5 Palestinians, including a child, 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 14 July 2023, a child was wounded with a live bullet in the thigh after IOF opened fire during the suppression of Palestinians who were trying to prevent settlers from establishing a settlement outpost, southwest of Kobar village in Ramallah.
On 16 July 2023, 2 Palestinians were wounded with rubber bullets, and others suffocated during clashes with IOF in Bethlehem. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested 3 Palestinians.
On the same day, a Palestinian was wounded with a live bullet in the shoulder after IOF opened fire during their incursion into Tal village in Nablus. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested 2 Palestinians.
On 17 July 2023, a Palestinian was wounded with a live bullet that penetrated his back and abdomen, causing gastrointestinal perforation and his condition was deemed serious. IOF opened fire when he was in front of his house during IOF’s incursion into Al-Fawar camp, south of Hebron. Before their withdrawal, IOF arrested another Palestinian.
In the Gaza Strip, 3 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, while 7 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the western Gaza shores.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 194 Palestinians, including 96 civilians; amongst them 33 children, 6 women and a Palestinian with disability, and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 6 children, 7 killed by settlers, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 985 Palestinians, including 147 children, 30 women and 16 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Land Razing, Demolitions, Notices, and Settlement
IOF displaced 50 Palestinians, including 23 children and 11 women, after demolishing 11 houses and razing agricultural lands in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, while Israeli settlers established a settlement outpost in Ramallah.
On 14 July 2023, settlers set up a tent and placed a water tank in Al-Batin area, southwest of Kobar village in Ramallah, in an attempt to establish a new settlement outpost. As a result, Kobar villagers gathered and tried to confront the settlers by throwing stones at them, but IOF instantly intervened and suppressed the villagers, wounding a child.
On 16 July 2023, IOF demolished ten 70-sqm houses of bricks and tinplate in Al-Sawahra Al-Sharqiya village in East Jerusalem, rendering 45 Palestinians, including 20 children, homeless.
On the same day, IOF forced Ahmad Qareen to self-demolish his house in Silwan in East Jerusalem under the pretext of unlicensed construction, displacing him, his wife and three children.
On 17 July 2023, IOF levelled a 3-dunam plot of land and uprooted 100 olive and almond trees in the village of Husan, west of Bethlehem. They arrested the son of the land’s owner after assaulting him and his mother.
IOF also stopped the expansion works on the main road leading to al-Rashaida village, east of Bethlehem, and seized a bulldozer after arresting its driver, under the pretext of not obtaining a license.
On 18 July 2023, IOF levelled an 8-dunam plot of land planted with 210 olive, almond and forest trees in the village of Birin, east of Hebron, under the pretext of being state lands.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 120 families homeless, a total of 721 persons, including 154 women and 329 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 128 houses; 28 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 13 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 91 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
Israeli settlers carried out 13 attacks on Palestinians and their property, threw stones at them, cut trees, and set many vehicles ablaze in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.
Details are as follows:
On 15 July 2023, Israeli settlers, from “Havat Maon’ settlement outpost, which is established on Palestinian lands confiscated from Hebron, attacked Palestinians shepherds while grazing their sheep in the lands near Kherbet Saroura and Kherbet al-Mofqara. Afterwards, IOF arrived in the area, arrested a volunteer working for the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories “B’Tselem” and released him later.
On the same day, settlers pumped wastewater at agricultural lands in Nahalin village, west of Bethlehem. The agricultural lands have a water spring and are planted with different types of crops.
On the same day, Israeli settlers attacked a house in Sebastia village in Nablus. Afterwards, IOF intervened and arrested two Palestinians, including the owner of the attacked house.
On 16 July 2023, settlers set 4 vehicles ablaze and wrote racist slogans in Abu Ghosh village in occupied East Jerusalem.
On the same day, Israeli settlers set agricultural lands planted with olive trees ablaze in Burin village in southern Nablus, burning many olive trees. They also prevented the fire truck from reaching the area and threw stones at Palestinians’ houses in the village. When the Palestinians tried to confront the settlers, IOF fired teargas canisters at them, causing many of them to suffocate. Additionally, Israeli settlers set up a tent in the outskirts of Burin village, amid fears that it would be in a prelude to establish another settlement outpost in the area.
Israeli settlers gathered near the intersection of Jit village, east of Qalqilya, and held banners with racist slogans against the Palestinians, blocking traffic.
Also, settlers attacked Palestinians’ vehicles at the western entrance to Beitin village, north of al-Bireh City, breaking the windows of some of them.
On 17 July 2023, settlers, under IOF’s protection, deployed along Huwara main street in Nablus and threw stones at Palestinian vehicles. Also, the settlers threw stones at a Palestinian house near Huwara military checkpoint, south of Nablus. The settlers deployed on the road connecting Qusra village with Jalud village in Nablus and indiscriminately opened fire in the area.
On the same day, Israeli settlers cut about 250 grape vines and wrote the phrase “price tag” in Hebrew on stone chains in al-Bouira area, east of Hebron.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 281 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.
IOF Incursions and Arrests
IOF carried out 166 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, 89 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 women.
So far in 2023, IOF have conducted 5,362 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, during which 2,981 Palestinians were arrested, including 28 women and 326 children. Also, IOF arrested 39 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, including 17 fishermen, 20 infiltrators into Israel, and 3 travelers at Erez Crossing. IOF also conducted 19 incursions.
Israeli Closure, Restrictions on Freedom of Movement, and Collective Punishment
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 16-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 105 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested 2 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 16 July 2023, as part of IOF collective punishment measures following the shooting attack near Tekoa village that injured 3 settlers, IOF closed all Bethlehem’s entrances, the entrance to ‘Aqbet Hasnah leading to the western rural villages, the southern entrance to Al-Khader village “al-Nashash” with a metal detector gate, the entrances to Beit Fajjar and Tekoa villages, al-Container military checkpoint, the western entrance to Beit Jala village, and the entrances to Tekoa village, southeast of Bethlehem.
So far in 2023, IOF have established 3,298 temporary military checkpoints and arrested 142 Palestinians at those checkpoints.
