PCHR: Weekly Report on Israeli Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (05-11 March 2020)

Israeli Violations Continue in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (05 – 11 March 2020)

Summary

During the period covered by the current report, the Israeli military occupation forces and Israeli settlers continued to commit further grave violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. During this week, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child and wounded others in Nablus, and continued to suppress peaceful demonstrations, which were launched in protest against US President Donald Trump’s announcement of his plan for peace in the Middle East, known in the media as the “Deal of the Century”, which violates Palestinian rights and contradicts the decisions of the United Nations and international law.

With the support of the occupation forces, settlers continued to seize more land and attack civilians and their property. PCHR researchers monitored (159) violations committed by the occupation forces during the period covered by the report. The state of emergency declared by the Palestinian Authority in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to confront the Corona virus, affected the ability of the PCHR staff to monitor violations as usual. The most prominent results of the violations that were monitored included the following:

Shooting and Other Violations of the Right to Bodily Integrity

On Wednesday 11/3/2020, the Israeli occupation forces killed a Palestinian child, and wounded (20) other civilians, including a journalist, in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem. The child was killed and 14 civilians were wounded, two of them seriously, during the suppression of a gathering of citizens, in Jabal Al-Arma, southeast of Beita, in the Nablus Governorate, in the northern West Bank. The other six were wounded in 3 attacks by the occupation forces in Qalqilia, occupied Jerusalem and Ramallah.
The occupation forces fired 9 times at agricultural land in the east of the Gaza Strip, concentrated in the middle and south of the Gaza Strip, and once at fishing boats in the open sea off the northern Gaza Strip.

Incursions and Arrests

The Israeli occupation forces carried out 80 incursions into the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem. During that time, the forces committed several serious violations, including raiding homes, searching them and tampering with their contents, as they terrorized their residents, beat many of them, and fired bullets in many cases. These actions resulted in the arrest of 91 citizens, including 5 children. In the Gaza Strip, those forces carried out a limited incursion into the east of Al-Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip.

Settlement Crimes and Settler Attacks

The occupation authorities continued illegal settlement activities in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, where the center’s staff documented (5) demolitions, bulldozing and notifications, including: excavation work on the lands of citizens in occupied Jerusalem, confiscation of excavators in Hebron, uprooting 400 olive seedlings in Bethlehem, dismantling barns for livestock removing a tent in Ramallah, and ratifying the “sovereignty road” project in E1 area east of occupied Jerusalem, which aims to isolate Palestinian neighborhoods from the city of Jerusalem, to implement Israeli sovereignty.
The Center also documented (8) attacks by settlers, which included: attacking citizens’ homes and cars and assaulting citizens in Nablus, cutting dozens of grape trees, from the lands of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, and attacking a citizen and homes in Hebron.

Collective Punishment

In the context of the collective punishment policy pursued by the Israeli occupation forces against the families of Palestinian citizens who accuse them of carrying out acts of resistance against them or against settlers. Israeli forces demolished the homes of the two Palestinian prisoners: Yazan Maghamis, in Birzeit town, north of Ramallah, and Walid Hanache, in Al-Tirah neighborhood in Ramallah.

Blockade on Gaza

On Friday 6/3/2020, the Israeli occupation authorities announced the imposition of a comprehensive security cordon on the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, under the pretext of security on the occasion of the Israeli “Purim Day”.
According to what the occupation army announced, this procedure was effective from midnight on Sunday, 3/8/2020, and will continue until midnight on Thursday 12/3/2020. The decision included the closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing, which is the only commercial outlet for the Gaza Strip, with Israel, from midnight on Monday to Tuesday for a period of 24 hours.
According to this procedure, the occupation authorities did not allow the crossings into Israel to enter, or return, except for humanitarian, medical and emergency cases, and only after they obtained the approval of the government coordinator in the Palestinian territories.
On Wednesday evening, 11/3/2020, the occupation authorities announced new measures that include new restrictions regarding the Beit Hanoun crossing and the West Bank crossings, after the end of the previous closure, under the pretext of facing the spread of the Corona virus.
This comes at a time when the Gaza Strip is still suffering from the worst siege in the history of the occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory, as the siege entered its fourteenth year without any tangible improvement on the movement of individuals and goods, while exacerbating the continuing deterioration in the humanitarian situation and having catastrophic effects on all aspects of life.
In many cases, the Israeli occupation forces use the Erez / Beit Hanoun crossing, north of the Gaza Strip, designated for the movement of individuals as a trap for the arrest of Palestinian civilians, despite obtaining permits to enable them to enter Israel.

