2 Palestinians, including a Palestinian with disability, were killed, and 31 others, including 4 children and a fisherman, 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 09 June 2023, IOF killed Mahdi Sameer Baydsah (29) from Ramallah after opening fire at him near the military checkpoint at the entrance to Rantis village, west of Ramallah, and held his body. IOF claimed they shot Baydsah after one of their soldiers was stabbed at the checkpoint when Baydsah arrived in car at the checkpoint. IOF opened an investigation into the incident, and there was no Palestinian eyewitness to the incident.
On 13 June 2023, a Palestinian with a mental disorder namely Faris ‘Abed al-Men’im Mohammad Hashash (19) was killed with a live bullet in the abdomen, and 7 others, including two children; one in critical condition, were wounded by IOF gunfire during clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into Balata refugee camp in Nablus.
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force and shooting that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians.
On 08 June 2023, 20 Palestinians, including two journalists, were injured by IOF gunfire during the latter’s incursion into Ramallah, and demolition of a house belonging to Palestinian detainee in Israeli prisons, Islam Al-Faroukh.
On 09 June 2023, 3 Palestinians, including a child, were wounded with rubber-coated bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddum weekly peaceful protest against settlements in northern Qalqilya.
On 14 June 2023, a girl sustained shrapnel wounds in her hand while she was inside her house as a result of IOF shooting during their incursion into Ya’bad village in Jenin.
In the Gaza Strip, a fisherman was wounded with two rubber-coated bullets when IOF’s gunboats opened fire at a fishing boat, where he was on with his brother off Beit Lahia shore, in the northern Gaza Strip on 13 June 2023.
Also, 8 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 158 Palestinians, including 80 civilians; amongst them 25 children, 6 women and a person with disability, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 2 children, 7 killed by settlers, and 2 died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 702 Palestinians, including 109 children, 26 women and 14 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Land Razing, Demolitions, Notices and Settlement
On 10 June 2023, IOF gave demolition notices to 2 houses in southern Al-Samu’ village in Hebron, where 3 families of 20, including 3 women and 8 children, lived, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
On 12 June 2023, IOF razed part of a main street, demolished a wooden room, and damaged a water well in Hizma village in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
On the same day, the Israeli authorities announced a new settlement plan to build 1,700 settlement units in Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem, in order to expand the “Ramot” settlement established on the lands of Beit Hanina.
On 13 June 2023, IOF notified a Palestinian to cease construction works in a mineral oil facility built of bricks and tinplate on an area of 150 sqms in At-Tuwani village in Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
On 14 June 2023, IOF handed a notice to a Palestinian to vacate his 5-dunum land, which includes 5 greenhouses planted with vegetables. Also, the land is planted with 120 fruit trees and has a 120-cbm water well, claiming that it is state property.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 95 families homeless, a total of 605 persons, including 128 women and 275 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 100 houses; 25 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 11 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 86 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 June 2023, IOF destroyed a residential apartment belonging to the family of Palestinian detainee Salam Harbi Al-Faroukh (26) in the Old City of Ramallah, as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy against the families of Palestinian detainees who are accused of carrying out attacks against them and/or settlers. The apartment is on the second floor of a 140-sqm house, where a family of 5, including 3 women and a child, lived. IOF implanted explosives in the apartment after evacuating the residents. As a result, two neighboring houses sustained damage and partial destruction. During the demolition, clashes erupted between IOF and Palestinians that wounded 20 Palestinians, including two journalists. It is noteworthy that IOF arrested Al-Faroukh on 17 December 2022 after he was accused of carrying out bombing attacks in Jerusalem that killed two Israelis last November.
Since the beginning of the year, IOF have destroyed 11 houses on grounds of collective punishment.
Settler-attacks and Retaliatory Acts
On 10 June 2023, settlers set up tents on a 10-dunum land in a prelude to turn it into a settlement outpost in front of the “Ravafa” settlement, west of Haris village in Salfit.
On the same day, settlers from the pastoral outpost, established on eastern lands of Ramallah, infiltrated into the farmers’ lands in the area and attacked sheepfolds. The residents gathered and confronted them, forcing them to flee.
On 11 June 2023, settlers from the “Shilo” settlement, east of Ramallah, set fire to car tires near Palestinian lands between the villages of Turmusaya and Al-Mughayer, east of Ramallah. They also tried to set fire to wood planks used for building agricultural and residential barracks. The villagers gathered, put out the fire, and confronted the settlers who fled.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 222 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 174 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, 82 Palestinians were arrested, including 13 children.
In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted a limited incursion into northern Beit Lahia on 08 June 2023 while they arrested 3 fishermen and confiscated their boat after intercepting and opening fire at it off Beit Lahia shore.
So far in 2023, IOF have conducted 4,605 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 2,627 Palestinians were arrested, including 25 women and 304 children.
Also, IOF arrested 39 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip including 17 fishermen, 19 infiltrators into Israel, and 3 travellers 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.
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 3 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On the evening of 13 June 2023, IOF imposed a cordon on Ya’abad village, south of Jenin, closed its entrances, broke into the village, carried out a raid and search campaign. They arrested 3 Palestinians, confiscated digital video recorders of the surveillance cameras, and established checkpoints. This came shortly after a shooting attack occurred and injured a settler and 3 soldiers near the village. The cordon lasted for 26 hours, blocking movement of high school students and citizens. On Wednesday, 14 June 2023, at night, about 5 hours after ending the cordon, IOF again moved into the village and completely closed its entrances.
So far in 2023, IOF have established 2,752 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 129 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
