9 mar 2001
After the Friday prayer, Israeli occupation forces opened fire on Palestinian demonstrators in Salem village near Nablus, wounding two with rubber-coated metal bullets. They were:
1) the 12-year-old child Hussam Qassem Sawalha, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the jaw; and
2) Mohammed Jazi Jabbour, 21, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right thigh.
At approximately 15:30 local time, ‘Emad Sharif Abu ‘Awwad, 37, from Bir Zeit village near Ramallah, was wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen that penetrated the chest, when Israeli occupation soldiers fired upon a Palestinian civilian car in which he was traveling with his brothers.
Additionally, his brother ‘Awwad, 39, was wounded with shrapnel in the back. The three bothers were traveling from Bir Zeit to Ramallah on a bypass road near Beit Eil settlement, to the north of Al-Bireh. An Israeli forces vehicle pursued them, forced them to stop, and then opened fire on them from behind at a distance of only 3m.
At approximately 19:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned at the Egyptian border in Rafah, fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses, some approximately 500m from the border. As a result, seven Palestinian civilians were wounded. The wounded included a mother and her four daughters, who were wounded as follows:
1) the child Hiba Jamal El-‘Arian, 7, seriously wounded with shrapnel in the head and was transferred to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City;
2) the child Suzan Jamal El-‘Arian, 8, wounded with shrapnel in the feet;
3) the child Asama’ Jamal El-‘Arian, 12, wounded with shrapnel in the feet;
4) the child Amani Jamal El-‘Arian, 15, wounded with shrapnel in the left foot; and
5) Hanan Mohammed El-‘Arian, 40, wounded with shrapnel in the face.
In her testimony to PCHR, Hanan El-‘Arian said that she was sitting with her four daughters in a room of their asbestos-roofed house in Block “N,” approximately 500m away from the border. At approximately 19:30 local time, she said, she heard a heavy explosion inside the house. “After the explosion, I felt pain and heat in my face, and I saw black smoke rising in the room, so we cried for help,” she added.
Aslo as a result of the shelling, Tamer Mohammed Mahmoud Daoud, 17, was wounded with a live bullet in the right leg fired from a distance of approximately 30m.
He was shot when he was passing on a road adjacent to the border. Furthermore, ‘Aaida Mahmoud Abdel-Rahman Douhan, 25, was wounded with shrapnel in the right leg, while she was inside her house in Block “O,” adjacent to the border.
In her testimony to PCHR, Douhan, an eight-month pregnant mother of two, said that she was with her husband and children inside their house. At approximately 20:00 local time, “I heard a sound of a heavy explosion. Then I felt with pain in my right leg and saw it bleeding.” She was immediately evacuated to Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah.
At approximately 21:00 local time, the Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian residential neighborhoods in Nablus. Three civilians, including two children, were wounded as follows:
1) the child Jamal Mohammed Qandil, 16, wounded with shrapnel in the head;
2) the child ‘Essam Abdel-Jawad Hassan Ali, 16, wounded with shrapnel in the head; and
3) Ahmed Nasser ‘Eissa, 53, wounded with shrapnel in the right thigh.
Attacks and Shooting on Palestinian Civilians by Settlers
At approximately 9:30 local time, a Jewish settler from the new Suissa settlement east of Yatta village near Hebron, opened fire on Khaled Mousa Al-Najjar, 45, from Yatta village, wounding him with two live bullets in the abdomen and the right hand.
Al-Najjar was grazing his animals when he was fired at by the settler from a distance of approximately 500m.
At approximately 22:00 local time, a settler from Suissa settlement also fired at Nabil Mohammed Ismail Abu Ali, 35, from Yatta village, wounding him with a live bullet in the left knee.
Abu Ali was traveling by his car on a bypass road leading to Suissa settlement towards his house, when he was shot.
After the Friday prayer, Israeli occupation forces opened fire on Palestinian demonstrators in Salem village near Nablus, wounding two with rubber-coated metal bullets. They were:
1) the 12-year-old child Hussam Qassem Sawalha, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the jaw; and
2) Mohammed Jazi Jabbour, 21, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right thigh.
At approximately 15:30 local time, ‘Emad Sharif Abu ‘Awwad, 37, from Bir Zeit village near Ramallah, was wounded with a live bullet in the abdomen that penetrated the chest, when Israeli occupation soldiers fired upon a Palestinian civilian car in which he was traveling with his brothers.
Additionally, his brother ‘Awwad, 39, was wounded with shrapnel in the back. The three bothers were traveling from Bir Zeit to Ramallah on a bypass road near Beit Eil settlement, to the north of Al-Bireh. An Israeli forces vehicle pursued them, forced them to stop, and then opened fire on them from behind at a distance of only 3m.
At approximately 19:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned at the Egyptian border in Rafah, fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses, some approximately 500m from the border. As a result, seven Palestinian civilians were wounded. The wounded included a mother and her four daughters, who were wounded as follows:
1) the child Hiba Jamal El-‘Arian, 7, seriously wounded with shrapnel in the head and was transferred to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City;
2) the child Suzan Jamal El-‘Arian, 8, wounded with shrapnel in the feet;
3) the child Asama’ Jamal El-‘Arian, 12, wounded with shrapnel in the feet;
4) the child Amani Jamal El-‘Arian, 15, wounded with shrapnel in the left foot; and
5) Hanan Mohammed El-‘Arian, 40, wounded with shrapnel in the face.
In her testimony to PCHR, Hanan El-‘Arian said that she was sitting with her four daughters in a room of their asbestos-roofed house in Block “N,” approximately 500m away from the border. At approximately 19:30 local time, she said, she heard a heavy explosion inside the house. “After the explosion, I felt pain and heat in my face, and I saw black smoke rising in the room, so we cried for help,” she added.
Aslo as a result of the shelling, Tamer Mohammed Mahmoud Daoud, 17, was wounded with a live bullet in the right leg fired from a distance of approximately 30m.
He was shot when he was passing on a road adjacent to the border. Furthermore, ‘Aaida Mahmoud Abdel-Rahman Douhan, 25, was wounded with shrapnel in the right leg, while she was inside her house in Block “O,” adjacent to the border.
In her testimony to PCHR, Douhan, an eight-month pregnant mother of two, said that she was with her husband and children inside their house. At approximately 20:00 local time, “I heard a sound of a heavy explosion. Then I felt with pain in my right leg and saw it bleeding.” She was immediately evacuated to Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah.
At approximately 21:00 local time, the Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian residential neighborhoods in Nablus. Three civilians, including two children, were wounded as follows:
1) the child Jamal Mohammed Qandil, 16, wounded with shrapnel in the head;
2) the child ‘Essam Abdel-Jawad Hassan Ali, 16, wounded with shrapnel in the head; and
3) Ahmed Nasser ‘Eissa, 53, wounded with shrapnel in the right thigh.
Attacks and Shooting on Palestinian Civilians by Settlers
At approximately 9:30 local time, a Jewish settler from the new Suissa settlement east of Yatta village near Hebron, opened fire on Khaled Mousa Al-Najjar, 45, from Yatta village, wounding him with two live bullets in the abdomen and the right hand.
Al-Najjar was grazing his animals when he was fired at by the settler from a distance of approximately 500m.