Closures in the West Bank

The occupation authorities continue to divide Palestinian communities into small cantons, isolated from each other, with many roads remaining completely closed. In addition to the permanent checkpoints, the occupying forces erect many flying checkpoints which severely impede the movement of civilians, arresting one citizen this week. The occupation authorities decided to continue the closure imposed on the Bethlehem area, under the pretext of confronting the Corona virus, including preventing Bethlehem residents from entering Israeli territory, until further notice.

1. Shooting and Violations the Right to Bodily Integrity:

a. Excessive Use of Force Against Peaceful Protests in the West Bank:

On Friday 6/3/2020, the Israeli occupation forces suppressed three demonstrations in the West Bank to denounce the announcement of US President Donald Trump his plan for peace in the Middle East, known as the “Deal of the Century”. In these demonstrations, the Palestinian citizens gathered near the points of contact with the Israeli occupation forces, and chanted national chants, some of them tried to throw stones, at those forces that fired live bullets, and rubber-coated metal rounds, and sound and gas bombs towards the demonstrators. As a result, two civilians were wounded with live bullets, and dozens suffocated, as well as 5 citizens, including two children, were arrested.

The following are details of the demonstrations:

Demonstration near the “Separation Wall” that is located on the lands of the western region of Al-Arqa, west of Jenin. In addition to suppressing the demonstrators and suffocating several of them, the demonstration included the arrest of four Israeli citizens, including two children. The detainees are: Yazan Rasim Yahya, 18, Qutaiba Musa Waked, 17, Basil Nizar Waked, 25, and Muhammad Issam Waked, 16.
A demonstration on the “northern crossing” located on the lands of the city of Qalqilia. The occupation forces pursued the young men who gathered in the area, and arrested Alaa Mustafa Dwiri, 26, a resident of Qalqilia, and took him with her.
A demonstration on the “northern entrance” located on the lands of Kufur Qaddoum village, north-east of Qalqilia. The occupation forces pursued the young men who gathered in the area, amid confrontations, during which they launched metal bullets and tear gas and tear gas canisters towards them. As a result, two civilians, the first, 30 years old, were wounded, with a live bullet in the face, and the second, 47, in the right hand.

