the settlers were attempting to assault, while the settlers later left the area.
On 10 May 2023, 3 Palestinians were injured; 2 of them sustained live bullet injuries and the third sustained bruises in an attack carried out by at least 30 settlers on Deir Dibwan village, east of Ramallah.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 193 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 7 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests:
IOF carried out 204 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, at least 108 Palestinians were arrested, including 13 children and a writer. In the Gaza Strip, on 08 May 2023, IOF conducted a limited incursion into eastern al-Maghazi refugee camp.
So far in 2023, IOF have conducted 3,703 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 2215 Palestinians were arrested, including 25 women and 265 children. Also, IOF arrested 34 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip; 12 were fishermen and 19 were trying to infiltrate into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing. IOF also conducted 12 incursions.
Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement and collective punishment policy:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 16-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
At dawn on 09 May 2023, IOF closed Gaza crossings coinciding with its military offensive against various targets, including civilian objects. The closure of crossings threatens hundreds of patients’ lives and impairs the already frail health system due to the Israeli-imposed closure on Gaza Strip for 16 years. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continues to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 121 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, where they arrested 7 Palestinians.
This week, IOF closed the military checkpoints several times in occupied East Jerusalem and Bethlehem and blocked traffic.
So far in 2023,IOF have established 2204 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 116 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
4 Palestinians were killed, three of them in the West Bank, including 2 children, and the fourth was succumbed to injury in the Gaza Strip by an Israeli airstrike. Meanwhile, a Palestinian detainee who had been on a hunger strike in Israeli prisons died. In addition to 23 others, including 5 children, 3 women and a photojournalist were injured, and dozens of others suffocated in IOF attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 27 April 2023, Ahmad Ya’qoub Taha (39) was shot dead by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) after he got out of his vehicle nearby the Haris village roundabout in Salfit. An eyewitness told PCHR’s fieldworker that the vehicle crashed a concrete protection nearby the intersection where there is an Israeli military checkpoint. As a result, a group of Israeli soldiers approached him and asked him to get out of his vehicle and raise his hands. Suddenly, they opened fire at him, wounding him with several bullets which led to his death. This crime falls under an unjustified field execution as IOF claimed he was carrying a knife, but that is unconfirmed.
On 28 April 2023, Mustafa ‘Amer Sabbah (16) was shot with a live bullet in the chest during clashes with IOF in Tuqu’ town in Bethlehem. According to video footages and eyewitnesses, IOF fired at the child from a distance of 200 meters and as soon as he fell to the ground, IOF soldiers approached and examined his injury, then left him and moved hundreds of meters away from him, then the protestors managed to carry him and transfer him to a healthcare center in the town, where he was immediately pronounced dead.
On 01 May 2023, Mohammad Sa’eed Kamal (17) was killed, and 3 others, including a woman, were injured with live bullets and shrapnel by IOF, after the latter’s incursion into ‘Aqaba Jaber camp in Jericho. According to PCHR’s investigations, Kamal was shot with a live bullet in the head after he approached 50 meters closer to a residential building where IOF raided by IOF and the Israeli snipers stationed. Meanwhile, clashes and stone-throwing protests erupted in the Area. 3 young men tried to reach the Child and help him, but IOF soldiers fired at them, injuring two. Kamal fell on the ground and left to bleed for 10 minutes until he was taken to Ariha Governmental Hospital by an ambulance, where he was pronounced dead. As for the woman, she was wounded by shrapnel in the foot when IOF blew up the door of her house before raiding it and turning it into a sniper barracks.
On 02 May 2023, the death of the detainee Khader ‘Adnan, who has been in an 87-day- hunger strike in protest against his administrative detention by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), was announced. At dawn, ‘Adnan was found unconscious in his cell before his death was later declared after transferring him to the hospital. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
On 02 May 2023, Hashel Mubarak Mubarak (58), was killed by a large stone in his chest due to flying rubble, after IOF warplanes bombed a site belonging to the Palestinian armed groups, southwest of Jablia, in the northern Gaza Strip. Mubarak was hit inside his tin-roofed house, 100 meters away from the targeted site. The bombing caused partial damage to a number of houses and a school in the area.
In addition, 5 civilians, including 3 children and 2 women, were wounded by shrapnel from a missile that fell on Al-Masryeen Street in Beit Hanoun, in the northern Gaza Strip.
At evening of the same day, and at dawn of the following day, IOF warplanes launched several missiles, most of which targeted Palestinian armed groups’ sites and agricultural lands, in different areas of the Gaza Strip, but no injuries were reported, after the Palestinian factions fired missiles towards Israeli gatherings, for the death of the detainee Khader ‘Adnan.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages and suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 28 April 2023, 3 Palestinians, including a child, were injured during clashes with IOF after raiding Jenin refugee camp. Before withdrawal, IOF arrested a Palestinian after breaking into his house, destroyed the contents of his brother’s café and billiards, as well as an ambulance was damaged during the clashes.
On the same day, 5 Palestinians, including a photojournalist, were injured with metal bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya
On 30 April 2023, a Palestinian child was injured in the right foot during clashes with IOF at the entrance to Al- ‘Arroub camp in Hebron, where IOF established a military observation point.
On 01 May 2023, a Palestinian was injured with two live bullets in the hand and back, and his condition was critical, during clashes with IOF after they stormed the town of Beit Jala, in Bethlehem. IOF raided the yard of Beit Jala Governmental Hospital, firing live bullets and tear gas canisters inside, claiming they were pursuing protestors, which led to the suffocation of a number of patients and their companions. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested an elder.
On02 May 2023, a Palestinian was injured with a live bullet in his right knee during clashes with IOF at the entrance to Al- ‘Arroub camp in Hebron.
On 03 May 2023, a Palestinian was seriously injured after being hit with 6 live bullets in the pelvis and the lower part of his body, by IOF while he was passing through a temporary military checkpoint set up at ‘Aqbat Hasna intersection, leading to the western countryside of Bethlehem, under the pretext of attempting to attack a soldier. The injured was transferred to the Arab Society Hospital in Beit Jala, for treatment.
In the Gaza Strip, on 01 May 2023, 2 Palestinians were injured with metal bullet, as a result of IOF firing bullets at several boats off the northern Gaza Strip. IOF fired at least 8 bullets at agricultural lands, and 7 bullets at fishermen’s boats in eastern and western Gaza Strip.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 103 Palestinians, including 55 civilians; 18 of them were children, a woman, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, 7 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 479 Palestinians, including 65 children, 6 women and 12 journalists, were injured.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF demolished a 6-storey residential building of 16 apartments, closed a carpentry shop, and confiscated a caravan a water tank in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 27 April 2023, IOF raided a carpentry workshop in the Old City of Hebron, and verbally notified its owner of its closure. Noting that the carpentry is located on the 2nd floor of an old building in the Old City Square, overlooking the closed area of Al-Shuhada Street and the outpost of Beit Hadassah.
On 28 April 2023, IOF confiscated a water tank in the village of Humsa al-Fawqa, in the northern Jordan Valley, east of Tubas.
On 30 April 2023, IOF confiscated a 60-sqm caravan in Qasr Hisham, in Jericho.
On 03 May 2023, IOF demolished a residential building of 6 floors containing 16 apartments, including 2 inhabited apartments, in Dahiyat al-Salam area in ‘Anata town, in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, displacing 11 citizens, including 4 children. IOF also beat a number of residents during the demolition process.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 67 families homeless, a total of 430 persons, including 48 women and 187 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 70 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 8 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 64 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition, cease-construction, and evacuation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Demolitions on grounds of collective punishment
On 03 May 2023, IOF demolished 2 houses in the village of Haris, north of Salfit, and the village of Hajjah, east of Qalqilya, as part of collective punishment policy adopted by IOF against Palestinian families, accusing them of carrying out acts of resistance against them, or against the settlers.