At approximately 22:00 local time, a settler from Suissa settlement also fired at Nabil Mohammed Ismail Abu Ali, 35, from Yatta village, wounding him with a live bullet in the left knee.
Abu Ali was traveling by his car on a bypass road leading to Suissa settlement towards his house, when he was shot.
8 mar 2001
At approximately 14:30 local time, Israeli occupation soldiers positioned at Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction south of Gaza City, opened fire on three journalists, including one Palestinian and two international journalists. No injuries were reported in this incident. This attack is part of ongoing Israeli efforts to prevent journalists from covering human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The three Rueters journalists were:
1) Suhaib Jadallah Hassan Jadallah, 24, from Gaza City;
2) Christine Hider, 30, from the USA; and
3) Ahmed Bahdo, 33, from Belgium.
In his testimony to PCHR, Jadallah said that he and his colleagues were interviewing Palestinian civilians near Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction. At approximately 14:30 local time, they fixed their cameras on an Israeli tank located approximately 50m away. Then, Jadallah added, “a soldier emerged from the top door of the tank and opened fire on us. We lay down. I heard Israeli soldiers shouting at us on a megaphone, asking us to leave the area.”
In the evening, the Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian residential neighborhoods in Nablus. The shelling targeted the neighborhoods of Ras El-‘Ein, Set El-Suleimia, and Amman Street.
As a result, Mohammed Wajih ‘Affouneh was wounded with a live bullet in the left shoulder while he was inside his house in Ras El-‘Ein neighborhood; Ahmed El-‘Odeili was wounded with shrapnel in the right thigh.
At approximately 14:30 local time, Israeli occupation soldiers positioned at Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction south of Gaza City, opened fire on three journalists, including one Palestinian and two international journalists. No injuries were reported in this incident. This attack is part of ongoing Israeli efforts to prevent journalists from covering human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The three Rueters journalists were:
1) Suhaib Jadallah Hassan Jadallah, 24, from Gaza City;
2) Christine Hider, 30, from the USA; and
3) Ahmed Bahdo, 33, from Belgium.
In his testimony to PCHR, Jadallah said that he and his colleagues were interviewing Palestinian civilians near Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction. At approximately 14:30 local time, they fixed their cameras on an Israeli tank located approximately 50m away. Then, Jadallah added, “a soldier emerged from the top door of the tank and opened fire on us. We lay down. I heard Israeli soldiers shouting at us on a megaphone, asking us to leave the area.”
In the evening, the Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian residential neighborhoods in Nablus. The shelling targeted the neighborhoods of Ras El-‘Ein, Set El-Suleimia, and Amman Street.
As a result, Mohammed Wajih ‘Affouneh was wounded with a live bullet in the left shoulder while he was inside his house in Ras El-‘Ein neighborhood; Ahmed El-‘Odeili was wounded with shrapnel in the right thigh.
7 mar 2001
At approximately 21:30 local time, Israeli forces positioned west of Al-Amal neighborhood, fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at the neighborhood market and nearby houses.
As a result, a 200-square-meter one-story house was hit with an artillery shell that destroyed one of its rooms; bullets also hit the walls of the house. Seven people live in the house which is owned by Nabil B’ara. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that the house was empty at the time. Like most in the area, its residents had evacuated over the past months due to frequent Israeli shelling.
At approximately 16:00 local time, Israeli occupation soldiers savagely beat the seven-year-old child, ‘Odai Amin Mahmoud from ‘Aanin village in Jenin. As a result, the child suffered from bruises throughout the body.
At the time, the child and his father were on their way home when they encountered an Israeli patrol. The Israeli soldiers beat the child without provocation before his father’s eyes. In his testimony, the child’s father said that an Israeli soldier justified themselves by saying that the child was beaten in order to terrify and deter him from throwing stones at Israeli soldiers in the future.
At approximately 21:30 local time, Israeli forces positioned west of Al-Amal neighborhood, fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at the neighborhood market and nearby houses.
As a result, a 200-square-meter one-story house was hit with an artillery shell that destroyed one of its rooms; bullets also hit the walls of the house. Seven people live in the house which is owned by Nabil B’ara. PCHR’s field officer in Khan Yunis reported that the house was empty at the time. Like most in the area, its residents had evacuated over the past months due to frequent Israeli shelling.
At approximately 16:00 local time, Israeli occupation soldiers savagely beat the seven-year-old child, ‘Odai Amin Mahmoud from ‘Aanin village in Jenin. As a result, the child suffered from bruises throughout the body.
At the time, the child and his father were on their way home when they encountered an Israeli patrol. The Israeli soldiers beat the child without provocation before his father’s eyes. In his testimony, the child’s father said that an Israeli soldier justified themselves by saying that the child was beaten in order to terrify and deter him from throwing stones at Israeli soldiers in the future.
5 mar 2001
At approximately 1:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned west of Al-Amal neighborhood in Khan Yunis, fired at ‘Alla’ ‘Ali Hneideq, 20, wounding him with two live bullets in the right shoulder and the pelvis.
Hneideq was evacuated to the Palestine Red Crescent Society hospital in Khan Yunis and then to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City due to his serious condition. According to PCHR’s investigation, Hneideq was on his way back home when he was fired upon from a distance of approximately 200m. There were no clashes in the area.
Throughout these three days, Israeli occupation forces positioned in Al-Zabadeh military site, known as “Bezeq,” in Jenin, fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at the nearby Al-Zababdeh campus of the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees Agriculture College, causing severe damage.
At approximately 1:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned west of Al-Amal neighborhood in Khan Yunis, fired at ‘Alla’ ‘Ali Hneideq, 20, wounding him with two live bullets in the right shoulder and the pelvis.
Hneideq was evacuated to the Palestine Red Crescent Society hospital in Khan Yunis and then to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City due to his serious condition. According to PCHR’s investigation, Hneideq was on his way back home when he was fired upon from a distance of approximately 200m. There were no clashes in the area.
Throughout these three days, Israeli occupation forces positioned in Al-Zabadeh military site, known as “Bezeq,” in Jenin, fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at the nearby Al-Zababdeh campus of the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees Agriculture College, causing severe damage.
4 mar 2001
At approximately 6:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces, positioned at Rafah border, shot Sweilem Rajab Mohammed El-Qadhi, a 60-year-old mentally handicapped man from Rafah.
El-Qadhi was wounded with three live bullets in the neck, the left arm, and the right thigh. According to PCHR’s investigation, El-Qadhi entered the border area near Qeshta neighborhood, unaware of the danger he might face as a consequence.
Israeli forces opened fire on this mentally handicapped and defenseless elderly man from a distance of approximately 300m. He collapsed and bled, during which time the Israeli soldiers did not offer assistance until negotiations between the Palestinian and Israelis sides occurred. As a result, two Palestinian civilians were allowed to enter the border area and evacuate the wounded man to hospital. El-Qadhi is still at Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah in stable condition.
At approximately 23:00, Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a number of Palestinian youth in Sahel El-Jalama area in Jenin, killing Ossama Ibrahim ‘Eid, a 22-year-old from Jenin refugee camp, with several live bullets in the head.
