Violation of Right to Life and Bodily Integrity

Four Palestinians, including a child, were killed, and 20 others, including 2 children, 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 10 August 2023, Ameer Ahmad Khalifa (24), member of the Palestinian armed groups and resident of Al-‘Ain refugee camp in northwestern Nablus, was killed after IOF opened fire at him, wounding him with two bullets in the head and back after an exchange of fire during IOF incursion into Zuta village in Nablus.
• On 11 August 2023, Mahmoud Jihad ‘Abed Jarad (24), was killed, and 8 others were wounded by IOF fire during their incursion into Tulkarm and Tulkarm refugee camp. Jarad was shot with a live bullet in the chest when he was in a gas station with another young man on a motorcycle and during IOF incursion into the area, noting that Jarad was unarmed, and the area did not witness any events.

On 15 August 2023, Qusay ‘Omar Suleiman Al-Walaji (16), and Mohammad Nujoom (25) who was a member of the Palestinian armed groups, were killed by IOF fire during the latter’s incursion into ‘Aqbat Jaber refugee camp, south of Jericho.

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 11 August 2023, 4 Palestinians were wounded with rubber bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddum weekly peaceful protest against settlements in Qalqilya.
• On 12 August 2023, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were wounded with rubber bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kafr Qaddum weekly peaceful protest against settlements in Qalqilya.
• On 15 August 2023, IOF opened fire at a Palestinian vehicle near Hawara checkpoint at Nablus’s eastern entrance, wounding the driver and then arresting him without knowing his condition.
• On the same day, 3 Palestinians were injured, one in serious condition, by IOF’s fire during their incursion into Nablus.
• In the Gaza Strip, on 12 August 2023, two fishermen, including a child, were injured with rubber-coated bullets by IOF on the Israeli gunboats stationed off the northern Gaza Strip.  Both fishermen were then arrested, and their boat was confiscated after intercepting it; however, they were later released. This week, 6 fishermen were arrested in 3 separate incidents after their boats were intercepted and chased off the northern Gaza Strip. All of them were later released.

So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 212 Palestinians, including 105 civilians; amongst them 38 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, 1035 Palestinians, including 152 children, 30 women and 16 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Land Razing, Demolitions, Notices, and Settlement

• On 10 August 2023, IOF forced Tamer Al-Bakri to self-demolish 45 sqms of his 80-sqm house that he added to the house 10 years ago in Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem upon an Israeli municipal decision under the pretext of unlicensed construction, noting that it houses two families of 5, including two women and two children.
• On the same day, the Israeli Court issued a ruling ordering Mrs. Noura Sub Laban to pay 47,187 shekels in compensation to the Israeli police and settlers to cover the costs of her eviction in ‘Aqbat Al-Khalidiyah neighborhood in the Old City in favor of the settlers last July.
• On 14 August 2023, the Israeli municipality distributed demolition notices to dozens of commercial and industrial facilities in the industrial zone of Wadi al-Joz neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction, noting that the Israeli municipality in Jerusalem revealed in 2020 its intention to implement two huge settlement projects on the ruins of Palestinian facilities in the area.
• On the same day, dozens of Israeli settlers, Israeli Municipality employees and police moved into Wadi Hilweh neighborhood in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem, where they leveled a plot of land near the village’s entrance as a prelude to seize it and turn it into a parking lot for settlers. The Israeli municipality employees along with Israeli settlers placed iron plates at the entrance to ‘Ein Silwan area in the neighborhood to establish a gate there and then took over it. However, many residents confronted the employees, forced them out of the village and then removed the iron plates.   
• Also, IOF razed stone chains and uprooted 120 olive seedlings planted on 6 dunums during their incursion into Beit Sira village, west of Ramallah, under the pretext of being in Area “C” and near the annexation wall.
• On 15 August 2023, IOF levelled 40 forest trees and confiscated solar searchlights, wooden chairs, and a tennis table from a park in Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of Salfit.
• On 16 August 2023, IOF handed a cease-construction notice to a house in al-Bowaib village in Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. It is worth noting that the house’s owner was supposed to move in with his family of 7, including 5 children.
• Also, IOF seized a bulldozer from Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of Salfit, under the pretext of working 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 137 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.

Settler-attacks and Retaliatory Acts

• On 10 August 2023, Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian, who was in his land in southern Bani Na’im village in Hebron, and tried to tear documents that were in his vehicle proving his ownership to the land. 
• On 16 August 2023, Israeli settlers demolished two agricultural rooms in Khelet al-‘Adra area in eastern Yatta in Hebron.

Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 296 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.

Israeli Closure, Restrictions on Freedom of Movement, and Collective Punishment

Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 17-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 131 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested Palestinians at those checkpoints.

• On 10 August 2023, IOF closed the dirt roads connecting At-Tabaqa village with Um Hathora area and Khelet Taha, southwest of Hebron, with stones and sand berms, blocking residents’ way to their houses and forcing them to take other long roads that are 10 kilometers away.

This closure comes after the Israeli authorities allowed Israeli settlers from “Negohot” settlement established on the southern side of the area to work with their bulldozers on the Palestinians’ lands confiscated in favor of the settlement pastoral expansion. This happened after the Israeli authorities declared 10 days ago that at least 192 dunums are closed military zone to the Palestinians.

• On the same day, the Israeli Municipality in Jerusalem inaugurated “Hutzot Hayotzer” international festival at the Sultan’s Pool, 100 meters away from the southwestern side of the Jerusalem wall. The festival was attended by thousands of settlers and tourists, blocking traffic in Silwan village, restricting the residents’ movement, and making noises due to the settlers’ parties that lasted until dawn.
• On 14 August 2023, IOF seized a vehicle belonging to a person with a motor disability while he was crossing al-Jab’ military checkpoint in occupied East Jerusalem. The owner of the vehicle, Shadi Ishaq Yunis Daraghmah (33), a former detainee, said that while he was driving his adapted vehicle heading to his house in Qalandia refugee camp, IOF stopped him, forced him to step out of his vehicle despite his disability and detained him for hours; during which, he was subject to degrading treatment. IOF checked his ID card and then seized his vehicle.

So far in 2023, IOF have established 3,823 temporary military checkpoints and arrested tens of Palestinians at those checkpoints.