In the village of Haris, IOF destroyed a house for the family of a Palestinian who was killed on 15 November 2022, after carrying out a stabbing and run-over attack that killed 3 settlers. The demolition was carried out by detonating the 100-sqm 3-storey house, after its residents, a family of 8, were evacuated, causing damage to a number of nearby houses.
In the village of Hajjah, IOF demolished the detainee’s house who was accused of carrying out a stabbing attack against a settler on 15 October 2022. The demolition was carried out with bulldozers and led to the complete destruction of the 250-sqm 2-storey house and an annex, displacing a family of 5.
Settler-attacks
Settlers carried out 10 attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, injuring many Palestinians and uprooting hundreds of trees in the West Bank. Details are as follows:
On 27 April 2023, settlers uprooted dozens of olive and grape seedlings, destroyed agricultural crops, and an irrigation network in the citizens’ agricultural lands in the village of Husan in Bethlehem.
On the same day, settlers attacked agricultural land in east of Qaryut town in Nablus, and cut down 42 olive trees.
On 28 April 2023, settlers severely beat 3 Palestinians, brothers, in the village of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah, and threw stones at the ambulance that arrived to help them, smashing its windows.
On 29 April 2023, settlers, living in the settlement outpost established on the village of Al-Zuwaidin, south of Hebron, entered their livestock into the citizens’ lands, which were planted with winter grains. When the citizens arrived in the area in order to force the settlers to remove their livestock, large forces of the Israeli army arrived and confronted the citizens and arrested 4 of them.
On 30 April 2023, settlers attacked the Palestinians’ lands in the west of the town of Deir Sharaf in Nablus, and broke 261 olive, almond, fig, carob, pine and Kenya trees, and destroyed the 125-meter-long and 1.5-meter-high fence around the 47 dunums of land.
On the same day, two Palestinians were injured as a result of being beaten with sticks by a group of settlers in Burqa village in Nablus. In the evening, settlers attacked citizens’ lands east of the town of ‘Aqraba in Nablus, assaulted a farmer, and stole 14 sheep before running away towards the nearby “Jetit” settlement.
On 30 April 2023, settlers raided an agricultural land, east of the village of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah, opened fire at the citizens, beat two citizens, bruised them, and seized their vehicle while they were working on the land.
On 01 May 2023, settlers attacked citizens’ lands in east of the town of Qaryut in Nablus, and cut down 12 olive trees.
On the same day, a Palestinian was wounded with a live bullet in the left shoulder by settlers’ fire after they assaulted him while he was guarding a building in Jabal Qbeibat, south of Jenin.
On 03 May 2023, settlers uprooted 820 apricot and jarnak trees, destroyed the water network, and demolished a tent on agricultural lands in the village of Burqa and the town of Sebastia in Nablus.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 190 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 7 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 207 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 96 Palestinians were arrested, including 10 children. In the Gaza Strip, IOF arrested 7 Palestinians; 5 tried to infiltrate through the fence, including 4 in east of Khan Yunis on 01-02 May 2023, and the fifth in east of Beit Hanoun on 27 April 2023, and 2 fishermen off the northern Strip. IOF also carried out a limited incursion into east of Khan Yunis on 01 May 2023.
So far in 2023, IOF conducted 3499 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 2107 Palestinians were arrested, including 25 women and 252 children. Also, IOF arrested 34 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip; 12 were fishermen and 19 were trying to infiltrate into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing. IOF also conducted 11 incursions.
Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 16-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 125 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 21 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Since 22 April 2023, IOF have continued to impose a comprehensive siege on the city of Jericho, by closing its northern and southern entrances and the main entrance leading to it and its camps. IOF set up several military checkpoints and roadblocks, cement blocks and mounds on the roads, where soldiers are stationed, and they conduct continuous inspections. On 01 May 2023, IOF installed 3 military iron gates at the main entrances to the city; north, south and east. Until now, IOF continue to establish temporary military checkpoints at the main entrances and exits of the City. As the latter also closed the main and secondary roads towards the central Jordan Valley, and set up gates and cement blocks at all the Jordan Valley intersections.
During the week, IOF closed the checkpoints in East Jerusalem and Bethlehem for several times, causing traffic obstruction.
So far in 2023, IOF established 2083 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 109 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
4 Palestinians, one of them from the Negev, were killed, and 16 others were wounded, including two children while dozens of others suffocated in the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 01 April 2023, Mohammad Rateb Baradhiya (23) was killed after IOF opened fire at him and his vehicle that he was driving. His vehicle crashed into an IOF military vehicle parked on the side of the Bypass Road (60) near the entrance to Beit Ummar in Hebron. IOF announced that they opened fire at a Palestinian, who carried out a run-over attack that injured two soldiers. IOF kept the body of Baradhiya and took it with them.
On 31 March 2023, Mohammad Khaled Al-‘Osaibi (26), a doctor from Houra village in Negev in Israel, was killed with several live bullets fired by IOF from a distance of 1-meter, after altercations erupted between him and an Israeli police officer during interrogation at the Chain Gate leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque. He was detained at the time IOF was trying to evacuate the area after Tarawih prayers. IOF claimed that Al-‘Osaibi snatched a weapon from a police officer and used it to open fire. As a result, the police officers fired several bullets at him and immediately killed him. While IOF were evacuating the area, they assaulted shopkeepers and Palestinians by beating and pushing them and destroying the goods of some shops, and arrested a Palestinian in central Qattanin Market after severely beating him.
03 April 2023, Mohammad Naser Sa’eed (21) and Mohammad Mustafa ‘Ali Abu Baker (42), from Nablus, both members of the Palestinian armed groups, were killed by IOF’s fire during clashes after the latter’s incursion into Al-Makhfiyya neighborhood in Nablus and cordoning one of the houses. During the incursion, IOF broke into several apartments, interrogated their residents, and unleashed a detection dog at a university student, biting his left leg while interrogating his colleague. Before withdrawal, IOF arrested two Palestinians, claiming that they were “wanted”.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 30 March 2023, 2 Palestinians were injured during clashes with IOF after the latter’s incursion into Qabatiya in Jenin. Before withdrawal, IOF arrested Palestinians.
On the same day, dozens of players and spectators suffocated and fainted due to tear gas inhalation, after IOF heavily fired tear gas canisters at Faisal Al-Hussini Stadium in Al-Ram village in occupied East Jerusalem. The incident coincided with the presence of the Turkish Ambassador inside the stadium to watch the match along with Jibril Rajoub, President of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA).
On 31 March 2023, 3 Palestinians, including two children, were injured during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.
On 02 April 2023, a Palestinian was injured with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the chest during clashes with IOF in the town of Beit Ummar in Hebron.
On 04 April 2023, 3 Palestinians were injured; one of them was seriously wounded after being shot with a live bullet in the abdomen, during clashes with IOF, after the latter’s raid on Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem. Before withdrawing, IOF broke into dozens of residential homes and arrested 7 Palestinians, including a woman.
On the same day, an undercover Israeli force dressed like Palestinian civilians, opened fire at ‘Omar Ibrahim Abu Mayyalah (15), after claiming that he attempted to put a Molotov Cocktail inside a vehicle belonging to the settlement outpost guards, in conjunction with the clashes with IOF in Silwan, East Jerusalem. As a result, Abu Mayyalah was wounded with a live bullet, and while people tried to provide him first aid and take him to Al-Makassed Hospital in Al-Tur neighborhood via a private vehicle, IOF chased them, closed the streets, raided the Hospital, arrested the child, and referred him to Hadassah Al-Issawiya Hospital. Also, IOF arrested 6 Palestinians after chasing young men and boys and raiding several homes.
