The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR): Palestinian was killed, and 17 others, including 6 children, a woman, and a paramedic, were injured by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) at dawn during the latter’s incursion into Jenin, northern West Bank, and demolition of the house of a Palestinian who carried out a shooting attack in Israel in April.
This falls within IOF’s collective punishment policy against the families of Palestinians who are allegedly accused of carrying out attacks against Israeli targets.
According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR,) at approximately 00:30 on Tuesday, 06 September 2022, IOF accompanied with a bulldozer, members of Special Units, and explosive engineering experts moved into al-Madares neighborhood, eastern Jenin.
They surrounded the family house of Ra’ad Fathi Zeydan Hazem, who was killed after carrying out a shooting attack in Tel Aviv on 07 April 2022. The House is a 150-sqm residential apartment on the 4th floor of 6-storey Al-‘Aw building, noting that at the time it was empty of residents.
IOF forced more than 10 other families living in the nearby houses to leave while firing tear gas canisters and stun grenades to entice fear and prevent them from approaching the area. As a result, people gathered in the vicinity of the houses, where the IOF deployed, and threw stones at IOF.
Violent clashes broke out in the neighborhood, and IOF fired live and rubber-coated bullets, tear gas canisters and stun grenades to disperse them.
As a result, Mohammad Mousa Mohammad Saba’ana (29) was killed with a live bullet in his chest, and 17 Palestinians, including 6 children, a woman, and a paramedic, were wounded; the injury of one of them were reported serious. All of them were taken to Jenin’s hospitals for treatment.
During the incursion, IOF planted explosives on the 4th floor, which housed Hazem family’s apartment and remotely detonated it at approximately 05:00 today. As a result, the floor was completely destroyed.
So far this year, IOF demolished 9 houses and closed a 10th house after destroying its internal contents within IOF’s collective punishment policy while there are many houses threatened with demolitions on the same grounds.
PCHR condemns the IOF use of excessive force against protestors. PCHR denounces the crime of house demolitions that falls under IOF’s collective punishment policy and the Israeli Judiciary’s cover.
PCHR reiterates that this policy is internationally prohibited according to Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that: “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited. Pillage is prohibited. Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.”
Therefore, PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community to take immediate action to put an end to the Israeli crimes and double standards when it comes to international law. PCHR also urges the ICC Prosecutor in particular to act seriously with regard to the situation in Palestine.
PCHR also reiterates its call upon the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva Conventions regarding the guarantee of Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in the occupied territory.
