31 may 2012
Abu Zuhri: The occupation is trying to provide cover for the aggression on Gaza
Hamas spokesman , Sami Abu Zuhri, said that the Israeli occupation aims behind its reports about the growing military strength of the movement to cover any coming aggression on the Gaza strip.
The occupation is trying to publish reports and news about the growing strength of Hamas and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to provide a pretext for any attack on Gaza or targeting Palestinian resistance men, Abu Zuhri said.
He added that the Palestinian factions are no longer deceived with these lies, saying these tricks have become exposed to the resistance factions and to the international community as well.
He pointed out that Hamas's top priorities are to achieve national unity and to reinforce the steadfastness of the Palestinian people as well as to get Arab and international support for the Palestinian cause and people.
The head of the Shin Bet security service, Yoram Cohen, had claimed that Hamas posses about 8,000 short and medium range missiles and 15,000 fighters.
Cohen told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset on Wednesday that "Hamas has about 8,000 rockets in Gaza with a range of 4 to 40 km., as well as 15,000 operatives".
In the past year, 28 kidnapping attempts were thwarted, with at least 18 coming from Hamas operatives, Cohen claimed.
At the same time, Cohen said, “the Shin Bet has hundreds of quality targets in Gaza, based on high-quality intelligence. The day we receive the command, we can attack them from air or land.”
The occupation is trying to publish reports and news about the growing strength of Hamas and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to provide a pretext for any attack on Gaza or targeting Palestinian resistance men, Abu Zuhri said.
He added that the Palestinian factions are no longer deceived with these lies, saying these tricks have become exposed to the resistance factions and to the international community as well.
He pointed out that Hamas's top priorities are to achieve national unity and to reinforce the steadfastness of the Palestinian people as well as to get Arab and international support for the Palestinian cause and people.
The head of the Shin Bet security service, Yoram Cohen, had claimed that Hamas posses about 8,000 short and medium range missiles and 15,000 fighters.
Cohen told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset on Wednesday that "Hamas has about 8,000 rockets in Gaza with a range of 4 to 40 km., as well as 15,000 operatives".
In the past year, 28 kidnapping attempts were thwarted, with at least 18 coming from Hamas operatives, Cohen claimed.
At the same time, Cohen said, “the Shin Bet has hundreds of quality targets in Gaza, based on high-quality intelligence. The day we receive the command, we can attack them from air or land.”
30 may 2012
Israeli forces and settlers raided a village northwest of Jerusalem earlier this week, and humiliated and abused its residents, a local official said.
Residents of al-Nabi Samwil were working on their land on Monday when Israeli forces, accompanied by settlers, arrived and demanded to see villagers' ID cards, head of the local governor's office Mohammad Tari told Ma‘an.
Israeli officers ordered young men from the village to sing, dance and say "I love Israel." When the villagers refused they were physically attacked, Tari said.
Village resident Eid Barakat said Israeli border police were behind the forced humiliation, which left a number of villagers with moderate injuries. Meanwhile, a group of settlers drove around the village trying to run over youths, and assaulted 16-year-old Ahmad Barakat, Tari added.
Residents of al-Nabi Samwil were working on their land on Monday when Israeli forces, accompanied by settlers, arrived and demanded to see villagers' ID cards, head of the local governor's office Mohammad Tari told Ma‘an.
Israeli officers ordered young men from the village to sing, dance and say "I love Israel." When the villagers refused they were physically attacked, Tari said.
Village resident Eid Barakat said Israeli border police were behind the forced humiliation, which left a number of villagers with moderate injuries. Meanwhile, a group of settlers drove around the village trying to run over youths, and assaulted 16-year-old Ahmad Barakat, Tari added.
Shabak chief: Attacks on Gaza would be maintained
Chief of the general Israeli intelligence, the Shabak, Yoram Cohen has affirmed the importance of maintaining attacks on the Gaza Strip.
He told the parliamentary security and foreign affairs committee on Wednesday that such attacks would serve Israel’s security.