During this week, confrontations with IOF repeatedly broke out, where tear gas canisters were fired. As a result, dozens were suffocated during IOF’s raids of Hebron neighborhoods.
In the Gaza Strip, 5 Palestinians were injured with live bullets, and others suffocated, after IOF stationed along the security fence in eastern Gaza, opened fire at them and fired tear gas canisters at a youth gathering in Malka area, east of Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, to commemorate Earth Day on 30 March 2023. Also, 6 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza, and 8 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores. IOF carried out several airstrikes and artillery shelling targeting two sites of the Palestinian armed groups and border control points, east of the Gaza Strip at dawn on 05 April 2023, causing damage but no injuries.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 93 Palestinians, including 47 civilians; 15 of them were children, a woman, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, 6 killed by settlers, and one died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 414 Palestinians, including 56 children, 2 women and 10 journalists, were injured.
Al-Aqsa Mosque Raid
On the evening of 04 April 2023, IOF raided al-Aqsa Mosque and its praying halls, violently assaulted Palestinian worshipers inside the mosque and in its yards and fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at them until dawn of the following day. IOF also arrested and attacked more than 400 Palestinians, including 65 children, after cordoning off and storming al-Qibli Mosque, assaulting the worshipers and severely beating them with batons and helmets, sustaining dozens of them bruises and wounds. Afterwards, IOF released 397 detainees, on the condition of deportation from Al-Aqsa and the Old, after conducting field investigations, and kept the rest in detention. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
On 05 April 2023, IOF arrested journalist Wahbi Kamel Makiya (39), when he was trying to cover the raid of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and document IOF assaults on the worshipers while securing the settlers’ raids on the first day of Jewish Passover.
In the evening, IOF re-stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and assaulted worshipers with stun grenades, tear gas canisters and rubber bullets. Following Tarawih prayer, IOF surrounded Al-Qibli Mosque, attacked worshipers, forced them out of the prayer hall and did not allow them to perform Witr prayer which is usually performed after Tarawih. IOF then forced all those present at the Mosque’sl doors and violently beat them with sticks. Minutes later, the heavily-armed forces raided al-Qibli Mosque amid heavy firing of rubber-coated bullets, assaulted the worshipers inside while performing Witr prayer, severely beat them with sticks, and fired rubber bullets and stun grenades inside to force them to leave immediately. As soon as the worshipers left Al-Qibli Mosque, Israeli Special Forces chased them in the Mosque’s yards to force them out via Al-Aqsa gates. They also chased them outside the gates, beat them with sticks and pushed them especially at Al-Asbat gate (Lions Gate), Hitta Gate (Remission Gate) and Chain Gate.
It should be noted that IOF, since the beginning of Ramadan, prevent Palestinians from performing I’tikaaf prayers and staying in Al-Aqsa Mosque after performing Tarawih prayers. They force them to leave and prevent them entry to the Mosque until the dawn prayer.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
On 30 March 2023, IOF demolished a 170-sqm under-construction house and a 30-sqm barracks during the latter’s raid into Al-Nuwaimeh village in Jericho, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. It is noteworthy that the owner of the house has a wife and 7 children.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 64 families homeless, a total of 406 persons, including 81 women and 183 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 67 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 6 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 58 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts
Settlers carried out 6 attacks against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, including uprooting and burning trees and wounding a Palestinian woman after attacking her with stones. Details are as follows:
On 31 March 2023, settlers uprooted 400 olive and grape seedlings from the agricultural lands in Al-Khader village, southwest of Bethlehem. On 03 April 2023, settlers broke into the area again and uprooted 40 more olive trees and stole them.
On 01 April 2023, settlers uprooted branches of 20 olive trees in Khalayel Al-Luz village, south of Bethlehem.
On 02 April 2023, settlers, protected by IOF, attacked lands and homes of citizens in Sha’ab Al-Sir area in Hebron, burned 20 old olive trees, and attacked Palestinians’ homes with stones. As a result, a woman was injured with a stone in her abdomen. When the villagers tried to confront them, IOF intervened and fired teargas canisters at them. Later, the settlers withdrew, but they returned in the next 2 days and attacked the Palestinians’ home.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 168 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 6 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 229 into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 547 Palestinians were arrested, including 69 children, 2 women and a journalist. Most of the arrests were in the city of Jerusalem, the largest was an arrest campaign that targeted hundreds of Palestinians after being assaulted inside Al-Qibli Mosque in al-Aqsa Mosque at dawn on 05 April 2023.
So far in 2023, IOF conducted 2806 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 1790 Palestinians were arrested, including 23 women and 227 children. Also, IOF arrested 23 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip; 6 were fishermen and 14 were trying to infiltrate into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing. IOF also conducted 9 incursions.
Israeli closure, restrictions on freedom of movement and collective punishment
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 16-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
On 05 April 2023, in the evening, IOF imposed a comprehensive closure on the West Bank, and closed the crossings with the Gaza Strip to be later opened on 08 April 2023 under the pretext of the Jewish Passover holiday.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 124 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 7 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
For the second week in a row, IOF continue to impose a closure on Huwara village, southeast of Nablus, after announcing it a “closed military zone” on 25 March 2023, and imposed a cordon on it. They closed the internal streets with sand berms, established more checkpoints and placed cement cubes on the village’s main street, as part of the collective punishment policy following the shooting attack against IOF in the village. IOF’s restrictions extended to affect all Nablus, as they closed all military checkpoints leading to the village, rendering entry into the city almost impossible.
On 03 April 2023, IOF closed the entrance to Beita village adjacent to Huwara village, southeast of Nablus with berms, cement blocks and an electronic detector gate and denied entry into the village.
So far in 2023, IOF established 1682 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 70 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Two Palestinians were killed and 7 others, including 3 children, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)’s attacks in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 23 March 2023, Ameer ‘Emad Abu Khadijah (25), a member of Palestinian armed groups, was killed by IOF’s fire after the latter cordoned off a house, where Abu Khadijah was fortified. According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), IOF moved into Izbat Shufa village, southeast of Tulkarm, and cordoned off a house, where Abu Khadijah was fortified. An exchange of fire occurred before IOF raided the house and fired a projectile at it. About half an hour later, IOF withdrew after arresting the house’s owner. Following IOF’s withdrawal, villagers found Abu Khadijah’s body covered in blood inside one of the house’s rooms, as he was shot with several live bullets in his head and lower limbs. Also, there were traces of bullets that were heavily fired at the room’s walls.
On 28 March 2023, medical sources at An-Najah Hospital in Nablus declared the death of ‘Ameer Mohammed Lolah (28), a member of Palestinian armed groups, after he succumbed to an abdomen injury caused by a live bullet fired by IOF during clashes on 22 February 2023 while IOF were surrounding a house in Nablus’s Old City. At the time, those clashes resulted in the killing of 11 Palestinians, including 4 civilians, and the injury of tens of others, including 9 seriously injured.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF’s incursions into the Palestinian cities and villages, or IOF’s suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 23 March 2023, a child, who was near his school, was shot with a rubber-coated bullet in his foot by IOF after their incursion into al-Ram village in occupied East Jerusalem. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested two Palestinians from their houses.
On 25 March 2023, a Palestinian sustained minor wounds and tens of others suffocated in clashes with IOF during their incursion into al-Khader village in Bethlehem.
On 27 March 2023, IOF arrested a child after being shot with a rubber-coated bullet in his foot during clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into al-Khader village in Bethlehem.