Israeli policemen attacked Bassem Saleh Hammoud Asfar, 33, from ‘Aqraba village near Nablus, when he was in the Israeli city of Natanya. Asfar was evacuated to Natanya hospital because of injuries, including broken bones, incurred as a result of being beaten with batons and iron bars. Israeli police arrested him for not having a permit to enter Israel.
At approximately 6:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces, positioned at Rafah border, shot Sweilem Rajab Mohammed El-Qadhi, a 60-year-old mentally handicapped man from Rafah.
El-Qadhi was wounded with three live bullets in the neck, the left arm, and the right thigh. According to PCHR’s investigation, El-Qadhi entered the border area near Qeshta neighborhood, unaware of the danger he might face as a consequence.
Israeli forces opened fire on this mentally handicapped and defenseless elderly man from a distance of approximately 300m. He collapsed and bled, during which time the Israeli soldiers did not offer assistance until negotiations between the Palestinian and Israelis sides occurred. As a result, two Palestinian civilians were allowed to enter the border area and evacuate the wounded man to hospital. El-Qadhi is still at Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah in stable condition.
At approximately 23:00, Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a number of Palestinian youth in Sahel El-Jalama area in Jenin, killing Ossama Ibrahim ‘Eid, a 22-year-old from Jenin refugee camp, with several live bullets in the head.
Israeli policemen attacked Bassem Saleh Hammoud Asfar, 33, from ‘Aqraba village near Nablus, when he was in the Israeli city of Natanya. Asfar was evacuated to Natanya hospital because of injuries, including broken bones, incurred as a result of being beaten with batons and iron bars. Israeli police arrested him for not having a permit to enter Israel.
3 mar 2001
At approximately 19:30 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned in Psagot settlement shelled Palestinian houses in the Friends Street in Al-Bireh, which are located approximately 1,500m west of the settlement.
As a result, ‘Aaida Daoud Fatiha, 43, was killed by a live bullet that penetrated her right armpit and exited her chest, severing her aorta. Furthermore, her twelve-year-old child Nadil Fatiha, was wounded with shrapnel in the left hand.
Wafa’ Ahmed Qar’an, 42, was also wounded with shrapnel in the left hand.
At approximately 20:30 local time, Israeli occupation forces opened fire on Palestinian demonstrators in Hawara village near Nablus. Baher Shafiq Mahmoud Oudeh, 20, was killed by three live bullets in the back, the right side, and the foot. Furthermore, another three Palestinian civilians were wounded with live bullets.
At approximately the same time, near Shilo settlement, a Jewish settler shot and killed Ahmed Hassan ‘Allan, 25, from Qariout village near Nablus, with a live bullet in the head. ‘Allan was on his way back home when he was shot.
At approximately 19:30 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned in Psagot settlement shelled Palestinian houses in the Friends Street in Al-Bireh, which are located approximately 1,500m west of the settlement.
As a result, ‘Aaida Daoud Fatiha, 43, was killed by a live bullet that penetrated her right armpit and exited her chest, severing her aorta. Furthermore, her twelve-year-old child Nadil Fatiha, was wounded with shrapnel in the left hand.
Wafa’ Ahmed Qar’an, 42, was also wounded with shrapnel in the left hand.
At approximately 20:30 local time, Israeli occupation forces opened fire on Palestinian demonstrators in Hawara village near Nablus. Baher Shafiq Mahmoud Oudeh, 20, was killed by three live bullets in the back, the right side, and the foot. Furthermore, another three Palestinian civilians were wounded with live bullets.
At approximately the same time, near Shilo settlement, a Jewish settler shot and killed Ahmed Hassan ‘Allan, 25, from Qariout village near Nablus, with a live bullet in the head. ‘Allan was on his way back home when he was shot.
2 mar 2001
At approximately 1:00 local time, an Israeli tank positioned at Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim,) junction, south of Gaza City, fired an artillery shell at Mustafa Hmadan Abdel-Qader El-Ramlawi, 42, from Al-Boreij refugee camp. The shell hit El Remlawi in the head and instantly killed him.
At approximately 14:30 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned in Psagot settlement east of Al-Bireh, fired indiscriminately on Palestinian houses in the Wadi Al-Jenan neighborhood of Al-Bireh.
As a result, the nine-year-old child, Obai Mohammed Darraj, was killed by an explosive live bullet that entered his left shoulder and exited his chest. The child died during his evacuation to Ramallah hospital. When he was shot, the child was inside his family’s house, located approximately 500m from the settlement. According to eyewitnesses, there were no clashes in the area when the Israeli occupation forces opened fire indiscriminately and unjustifiably.
At approximately 16:30, Abdel-Karim ‘Eissa Abu ‘Asba, 23, from Qalandya refugee camp, south of Ramallah, was killed by live bullet fired by Israeli forces. The bullet entered his back and exited his chest. The forces fired indiscriminately on Palestinians, killing Abu ‘Asba even though was not participating in clashes.
At approximately 16:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned at the Rafah border shelled Palestinian houses in Brazil Refugee camp. The forces fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets, wounding:
1) the six-year-old child Mohammed Fathi Qeshta, with shrapnel in the head, the right leg and the right arm;
2) the eleven-year-old child Mukhtar Tawfiq Barbakh, with shrapnel in the right hand.
At approximately 1:00 local time, an Israeli tank positioned at Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim,) junction, south of Gaza City, fired an artillery shell at Mustafa Hmadan Abdel-Qader El-Ramlawi, 42, from Al-Boreij refugee camp. The shell hit El Remlawi in the head and instantly killed him.
At approximately 14:30 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned in Psagot settlement east of Al-Bireh, fired indiscriminately on Palestinian houses in the Wadi Al-Jenan neighborhood of Al-Bireh.
As a result, the nine-year-old child, Obai Mohammed Darraj, was killed by an explosive live bullet that entered his left shoulder and exited his chest. The child died during his evacuation to Ramallah hospital. When he was shot, the child was inside his family’s house, located approximately 500m from the settlement. According to eyewitnesses, there were no clashes in the area when the Israeli occupation forces opened fire indiscriminately and unjustifiably.
At approximately 16:30, Abdel-Karim ‘Eissa Abu ‘Asba, 23, from Qalandya refugee camp, south of Ramallah, was killed by live bullet fired by Israeli forces. The bullet entered his back and exited his chest. The forces fired indiscriminately on Palestinians, killing Abu ‘Asba even though was not participating in clashes.
At approximately 16:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned at the Rafah border shelled Palestinian houses in Brazil Refugee camp. The forces fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets, wounding:
1) the six-year-old child Mohammed Fathi Qeshta, with shrapnel in the head, the right leg and the right arm;
2) the eleven-year-old child Mukhtar Tawfiq Barbakh, with shrapnel in the right hand.
27 feb 2001
At approximately 7:30 local time, the five-year-old child Fatema Khaled Abu Salah, from Abasan village located east of Khan Yunis, was wounded with a live bullet in the left foot, fired by Israeli occupation soldiers without provocation.
Her mother said that sounds of shooting near the border, located east of the village, had been heard since 4:30 (local time). At the time she was shot, Abu Saleh was in front of her kindergarten, approximately 1,000m west of the borderline. She was evacuated to the Palestinian military medical hospital in Abasan and then to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis.