Shootings and Other Physical Safety Threats

At approximately 08:30 on Friday, 6 March 2020, the Israeli occupation forces, positioned inside the border strip, with Israel, east of Khan Younis, fired bullets and tear gas canisters towards agricultural lands, east of the town of Qarara, without causing any injuries. .
At approximately 9:00 in the morning, the Israeli occupation forces, positioned inside the border strip, with Israel, east of Khan Younis, fired bullets and tear gas canisters towards agricultural lands, east of the town of Khuza’a, without causing any injuries.
At approximately 22:00 local time, the Israeli occupation forces moved into Al-Wadi Street, in the Old City of Occupied East Jerusalem. They raided the homes of the citizens: Muhammad Murad Najib, 20, and Hisham Muhammad al-Bashiti, 19, and arrested them. During the raid, a number of young men and boys demonstrated at the end of Al-Wadi Street, near the door of the Majlis, one of the doors of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and threw stones and fireworks towards the soldiers, who fired sound bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets, towards the demonstrators.
At approximately 2:30 pm on Saturday, 7 March 2020, the Israeli occupation soldiers, stationed inside the border strip with Israel, east of Al-Maghazi camp in the central governorate, opened fire with their automatic weapons at the shepherds, no injuries were reported.
At approximately 16:00, Israeli forces moved into al-‘Isawiya village, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem. Soldiers were deployed inside the neighborhoods of the village, erected barriers at its entrances, prevented entry and exit, and then subjected the vehicles to inspection before being allowed to leave the village. Meanwhile, a number of young men and boys demonstrated at the entrance to Obaid neighborhood, north of the village, and threw stones, fireworks, and Molotov cocktails at the Israeli occupation soldiers. Immediately, a large Israeli force stormed the neighborhood, and fired tear-gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets at the demonstrators and the civilians, amid clashes in the area, which lasted for more than 3 hours. As a result, two civilians were wounded by shrapnel from the sound bombs, which required their transfer to a medical center in the village for treatment. Forces arrested the following citizens: Munir Muammar Obaid, 18, and Yazan Bassam Rushd Obaid, 23.
At approximately 8:00 on Sunday, 8 March 2020, Israeli occupation forces, positioned inside the border strip, with Israel, east of Khan Younis, fired bullets and-tear gas canisters towards agricultural lands, east of the town of Fukhari, east of Khan Younis, without injuries.
At approximately 08:30, the Israeli occupation forces, positioned inside the border strip, with Israel, east of Khan Younis, fired bullets and tear gas canisters towards agricultural lands, east of the town of Qarara, east of Khan Younis, this was repeated at approximately 9:00 pm, with no injuries.
At approximately 1:15 p.m. Sunday 8 March 2020, the Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Qabatia, southeast of Jenin. A number of boys and children gathered and threw stones at the occupation vehicles. Immediately, these forces fired tear-gas canisters towards the demonstrators, which resulted in several cases of suffocation who were treated at the scene.
At approximately 15:30, Israeli forces moved into Burin village, southeast of Nablus. The force was stationed in the Al-Batin area, east of the aforementioned town. A number of boys and children gathered and threw stones at the occupation vehicles. Immediately, these forces fired tear gas canisters towards the demonstrators, which resulted in several of them suffocating cases, which were treated in the field.
At approximately 21:30, the Israeli occupation forces, positioned inside the border strip with Israel, east of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, fired live bullets and light bombs in the sky, no injuries or damage were reported.
At approximately 6:00 on Monday, 9 March 2020, Israeli occupation forces, through their warships, stationed at sea off the northwest of the town of Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, chased the Palestinian fishermen in their boats that were located about two miles away, opened heavy machine gunfire towards it. This caused fear and panic among the fishermen, who had to flee, with no injuries reported.
At approximately 08:30, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned inside the border strip with Israel, east of Al-Maghazi camp, in the middle of the Gaza Strip, fired live bullets and tear gas canisters at the shepherds along the aforementioned tape. The shooting continued intermittently until evening hours, and no injuries or damage were reported.
At approximately 9:00 on Tuesday, 10 March 2020, the Israeli occupation soldiers, stationed inside the border strip with Israel, east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, fired bullets towards agricultural lands east of the town of Abasan al-Kabira, causing no injuries.
At approximately 7:00 pm, a force of the Israeli occupation army stormed Al-Aroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, claiming that its members stationed at the entrance to the camp threw stones. Once the soldiers reached the area of the UNRWA distribution stores, a number of youths gathered and threw stones at the soldiers. The soldiers chased the stone-throwers between the residential houses, and fired stun grenades and gas bombs indiscriminately in the area. As a result, a number of citizens were suffocated. Later, that force withdrew from the camp, and no arrests were reported.
At the same time, the Israeli occupation forces moved into Tal village, southwest of Nablus governorate. The force was stationed in Al-Baraka area, west of the mentioned village. A number of citizens gathered and threw stones at the occupation vehicles. Immediately, the Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets to disperse them, causing many of them to suffocate, and were treated at the scene. Israeli forces chased the demonstrators, arrested and detained two citizens. The two detainees are: Hazem Omar Hindi, 25, and Bara ‘Abdel-Fattah Shtayeh, 23.
At approximately 14:00 on Wednesday, 11 March 2020, a large Israeli military force stormed the village of Deir Nizam, northwest of Ramallah. A number of Palestinian youths gathered at the main entrance to the village, and threw stones at the Israeli soldiers, who fired a heavy barrage of sound and gas bombs and rubber coated metal bullets, towards them. This resulted in several cases of suffocation, and they were treated on the ground. Before their withdrawal, these forces arrested the two children: Ramiz Muhammad Yahya Al-Tamimi, 15, and Usama Muhammad Yahya Al-Tamimi, 17, and took them with them to an unknown destination.
In a new crime resulting from the excessive use of force, the Israeli occupation forces killed, on Wednesday 11/3/2020, a Palestinian child, and wounded (14) other civilians, including a journalist, during their suppression of a gathering of citizens, in Jabal Al-Arma, south East of Beita, in the Nablus Governorate, in the northern West Bank. The case of two wounded people was described as critical.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 5:00 in the morning, the Israeli occupation forces, reinforced by about 40 military vehicles and two bulldozers, stormed Jabal al-Arma and proceeded to suppress dozens of citizens who had gathered since 8:00 pm the previous day, in an attempt to protect the mountain from settler takeover. Forces fired live rounds, rubber-coated metal rounds and tear gas canisters at the citizens while clashes continued until 7:00 in the morning. Israeli actions resulted in the injury of 15 civilians, one of whom was the child Muhammad Abdel-Karim Khasab Hamayel, 15, who was shot in the head with a live round.