On the same day in the afternoon, 4 Palestinians were injured, including a child whose leg was amputated, by IOF’s fire during the latter’s incursion into ‘Aqabat Jaber camp in Jericho. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested a Palestinian whose two of his sons were previously shot dead by IOF on 06 February 2023.
This week witnessed recurrent clashes with IOF in occupied East Jerusalem and Bethlehem’s neighborhoods, where IOF fired teargas canisters, causing suffocations among tens of Palestinians.
In the Gaza Strip, 3 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, and 2 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores.
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So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 89 Palestinians, including 45 civilians; 15 of them were children and a woman, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, as well as 6 killed by settlers, and one died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 398 Palestinians, including 54 children, 2 women and 10 journalists, were injured.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF demolished a commercial facility and notified to demolish a house, a facility, a mosque, and 7 graves. They also confiscated a garbage truck in the West Bank. Details are as follows:
On 24 March 2023, IOF confiscated Biddya municipality’s garbage truck during their incursion into Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of Salfit. This was the 3rd garbage truck to be confiscated by IOF within a month in Salfit, under the pretext of working in Area C.
On the same day, IOF hanged two demolition orders on a 160-sqm concrete house, which is supposed to be resided by a family of 12, including 3 children, and on a 200-sqm agricultural facility built of isolated tinplate and used for breeding livestock in Al-Burj village in Hebron.
Also, upon military order No. (1797), IOF notified to demolish 7 graves in Abu al-Tuq Cemetery in Al-Burj village. Those graves are located in a 140 -dunum land belonging to the Islamic Endowment (Awqaf) Department: 35 dunums remained under the Islamic Endowment’s control while the rest were seized due to the construction of the annexation wall.
On 27 March 2023, IOF notified to demolish Belal Ibn Rabah Mosque built on an area of 150 square meters in Khashem al-Daraj village in Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
On 28 March 2023, IOF demolished a 350-sqm commercial facility in Dayr Balut village, west of Salfit, under the pretext of being near the annexation wall. During the demolition, IOF fired teargas canisters at the villagers to prevent them from confronting the demolition. As a result, many villagers suffocated.
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Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 64 families homeless, a total of 406 persons, including 81 women and 183 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 66 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 6 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 56 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts:
Settlers carried out 5 attacks against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, most notably setting a house and 2 vehicles ablaze and attacking 2 Palestinians. Details are as follows:
On 24 March 2023, Israeli settlers brought their sheep to graze the agricultural crops surrounding al-Zowaiden village in southern Hebron. As a result, part of the crops was damaged. Meanwhile, a number of villagers arrived and tried to confront the settlers and force them out of their lands. Afterwards, a large force of IOF and police arrived at the area and forced the villagers to leave after detaining 3 of them and releasing them later. It is worth noting that Israeli authorities declared the lands surrounding Zowaiden village as a military Firing Zone under the so-called “Training Area 917”, while an Israeli settler established a settlement outpost near the village.
On 26 March 2023, Israeli settlers burned a 70-sqm house adjacent to the settlement Street 60, which connects Ramallah with Nablus, in Sinjil village, east of Ramallah. The house is 50 meters away from an IOF military site. The house’s owner said to PCHR’s fieldworker that 4 Israeli settlers attacked his house with Molotov Cocktails and he and his family members managed to exit from the back door before the house was completely burned.
On the same day, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles passing by “Yitzhar” Bypass Road in Huwara village. As a result, windshield of a truck was broken.
On 27 March 2023, Israeli settlers set a truck and a vehicle ablaze and broke the windows of two ambulances, one of them was carrying samples to Tulkarm Hospital, and 3 other vehicles in widescale attacks on Huwara village.
On 29 March 2023, Israeli settlers attacked a house belonging to an elderly man in Kisan village, east of Bethlehem, and severely beat him and his son. As a result, the elderly man and his son sustained injuries and bruises and were taken to al-Hussain Hospital in Beit Jala village for treatment.
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Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 162 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 6 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 185 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, at least 81 Palestinians were arrested, including 10 children and a woman.
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So far in 2023, IOF conducted 2,577 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 1,243 Palestinians were arrested, including 21 women and 158 children. Also, IOF conducted 9 incursions and arrested 23 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, including 6 fishermen, 14 infiltrators into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing.
Israeli closure, restrictions on freedom of movement and collective punishment:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-updatein the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 105 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
On 23 March 2023, IOF closed the vehicles lane at the military checkpoint 300 in northern Bethlehem and it is expected to remain closed throughout the month of Ramadan.
On 24 March 2023, IOF closed the metal detector gate established at the western entrance to Husan village and reopened it later.
On 25 March 2023, IOF declared Huwara village, southeast of Nablus, as a closed military zone and imposed a cordon on it. They closed the internal streets with sand berms, established more checkpoints and placed cement cubes on the village’s main street, as part of the collective punishment policy following the shooting attack against IOF in the village. IOF’s restrictions extended to affect all Nablus, as they closed all military checkpoints leading to the village, rendering entry into the city almost impossible.
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So far in 2023, IOF established 1,558 temporary checkpoints and arrested 63 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
5 Palestinians, including 3 civilians; one of them was a child, were killed, while 42 others were wounded, and dozens of others suffocated in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 16 March 2023, an Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Special Force killed 4 Palestinians, including 2 members of the Palestinian armed groups who were directly shot and assassinated in cold blood as part of IOF’s crimes of extra-juridical executions. Of those killed, two civilians, including a child, were killed in a random shooting by the Israeli Special Force that have also injured 23 Palestinians, including 4 in serious condition. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
On 17 March 2023, Yazan ‘Omar Khasib (23), was deliberately and directly shot dead by IOF near al-Mahkama military checkpoint at the northern entrance to al-Bireh, claiming that he attempted to carry out a stabbing attack using a knife, but there was no Palestinian eyewitness to the incident. Khasib was a student at Birzeit University in Ramallah, and IOF kept his body in their custody to be handed later in the evening. He was transferred to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah where it was found out that he was shot with 2 bullets in the neck and the chest.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages and suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 17 March 2023, 8 Palestinians, including a child, were injured with rubber-coated metal bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.
On the same day, 8 Palestinians, including 3 children, were wounded with live and metal bullets during clashes with IOF at the entrance to Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron, where IOF established a military observation point at the intersection leading to Bypass Road (60).
On 18 March 2023, a child was wounded with a live bullet in the left leg unjustifiably by IOF nearby Faqqu’a cemetery in Jenin, about 200 meters away from the annexational wall.
On the same day, a girl sustained a fracture in left ankle after being unjustifiably kicked by an Israeli soldier when she was detained with her family in their agricultural land in southeastern Yatta in Hebron.
On 22 March 2023, dozens of Palestinians, including patients and newborns, suffocated after IOF fired tear gas canister during the latter’s incursion into the vicinity of the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah. IOF also opened fire enticing fear among patients, women, and children.
On the same day, 2 Palestinian, including a photojournalist, were wounded with IOF’s fire during their incursion into the city of Jericho. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested 4 Palestinians, including a child.
In the Gaza Strip, 6 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands, and 3 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Gaza western Gaza shores).
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So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 87 Palestinians, including 45 civilians; 15 of them were children, a woman, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, 6 killed by settlers, and one died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 391 Palestinians, including 51 children, 2 women and 10 journalists, were injured.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF demolished 3 houses and handed notices to demolish and cease construction work in 8 houses and facilities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, rendering two families of 11, homeless. Details are as follows:
On 16 March 2023, IOF demolished a 35-sqm under-construction house in Deir ‘Ammar in Ramallah under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
On 18 March 2023, IOF demolished two residential houses built of wood and tin, with an area of 100-sqms each, in Al-Za’im village in East Jerusalem, displacing 2 families of 11.