In the afternoon, Israeli occupation soldiers shot at the child Mohammed Mahmoud Helles, 13, from Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City, and wounded him with a live bullet in the head. This incident took place near the border near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, east of Gaza City.
The child was evacuated to the intensive care unit at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City in critical condition. According to an eyewitness, at approximately 14:00 (local time), approximately 30 Palestinian children moved towards the border south of Al-Mentar (Karni) Oultelt, where convoys of settlers pass under Israeli occupation force escort. At approximately 14:30, these children moved forward to approximately 50m away from the border.
The children then started to throw stones at an Israeli forces’ jeep driving in front of a convoy of settler cars. The jeep stopped, and an Israeli soldier fired two live bullets at children, one of which hit the child Helles in the left side of the head. According to the same eyewitness, the Israeli occupation forces made no attempt to use less lethal means before firing upon the children. Immediately, the eyewitness evacuated the wounded child to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City.
On the previous day, Monday, February 26, 2001, the Israeli occupation forces established a new observation tower at the entrance of the aforementioned settler bypass road, south of Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, east of Gaza City. This act is part of measures adopted by the Israeli occupation forces to reinforce their presence throughout the Gaza Strip.
At approximately 19:30 local time, the Israeli occupation forces burst into Deir Nezham village near Ramallah, and fired indiscriminately on Palestinian civilians who confronted such action. Consequently, seven Palestinian civilians were wounded as follows:
1) Ramzi Tayseer El-Tamimi, 18, critically wounded with two live bullets in the abdomen;
2) Khaled Mohammed Mosa’d, 16, critically wounded with a live bullet in the side;
3) Abdullah Faraj Yahia, 15, wounded with a live bullet in the right hand;
4) Ahmed Tayseer El-Tamimi, 14, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right shoulder;
5) Dhia’ Ibrahim El-Tamimi, 18, wounded with three rubber-coated metal bullets in the legs;
6) Amjad Khaldoun Mezher, 12, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head; and
7) Mohammed Faraj Yahia, 11, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the back.
At approximately 21:00 local time, Nae’im Ahmed El-Badarin, 55, from Al-Bireh, was killed by one of four artillery shells which hit his house during Israeli shelling of Al-Bireh’s residential neighborhoods.
The 13-member family sheltered on the ground floor of their three-story house. After two artillery shells hit the house, El-Badarin, went to the second floor to inspect the damage. Then, the Israeli occupation forces fired two additional artillery shells, on of which hit him directly. The shell also set fire to the house and completely destroyed second floor. The second artillery shell hit the third floor and partially destroyed it as well.
Israeli occupation forces positioned near the “Beit Eil” military site, north of Al-Bireh, fired artilley shells, heavy caliber bullets and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian residential neighborhoods in Al-Bireh. The intense shelling, which lasted from 18:30 until 23:00 local time, targeted the center of Al-Bireh and Al-Ersal and Al-Balou’ areas.
This shelling coincided with shelling from military positions near Psagot settlement, east of Al-Bireh, which targeted Al-Jenan neighborhood, Al-Hashemi Street, Al-Bireh cemetery and the Grand Park Hotel area.
It also targeted Al-Manara Square and the area of the Palestine Broadcasting Corporation headquarters. According to eyewitnesses, a fire started in the headquarters of the Palestinian Ministry of Local Government, whose fifth floor was hit with three artillery shells, one of which scorched the office of the Palestinian Minster of Local Government.
Furthermore, a Palestinian house in Al-Balou’ area was set on fire by electrical wires cut when electrical towers were hit.
At approximately 22:15, Israeli occupation forces positioned at Rafat junction opened heavy machine gunfire on a Palestinian residential area near the Grand Park Hotel.
At approximately 7:30 local time, the five-year-old child Fatema Khaled Abu Salah, from Abasan village located east of Khan Yunis, was wounded with a live bullet in the left foot, fired by Israeli occupation soldiers without provocation.
Her mother said that sounds of shooting near the border, located east of the village, had been heard since 4:30 (local time). At the time she was shot, Abu Saleh was in front of her kindergarten, approximately 1,000m west of the borderline. She was evacuated to the Palestinian military medical hospital in Abasan and then to Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis.
In the afternoon, Israeli occupation soldiers shot at the child Mohammed Mahmoud Helles, 13, from Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City, and wounded him with a live bullet in the head. This incident took place near the border near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, east of Gaza City.
The child was evacuated to the intensive care unit at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City in critical condition. According to an eyewitness, at approximately 14:00 (local time), approximately 30 Palestinian children moved towards the border south of Al-Mentar (Karni) Oultelt, where convoys of settlers pass under Israeli occupation force escort. At approximately 14:30, these children moved forward to approximately 50m away from the border.
The children then started to throw stones at an Israeli forces’ jeep driving in front of a convoy of settler cars. The jeep stopped, and an Israeli soldier fired two live bullets at children, one of which hit the child Helles in the left side of the head. According to the same eyewitness, the Israeli occupation forces made no attempt to use less lethal means before firing upon the children. Immediately, the eyewitness evacuated the wounded child to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City.
On the previous day, Monday, February 26, 2001, the Israeli occupation forces established a new observation tower at the entrance of the aforementioned settler bypass road, south of Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, east of Gaza City. This act is part of measures adopted by the Israeli occupation forces to reinforce their presence throughout the Gaza Strip.
At approximately 19:30 local time, the Israeli occupation forces burst into Deir Nezham village near Ramallah, and fired indiscriminately on Palestinian civilians who confronted such action. Consequently, seven Palestinian civilians were wounded as follows:
1) Ramzi Tayseer El-Tamimi, 18, critically wounded with two live bullets in the abdomen;
2) Khaled Mohammed Mosa’d, 16, critically wounded with a live bullet in the side;
3) Abdullah Faraj Yahia, 15, wounded with a live bullet in the right hand;
4) Ahmed Tayseer El-Tamimi, 14, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right shoulder;
5) Dhia’ Ibrahim El-Tamimi, 18, wounded with three rubber-coated metal bullets in the legs;
6) Amjad Khaldoun Mezher, 12, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head; and
7) Mohammed Faraj Yahia, 11, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the back.
At approximately 21:00 local time, Nae’im Ahmed El-Badarin, 55, from Al-Bireh, was killed by one of four artillery shells which hit his house during Israeli shelling of Al-Bireh’s residential neighborhoods.
The 13-member family sheltered on the ground floor of their three-story house. After two artillery shells hit the house, El-Badarin, went to the second floor to inspect the damage. Then, the Israeli occupation forces fired two additional artillery shells, on of which hit him directly. The shell also set fire to the house and completely destroyed second floor. The second artillery shell hit the third floor and partially destroyed it as well.
Israeli occupation forces positioned near the “Beit Eil” military site, north of Al-Bireh, fired artilley shells, heavy caliber bullets and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian residential neighborhoods in Al-Bireh. The intense shelling, which lasted from 18:30 until 23:00 local time, targeted the center of Al-Bireh and Al-Ersal and Al-Balou’ areas.
This shelling coincided with shelling from military positions near Psagot settlement, east of Al-Bireh, which targeted Al-Jenan neighborhood, Al-Hashemi Street, Al-Bireh cemetery and the Grand Park Hotel area.