The youth’s wounds were described as critical, the boy was pronounced dead just hours later at 12:00 pm, in the intensive care unit of Rafidia Governmental Hospital in Nablus. Among the injured was journalist Bakr Muhammad Abdel-Haq, 30, who was shot with a live bullet in the leg, while covering the events on Palestine TV. The condition of two of the other wounded was described as very serious. Dozens of citizens also suffered inhalation injuires from tear-gas, and were treated at the scene.

Eyewitnesses told PCHR’s fieldworker that the Israeli occupation forces did not allow the ambulance crews to evacuate the injured, including the child Hamayel, from the mountain, and left them bleeding in their places for more than 30 minutes.

This was the third time that the Occupation Forces have stormed Jabal Al-Arma, in the past two weeks, to disperse the citizens who gather on it to protect it from the settlers’ attempts to seize it. The previous incidents resulted in 146 Palestinian civilian injuries.

2. Incursions and Arrests

Thursday 3/5/2020

At approximately 01:00, Israeli forces moved into Burqin village, west of Jenin. Some of them invaded and ransacked a family home, then arrested and detained Muhammad Imran Sabah, 24.
At the same time, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with several military vehicles, stormed the town of Al-Samou’, south of Hebron. They invaded a family home and arrested and detained Uday Muhammad Mahmoud Rawashdeh, 25 from the home.
At approximately 01:30, Israeli forces raided a family home in Jenin, searched and ransacked the home before arresting and detaining Sayed Ibrahim Al-Sayed, 22.
At approximately 02:00, Israeli forces raided a family home in Al-Far’a refugee camp, south of Tubas governorate, searched the home and arrested and detained Omar Fathi Al-Shafi’i, 23.
At the same time, at dawn, the Israeli occupation forces stormed the village of Burin, southeast of Nablus, invaded, searched and ransacked a family home, before arresting and detaining Ahmed Ali Eid, 27.
At approximately 02:30, Israeli forces moved into Kharas, west of Hebron, raided four houses, and conducted searches there. Later, before its withdrawal, these forces arrested four citizens and took them with them. The detainees are: Rommel Kamel Atwan, 42, who was released from Nafhah Sahrawi prison, on 2/13/2020, after serving a 18-year sentence, and Shaher Aziz Halahlah, 42, who was released from Nafhah Sahrawi prison on 3/19/ 2019, after serving his 17-year sentence, Younis Audah Al-Hroub, 39, and Ismail Ahmed Al-Hroub, 29 years old.
At the same time, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with several military vehicles, stormed the town of Surif, west of Hebron. They raided two houses, conducted searches at them, and later, before their withdrawal, those forces arrested the citizens: Wa’d al-Haq Muhammad al-Hudmi, 30, and Rami Muhammad Ihdush, 38, and detained them.
At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces, backed by several military vehicles, stormed the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron. They raided three houses, and delivered three citizens with requests to summon the Israeli intelligence agency (the Shin Bet), in the “Gush Ezion” settlement, south of Bethlehem. The three citizens are: Saqr Ahmad Hussein Sabarneh, 36, Waheeb Nimer Jamil Alqam, 35, and Mazen Hussein Mahmoud Al-Tait, 33.
At approximately 09:40, Israeli forces moved into Qalqilya. Some of its members raided the home of the family of Citizen Adel Suleiman Salem Abu Duhail, 32, who conducted searches and tampered with its contents. Prior to its withdrawal, those forces arrested the aforementioned citizen, and took him with it.
Note: During the aforementioned day, the Israeli occupation forces (4) carried out incursions in the following areas without reporting any arrests: Sebastia, Qaryut, in Nablus, and Tafouh, in Hebron.