On 21 March 2023, IOF handed notices to cease construction works in 8 houses, agricultural rooms, and commercial facilities in Deir Ballut village, west of Salfit, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
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Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 64 families homeless, a total of 406 persons, including 81 women and 183 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 66 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 6 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 56 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition, cease-construction, and evacuation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory attacks
Settlers carried out 8 attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, most notably a raid on a church and attempting to vandalize its contents. Details are as follows:
On 16 March 2023, a Palestinian was injured after being beaten and pepper-sprayed by settler in Khirbet al-Tuba in Masafer Yatta in Hebron. This attack came after the Palestinian attempted to prevent the settler, who came from the “Hafat Ma’on” settlement outpost, established on the Palestinian lands, from sheep-grazing in the Palestinian’s agricultural land in the area.
On 17 March 2023, settlers from the “Beitar Illit” settlement established on the Palestinian lands cut about 50 fruitful and old olive trees in the village of Husan, west of Bethlehem. The settlers also destroyed barbed wires and stone chains surrounding a 5-dunum plot of land.
On 19 March 2023, settlers, from “Yitzhar” settlement, established on the Palestinian lands, south of Nablus, attacked Palestinian vehicles passing through Al-Muraba’a Road towards Maadama Gate, southeast of Nablus. As a result, the front, rear and right-side windows of a Palestinian vehicles were broken. The attack took place amid a shooting that resulted in the injury of two settlers in Huwara village, southeast of Nablus.
On the same day, two settlers raided the Church of the Tomb of Virgin Mary in East Jerusalem and attempted to vandalize it. The Jerusalem governorate reported that the two settlers broke into the church and tried to vandalize its contents. However, a Palestinian confronted the settlers and arrested one of them while the other fled away.
Settlers also threw stones at a number of vehicles at the entrance to Beitin village, east of Ramallah, smashing the windows of many of them.
On 20 March 2023, settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and damaged them on Al-Ma’rajat road, west of Jericho. As a result, some of them sustained damage while a Palestinian sustained injury and his wife fainted.
On 21 March 2023, settlers slashed the tires of Palestinian vehicles and wrote racist slogans in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
On 22 March 2023, a Palestinian woman sustained bruises after settlers attacked the Palestinian tents in Khirbet Al-Farisiya in the northern Jordan Valley.
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Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 157 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 6 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 218 into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 102 Palestinians were arrested, including 8 children. In the Gaza Strip, IOF arrested 4 Palestinians, including 2 children while trying to infiltrate east of Al-Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on 15 March 2023, and the other two were arrested at Beit Hanoun “Erez” checkpoint, including a patient who was arrested on his way back to Gaza from treatment. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
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So far in 2023, IOF conducted 2,392 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 1162 Palestinians were arrested, including 20 women and 148 children. Also, IOF arrested 23 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip: 6 were fishermen and 14 were trying to infiltrate into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing. IOF also conducted 9 incursions.
Closure of Jerusalem institutions
On 20 March 2023, the Israeli authorities hanged a decision signed by the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, at Marcel Company for production and media services in Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem. Also, they summoned 5 journalists for investigation on grounds of working for Palestine TV upon Ben-Gvir’s decision to close the Voice of Palestine Radio Station offices, an official Palestinian Authority (PA) channel, and ban their representatives from operating and broadcasting in occupied Jerusalem and Israel for six months. (Details available at PCHR’s press release.)
Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 127 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 3 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 17 March 2023, IOF closed many streets in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of securing a marathon organized by the Israeli Occupation Municipality with hundreds of Israelis participating in it. The closure reached ten of streets from north of Jerusalem (French Hill and Sheikh Jarrah) and all the way to the south (Jerusalem-Hebron Street), including Al-Musrara neighborhood, Hebron Gate, Al-Jadeed Gate, and Jaffa Street, amid heavy deployment of the IOF on the roads, under the pretext of securing the 2023 Jerusalem Marathon.
On 19 March 2023, IOF closed the iron detector gate at the entrance to Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah.
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So far in 2023, IOF established 1453 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 63 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Nine Palestinians were killed, including 3 civilians: 2 of them were children. One of the children succumbed to his previous injury, while a Palestinian was killed by an Israeli settler. Meanwhile, 10 Palestinians, including a child and a journalist, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) attacks in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Also, 4 fishermen were injured in the Gaza Strip. Details are as follows:
On 09 March 2023, as part of their extrajudicial execution crimes, IOF killed 3 Palestinians after intercepting their vehicle and directly shooting and killing them in Jaba’ village in Jenin, north of the West Bank.( Details available at PCHR’s press release).
On 09 March 2023, medical sources at al-Maqassed Hospital announced the death of Waleed Sa’d Nassar (14) after he succumbed to a live bullet injury in his waist. IOF shot him when he was in front of his house during IOF’s incursion into Jenin on 07 March 2023. He was then taken to al-Razi Hospital in the City, but due to his serious health condition, he was referred to al-Maqassed Hospital.
On 10 March 2023, ‘Abdul Karim Badee’ al-Shaikh (21), from Qalqilya, was shot dead by an Israeli settler near “Ma’ale Shomron” settlement in eastern Qalqilya. IOF announced that the settler claimed that al-Shaikh attempted to stab him with a knife, but there were no eyewitnesses to the incident.
On the same day, medical sources at Darwish Nazal Governmental Hospital in Qalqilya declared the death of Ameer Ma’moun ‘Odah (16) shortly after being shot with a live bullet in his chest by an Israeli sniper only few meters away from him. IOF claimed that ‘Odah tried to throw a Molotov Cocktail at IOF during clashes near a military checkpoint established at the northern entrance to Qalqilya. Also, another Palestinian was injured during the same clashes.
On 12 March 2023, IOF killed 3 members of Palestinian armed groups and arrested another one after they laid an ambush for them and clashed with them near the military checkpoint established between Jit and Sarra villages, west of Nablus. Those killed were identified as: Jehad Mohammed al-Shami (24), ‘Odai Rafeeq al-Shami (22) and Mohammed Raied al-Dabeek (18) and their bodies are so far under Israeli custody.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF’s incursions into the Palestinian cities and villages, or IOF’s suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 09 March 2023, a Palestinian was shot with a rubber bullet in his foot during clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into Ni’lin village in Ramallah. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested a Palestinian and his son.
On the same day, IOF opened fire at a vehicle in Kafr Qaddoum village in Qalqiliya, breaking the front and rear windows and causing damage to the front seat. The shooting was unjustified and came only moments after the vehicle had stopped and the driver had left with his family to their house.
On 10 March 2023, 3 Palestinians were shot with rubber bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum peaceful weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.
On 11 March 2023, IOF arrested a child after he sustained wounds and bruises in attacks carried out by IOF and settlers in Bab al-‘Amoud area in occupied East Jerusalem.
On the same day, a Palestinian was shot with a live bullet in his left foot during clashes with IOF at the entrance to Beit Ummar village in northern Hebron.
On 13 March 2023, journalist Mo’tasem Saqif al-Heit was hit with a stun grenade in his head after IOF targeted him while on duty covering the clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into Ni’lin village in western Ramallah.
On 15 March 2023, a Palestinian was injured with a live bullet in his thigh during clashes with IOF in Husan village, west of Bethlehem.
In the Gaza Strip, on 09 March 2023, four Palestinian fishermen were shot with rubber bullets after Israeli naval forces targeted their fishing boat off northwestern Beit Lahia Shore, northern Gaza Strip. (Details available in PCHR’s press release). Also, 6 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, and 3 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores.