Cohen claimed that in the absence of such attacks Israel would face large scale threats in the near future.
Shabak has pinpointed hundreds of qualitative targets in Gaza that would be hit when the orders are given, Cohen said.
The Shabak chief alleged that Hamas has 15,000 fighters while Islamic Jihad has recruited 5,000.
IOF incursion forces farmers to abandon their land
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided eastern Gaza city amidst intensified firing at farmers tending to their land, local sources said.
They said that IOF soldiers in a number of armed vehicles advanced into eastern Zaitun suburb southeast of Gaza city and fired at farmers.
The sources said that the farmers were forced to abandon their land as a result of the heavy shooting.
Israeli soldiers invade various neighborhoods in Hebron
Several neighborhoods in the city of Hebron were invaded on Wednesday morning by Israeli soldiers who then proceeded to take photographs of several homes in the area.
The WAFA News Agency reported that Israeli soldiers stormed as-Salam Street and the as-Saheb neighborhood in the south of Hebron, invaded several homes and took pictures of the properties. An owner of one photographed houses was identified as Tariq Jawdat al- Batsh.
Furthermore, resident Fahed Odeh, 30 years old, from the village of Tabaka, was attacked and beaten by the soldiers. He suffered concussions and bruises, and was moved to the Hebron Government Hospital in the city.
He told the parliamentary security and foreign affairs committee on Wednesday that such attacks would serve Israel’s security.
Cohen claimed that in the absence of such attacks Israel would face large scale threats in the near future.
Shabak has pinpointed hundreds of qualitative targets in Gaza that would be hit when the orders are given, Cohen said.
The Shabak chief alleged that Hamas has 15,000 fighters while Islamic Jihad has recruited 5,000.
IOF incursion forces farmers to abandon their land
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided eastern Gaza city amidst intensified firing at farmers tending to their land, local sources said.
They said that IOF soldiers in a number of armed vehicles advanced into eastern Zaitun suburb southeast of Gaza city and fired at farmers.
The sources said that the farmers were forced to abandon their land as a result of the heavy shooting.
Israeli soldiers invade various neighborhoods in Hebron
Several neighborhoods in the city of Hebron were invaded on Wednesday morning by Israeli soldiers who then proceeded to take photographs of several homes in the area.
The WAFA News Agency reported that Israeli soldiers stormed as-Salam Street and the as-Saheb neighborhood in the south of Hebron, invaded several homes and took pictures of the properties. An owner of one photographed houses was identified as Tariq Jawdat al- Batsh.
Furthermore, resident Fahed Odeh, 30 years old, from the village of Tabaka, was attacked and beaten by the soldiers. He suffered concussions and bruises, and was moved to the Hebron Government Hospital in the city.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) assaulted and battered a Palestinian man at Kharsa crossing, south of Al-Khalil, on Wednesday, local sources said.
They said that 30-year-old Fahd Al-Awawda was taken to Al-Khalil government hospital after the soldiers beat him on his head with their rifle butts. His injuries were diagnosed as moderate.
Meanwhile, IOF troops stormed Kharsa and Karsa villages in Al-Khalil province and Al-Salam street in the city and searched vehicles and checked IDs.
They said that 30-year-old Fahd Al-Awawda was taken to Al-Khalil government hospital after the soldiers beat him on his head with their rifle butts. His injuries were diagnosed as moderate.
Meanwhile, IOF troops stormed Kharsa and Karsa villages in Al-Khalil province and Al-Salam street in the city and searched vehicles and checked IDs.
Palestinian man injured in IOF shooting
A Palestinian man was wounded afternoon Tuesday in central Gaza Strip in an Israeli occupation forces’ incursion during which the soldiers fired indiscriminately at residential quarters.
Local sources said that IOF soldiers in armored vehicles sneaked into Abul Ajeen area to the east of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip and fired at random.