Friday 3/6/2020

At approximately 20:30, Israeli forces moved into Batn al-Hawa neighborhood, Silwan municipality, south of the Old City, from occupied East Jerusalem. They raided the house of Munther Hamza al-Rajabi, 21, and tampered with its contents. Prior to their withdrawal, the Israeli soldiers arrested the aforementioned citizen, and took him to the Salah El-Din Street police station in the center of the occupied city. After several hours, the occupation authorities released him unconditionally.
At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into Birzeit, north of Ramallah. They raided an apartment housing university students at Birzeit University, conducted searches and tampered with its contents. Before their withdrawal, the soldiers arrested (7) citizens, all of whom were residents of Tulkarm. The detainees are: Muhammad Mahmoud Thawabta, 21 years old, Yazid Kamal Abdul Dayem, 21 years oldMa, Muhammad Hassan Muhammim Jaber, 21, Osaid Abd al-Fateh Fayez Sa`id, 22, and Ahmed Farah, 19, Muhammad Nasir, 22, and Rayan Khraiwesh, 20, and took them with them.
At approximately 03:20, Israeli forces, reinforced with several military vehicles, stormed the Jalazonerefugee camp, north of Ramallah. They raided the house of the family of the citizen Barakat Raed Nakhleh, 22, and searched him. Later, before their withdrawal, the forces arrested the aforementioned citizen, and took him with them.
At approximately 6:00 pm, the Israeli occupation forces moved into Bab Hatta neighborhood, in the old town of the occupied eastern city. They raided the home of Fuad Jamal Al-Shawish, 21, and carried out tampering with their contents. Before their withdrawal, the Israeli soldiers arrested the citizen, and took him with them.
Note: During the aforementioned day, the Israeli occupation forces conducted (3) incursions without reporting arrests, in the following areas: Al-Shuyukh, Beit Al-Roush, and Al-Dhahrieh in Hebron Governorate.

Saturday 3/7/2020

At approximately 10:00 in the morning, the Israeli occupation forces arrested the citizens: Muhammad Abu Sneineh, 20, and Mustafa Abu Sneineh, 21, while they were in front of their homes on Al-Wadi Street, in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem, and took them to a police station In the town.
Note: During the aforementioned day, the Israeli occupation forces conducted two incursions without reporting any arrests, in the following areas: the city of Hebron, and the city of Yatta in the Hebron governorate.

Sunday 3/8/2020

At approximately 02:00, Israeli forces moved into al-Thawri neighborhood, south of occupied East Jerusalem. They raided the home of Ibrahim Jamil Ghaith, 19, the family, and carried out tampering with their contents. Before their withdrawal, the Israeli soldiers arrested the aforementioned citizen, and took him with them.
At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into Jabal Al-Mukabber neighborhood, south of occupied East Jerusalem. They raided the home of the family of Khaled Amer Elayyan Owaisat, 24, and conducted tampering with their contents. Before their withdrawal, the Israeli soldiers arrested the aforementioned citizen, and took him with them.
At approximately 6:00 a.m., Israeli forces moved into al-‘Isawiya village, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem. They raided the house of the family of Louay Ashraf Mahmoud, 23 years old, and conducted tampering with their contents. Before their withdrawal, the Israeli soldiers arrested the citizen, and took him with them.
Note: During the aforementioned day, the Israeli occupation forces carried out (3) incursions without reporting arrests, in the following areas: Surif town, Abu Al-Asja village, and Beit Umrah village, in the Hebron governorate.

3. Settlement Crimes and Settler Attacks in the West Bank

The Israeli occupation forces continued, during this week, demolitions and bulldozers, in favor of settlement projects, while settlers continued to carry out their attacks against citizens and their property, under the protection of those forces. The details are as follows:

a. Demolitions, Bulldozing, Land Confiscation and Demolition Notifications

At approximately 3:00 on Thursday, 5 March 2020, crews from the Israeli Nature Authority stormed the land of Mohammed Daoud Al-Abbasi, 90, in Wadi Al-Rababa neighborhood, Silwan town, south of the old city of occupied East Jerusalem, and carried out work Dig in.
Abdel Karim Abu Sunaina, head of the Wadi Rababa neighborhood committee, said that the Nature Authority has been targeting the region for nearly 20 years to establish settlement projects on it, indicating that a session will be held in the Israeli court on the twenty-second of this month, on the lands of the neighborhood. Residents of the area rose up, confronted these crews, and forced them to stop digging in the presence of the occupation police forces.
At approximately 10:00 on Sunday, 3/82020, Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with two military vehicles, accompanied by a vehicle belonging to the Israeli Administration and Building Department in the (Civil Administration), and a truck, Khirbet Birin, east of Hebron. Soldiers deployed in the area, and confiscated two excavators belonging to Mohammed Ahmed Abu Turki, from Hebron, while they were working on reclaiming agricultural lands. Khirbet Birin is located in the classified area (c), and it is forbidden to work in it without prior permission from the occupation authorities.
On Monday morning, 3/3/2020, the Israeli occupation forces uprooted hundreds of olive seedlings from the lands of Wadi Fukin village, west of Bethlehem. The Fukin Valley Village Council stated that the occupation forces uprooted some 400 olive seedlings in the “Shaab Bahour” area, west of the village, belonging to Mohammed Mahmoud al-Haroub.
At approximately 2:00 pm, the Israeli occupation forces stormed the lands of Khirbet Jbaite, located in the eastern side of Al-Mughair village, northeast of Ramallah. The soldiers also uprooted the residential tent inhabited by a family of (6) individuals, including four children, and confiscated the generator. Prior to its withdrawal, the occupation forces informed the citizen that the lands are archaeological areas, claiming that they are closed military areas.
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett approved the “Sovereignty Road” project in the E1 area east of occupied Jerusalem, which aims to isolate Palestinian neighborhoods from the city of Jerusalem, to implement Israeli sovereignty.
According to the Hebrew News website (0404), the road will link the Arab village of al-Zaeem, near the “Ma’aleh Adumim” settlement, east of occupied Jerusalem, with the Arab villages on the other side of the area (Anata, Hazma, and Ram). The construction of this road designated for Palestinian citizens aims to separate the Palestinians and Israelis in the area, by not allowing Palestinian vehicles to pass through the Maale Adumim settlement and other settlements. This project allows the linking of the road between Jerusalem and the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim, and the construction of more settlements in the area, which will significantly improve the quality of life for settlers in the area. Hebrew media indicated that the procedures for planning for the construction will be in cooperation with the Israeli Ministry of Transport and Communications, which will be responsible for its implementation. “Today, we give the green light to sovereignty road, and we are beginning to link Jerusalem to Maale Adumim,” Bennett told Israeli media. We will continue to apply sovereignty with deeds, not with words, and most importantly, to allow continued building of settlements.” It is noteworthy that the construction of this road means that “Israel” has already begun to annex this area, and to separate the northern and southern West Bank, which greatly undermines the chances of establishing a viable and continuous Palestinian state.