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So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 83 Palestinians, including 41 civilians; 14 of them were children and one woman, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, as well as 6 killed by settlers, and one died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 349 Palestinians, including 47 children, 2 women and 9 journalists, were injured.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF displaced 12 Palestinians, including 7 children and 3 women, after demolishing a house comprised of 2 apartments. Also, IOF demolished a commercial facility in occupied East Jerusalem.
On 14 March 2023, IOF demolished a house comprised of two 165-sqm residential apartments in Umm Tuba village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, 12 persons, including 7 children and 3 women, were displaced. During the demolition, IOF suppressed the house’s owners and press crews, forcing them to leave while IOF arrested the house owner’s brother after beating him.
On 13 March 2023, IOF demolished a commercial facility for construction materials that includes 3 rooms built of bricks, in Wadi Al-Joz neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, after confiscating the construction materials.
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Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 62 families homeless, a total of 395 persons, including 79 women and 178 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 63 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 6 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 56 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts:
Israeli settlers carried out 6 attacks in the West Bank, where 3 Palestinians were injured, many trees were damaged, and livestock were stolen. Details are as follows:
On 11 March 2023, a Palestinian sustained wounds after being thrown with stones during a settlers’ attack on Palestinians’ vehicles passing through Kherbet Bani Haris Intersection leading to Ramallah.
On the same day, Israeli settlers, from “Halamish” settlement established on Ramallah lands, threw stones at Palestinian vehicles passing by the area. Also, settlers from “Dolev” settlement, threw stones at Palestinian vehicle traveling on ‘Ein Ayoub area near Ras Karkar village, west of Ramallah. However, no injuries were reported in both incidents.
On 15 March 2023, Israeli settlers sneaked into “Kawkab al-Sabah” settlement between Deir Jarir and Taybeh villages, east of Ramallah, where they stole about 25 livestock and a donkey and threw stones at the villagers. When the latter tried to confront the settlers, IOF intervened to protect the settlers and secured their withdrawal.
On the same day, Israeli settlers, from “Havat Maon” settlement outpost in eastern Yatta city, Hebron, cut 34 olive trees in eastern at-Tuwani village, which is 100 meters away from the outpost. When the villagers arrived at their lands, IOF’s patrols and police came and claimed that they will open an investigation into the incident, asking the the lands’ owners to file a complaint.
In the evening, two Palestinians sustained wounds and bruises after being assaulted by Israeli settlers while they were working in their agricultural lands in Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of Salfit.
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Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 149 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 5 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 198 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, at least 86 Palestinians were arrested, including 10 children and 2 women. Also, IOF confiscated many vehicles while crossing through checkpoints.
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So far in 2023, IOF conducted 2,174 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 1060 Palestinians were arrested, including 20 women and 140 children. Also, IOF conducted 9 incursions and arrested 15 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip: 6 were fishermen, 8 were trying to infiltrate into Israel, and a traveler at Erez Crossing.
Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continues to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 119 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 8 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
This week, IOF closed checkpoints in Jerusalem and Bethlehem several times and reopened them later.
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So far in 2023, IOF established 1,326 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 60 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestine (Weekly Update 02 – 08 March 2023)
Violation of right to life and bodily integrity:
7 Palestinians, including a child, were killed, and 32 were wounded, including 3 children and 3 others in serious condition, by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) fire while dozens of others suffocated in IOF attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 02 March 2023, Mohammad Nedal Saleem (15) was shot dead with a live bullet to the back while another child and a teenager were injured with live bullets fired by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in front of a school in western ‘Azzun village, east of Qalqilya. IOF claimed that they chased a group of young men who threw Molotov cocktails at Street 55 where the settlers’ vehicles pass.
On 07 March 2023, 6 Palestinians were killed, and 26 others, mostly civilians, were wounded, including 3 in serious condition, during a widescale brutal military operation conducted by IOF in Jenin refugee camp. (Details available at PCHR’s press release).
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages and suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 03 March 2023, 2 Palestinians were injured during clashes with IOF after IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.
On the same day, IOF suppressed a peaceful assembly in Silwan in East Jerusalem, where dozens of activists and residents of Silwan protested against IOF’s policy of demolishing, evacuating the homes, and displacing their residents. IOF fired stun grenades, tear gas canisters and rubber-coated bullets at the protestors and dispersed them by force; as a result, clashes broke out for several hours during which IOF arrested 5 Palestinians, including 3 children.
IOF also suppressed the weekly protest against the occupation and settlement activity in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, assaulted the protesters by pushing and beating them and spraying skunk water. IOF also arrested 8 International solidarity activists and a Palestinian activist.
On 04 March 2023, IOF arrested a child after wounding him with a live bullet in the foot, during IOF’s raid on agricultural lands near the entrance to Al-Fawwar refugee camp in Hebron, under the pretext of pursuing stone-throwers. IOF also arrested a child after he was shot with a live bullet in the right foot at the entrance to Al-‘Aroub refugee camp in Hebron.
In the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian sustained a mild injury due to the Israeli artillery shelling in eastern Khan Yunis on 08 March 2023. Moreover, 11 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, and 4 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the western Gaza shores.
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So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 73 Palestinians, including 36 civilians; 12 of them were children and a woman, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, as well as 5 killed by settlers, and one died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 335 Palestinians, including 45 children, 2 women and 8 journalists, were injured.
Land razing, demolitions, confiscation, and settlement activity
IOF displaced 8 families of 68, including 12 women and 29 children, after demolishing 8 houses, a praying hall, a commercial facility, and agricultural rooms, as well as confiscating a bulldozer in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 02 March 2023, IOF demolished a 120-sqm house in Ethna village in Hebron, displacing a family of 9, including 6 children, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
On 05 March 2023, IOF confiscated a bulldozer, and arrested its driver in the village of Jalboun, east of Jenin, under the pretext of working in Area (C). During the operation, IOF fired tear gas canisters at the citizens amidst clashes that caused suffocations.
On 06 March 2023, IOF demolished 4 tin-plated dwellings, east of Yatta in Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C), rending 4 families of 36, including 13 children and 4 women, homeless.
On the same day, IOF demolished three 280-sqm houses belonging to Totah family in Wadi Al-Joz neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, displacing 3 families of 23, including 7 women and 10 children.
On the same day as well, IOF demolished an under-construction praying hall and a tin=-plated commercial facility of tin in Bethlehem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
In addition, IOF demolished 3 agricultural rooms built of tin plates and uprooted dozens of trees while razing agricultural lands in al-‘Issawiya village in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. IOF also delivered 14 notices to cease construction works in 3 inhabited houses, 2 barrack and 9 agricultural rooms in Al-Zawiya village, west of Salfit, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
”
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 60 families homeless, a total of 383 persons, including 76 women and 171 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 62 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 6 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 55 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory measures
Settlers carried out 4 attacks in the West Bank, where they uprooted olive trees and attacked Palestinians in the West Bank. Details are as follows:
On 06 March 2023, settlers uprooted about 80 olive trees in Yasuf village, east of Salfit.
On the same day, settlers, from “Yitzhar” settlement, which is established on Palestinian lands in Nablus, attacked and threw stones at the western outskirts of Huwara village, and assaulted a family inside their vehicle, breaking the windows and wounding the elderly driver. The settlement’s guard opened fire at the vehicle and sprayed pepper gas at the passengers.
On 08 March 2023, settlers, from “Otniel” settlement, which is established on the Palestinian lands confiscated from Hebron, raided an archeological hill in the village of Raboud, near the settlement, under the protection of IOF, and performed their rituals on the hill, denying the villagers’ access to their lands.
