The Palestinian Center For Human Rights – PCHR, (Weekly Update 02 – 08 February 2023)
Violation of the right to life and bodily integrity:
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 the ‘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’s peaceful weekly protest in 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 the eastern Gaza Strip, and 3 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Western Gaza shores.
”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.
”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 the 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 the eastern Gaza Strip on 05 February 2023.
”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 are 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 116 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and arrested 6 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 02 February 2023, IOF closed Beit Iksa military checkpoint, northwest of East Jerusalem and later reopened it.
”So far in 2023, IOF established 812 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 37 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