b. Settlers’ Attacks on Palestinian Civilians and Their Property

At approximately 2:45 pm on Saturday, 7/3/2020, with the protection of the occupation forces, a group of settlers from the “Yitzhar” settlement, southeast of Nablus, threw stones at the houses, so the Palestinian village immediately gathered a number of citizens and threw stones back at the settlers and the occupation soldiers who secured their protection. The Israeli soldiers responded to the Palestinians by firing tear-gas canisters, before they secured the settlers’ withdrawal towards the settlement, which resulted in many suffocation cases who were treated at the scene.
On Tuesday morning, 10 March 2020, Israeli settlers cut down dozens of grape vines from the lands of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem.
The director of the Office of the Resistance of the Wall and Settlement Authority, Hassan Brijieh, stated that the settlers cut a number of vine trees in the Fagur area, which is surrounded by the settlements of “Daniel”, “Eliezer” and “Efrat” built on the lands of citizens, and owned by Abdel Salam Ahmed Al-Sir. Bareijah warned of the danger of settlers taking advantage of the declared state of emergency in the Palestinian territories following the outbreak of the Corona virus, and the commitment of citizens to their homes to seize their lands. It is noteworthy that during the past two weeks, settlers uprooted about 800 trees from the town of Al-Khader and 400 seedlings in the Fukin Valley the previous day.
At approximately 12:30, on the evening of Wednesday, 11 March 2020, while a Palestinian citizens’ cars crossed the main Hawara Street, southeast of Nablus, a vehicle with an Israeli naval registration plate stopped on the Interior Circle roundabout. Three settlers got out of the car, carrying sticks, and attacked cars crossing the roundabout. The settlers attacked two young men who tried to confront them, smashing the windows of their car, before the two young men fled towards the Hawara checkpoint, and filed a complaint with the Israeli police. The two injured young men, Salah Wael Lotfi Khamous, 23, and Ghazi Dawood Shehadeh, 23, went to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus.
At approximately 10:00 in the morning, a number of settlers organized tours in the residential neighborhood, Tel Al-Ramdiyah, in the center of Hebron, under the pretext of celebrating “Purim”.
At the same time, a number of settlers, who are located in the closed neighborhoods of Hebron, claiming to celebrate “Purim Festival”, attacked the Palestinian citizens in Al-Shuhada Street neighborhood. The daily life of the Palestinian residents in the closed neighborhoods of Hebron was disrupted during the day, due to the large number of settlers who arrived in the city to celebrate the holiday. This included the closure of the main entrance to Al-Shuhada Street, which residents take along the military checkpoint (56).
At approximately 11:45 a.m. on the same day, a group of settlers from the “price-tag” groups attacked, from the “Yitzhar” settlement on the lands of the towns of Hawara and ‘Orif, and threw stones towards the home of Mu’taz Sadiq Qasrawi breaking windows. The settlers also smashed the windows of three cars parked in the yard of the house of Mohammed Abdel Aziz Ahmed Harzala.
At approximately 6:00 pm, Muhannad Khlawi al-Ja`bari, 30, was wounded in the head, after being hit by a stone thrown by a settler, who attacked the homes of citizens in the Wadi al-Nassari neighborhood, in Hebron. This came when a group of settlers was advancing from the settlement of Kiryat Arba to the Ibrahimi Mosque, to perform religious rituals on the occasion of Purim. The injured was taken to the government hospital in the city.

4. Collective Punishment

In the context of the collective punishment policy pursued by the Israeli occupation forces against the families of Palestinian citizens accused of carrying out acts of resistance. Israeli forces demolished the homes of the two prisoners: Yazan Maghamis, in Birzeit town, north of Ramallah, and Walid Hanache, in Al-Tirah neighborhood, from the western side of Ramallah.
According to the investigations of the center and the eyewitnesses, at dawn hours on Thursday 5/3/2020, the Israeli occupation forces, reinforced with dozens of military vehicles and a military bulldozer, stormed the town of Birzeit, north of Ramallah. Dozens of soldiers got out of their military vehicles and spread between residential buildings and fired tear-gas and sound bombs in the middle of the town. Meanwhile, a large number of soldiers raided the family home of Yazan Maghamis. During those hours, an occupying army force demolished the walls of the house, by means of a military bulldozer, which consisted of one floor with an area of 150 square meters. Prior to its withdrawal from the aforementioned town, dozens of young men and boys gathered and threw stones and empty bottles at the Israeli soldiers deployed throughout the town, who fired tear-gas canisters at the youths. As a result, dozens of citizens suffered inhalation injuries and were treated at the scene by the Palestinian Red Crescent staff.
At approximately 02:30, approximately (200) Israeli occupation forces and about 20 military vehicles stormed Al-Tirah neighborhood, located in the western side of the city of Ramallah. Members of the force deployed to the neighborhood’s streets and entrances, transformed it into a closed military zone, and denied entry into, either by vehicle or on foot. Soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets and sound bombs at vehicles and some residential buildings. Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces stormed a residential building in the neighborhood consisting of (6) floors and containing (13) apartments, and raided the house of the prisoner Walid Hanache, located on the third floor inside the aforementioned residential building, and its area is approximately 170 square meters, after they forced the residents out of the house, they held them inside one of the other apartments in the building. Soldiers began to demolish the walls of the house with hammers. Before the withdrawal of these forces from the aforementioned neighborhood, confrontations broke out with the youths who threw stones and empty bottles and lit rubber tires. The soldiers fired at the youths, wounding two civilians with live bullets in the lower limbs, Palestinian Red Crescent staff described the injuries as light. Many citizens suffered from suffocation due to inhaling tear-gas.

~ Palestinian Center for Human Rights