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Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 143 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 5 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 211 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 83 Palestinians were arrested, including 11 children and 2 women.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF arrested 3 Palestinians; 2 of them, including a child, tried to infiltrate in eastern Rafah and eastern Beit Hanoun on 02 March 2023, while the third was arrested at Beit Hanoun “Erez” crossing, while accompanying his sick daughter-in-law in her travel for treatment. (Details available in PCHR’s press release). Also, IOF carried out limited incursions into eastern Juhr al-Dik, south of Gaza, and into eastern Khan Yunis on 02, 07 and 08 March 2023.
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So far in 2023, IOF conducted 1,976 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 974 Palestinians were arrested, including 18 women and 130 children. Also, IOF conducted 8 incursions and arrested 15 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip: 6 were fishermen, 8 were trying to infiltrate into Israel, and a traveler at Erez Crossing,.
Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
The Israeli authorities announced the closure of the crossings with the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from the evening of 06 March 2023 until the evening of 08 March 2023 on the occasion of so-called “Purim” Jewish holiday.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 133 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
During this week, IOF closed checkpoints in Jerusalem and Bethlehem several times and reopened them later.
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So far in 2023, IOF established 1,207 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 52 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Three Palestinian civilians were shot dead: two by Israeli Occupation Forces and one by Israeli settlers. Also, a member of Palestinian armed groups succumbed to his pervious injury. Moreover, 16 Palestinians, including 3 children, a woman, and a journalist, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated in IOF attacks in eastern Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 23 February 2023, Mohammed Nabil al-Sabbah (30), from Jenin refugee camp, died at An-Najah Hospiral in Nablus, succumbing to a live bullet injury in the abdomen. Al-Sabbah who was a member of Palestinian armed groups, was wounded on 12 February 2023 during IOF incursion into the camp.
On 24 February 2023, medical sources at al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron declared the death of Mohammed Isma’il Mohammed Jawabreh (21), a Palestinian police officer from Al-Arroub refugee camp, succumbing to a live bullet injury in the back of his head. IOF opened fire at him at around 14:00 a day before from a distance of 30 meters while He was with 3 persons on his house roof during clashes that broke out in the camp.
On 26 February 2023, Sameh al-Aqtash (37) was killed after being shot with a live bullet in his abdomen by Israeli settlers during a widescale attack on Za’tara village as part of a series of retaliatory attacks on southern Nablus’s villages. (Details available in PCHR’s press release).
On 01 March 2023, Mahmoud Jamal Hamdan (22) died few hours after being arrested and injured by IOF fire during the latter’s incursion into ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in Jericho. Also, a Palestinian was shot and another was ran over in addition to 5 others arrested, including 3 brothers and son of one of the latter. According to PCHR’s investigations, an Israeli Special Force sneaked into ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp and cordoned off a house belonging to Shalloun family. Afterwards, Israeli backups arrived shooting and firing teargas canisters as well as threatening to bomb the house. Meanwhile, IOF opened fire at Mahmoud Hamdan while driving his motorcycle out of a nearby wood carpentry shop, wounding him with a live bullet in his abdomen. A Palestine Red Crescent Society medical crew arrived and tried to give him first aid, but IOF arrested him and took him to an unknown destination. Later in the evening, Hamdan’s death was announced. During their withdrawal from the camp, IOF detained a young man and his child and used them as human shields during their raid into the house. IOF also pulled a civilian Hyundai Tucson car to the middle of the street and broke its windows.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of IOF excessive use of force during their incursions into the Palestinian cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 23 February 2023, a Palestinian was shot with a live bullet in his foot during clashes with IOF near a observation point established at the entrance to Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.
On the same day, a woman was shot with a live bullet in her lower limbs by IOF at the entrance to “Ma’ale Adumim” settlement, which is established on occupied East Jerusalem’s lands, under the pretext that she tried to carry out a stabbing attack. IOF arrested the injured woman and took her to an Israeli hospital in West Jerusalem.
On 24 February 2023, two Palestinians, including a child, were shot with rubber-coated bullets, and others suffocated due to teargas inhalation during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum weekly protest in northern Qalqilya.
On the same day, 4 Palestinians were directly hit with teargas canisters, and others suffocated due to teargas inhalation during clashes with IOF that accompanied the latter’s suppression of a peaceful protest near Bab al-Zawiyia in Hebron, where IOF established an observation point and a military checkpoint particularly at the entrance to al-Shuhada closed street. The peaceful protest was organized to commemorate the 29th anniversary of al-Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, which was committed by an Israeli settler at the time.
Also, two Palestinians, including a journalist, were directly hit with teargas canisters, and others suffocated due to teargas inhalation after IOF targeted dozens of protestors gathered ten meters away from the barbed wire fence in eastern Khuza’a village, east of Khan Yunis, against the IOF’s escalating violations in the West Bank.
On the same day, a 14-year-old child was hit with a teargas canister by IOF during the latter’s suppression of protestors gathered near the border fence, northeast of Jabalia. As a result, the child sustained brain laceration and was referred to al-Shifa Medical Complex, where his health condition was deemed critical.
On 26 February 2023, a Palestinian was hit with a live bullet in his foot in clashes with IOF during their incursion into Teqoa village in Bethlehem. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested a child after they raided his house.
On the same day, two Palestinians were shot with live and rubber bullets after IOF opened fire at persons for approaching the border fence, northeast of Jabalia refugee camp.
In the Gaza Strip, 8 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, and 4 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores.
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So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 66 Palestinians, including 35 civilians; 11 of them were children and a woman, while the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, 5 killed by settlers, and one died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 302 Palestinians, including 42 children, 2 women, and 8 journalists, were injured.
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF displaced 4 families of 20, including 12 children and 4 women, after demolishing 5 houses; 4 of them were self-demolished by their owners. Also, IOF demolished 11 facilities and confiscated two vehicles in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 23 February 2023, IOF demolished 11 facilities, including commercial barracks and vegetable stalls, at the entrance to Jalamah village, north of Jenin.
On 25 February 2023, IOF confiscated a Burqin and Kafr ad-Dik municipal garbage truck, west of Salfit. They also detained the driver and two workers, threatening them not to put the garbage in that area again, under the pretext that the area is classified as Area “C”.
On the same day, IOF confiscated an excavator working in Qarawat Bani Hassan village lands, under the pretext of working in Area C.
On 26 February 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to implement the Israeli occupation municipal order and self-demolish his 100-sqm house in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, rendering a family of 8, including a woman and 6 children, homeless.
On 27 February 2023, IOF notified to demolish a 120-sqm house sheltering a family of 6, including 4 children, as well as a house concrete slab in eastern Yatta city in Hebron.
On 28 February 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish two small houses built on an area of 120 square meters in Beit Hanina village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, the Palestinian and his wife have become homeless.
On the same day, IOF forced a Palestinian to implement the Israeli occupation municipal order and self-demolish his 30-sqm house in Ras al-‘Amoud neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, a family of 5, including a woman and 3 children, was displaced.
Also, IOF demolished parts of a 120-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, a family of 4, including a woman and 2 children, were displaced.
Moreover, IOF demolished the remaining parts of two under-construction houses belonging to 2 brothers in’ Issawiya village, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. The owners of the two houses were forced to self-demolish their houses 2 weeks ago. Also, IOF handed them a fine of 100,00 shekels for demolition costs and for the Israeli municipality staff and vehicles.
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Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 52 families homeless, a total of 315 persons, including 64 women and 142 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 54 houses; 16 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 6 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 53 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts:
A Palestinian was killed, and two others were injured by Israeli settlers’ fire in at least 100 attacks carried out by settlers under IOF’s protection. Most of those attacks mainly targeted Huwara village and Nablus’s southern villages, where Israeli settlers burned dozens of houses and vehicles, as part of retaliatory acts. Details are as follows:
On 23 February 2023, two Palestinians were injured: one with a live bullet in his abdomen and the other with a live bullet in his left thigh after Israeli settlers, from “Esh Kodesh” settlement outpost established on Nablus village’s lands, opened fire at them during their attack on the outskirts of Qusra village. The settlers also threw stones and opened fire at Palestinians and their houses at them.
