Violation of Right to Life and Bodily Integrity

A child was killed and another Palestinian succumbed to his injury, while 9 others, including a woman, were wounded, and dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and settlers’ attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

Details are as follows:

• On 25 August 2023, ‘Izz al-Dein Mahmoud Abu ‘Allan (19) from Jaba’ village, south of Jenin, succumbed to his injury after IOF shot him in the head from a distance of 15 meters during their incursion into Jenin and its refugee camp on 03 July 2023. PCHR’s fieldworker said that Abu ‘Allan was injured with a bullet that penetrated his mouth and exited his neck when he was on the street in the eastern area near Jenin refugee camp on IOF’s first day of incursion that lasted for several days at the time.
• On 30 August 2023, Khalid Samer Za’anin (14) was killed by an off-duty Israeli policeman’s fire after allegedly claiming Za’anin carried out a stabbing attack at a rail station on Street No. 1 in East Jerusalem. Footage showed IOF arriving at the scene following the incident and deliberately denied Za’anin first aid after his injury.  The footage showed that he was still alive bleeding and in pain while the soldiers were pointing their weapons at him from a close range, leaving him to bleed to death.  They searched for him and stripped him of his clothes before holding his body.

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 25 August 2023, a Palestinian was injured with a bullet in his left leg when IOF opened fire and throw teargas canisters at protestors during an event in support of Al-Aqsa Mosque near the security fence in eastern Malka area, east of Gaza.
• On the same day, a woman was injured by a stun grenade in her foot, and three others were injured and bruised when IOF beat them and attacked worshipers at Lions’ Gate, one of al-Aqsa Mosque gates in East Jerusalem.
• On 27 August 2023, 6 Palestinians were injured by IOF fire during their incursion into Tulkarem refugee camp.
• On 30 August 2023, a Palestinian was injured by IOF fire while driving near the Hagai military checkpoint at the southern entrance to Hebron. IOF arrested and transferred him to Soroka Medical Centre, claiming that he attempted to carry out a run-over attack. Later, IOF raided his family house in Karma village and arrested his father.
• In the Gaza Strip, 3 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, while 9 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Gaza western Gaza shores. IOF arrested 5 fishermen and confiscated their boat on 28 August 2023, releasing them later.

So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 218 Palestinians, including 108 civilians; amongst them 40 children, 6 women and a Palestinian with disability, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 8 children, 9 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 1086 Palestinians, including 161 children, 32 women and 16 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Land Razing, Demolitions, Notices and Settlement

• On 24 August 2023, IOF demolished a 200-sqm under-construction hall belonging to Yousuf Muhaisen, for the second time in the village of Al-‘Issawiya in East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
• On the same day, IOF forced Ayman Dabash to self-demolish his 60-sqm house in the village of Sur Baher in East Jerusalem upon an Israeli municipal decision under the pretext of unlicensed construction, displacing him and his brother.
• IOF also delivered 7 notices to evacuate 76.75 dunums planted with trees in the Tarqumiya area in Hebron; some are surrounded by fences and have agricultural rooms.
• On 28 August 2023, IOF confiscated a concrete mixer and concrete pump in Al-Marrahrah area, west of Qarawet Bani Hassan, west of Salfit, under the pretext of working in Area (C).
• On 29 August 2023, IOF handed cease-construction notices to 7 under-construction residential homes, some were inhabited, in the village of al-Duyouk Al-Tahta, west of Jericho, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
• On the same day, IOF demolished a 230-sqm under-construction house of 2 floors in al-Bowira area, east of Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
• Also, IOF demolished stone walls in Al-Walaja village, west of Bethlehem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
• On 30 August 2023, IOF forced Hamza Ja’far to self-demolish his 50-sqm residential apartment in occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City upon an Israeli municipal order under the pretext of unlicensed construction, rendering a family of 4, including a woman and 2 children, homeless.
• On the same day, IOF demolished a 35-sqm agricultural room in Kherbet Tiba, west of Hebron. They also demolished walls of 60-sqm unroofed agricultural room and brick cave entrance in Idhna village in Hebron.

Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 138 families homeless, a total of 802 persons, including 175 women and 354 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 143 houses; 36 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 14 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 104 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 24 August 2023, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles travelling on the road leading to Dura in Hebron, inflicting damage to one of the vehicles.
• On 27 August 2023, Israeli settlers, from “Yitzhar” settlement established on lands confiscated from southeastern Nablus, attacked the outskirts of Madama village, where they assaulted two brothers’ houses, removed one of the houses’ main doors, and broke the water meter reader in the other house. Afterwards, many villagers gathered and threw stones at the settlers, forcing them to go back. On their way out, the settlers broke the branches of 40 olive trees in an agricultural land in the area.
• On the same day, Israeli settlers broke into the pastoral areas of Tuqu village, east of Bethlehem, where they vandalized an agricultural land, destroyed an agricultural room, uprooted 40 olive trees, and removed a barbed-wire fence surrounding the land.
• On 29 August 2023, Israeli settlers attacked an 11-year-old child and tried to detain him in al-Khan al-Ahmar area in occupied East Jerusalem, but the child’s two sisters came to the area and saved him from the settlers’ hands. Few minutes later, IOF moved into the area and arrested the two sisters.

Freedom of Worship

• On Friday, 25 August 2023, IOF stationed at Bab al-Asbat (Lions’ Gate), one of al-Aqsa Mosque gates in occupied East Jerusalem, suppressed Palestinian worshipers with live and rubber bullets and teargas canisters while they were on their way to perform the Friday prayer. As a result, an elderly woman was hit with a stun grenade in her foot.

Moreover, while the Palestinian worshipers were heading to perform the Friday prayer, IOF stopped and searched many of them, checked their IDs and assaulted an elderly after detaining him. During which, many worshipers tried to prevent the attack on the elderly man and shouted at the IOF to allow him to enter the mosque, but IOF violently attacked them, beat and pushed them, opened fire in the air, and indiscriminately fired stun grenades and rubber bullets.

As a result, an elderly woman was hit with a stun grenade in her foot. Also, 3 worshipers sustained injuries after being beaten by IOF, and received treatment on the spot.

Furthermore, IOF closed Bab al-Asbat and prevented Palestinian worshippers from entering or exiting through it. They also arrested and beat a Palestinian.

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, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 145 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested many Palestinians at those checkpoints.

• Since 18 August 2023, as part of the collective punishment measures following the shooting attack that killed 2 Israeli settlers in Huwara village, IOF have tightened their measures in the vicinity of Huwara village and nearby villages: Aqraba, Osarin, Beita, and Yatma. They have closed some sub-roads with sand berms and placed iron barriers at the entrances to the mentioned villages to search vehicles entering and exiting these villages.

So far in 2023, IOF have established 4,116 temporary military checkpoints and arrested tens of Palestinians at those checkpoints.