It also targeted Al-Manara Square and the area of the Palestine Broadcasting Corporation headquarters. According to eyewitnesses, a fire started in the headquarters of the Palestinian Ministry of Local Government, whose fifth floor was hit with three artillery shells, one of which scorched the office of the Palestinian Minster of Local Government.
Furthermore, a Palestinian house in Al-Balou’ area was set on fire by electrical wires cut when electrical towers were hit.
At approximately 22:15, Israeli occupation forces positioned at Rafat junction opened heavy machine gunfire on a Palestinian residential area near the Grand Park Hotel.
26 feb 2001
At approximately 15:00, Hussam E’issa El-Diesi, a fifteen year-old from Ramallah, was killed with four live bullets in the back and the abdomen, fired at him by Israeli occupation soldiers.
Earlier, at approximately 9:00 local time, clashes erupted between a number of Palestinian children and the Israeli occupation forces at the main road near Qalandya refugee camp. Israeli forces fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, and gas canisters at Palestinian children. According to eyewitnesses, a sniper of the Israeli occupation forces fired at El-Diesi from approximately 100m, without the sound of shooting being heard.
During the same clashes, which lasted until 17:00 local time, another five Palestinian children were wounded with live and rubber-coated metal bullets. Another 13 fainted and suffocated due to tear gas inhalation. The wounded were:
1) Ahmed Mohammed Abu Romeila, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right thigh;
2) Yousef Abdel-Rahim El-Khatib, 14, wounded with three rubber-coated metal bullets in the head, the left hand and the right thigh;
3) Mohammed Abdel-Rahim El-Khatib, 11, wounded with a live bullet in the right thigh;
4) Mahmoud Nayef Abu Latifa, 12, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right thigh; and
5) Tariq Fawaz El-Rojbi, 15, wounded with two rubber-coated metal bullets in the back.
At approximately 13:30 local time, clashes erupted between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces in Deir Nezham village near Ramallah, after the forces attempted to burst into the village. During the clashes, which lasted until evening, seven Palestinian civilians were wounded with rubber-coated metal bullets as follows:
1) Alla’ Mohammed Mustafa, 21, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the chest;
2) Alla’ Ibrahim Hussein, 17, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right hand;
3) Mohammed A’adel Abdel-Karim, 12, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right leg;
4) Saqer Abdel-Fakher, 39, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left thigh;
5) Bilal Mohammed Mosa’d, 16, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left foot;
6) Nemer Dieb Saleh, 26, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the back; and
7) Jamil Abdel-Qader Mosa’d, 17, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right thigh.
At approximately 16:30 local time, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at the Rafah border, fired upon Mustafa Hussein Khalil El-Louqa, a fifteen year old from Al-Barazil neighborhood in Rafah. The live bullet, fired from a distance of approximately 10m, wounded him in the right arm; he was also wounded with shrapnel in the chest. In his testimony to PCHR, El-Louqa said:
“I was sitting in front of Al-Nour mosque, when I heard sounds of shootings and explosions. Then, I saw an Israeli occupation soldier standing on one tank passing the border from west to east, and another one coming from the east. The two tanks met opposite to Al-Nour mosque, only 10m from the border. I saw an Israeli soldier pointing his machine gun at me. I heard sounds of three live bullets being shot. I felt something hot penetrate my right arm and my chest. I was able to flee to Al-Brazil neighborhood, where I was evacuated to Al-Joneina hospital (in Rafah).”
At approximately 15:00, Hussam E’issa El-Diesi, a fifteen year-old from Ramallah, was killed with four live bullets in the back and the abdomen, fired at him by Israeli occupation soldiers.
Earlier, at approximately 9:00 local time, clashes erupted between a number of Palestinian children and the Israeli occupation forces at the main road near Qalandya refugee camp. Israeli forces fired live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, and gas canisters at Palestinian children. According to eyewitnesses, a sniper of the Israeli occupation forces fired at El-Diesi from approximately 100m, without the sound of shooting being heard.
During the same clashes, which lasted until 17:00 local time, another five Palestinian children were wounded with live and rubber-coated metal bullets. Another 13 fainted and suffocated due to tear gas inhalation. The wounded were:
1) Ahmed Mohammed Abu Romeila, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right thigh;
2) Yousef Abdel-Rahim El-Khatib, 14, wounded with three rubber-coated metal bullets in the head, the left hand and the right thigh;
3) Mohammed Abdel-Rahim El-Khatib, 11, wounded with a live bullet in the right thigh;
4) Mahmoud Nayef Abu Latifa, 12, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right thigh; and
5) Tariq Fawaz El-Rojbi, 15, wounded with two rubber-coated metal bullets in the back.
At approximately 13:30 local time, clashes erupted between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces in Deir Nezham village near Ramallah, after the forces attempted to burst into the village. During the clashes, which lasted until evening, seven Palestinian civilians were wounded with rubber-coated metal bullets as follows:
1) Alla’ Mohammed Mustafa, 21, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the chest;
2) Alla’ Ibrahim Hussein, 17, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right hand;
3) Mohammed A’adel Abdel-Karim, 12, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right leg;
4) Saqer Abdel-Fakher, 39, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left thigh;
5) Bilal Mohammed Mosa’d, 16, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left foot;
6) Nemer Dieb Saleh, 26, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the back; and
7) Jamil Abdel-Qader Mosa’d, 17, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right thigh.
At approximately 16:30 local time, Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned at the Rafah border, fired upon Mustafa Hussein Khalil El-Louqa, a fifteen year old from Al-Barazil neighborhood in Rafah. The live bullet, fired from a distance of approximately 10m, wounded him in the right arm; he was also wounded with shrapnel in the chest. In his testimony to PCHR, El-Louqa said:
“I was sitting in front of Al-Nour mosque, when I heard sounds of shootings and explosions. Then, I saw an Israeli occupation soldier standing on one tank passing the border from west to east, and another one coming from the east. The two tanks met opposite to Al-Nour mosque, only 10m from the border. I saw an Israeli soldier pointing his machine gun at me. I heard sounds of three live bullets being shot. I felt something hot penetrate my right arm and my chest. I was able to flee to Al-Brazil neighborhood, where I was evacuated to Al-Joneina hospital (in Rafah).”
25 feb 2001
At approximately 12:00 local time, during clashes east of Gaza city between a number of Palestinian children and Israeli forces, Fraj E’ssam Attallah, a fourteen year old from Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City, was wounded with a live bullet in the left thigh.
In his testimony to PCHR, the child Attallah said that approached and when he was 10m from the tank, he threw a stone at an Israeli tank stationed at a settler bypass road south of Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet and then fled. Then, Israeli occupation forces fired at him from inside the tank. He was wounded and evacuated to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City.
At approximately 19:00 local time, Israeli forces positioned south of Tulkarm opened fire on Palestinian civilians and killed Mahmoud Maso’ud Sae’id El-Jallad, 45, with a live bullet in the head. According to eyewitnesses, El-Jallad was inside his car, approximately 300m away from a military site of the Israeli occupation forces when he was shot.