On 25 February 2023, Israeli settlers, from “al-Ras” settlement outpost established on Salfit village’s lands, attacked a group of Palestinian farmers in the nearby lands and forced them to leave after opening fire in the air. The settlers also damaged a vehicle belonging to the farmers.
On 26 February 2023, hundreds of Israeli settlers conducted widescale violence and retaliatory acts under the protection of IOF in several villages in Nablus. As a result, a Palestinian was killed and another was wounded with bullets, while dozens of houses, facilities and vehicles were set ablaze. ( Details available in PCHR’s press release.)
On the same day, settlers set a poultry farm ablaze in Salfit, completely burning it and killing 2500 chicks. Also, the settlers set a vehicle ablaze at the entrance to Yasuf village, east of Salfit, and completely burned it.
Also, two Palestinians were beaten by Israeli settlers who threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and burned one of them in al-Mo’arajat area, north of Jericho.
On the same day, 3 Palestinians sustained bruises after Israeli settlers attacked their vehicles in the outskirts of Jibiya village, north of Ramallah. Also, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and houses in Sinjil and Al-Mughayyir villages and near Umm Safa village in Ramallah.
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Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 139 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 5 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others were injured; most of them after being beaten and thrown with stones/ Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 184 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, at least 50 Palestinians were arrested, including 8 children. In the Gaza Strip, on 25 February 2023, IOF arrested 4 children while trying to infiltrate through the border fence adjacent to Um al-Nasser village and released them the next day. Also, IOF conducted 3 limited incursions in northern Beit Hanoun on 26 February 2033, in northeastern Jabalia on 28 February 2023, and in eastern Khan Yunis on 01 March 2023.
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So far in 2023, IOF conducted 1,765 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 891 Palestinians were arrested, including 16 women and 119 children. Also, IOF arrested 12 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip; 6 were fishermen and 6 were trying to infiltrate into Israel. IOF also conducted 5 incursions.
Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 126 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Since 26 February 2023, IOF have imposed a cordon on Huwara village in Nablus, place cement cubes on the main street, impede the movement of individuals and vehicles, and prevent the shops’ owners from opening. This cordon is part of the collective punishment measures following the killing of 2 settlers in a shooting attack near the village.
Since 27 February 2023, IOF have imposed a tight cordon on Jericho following the killing of an Israeli settler in a shooting attack near the city. IOF closed all checkpoints, main and sub-streets leading to the city and established more military checkpoints, impeding the movement of individuals and vehicles and searching them.
This week, IOF closed military checkpoints in Jerusalem and Bethlehem several times and reopened them later.
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So far in 2023, IOF established 1074 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 50 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
7 Palestinians, including 2 civilians; one of them was a child, were killed, and 22 others were injured by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) fire. Meanwhile, dozens of others suffocated in IOF attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 03 February 2023, Abdullah Sameh Ahmad Qalaloh (26) was shot dead with 4 live bullets directly fired by IOF at him as soon as he got out of a taxi in front of Huwara military checkpoint, south of Nablus. The Israeli media cited IOF that the soldiers shot and killed Qalaloh allegedly after he tried to snatch a soldier’s weapon, but it later turned out that he was unarmed.
On 06 February 2023, IOF raided Jericho to arrest allegedly “wanted” Palestinians. They surrounded a wooden hut next to a house on Al-Quds Street and killed 5 members of the Palestinian armed groups during armed clashes. IOF detained their bodies and arrested 2 others. During the raid, a number of young men gathered and threw stones at IOF, who fired live bullets at them, injuring a Palestinian with a live bullet in the head. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested a Palestinian after injuring him with a live bullet in the abdomen.
On 07 February 2023, Hamza Amjad Al-Ashqar (17) was killed with a live bullet in the face fired by IOF during clashes that accompanied the raid on ‘Askar refugee camp in Nablus. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested 3 Palestinians.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages and suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians, and they were as follows:
On 03 February 2023, 3 Palestinians were wounded with rubber-coated metal bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddoum peaceful weekly protest, northern Qalqilya.
On 04 February 2023, 13 Palestinians were wounded with live and rubber-coated metal bullets during clashes after IOF’s incursion into ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, south of Jericho. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested 18 Palestinians, and released them at a later time except for 2 Palestinians.
On 08/02/2023, 4 members of the Palestinian armed groups were injured during armed clashes with IOF, after the latter raided Nablus to secure the settlers’ entry into Joseph Tomb.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF warplanes carried out an airstrike on 02 February 2023 on a Palestinian armed group site, west of Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central governorate, causing damage but no injuries were reported. Also, 7 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, and 3 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores.
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So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 43 Palestinians, including 19 civilians; 7 of them were children, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including a child, while 3 were killed by settlers allegedly for carrying out shooting and stabbing attacks. Meanwhile, dozens were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem
Land razing, demolitions, and notices
IOF displaced 2 families of 22, including 12 children and 6 women, after demolishing 3 houses, 3 civilian objects and agricultural rooms, razing agricultural lands and handing land confiscation notices in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Details are as follows:
On 02 February 2023, IOF demolished a 250-sqm house in Douma village in Nablus, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area C, displacing a family of 14, including 4 women and 8 children.
In the same area, IOF demolished a 150-sqm agricultural house, a water well, and two 230-sqm animal barns.
Also, on the same day, IOF delivered a notice to the heirs of a Palestinian to confiscate a 45-dunum plot of land in Deir Istiya village, northwest of Salfit.
On 04 February 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish his 90-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber in East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, a family of 8, including 2 women and 4 children, was displaced.
On 06 February 2023, IOF razed hundreds of dunums planted with old olive trees in Marda village, north of Salfit, in favor of a project implemented by Mekorot “National Water Company of Israel” to supply settlements with water.
On 07 February 2023, IOF forced a Palestinian to self-demolish two 100-sqm agricultural rooms built of bricks and tinplate and used for breeding horses and poultry in Al-Thawri neighborhood in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
On the same day, IOF demolished a 30-sqm agricultural house built of bricks and tinplate in Al-Thawri neighborhood in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
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Since the beginning of 2023, IOF made 33 families homeless, a total of 229 persons, including 43 women and 108 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 34 houses; 6 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 3 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 39 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition, cease-construction, and evacuation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks
On 02 February 2023, a settler broke into the “Prison of Christ” Church in East Jerusalem’s Old City, broke part of a large statue of Christ with a hammer and attempted to set the church on fire before the guards were able to stop him.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers conducted at least 30 attacks against civilian Palestinians and their property.
IOF incursions and arrests of Palestinian civilians:
IOF carried out 192 into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. Those incursions included raids and searches of civilian houses and facilities and establishment of checkpoints. During those incursions, 128 Palestinians were arrested, including a journalist, 6 children and 3 women; one of them was a female school principal in East Jerusalem. In the Gaza Strip, IOF arrested 2 Palestinians while trying to infiltrate via the border fence adjacent to eastern Gaza Strip on 05 February 2023.
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So far in 2023, IOF conducted 1449 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 638 Palestinians were arrested, including 11 women and 61 children.
Israeli closure and restrictions on freedom of movement:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 15-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 116 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, arrested 6 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 02 February 2023, IOF closed Beit Iksa military checkpoint, northwest of East Jerusalem, and later reopened it.
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So far in 2023, IOF established 812 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 37 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 