Violation of Right to Life and Bodily Integrity

Four Palestinians, including 2 civilians, were killed, and 37 others, including 4 children and 2 female and male foreign solidarity activists, were injured. Meanwhile, 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 31 August 2023, Dawoud ‘Abed al-Razeq Fayiz (41) was killed after being shot with several live bullets fired by IOF when he carried out a run-over attack that killed an Israeli soldier and injured 5 others at an Israeli military checkpoint near Beit Sira village, west of Ramallah. Fayiz’s body was held by IOF.
• On the same day, IOF raided Fayiz’s house, interrogated his family members and took photos of the house.
• Next day at midnight, IOF raided the house again, took its measurements and made holes and signs inside it preparing for its demolition as part of IOF’s collective punishment policy. Afterwards, clashes broke out, and 3 Palestinians sustained injuries.
• On 01 September 2023, ‘Abed al-Raheem Fayiz Ghannam (36), member of Palestinian armed groups, was killed after being shot with a live bullet in the head, while 7 other Palestinians, including 6 civilians, amongst them 2 children, were injured by IOF during the latter’s incursion into ‘Aqqaba village, north of Tubas. IOF cordoned off a house, held its family members inside and interrogated them before opening fire and firing stun grenades and Energa grenades at the house, claiming there was a Palestinian armed group member inside it. Several hours later, IOF withdrew without arresting him.
• On 05 September 2023, ‘Ayed Sameeh Abu Harb (21) was killed after being shot with a bullet in his head and another was injured by IOF’s fire during their incursion into Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem. PCHR’s fieldworker said that Abu Harb was injured while he was with his friend on the latter’s house roof, noting that they were not involved in the events. Also, IOF levelled the main street and destroyed 4 shops after exploding them.
• On the same day, IOF chased and killed Mohammed Yousef Zabidat (16) after an exchange of fire with him in al-Nakheel farm near Az-Zubaidat village, north of Jericho. IOF held Zabidat’s 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 31 August 2023, 3 Palestinians were injured by IOF’s fire; one in serious condition, during clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into eastern Nablus to secure settlers’ raid into Joseph’s Tomb.
• On 01 September 2023, 7 Palestinians, including male and female international solidarity activists, were shot with rubber-coated bullets following IOF’s suppression of the weekly peaceful protest at the northern entrance to Kufur Qaddoum village in Qalqilia.
• On the same day, 9 Palestinians, including 2 children, were injured after IOF opened fire and fired teargas canisters at dozens of Palestinian protesters near the security border fence in Malaka area, east of Gaza City.
• On 02 September 2023, a Palestinian fisherman was shot with a rubber-coated bullet in his abdomen after Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats sailing off Beit Lahia Shore, north of the Gaza Strip.
• On 04 September 2023, 5 Palestinians were injured during clashes with IOF after their incursion into al-Jabriyat neighborhood in Jenin. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested 3 members of Palestinian armed groups after surrounding them and exchanging fire in a house. IOF later announced that one of the armed members was injured.
• On 05 September 2023, a Palestinian was shot with a live bullet in his foot during clashes with IOF after their incursion into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.
• In the Gaza Strip, 3 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, while 3 shootings were reported on fishing boats off western Gaza shore.

So far in 2023, IOF attacks killed 222 Palestinians, including 110 civilians; amongst them 41 children, 6 women and a person with disability, 9 killed by settlers and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 9 children, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 1123 Palestinians, including 165 children, 33 women and 16 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Land Razing, Demolitions, Notices and Settlement

IOF demolished 3 houses and 10 civilian facilities, seized 4 vehicles, and handed several demolition and eviction notices in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Details are as follows:

• On 31 August 2023, the Israeli Municipal staff fixed demolition notices on the walls of 9 houses in Silwan village in occupied East Jerusalem and handed their owners notifications to refer to the municipality’s Building Control Department.
• On 02 September 2023, IOF forced Rajaei Hussain ‘Ali to self-demolish a 40-sqm room that he added to his house in Jabel Mukaber village in occupied East Jerusalem upon an Israeli municipal decision under the pretext of unlicensed construction. It should be noted that the house shelters a family of 8, including 3 children.
• On 03 September 2023, IOF handed a notice to evacuate two lands of 6 dunums in Khallet Salama area, north of Tarqumiya village, west of Hebron under the pretext of being state lands.
• On 04 September 2023, IOF confiscated a tractor after forcing its Palestinian owner to stop working in southeastern Yatta in Hebron, under the pretext of ploughing a plot of land claimed by IOF as a state land. IOF also confiscated a bulldozer while it was working in Teqoa’ village, east of Bethlehem.
• On the same day, IOF handed a demolition notice to a carwash in Haris village, north of Salfit, claiming that the area is classified as Area (C).
• On 05 September 2023, IOF confiscated a tractor after forcing its Palestinian owner to stop working in southeastern Yatta in Hebron under the pretext of plowing a plot of land without prior coordination with the Civil Administration. IOF also confiscated Al-Zawiya municipality’s road roller while rehabilitating Wadi A’mar Al-Fajara road in the town of Al-Zawiya, west of Salfit claiming that the area is classified as Area (C).
• On 06 September 2023, IOF demolished 12 facilities, including two residential buildings, 9 shops, and a sheep-breeding farm in Al-Baqa’an neighborhood, in ‘Anata village, East Jerusalem, under the pretext of unlicensed construction. It should be noted that the demolition was conducted to expand a settlement street that serves the settlements established on Palestinian lands in East Jerusalem.
• IOF also handed 23 cease-construction notices to houses, facilities and fences in Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of Salfit.

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 146 houses and housing units; 37 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 14 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 114 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 31 August 2023, a 10-year-old boy sustained lacerations in his mouth causing chipped teeth after settlers threw a stone at a vehicle he was inside with his family near Al-Mahkamah checkpoint at the entrance to “Beit El” settlement, north of al-Bireh.
• On the same day, a taxi driver from Shu’fat refugee camp in East Jerusalem, was injured after settlers attacked his vehicle near the Ma’aman Allah (Mamilla) Cemetery.  They opened the vehicle’s doors by force, and started beating him with sharp tools and sticks, causing him wounds and bruises all over his body and damaging his vehicle.
• Moreover, two settlers attacked a Palestinian woman when she was driving on the main road leading to Ramallah near “Beit El” settlement intersection, smashed the car windows, and stole her bag.
• On 03 September 2023, settlers attacked a Palestinian vehicle with stones on Route 505 near Majdal Bani Fadel village intersection, southeast of Nablus, causing damage to the vehicle and wounding one of its passengers with a stone in the head.

Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 307 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 9 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 Confiscate Palestinian Textbooks in Jerusalem

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

Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 17-year closure on the Gaza Strip.

• On 04 September 2023, IOF announced they halted Gaza exports at Kerem Shalom crossing after they thwarted an attempt to smuggle explosives from Gaza to the West Bank. The Presidential Committee for Goods Coordination said that the Israeli authorities informed them of the Israeli government’s decision to halt all types of exports from Gaza starting from 05 September 2023 until further notice, incurring huge economic losses.

In the West Bank, IOF continues to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 148 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested several Palestinians at those checkpoints.

• On 31 August 2023, IOF closed the detector gate at the entrance to Rawabi area, south of Al-Issawiya village in East Jerusalem, and hindered Palestinians and students’ movement, forcing them to take other more distant roads.
• On 05 September 2023, IOF closed Aqabet Al-Khaldiya neighborhood in the Old City of East Jerusalem with red tapes, and denied Palestinians entry, but later reopened it.
• On 06 September 2023, IOF closed Qalandiya military checkpoint and blocked traffic, but reopened it later.
• Since 18 August 2023, IOF has tightened its military measures in the vicinity of Huwara village and the nearby villages of ‘Aqraba, Osrin, Beita and Yatma in Nablus, and closed sub-roads with sand berms and checkpoints, as part of collective punishment measures following a shooting attack that killed 2 settlers in Huwara.

So far in 2023, IOF have established 4,312 temporary military checkpoints and arrested dozens of Palestinians at those checkpoints.