The ambulance and emergency committee said that a 29-year-old man was injured in his right foot as a result of the IOF shooting, describing his injuries as moderate.
Medics: Palestinian hurt by Israeli fire in Gaza
A Palestinian man was moderately injured Tuesday evening by Israeli fire east of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, medical officials said. The man, 29, who was not otherwise identified, suffered an injury to his right leg, said Gaza medical official Adham Abu Salmiya ...
Earlier, witnesses said Israeli forces entered the southern Gaza Strip and razed land. Bulldozers entered 200 meters into the enclave in the al-Qarara area and turned over land, locals told Ma‘an. The Israeli army makes frequent incursions to the area.
Local sources said that IOF soldiers in armored vehicles sneaked into Abul Ajeen area to the east of Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip and fired at random.
The ambulance and emergency committee said that a 29-year-old man was injured in his right foot as a result of the IOF shooting, describing his injuries as moderate.
Medics: Palestinian hurt by Israeli fire in Gaza
A Palestinian man was moderately injured Tuesday evening by Israeli fire east of Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip, medical officials said. The man, 29, who was not otherwise identified, suffered an injury to his right leg, said Gaza medical official Adham Abu Salmiya ...
Earlier, witnesses said Israeli forces entered the southern Gaza Strip and razed land. Bulldozers entered 200 meters into the enclave in the al-Qarara area and turned over land, locals told Ma‘an. The Israeli army makes frequent incursions to the area.
29 may 2012
Israeli army choppers opened machinegun fire at residential quarters and cultivated land to the east of Khan Younis, south of Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the Israeli gunships fired at Qarara neighborhoods and land cultivated with wheat, which started fire in the crop.
The sources noted that resistance fighters fired a number of mortar shells at the Israeli occupation forces, who entered the area earlier today and bulldozed land amidst intensified shooting.
Other attacks Daglas: Settlers have formed special teams to attack the Palestinians
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the Israeli gunships fired at Qarara neighborhoods and land cultivated with wheat, which started fire in the crop.
The sources noted that resistance fighters fired a number of mortar shells at the Israeli occupation forces, who entered the area earlier today and bulldozed land amidst intensified shooting.
Other attacks Daglas: Settlers have formed special teams to attack the Palestinians
IOF tanks advance in southern Gaza
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Israeli occupation forces (IOF) mounting armored vehicles and tanks advanced near Qarara village to the east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday morning.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that IOF soldiers in 13 armored vehicles and tanks opened intensive shooting and fired four smoke bombs during their advance. They said that the soldiers bulldozed areas east of Qarara. ___________________ This morning I went to Qarara, north east of Khan Younis, south of Gaza Strip. The Israeli bulldozer were destroying the Palestinian land. In the area there were also jeeps and tanks. Then the Israeli soldiers started shooting. I made this video while the bulldozers were destroying the land. This is the Israeli occupation. |
IOF attack worshipers inside Mosque in Beit Ummar
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) attacked at dawn the grand Mosque of Beit Ummar north of Al-Khalil city with smoke and tear gas grenades as many Palestinian worshipers were inside.
Many worshipers were inside the Mosque for dawn prayers when the IOF showered them with a barrage of smoke and tear gas grenades causing them to suffocate and leave the Mosque for fresh air.
At the same time, the Israeli troops also fired smoke and tear gas grenades at nearby houses and clashed with Palestinian citizens.
Five Palestinians including two children were kidnapped during the IOF raid on Beit Ummar village.
The IOF also detained four Palestinian children in the old city of Al-Khalil and intensified their presence in different areas of the city.
They erected several barriers in the towns of Addaheriya and Rammaddin, and the areas of Bab Azzawiya and Joret Bajlas inside the city and embarked on checking the citizens' IDs and searching vehicles.
Many worshipers were inside the Mosque for dawn prayers when the IOF showered them with a barrage of smoke and tear gas grenades causing them to suffocate and leave the Mosque for fresh air.
At the same time, the Israeli troops also fired smoke and tear gas grenades at nearby houses and clashed with Palestinian citizens.
