Violation of Right to Life and Bodily Integrity

6 Palestinians, including 3 civilians, amongst them a child, were unjustifiably killed in extrajudicial executions, and 66 others, including 4 journalists and 3 children, were injured, while 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 20 September 2023, Durgham Mohammed al-Akhras (19) was killed after being shot by IOF with a live bullet in his head in clashes that accompanied IOF’s incursion into ‘Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in Jericho.

On 19 September 2023, 4 Palestinians, including a child and 3 members of Palestinian armed groups, were killed and 30 others were injured during IOF’s incursion into Jenin refugee camp.

On the same day, Yousef Salem Redwan (20) was unjustifiably killed after being shot by IOF with 2 live bullets in the back of his head and his back during a protest organized in eastern Khan Younis. Another young man was also injured with a live bullet in his foot.

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 15 September 2023, 4 Palestinians, including a journalist, sustained injuries due to IOF’s suppression of Palestinian protestors near the security border fence in eastern Khan Younis. Moreover, 5 Palestinians were injured; one had his finger amputated after being shot with a live bullet following IOF’s suppression of a similar protest in Malaka area, east of Gaza City.

Also, 2 Palestinians 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, a Palestinian was shot with a live bullet in his leg during clashes with IOF that accompanied their incursion into Abu Dis village in occupied East Jerusalem. Before withdrawing, IOF arrested 6 Palestinians, including 2 children. Also, due to IOF’s shooting, 2 warehouses of scrapped vehicles caught fire and were completely burnt. Additionally, the rooftop of a house was burnt while windows of several vehicles were broken by teargas canisters.

On 17 September 2023, 4 Palestinians, including 3 journalists, were directly hit with teargas canisters fired by IOF during the latter’s suppression of Palestinian protestors near the security border fence in eastern Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip. Also, another Palestinian was hit with a teargas canister in his left foot following IOF’s suppression of Palestinian protestors in Malaka area, east of Gaza City.

Moreover, 3 Palestinians sustained injuries after IOF fired live ammunition and teargas canisters at Palestinian protestors near the security border fence in eastern Rafah.

On the same day, Israeli gunboats opened fire at a Palestinian fisherman, wounding him with 4 rubber-coated bullets in his left leg while he was sailing with his father within 6 nautical miles off Rafah Shore.

On 18 September 2023, a Palestinian was injured with a live bullet in his right foot after IOF opened fire at him during their suppression of Palestinian protestors in Malaka area, east of Gaza City.

On the same day, a Palestinian was shot with 2 live bullets in his abdomen and foot after IOF stationed at Mezmoria military checkpoint designated for vehicles movement in eastern Bethlehem opened fire at him, claiming that he tried to carry out a stabbing attack in the area. The wounded was taken to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in West Jerusalem while he is under the Israeli custody.

On the same day, a Palestinian boy was shot by IOF with a live bullet near the western entrance to Azzoun village in Qalqilia, claiming that he threw stones at an Israeli bus travelling on Street (55). The boy was then arrested and taken to an Israeli hospital.

On 19 September 2023, 6 Palestinians, including 2 children, were injured with live bullets in their limbs after IOF opened fire at them during a protest organized in solidarity with the al-Aqsa Mosque in Malaka area, east of Gaza City. Also, a child was hit with a teargas canister in his foot following IOF’s suppression of a similar protest organized in northeastern Jabalia refugee camp.

On 20 September 2023, 4 Palestinians were shot with live bullets in their lower limbs following IOF’s suppression of Palestinian protestors in Malaka area, east of Gaza City.

During the reporting period, in the Gaza Strip, 3 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, while 2 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Gaza western Gaza shores.

So far in 2023, IOF attacks have killed 229 Palestinians, including 114 civilians; amongst them 43 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, 1208 Palestinians, including 178 children, 33 women and 20 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Land Razing, Demolitions, Notices, and Settlement

IOF demolished 3 houses and a car wash in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Details are as follows:

On 15 September 2023, IOF forced Sa’eed Basheer to self-demolish his 130-sqm house in Jabel Mukaber neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem upon an Israeli municipal decision under the pretext of unlicensed construction. As a result, Basheer’s family, and his brother’s family of 7, including 2 women and 3 children, were displaced.

On 18 September 2023, IOF demolished a 100-sqm under-construction house belonging to Sameer Haj Mohammed in Furush Beit Dajan village in central Jordan Valley, under the pretext of illegal construction in Area (C).

On the same day, IOF demolished a 100-sqm uninhabited house belonging to ‘Abed al-Raheem Bani ‘Odah in Al-Jiftlik village, north of Jericho. IOF demolished the house without prior notice under the pretext of building in Area (C).

On the same day, IOF demolished Baraa’ ‘Aqel’s carwash and destroyed its concrete slab in Haris village in Salfit. According to PCHR’s fieldworker, the losses were estimated at 12,000 shekels.

On 19 September 2023, IOF prevented Beit AR-Rush village council from continuing a waterline extension project to supply the agricultural lands with water near the annexation wall, west of the village. IOF claimed that it is an area designated as a security zone and located in Area (C).

On 20 September 2023, IOF handed 23 cease-construction notices to inhabited and under-construction houses in Qarawat Bani Hassan village, west of Salfit.

Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 140 families homeless, a total of 809 persons, including 177 women and 357 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 149 houses; 39 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 14 were demolished on grounds of IOF’s collective punishment. IOF also demolished 116 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

Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 309 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.

Attacks on Places of Worship

On 17 September 2023, marking the celebration of Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), the Israeli police turned Occupied East Jerusalem into a military barrack, deployed thousands of Israeli soldiers, and members of Special Units in the city, put up barricades at the Old City’s entrance and at al-Aqsa Mosque’s gates, and denied entry of Palestinians worshipers aged under 50 to al-Aqsa Mosque. Meanwhile, the Israeli police facilitated hundreds of Israeli settlers’ raid into al-Aqsa Mosque coinciding with the Jewish New Year celebrations; during which, the Israeli police brutally attacked Palestinian worshippers who gathered at Bab al-Selselah (Chain Gate) to protest not being allowed to enter the mosque.

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 14 September 2023, IOF announced the closure of crossings in the Gaza Strip and West Bank for the Jewish New Year, starting from 15 September and until midnight of 18 September 2023. Although the crossings were partially reopened, IOF continued to close the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing to the movement of workers and merchants intending to leave Gaza in a collective punitive measure over the protests in eastern 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 127 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested several Palestinians at those checkpoints.

Since 12 September 2023, IOF have tightened military measures in the vicinity of Huwara village and nearby villages of ‘Aqraba, Osrin, Beita and Yatma in Nablus, and closed sub-roads with sand berms and checkpoints, as part of collective punitive measures over a shooting attack that killed 2 settlers in Huwara.

This week, IOF have closed or tightened measures at several military checkpoints and roads in occupied East Jerusalem and Bethlehem, blocking traffic, but reopened them later.