2 Palestinians, including a child, were killed, and 11 others, including 3 children, were wounded, while dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)’s attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
Details are as follows:
On 01 August 2023, Mohammad Farid Za’arir (15), from Al-Samou’ village in Hebron, was killed when IOF opened fire at him, claiming he was attempting to carry out a stabbing attack on Bypass Road (60) near the “Mitzpeh Ichimo” settlement outpost, 4kms away from southwestern Al-Samou’ village. According to IOF, an Israeli officer and another soldier spotted a person while they were in a vehicle passing by the area, so they approached him. When they started questioning him, he pulled out a knife he was hiding under his clothes, but the driver opened fire at him at around 17:10 and wounded him. An Israeli ambulance then evacuated him, but he was pronounced dead after 3 hours. There were no Palestinian eyewitnesses to the incident.
On the same day, Muhannad Mohammad Al-Mazra’a (20) was shot dead by IOF, after carrying out a shooting attack that injured 6 settlers near a mall in Ma’aleh Adumim settlement, east of East Jerusalem.
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 28 July 2023, a Palestinian was wounded with a live bullet in the left foot during clashes with IOF, after their incursion into Ras Al-Jura area, north of Hebron.
On the same day, 2 Palestinians were wounded with rubber bullets during IOF’s suppression of Kufur Qaddum weekly peaceful protest against settlements in northern Qalqilia.
On 31 July 2023, 4 Palestinians, including two children, were wounded during clashes with IOF after their incursion into the village of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah, where IOF razed a public park.
On 01 August 2023, 3 Palestinians, including a child; one seriously wounded, were injured during clashes with IOF after their incursion into Nablus to secure settlers’ raid into Joseph’s Tomb. IOF also opened fire at a Palestinian vehicle carrying a Palestinian and his pregnant wife in Al Atibaa’ neighborhood, causing a self-car accident as his wife sustained bruises on her pelvis, back and head.
On 02 August 2023, a Palestinian was wounded during clashes with IOF after the latter raided the road connecting Qabatiya and Zababdeh villages, south of Jenin.
In the Gaza Strip, 2 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, while 2 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the western Gaza shores.
So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 202 Palestinians, including 100 civilians; amongst them 35 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, 1009 Palestinians, including 150 children, 30 women and 16 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Land Razing, Demolitions, Notices, and Settlement
IOF displaced 27 Palestinians, including 8 women and 11 children, after demolishing a facility and 4 houses; 3 of which the owners were forced to self-demolish, and levelling areas at a time settlers established a new settlement outpost.
Details are as follows:
On 27 July 2023, IOF handed cease-construction notices to 11 inhabited houses and two agricultural ponds established 25 years ago by the European Union funds in the village of Furush Beit Dajan in Central Jordan Valley.
On the same day, IOF levelled a 1-dunam land planted with olive, fig, and grape seedlings in Bir Al-Balutah, west of Hebron. They also destroyed the stone chains surrounding the land, a 20-sqm agricultural room constructed like rock-cut cave, and a pool made of concrete and roofed with tin sheets.
On 29 July 2023, IOF forced Ahmad Al-Sa’ou to self-demolish his 60-sqm house in Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem, upon an Israeli municipal decision under the pretext of unlicensed construction, rendering his family of 4, including a woman and two children, homeless.
On 30 July 2023, IOF forced Mu’ammar Ja’abis and his son Mohammad to self-demolish their 160-sqm houses in Jabal Al-Mukaber in East Jerusalem, upon an Israeli municipal decision under the pretext of unlicensed construction, displacing their two families of 15, including 6 women and 3 children.
On 31 July 2023, IOF demolished an 80-sqm house of two floors belonging to Ahmad Abu Qbeita and built of steel and tinplate in southern Susiya village in Hebron, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C), displacing his family of 8, including his wife and 6 children.
On the same day, IOF handed a cease-construction notice to a carwash in ‘Aqraba village, southeast of Nablus, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
Also, Israeli authorities handed eviction and cease-construction notices targeting 100 dunams in Deir Ballut village, west of Salfit, under the pretext of being State Property in Area “C”.
Israeli settlers set up tents on Palestinians lands in Yasuf village, east of Salfit, in an attempt to seize these lands and turn them into a settlement outpost.
On 01 August 2023, IOF razed a 4-dunam plot of land in Suba area, west of Hebron, and demolished stone chains surrounding the land as well as the steel gate leading to it. They also uprooted about 70 various trees and damaged a water tank and an irrigation network.
On the same day, IOF demolished a 200-sqm commercial facility in Deir Ballut village, west of Salfit. Part of the facility is used as a commercial facility, while the other part is used as a house.
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 127 families homeless, a total of 756 persons, including 165 women and 342 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 135 houses; 34 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 13 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 27 July 2023, Israeli settlers, from “Yitzhar” settlement, threw stones at Palestinian farmers in Asira al-Qibliya village, southeast of Nablus, and set a vehicle ablaze. Afterwards, IOF moved into the area to protect the settlers and fired live bullets, stun grenades and teargas canisters at the Palestinians, causing many of them to suffocate.
On 29 July 2023, Israeli settlers broke into a plot of land belonging to a Palestinian in Teqoa village, east of Bethlehem, and tried to seize it and its contents, but the villagers gathered in the area and forced them to leave.
On the same day, Israeli settlers, from “Yitzhar” settlement established southeast of Nablus attacked the outskirts of Burin village and set the eastern mountain ablaze.
On 30 July 2023, Israeli settlers, from “Migdalim” settlement, which is established on Qusra village lands, brought a bulldozer, and levelled several areas in al-Zoyia area on Za’tara-Jericho main street. It should be noted that the settlers previously placed a caravan in the same land under the pretext that they had bought this land in an attempt to seize it.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 292 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. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update in the Gaza crossings.
In the West Bank, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 135 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested many Palestinians at those checkpoints.
On 27 July 2023, IOF closed the military checkpoint established near the entrance to Beit Jala tunnel and reopened it later. They also closed the northern entrance to Teqoa village, the entrance to Beit Jala village and Ash-Shawawra village road and reopened them later.
On 01 August 2023, IOF closed al-Zaytouna military checkpoint, east of occupied East Jerusalem, and the military checkpoint (300), north of Bethlehem, for several hours to vehicles’ movement. They then allowed Palestinians holding Israeli IDs to pass through those checkpoints and prevented the West Bank workers with permits from entering. Also, they obstructed Palestinian workers’ movement at Qalandia checkpoint, north of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext that there was a technical glitch in the computer system that check Palestinians’ IDs. As a result, the two checkpoints were overcrowded with thousands of Palestinian workers who were forced to wait for hours in the hot weather until being allowed to pass.
Also, IOF completely closed with cement cubes the entrance to Abu Ra’yia bridge in Za’atara village, east of Bethlehem.
On 02 August 2023, IOF handed a notice to the head of Silwan Cultural and Athletic Club to prevent holding a ceremony for the outstanding performance of high school students (Tawjihi) in the club in Ras al-‘Amoud neighborhood, east of occupied East Jerusalem, under the pretext that the ceremony was sponsored by the Palestinian Authority (PA).
So far in 2023, IOF have established 3,558 temporary military checkpoints and arrested tens of Palestinians at those checkpoints.