Five Palestinians including two children were kidnapped during the IOF raid on Beit Ummar village.
The IOF also detained four Palestinian children in the old city of Al-Khalil and intensified their presence in different areas of the city.
They erected several barriers in the towns of Addaheriya and Rammaddin, and the areas of Bab Azzawiya and Joret Bajlas inside the city and embarked on checking the citizens' IDs and searching vehicles.
Palestinian firefighters on Tuesday extinguished a blaze started by Israeli settlers near Tulkarem in the northern West Bank, civil defense officials said.
Fire crews were called to Qaffin to put out a huge blaze which had damaged hundreds of acres of olive groves, the civil defense said in a statement.
It said residents of the Israeli settlement Hermesh claimed to have started the fire to clear 100 acres of land [whose?], but that the blaze spread out of control.
Fire crews were called to Qaffin to put out a huge blaze which had damaged hundreds of acres of olive groves, the civil defense said in a statement.
It said residents of the Israeli settlement Hermesh claimed to have started the fire to clear 100 acres of land [whose?], but that the blaze spread out of control.
28 may 2012
Confrontations between IOF soldiers and young men in Saeer village
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed Saeer village, north of Al-Khalil, on Monday morning and clashed with young men who protested the storming of their village.
Eyewitnesses told the Palestinian news agency WAFA that the IOF soldiers fired teargas at the citizens, adding that a number of young men were treated on the field for breathing problems.
They said that the soldiers provocatively impeded movement of citizens inside their village.
Other attacks
Settlers assault Palestinian youth in East Jerusalem
Israel reduces number of prison meals for Palestinian children
Israeli navy chased and arrests Palestinian fishermen at sea
Video: Israeli hurls egg at African migrant
Eyewitnesses told the Palestinian news agency WAFA that the IOF soldiers fired teargas at the citizens, adding that a number of young men were treated on the field for breathing problems.
They said that the soldiers provocatively impeded movement of citizens inside their village.
Other attacks
Settlers assault Palestinian youth in East Jerusalem
Israel reduces number of prison meals for Palestinian children
Israeli navy chased and arrests Palestinian fishermen at sea
Video: Israeli hurls egg at African migrant
27 may 2012
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at a Palestinian young woman, claiming she tried to storm a Jewish settlement near Beit Awa, south west of Al-Khalil, on Sunday.
Local sources told the PIC that the soldiers fired at Arwa Salame, a university student, but did not hit her, adding that the young woman was suffering from depression.
Other sources said that IOF soldiers stormed six villages in Al-Khalil province at dawn Sunday and installed roadblocks.
The soldiers on Saturday night arrested Obaid Abu Snene in Al-Khalil city and took him to Kiryat Arba settlement for questioning.
Other attacks IOF soldiers break into, search school
Local sources told the PIC that the soldiers fired at Arwa Salame, a university student, but did not hit her, adding that the young woman was suffering from depression.
Other sources said that IOF soldiers stormed six villages in Al-Khalil province at dawn Sunday and installed roadblocks.
The soldiers on Saturday night arrested Obaid Abu Snene in Al-Khalil city and took him to Kiryat Arba settlement for questioning.
Other attacks IOF soldiers break into, search school
A number of Jewish settlers attacked on Saturday the imam of Ain Silwan mosque in Silwan town in Jerusalem after storming the neighboring area.
Jerusalemite sources stated that the settlers attacked the seventy-year-old imam of Ain Silwan mosque, Adam Samreen, under the pretext of enabling tourists to enter the place. Meanwhile, the Zionist settlers raided the neighboring area, and attacked the guard causing him injuries.
It is noted that the ongoing Zionist attacks against Jerusalemites aim at forcing them to leave their lands and properties.
Local sources revealed that the IOF arrested on Saturday a boy, Saiid Alian, from Dheisheh camp in Bethlehem when special units broke into his house for searching. The boy was transferred to an unknown destination after being severely beaten.