Furthermore, Mazen Ali Salaeh Abu Zour, 20, was wounded with a live bullet in the hand, when he tried to offer help to El-Jallad, who was again wounded in the shoulder.
When an ambulance of the Palestine Red Crescent Society arrived at the area to evacuate the wounded, Israeli forces fired upon it. Two live bullets penetrated the ambulance, but no injuries were reported among its personnel, A’mmar El-Jari, Odai El-Jallad and Jamal Balatta.
At approximately 12:00 local time, during clashes east of Gaza city between a number of Palestinian children and Israeli forces, Fraj E’ssam Attallah, a fourteen year old from Al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City, was wounded with a live bullet in the left thigh.
In his testimony to PCHR, the child Attallah said that approached and when he was 10m from the tank, he threw a stone at an Israeli tank stationed at a settler bypass road south of Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet and then fled. Then, Israeli occupation forces fired at him from inside the tank. He was wounded and evacuated to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City.
At approximately 19:00 local time, Israeli forces positioned south of Tulkarm opened fire on Palestinian civilians and killed Mahmoud Maso’ud Sae’id El-Jallad, 45, with a live bullet in the head. According to eyewitnesses, El-Jallad was inside his car, approximately 300m away from a military site of the Israeli occupation forces when he was shot.
Furthermore, Mazen Ali Salaeh Abu Zour, 20, was wounded with a live bullet in the hand, when he tried to offer help to El-Jallad, who was again wounded in the shoulder.
When an ambulance of the Palestine Red Crescent Society arrived at the area to evacuate the wounded, Israeli forces fired upon it. Two live bullets penetrated the ambulance, but no injuries were reported among its personnel, A’mmar El-Jari, Odai El-Jallad and Jamal Balatta.
24 feb 2001
At approximately 7:00 local time, Mohammed Jehad Khalil Qeshta, a 10-year-old fourth grade pupil from Rafah, was wounded by shrapnel when his school was hit by the shooting of Israeli forces positioned at the Rafah border. The forces fired indiscriminately on Palestinian civilians and neighborhoods in Rafah.
As a result, bullets hit the Taha Hussein school, located approximately 300m north of the border. In his testimony to PCHR, the Qeshta said:
“At approximately 7:00 (local time), we pupils, and our teachers stood behind the walls of our school, after we heard sounds of shooting. Bullets hit the walls and trees and ricocheted throughout the yard. Then, I felt something hot hitting my foot. I cried from pain and my foot started to bleed. My fellow students carried me to a room, where I received medical treatment from a teacher. Then, a car came and took me to Al-Joneina hospital (in Rafah).”
At approximately 7:00 local time, Mohammed Jehad Khalil Qeshta, a 10-year-old fourth grade pupil from Rafah, was wounded by shrapnel when his school was hit by the shooting of Israeli forces positioned at the Rafah border. The forces fired indiscriminately on Palestinian civilians and neighborhoods in Rafah.
As a result, bullets hit the Taha Hussein school, located approximately 300m north of the border. In his testimony to PCHR, the Qeshta said:
“At approximately 7:00 (local time), we pupils, and our teachers stood behind the walls of our school, after we heard sounds of shooting. Bullets hit the walls and trees and ricocheted throughout the yard. Then, I felt something hot hitting my foot. I cried from pain and my foot started to bleed. My fellow students carried me to a room, where I received medical treatment from a teacher. Then, a car came and took me to Al-Joneina hospital (in Rafah).”
23 feb 2001
At approximately 9:00 local time, Talal Hassan Abu A’rida, 17, from Rafah, was critically wounded with a heavy caliber bullet in the head, when Israeli reinforcements at the Rafah border arbitrarily fired heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian civilians and houses in Rafah. He was evacuated to the intensive care unit at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City.
Abu A’rida was wounded when he was in an auto repair shop on Omar Ben El-Khattab Street, approximately 1,500m from Israeli forces positions at Salah El-Din Gate on the borderline. In his eyewitness testimony to PCHR, the repair shop’s owner’s son, said that he was repairing a car, when Talal Abu A’rida entered the shop and started talking with the car’s owner, who was waiting for his car with his child.
He added: “Suddenly, I heard something that sounded like an explosion. I looked around to see what was going on. I heard Talal, who was one meter away, crying. I looked at him and noticed that his features changed; his eyes bulged and his hands clenched. He fell on the ground with his head bleeding. Then, dozens of young men entered the shop and helped me carry to a car to drive him to Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah.”
Soon, Abu A’rida was evacuated to Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah, where he received medical treatment. Then, he was transferred by ambulance and accompanied by Dr. Yousef Hussein Nasser A’abed, a 31 physician from Rafah, to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City.
However, Israeli occupation forces positioned at two military roadblocks south of Gaza City, unjustifiably prevented the ambulance from passing for more than five hours, although Abu A’rida was in critical condition. In his testimony to PCHR, A’abed, the accompanying physician, said:
“…I got into the ambulance with nurse Jamal Jaber and Abu A’rida’s father. The ambulance driver, Samir Joudeh, moved towards Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City. We fixed an oxygen tube for him to keep him breathing, and gave him medicine to calm him and decrease his movement. His condition was stable until we arrived at a junction on the coastal road, which leads east to Netzarim settlement.
We arrived there at 9:30 (local time). Members of the Palestinian National Security Forces told us that the Israeli occupation forces had closed the coastal road as were shooting at whomever reached the area. Immediately, we drove toward Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), but an Israeli tank was stationed at Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction, closing the road.
When we approached the junction, the Israeli occupation soldiers pointed the tank barrel at us and prevented our passage to Gaza City. The first oxygen tube was about to run out the medicine was wearing off. Consequently, we decided to travel back to a clinic in Dier El-Balah and await the outcome of negotiations between the Palestinian side and the Israeli occupation forces to allow our passage to Gaza City. We arrived in Deir El-Balah at approximately 10:30 (local time) when Abu A’rida’s condition worsened. He vomited and started to move.
We remained there until 12:00 (local time), when the driver Samir Joudeh told me that he received a phone call from Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah, during which he was informed that negotiations with the Israeli side had concluded and that we could cross Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction. We arrived at the junction at approximately 12:15 (local time), but again the Israeli occupation forces denied passage, although we waited until 1:00.
Then, another ambulance, containing Dr. Dheifallah Abu Al-Hessein, Director of Medical Aid and Emergency in Gaza City, came from the direction of Deir El-Balah traveling to Gaza City. We moved Abu A’rida to the second ambulance, thinking that its passage had been agreed with the Israeli side. The ambulance approached the junction, but the Israeli forces opened fire and denied its passage.
The same happened three times. This lasted until 15:00 local time at which time the medicine ran out. Then, we received another phone call during which we were informed that passage of the ambulance had been agreed upon. Later, the Israeli forces allowed the passage of the ambulance.”
At approximately 20:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces, positioned in the vicinity of Netzarim settlement, to the south of Gaza City, shelled a sewage treatment facility of Gaza Municipality, approximately 700m to the north of the mentioned settlement. PCHR’s field officer in Gaza City reported that the Israeli forces had frequently shelled the facility over the past few weeks, threatening the lives of its staff. The PCHR’s field officer added that this most recent time, the Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets, causing the following damage:
1) Holes in water saving tanks used in desalination, approximately 60cm in diameter; and
2) Destruction of waterlines going in and out the facility.
