The Palestinian Center For Human Rights (PCHR):
Violation of right to life and bodily integrity:
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 Jabalia, 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 Qalqilia
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.
On 02 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.