At approximately 21:00 local time, Mohammed Abdel-Karim El-Roum, a 15-year-old from Qaddoura refugee camp near Ramallah, was critically wounded with a live bullet in the neck while inside his family’s home. These forces, positioned inside Psagot settlement, to the east of Al-Bireh, fired heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses in Jabal El-Tawil and Al-Jenan neighborhoods in Al-Bireh.
Bullets also hit houses in Qaddoura refugee camp, located approximately 2km away from military sites of the Israeli occupation forces.
At approximately 9:00 local time, Talal Hassan Abu A’rida, 17, from Rafah, was critically wounded with a heavy caliber bullet in the head, when Israeli reinforcements at the Rafah border arbitrarily fired heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian civilians and houses in Rafah. He was evacuated to the intensive care unit at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City.
Abu A’rida was wounded when he was in an auto repair shop on Omar Ben El-Khattab Street, approximately 1,500m from Israeli forces positions at Salah El-Din Gate on the borderline. In his eyewitness testimony to PCHR, the repair shop’s owner’s son, said that he was repairing a car, when Talal Abu A’rida entered the shop and started talking with the car’s owner, who was waiting for his car with his child.
He added: “Suddenly, I heard something that sounded like an explosion. I looked around to see what was going on. I heard Talal, who was one meter away, crying. I looked at him and noticed that his features changed; his eyes bulged and his hands clenched. He fell on the ground with his head bleeding. Then, dozens of young men entered the shop and helped me carry to a car to drive him to Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah.”
Soon, Abu A’rida was evacuated to Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah, where he received medical treatment. Then, he was transferred by ambulance and accompanied by Dr. Yousef Hussein Nasser A’abed, a 31 physician from Rafah, to Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City.
However, Israeli occupation forces positioned at two military roadblocks south of Gaza City, unjustifiably prevented the ambulance from passing for more than five hours, although Abu A’rida was in critical condition. In his testimony to PCHR, A’abed, the accompanying physician, said:
“…I got into the ambulance with nurse Jamal Jaber and Abu A’rida’s father. The ambulance driver, Samir Joudeh, moved towards Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City. We fixed an oxygen tube for him to keep him breathing, and gave him medicine to calm him and decrease his movement. His condition was stable until we arrived at a junction on the coastal road, which leads east to Netzarim settlement.
We arrived there at 9:30 (local time). Members of the Palestinian National Security Forces told us that the Israeli occupation forces had closed the coastal road as were shooting at whomever reached the area. Immediately, we drove toward Salah El-Din Street (the main road between the north and south of the Gaza Strip), but an Israeli tank was stationed at Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction, closing the road.
When we approached the junction, the Israeli occupation soldiers pointed the tank barrel at us and prevented our passage to Gaza City. The first oxygen tube was about to run out the medicine was wearing off. Consequently, we decided to travel back to a clinic in Dier El-Balah and await the outcome of negotiations between the Palestinian side and the Israeli occupation forces to allow our passage to Gaza City. We arrived in Deir El-Balah at approximately 10:30 (local time) when Abu A’rida’s condition worsened. He vomited and started to move.
We remained there until 12:00 (local time), when the driver Samir Joudeh told me that he received a phone call from Al-Joneina hospital in Rafah, during which he was informed that negotiations with the Israeli side had concluded and that we could cross Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction. We arrived at the junction at approximately 12:15 (local time), but again the Israeli occupation forces denied passage, although we waited until 1:00.
Then, another ambulance, containing Dr. Dheifallah Abu Al-Hessein, Director of Medical Aid and Emergency in Gaza City, came from the direction of Deir El-Balah traveling to Gaza City. We moved Abu A’rida to the second ambulance, thinking that its passage had been agreed with the Israeli side. The ambulance approached the junction, but the Israeli forces opened fire and denied its passage.
The same happened three times. This lasted until 15:00 local time at which time the medicine ran out. Then, we received another phone call during which we were informed that passage of the ambulance had been agreed upon. Later, the Israeli forces allowed the passage of the ambulance.”
At approximately 20:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces, positioned in the vicinity of Netzarim settlement, to the south of Gaza City, shelled a sewage treatment facility of Gaza Municipality, approximately 700m to the north of the mentioned settlement. PCHR’s field officer in Gaza City reported that the Israeli forces had frequently shelled the facility over the past few weeks, threatening the lives of its staff. The PCHR’s field officer added that this most recent time, the Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells and heavy and medium caliber bullets, causing the following damage:
1) Holes in water saving tanks used in desalination, approximately 60cm in diameter; and
2) Destruction of waterlines going in and out the facility.
At approximately 21:00 local time, Mohammed Abdel-Karim El-Roum, a 15-year-old from Qaddoura refugee camp near Ramallah, was critically wounded with a live bullet in the neck while inside his family’s home. These forces, positioned inside Psagot settlement, to the east of Al-Bireh, fired heavy and medium caliber bullets at Palestinian houses in Jabal El-Tawil and Al-Jenan neighborhoods in Al-Bireh.
Bullets also hit houses in Qaddoura refugee camp, located approximately 2km away from military sites of the Israeli occupation forces.
22 feb 2001
At approximately 17:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned near Netzarim settlement south of Gaza City, shelled a Gaza Municipal sewage treatment facility, located approximately 700m north of the settlement. PCHR’s area field officer reported that, after the shelling stopped, a tank of the Israeli occupation forces advanced toward the facility entrance, which is located in areas under full control of the Palestinian National Authority. The shelling resulted in the following damages to the facility:
1) Walls of the facility’s administration building were hit with heavy and medium caliber bullets which made 2cm holes.
2) The southern walls of treatment towers were hit with an artillery shell which made a 15 cm hole and bullets that made 2 cm holes.
3) A water saving tank was hit with bullets which made holes 2cm in diameter.
4) A tin car park was hit with bullets which made 2 cm holes.
At approximately 21:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned in eight military sites north of Netser Hazani settlement south of Deir El-Balah, fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at Al-Berka area in Deir El-Balah. This lasted for approximately 45 minutes and damaged two schools and a house located approximately 400m to the north of the mentioned settlement. The damage is as follows:
1) The fence and the eastern façades of classrooms at Deir El-Balah industrial secondary school were hit with heavy and medium bullets which made 2cm holes and destroyed 40 windows.
2) The eastern façades of classrooms at Abdullah Ben Rawaha elementary school were hit with heavy and medium caliber bullets which made 2cm holes.
3) A 300-square-meter, two-story house, in which 25 people live, owned by Yousef Suleiman Abu Shmas, was hit with five artillery shells that penetrated its southern walls and made 10cm holes. The first floor of the house was also burnt and the furniture severely damaged. In his testimony to PCHR, Abu Shmas said that he and his family were inside their house when it was shelled.
Update
At approximately 1:00 local time, a tank of the Israeli occupation forces, positioned at Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction, to the south of Gaza City, fired an artillery shell at Mustafa Hmadan Abdel-Qader El-Ramlawi, 42, from Al-Boreij refugee camp, hitting him in the head and instantly killing him. According to official medical reports, El-Ramlawi was mentally handicapped and could not work. According to his family, El-Ramlawi would go out and return on the following day. (For more information about this incident, see PCHR’s press release on March 4, 2001.)
At approximately 16:30 local time, Abdel-Karim ‘Eissa Abu ‘Asba, 23, from Qalandya refugee camp, south of Ramallah, was killed when Israeli forces fired a live bullet that entered his back and exited his chest.
According to eyewitnesses, Abu ‘Asba was returning home from a nearby grocery on the main road adjacent to his refugee camp, Ramallah-Jerusalem road. At the time, the Israeli occupation forces were firing indiscriminately on a number of Palestinian demonstrators on the road. Abu ‘Asba was shot from a distance of 100m. He was not participating in the clashes.
After the Friday prayer, clashes erupted between Palestinian civilians and Israeli forces at the northern entrance of Al-Bireh. Israeli forces fired live and rubber-coated metal bullets at Palestinian civilians, wounding a number of them. They also fired canisters of a highly effective black gas similar to the one used in Khan Yunis three weeks ago. Among the wounded were four medical personnel of the Palestinian Medical Relief Committees. They are:
1) Nasser Jamjoum, 32, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the mouth that broke his front teeth;
2) Arafat Zayed, 18, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left foot;
3) Riham Abu Joma’a, 18, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left shoulder; and
4) Rami Abu Dayeh, 20, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head.
In Deir Nezham village, near Ramallah, similar clashes erupted between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces following Friday prayer. These forces opened fire, wounding six Palestinian civilians, including four children, with rubber-coated metal bullets. They are:
1) Mohammed Abdel-Qader Mosad, 14, wounded with two rubber-coated metal bullets in the right thigh and the right hand;
2) Ahmed Tayseer Yaqoub, 10, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left thigh;
3) Mohammed Faraj Mohammed, 8, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the mouth;
4) ‘Anan Kahldoun Abdullah, 10, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the pelvis;
5) ‘Emad Mohammed El-Tamimi, 44, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right leg; and
6) Zeid Fraj Mohammed, 25, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left hand.
On Friday evening, the child Mohammed Mahmoud Helles, 13, from Al-Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City, was pronounced dead at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City, from a wound in the head he received from the Israeli occupation forces on February 27, 2001. The child was put into the intensive care unit at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City. According to the PCHR investigation and eyewitness testimony published in PCHR’s Weekly Report, the incident occurred on Tuesday, February 27, 2001, near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, east of Gaza City.
At approximately 17:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned near Netzarim settlement south of Gaza City, shelled a Gaza Municipal sewage treatment facility, located approximately 700m north of the settlement. PCHR’s area field officer reported that, after the shelling stopped, a tank of the Israeli occupation forces advanced toward the facility entrance, which is located in areas under full control of the Palestinian National Authority. The shelling resulted in the following damages to the facility:
1) Walls of the facility’s administration building were hit with heavy and medium caliber bullets which made 2cm holes.
2) The southern walls of treatment towers were hit with an artillery shell which made a 15 cm hole and bullets that made 2 cm holes.
3) A water saving tank was hit with bullets which made holes 2cm in diameter.
4) A tin car park was hit with bullets which made 2 cm holes.
At approximately 21:00 local time, Israeli occupation forces positioned in eight military sites north of Netser Hazani settlement south of Deir El-Balah, fired artillery shells, heavy caliber bullets, and medium caliber bullets at Al-Berka area in Deir El-Balah. This lasted for approximately 45 minutes and damaged two schools and a house located approximately 400m to the north of the mentioned settlement. The damage is as follows:
1) The fence and the eastern façades of classrooms at Deir El-Balah industrial secondary school were hit with heavy and medium bullets which made 2cm holes and destroyed 40 windows.
2) The eastern façades of classrooms at Abdullah Ben Rawaha elementary school were hit with heavy and medium caliber bullets which made 2cm holes.
3) A 300-square-meter, two-story house, in which 25 people live, owned by Yousef Suleiman Abu Shmas, was hit with five artillery shells that penetrated its southern walls and made 10cm holes. The first floor of the house was also burnt and the furniture severely damaged. In his testimony to PCHR, Abu Shmas said that he and his family were inside their house when it was shelled.
Update
At approximately 1:00 local time, a tank of the Israeli occupation forces, positioned at Al-Shuhada’ (Netzarim) junction, to the south of Gaza City, fired an artillery shell at Mustafa Hmadan Abdel-Qader El-Ramlawi, 42, from Al-Boreij refugee camp, hitting him in the head and instantly killing him. According to official medical reports, El-Ramlawi was mentally handicapped and could not work. According to his family, El-Ramlawi would go out and return on the following day. (For more information about this incident, see PCHR’s press release on March 4, 2001.)
At approximately 16:30 local time, Abdel-Karim ‘Eissa Abu ‘Asba, 23, from Qalandya refugee camp, south of Ramallah, was killed when Israeli forces fired a live bullet that entered his back and exited his chest.
According to eyewitnesses, Abu ‘Asba was returning home from a nearby grocery on the main road adjacent to his refugee camp, Ramallah-Jerusalem road. At the time, the Israeli occupation forces were firing indiscriminately on a number of Palestinian demonstrators on the road. Abu ‘Asba was shot from a distance of 100m. He was not participating in the clashes.
After the Friday prayer, clashes erupted between Palestinian civilians and Israeli forces at the northern entrance of Al-Bireh. Israeli forces fired live and rubber-coated metal bullets at Palestinian civilians, wounding a number of them. They also fired canisters of a highly effective black gas similar to the one used in Khan Yunis three weeks ago. Among the wounded were four medical personnel of the Palestinian Medical Relief Committees. They are:
1) Nasser Jamjoum, 32, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the mouth that broke his front teeth;
2) Arafat Zayed, 18, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left foot;
3) Riham Abu Joma’a, 18, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left shoulder; and
4) Rami Abu Dayeh, 20, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the head.
In Deir Nezham village, near Ramallah, similar clashes erupted between Palestinian civilians and the Israeli occupation forces following Friday prayer. These forces opened fire, wounding six Palestinian civilians, including four children, with rubber-coated metal bullets. They are:
1) Mohammed Abdel-Qader Mosad, 14, wounded with two rubber-coated metal bullets in the right thigh and the right hand;
2) Ahmed Tayseer Yaqoub, 10, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left thigh;
3) Mohammed Faraj Mohammed, 8, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the mouth;
4) ‘Anan Kahldoun Abdullah, 10, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the pelvis;
5) ‘Emad Mohammed El-Tamimi, 44, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the right leg; and
6) Zeid Fraj Mohammed, 25, wounded with a rubber-coated metal bullet in the left hand.
On Friday evening, the child Mohammed Mahmoud Helles, 13, from Al-Shojaeya neighborhood in Gaza City, was pronounced dead at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City, from a wound in the head he received from the Israeli occupation forces on February 27, 2001. The child was put into the intensive care unit at Shifa’ hospital in Gaza City. According to the PCHR investigation and eyewitness testimony published in PCHR’s Weekly Report, the incident occurred on Tuesday, February 27, 2001, near Al-Mentar (Karni) Outlet, east of Gaza City.