The IOF also deployed, on Saturday, at the entrances to Al-Khalil southern West Bank and set up several checkpoints at the entrance to Halhoul town, near Wadi Al-shajna village to the south and at Dhahiriya crossing. The soldiers searched the vehicles and no arrests have been reported.
Jerusalemite sources stated that the settlers attacked the seventy-year-old imam of Ain Silwan mosque, Adam Samreen, under the pretext of enabling tourists to enter the place. Meanwhile, the Zionist settlers raided the neighboring area, and attacked the guard causing him injuries.
It is noted that the ongoing Zionist attacks against Jerusalemites aim at forcing them to leave their lands and properties.
Local sources revealed that the IOF arrested on Saturday a boy, Saiid Alian, from Dheisheh camp in Bethlehem when special units broke into his house for searching. The boy was transferred to an unknown destination after being severely beaten.
The IOF also deployed, on Saturday, at the entrances to Al-Khalil southern West Bank and set up several checkpoints at the entrance to Halhoul town, near Wadi Al-shajna village to the south and at Dhahiriya crossing. The soldiers searched the vehicles and no arrests have been reported.
The photograph which circled social media shows 18 year old Saleh al-Zoghayer following his stabbing with soldiers stepping on his hands.
18 year old Saleh al-Zoghayer, who was recently stabbed by Israeli soldiers in Bethlehem, has been at the centre of the media recently. Several contradicting and false reports surfaced along with a shocking photograph of Saleh following the stabbing.
On Sunday, May 20, Saleh took a day off. Leaving his construction job in the town of Tobas, he travelled to Bethlehem to visit doctors there due to an illness. Upon arriving in Bethlehem, it is uncertain as to why, he was instructed by Israeli soldiers to exit the vehicle in which he was a passenger. Saleh found himself in the midst of a bike tour held by illegal Israeli settlers. The tour in question was held for Jerusalem day and was heavily guarded by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
According to Israeli media sources such as Ynet and Hareetz, Saleh attempted to stab an IOF soldier and instead harmed himself. At first, both Palestinian and Israeli news sources suggested that Saleh had died from his injuries but this was not the case.
Saleh’s father, Nidal Mohamad al-Zoghayer, was interviewed by International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers on May 23 and an entirely different story emerged. Nidal says his son is not the “Palestinian terrorist” that Itamar Fleishman of Ynet baselessly suggests. Saleh was on the receiving end of criminal violence, said Nidal, and not from IOF soldiers but from the illegal settlers.
Having been denied permission from Israeli authorities to go visit his son, Nidal relays to ISM what his lawyer said after seeing Saleh with his own eyes.
According to Nidal’s lawyer, Saleh is recovering and in stable condition. He suffered multiple stab wounds, with two perpendicular wounds across his abdomen and one near to his heart. Barely able to sit up in his hospital bed, his legs are tied together at the ankles with cuffs. Three IOF soldiers are positioned at his door at all times.
Nidal tells us the IOF are detaining his son and upon his recovery, Saleh will be charged with ‘assaulting a soldier.’ He finds the IOF’s version of events highly unlikely. If Saleh had indeed attacked a soldier in an area with a large military presence, says Nidal, he would have immediately been shot.
Saleh is not a political activist, said Nidal. “My son has no political affiliation, and has never been detained before this incident. He works 6 days a week, Saturday to Thursday, only to come to Hebron on Friday evening to spend time with his family and friends.”
Illegal settlers are known for their violent behaviour against Palestinian men and women of all ages. Just one day prior to Saleh’s stabbing, settlers attacked the town of Asira Al-Qibliya, shooting live ammunition and injuring several including one man who was shot in the head. Israeli soldiers were present but did not interfere with the settlers’ attack as has become routine in the occupied West Bank.
Nidal showed photographs of wounds to Saleh’s neck that indicate a struggle as well as further photographs of his son covered in blood, with IOF soldiers standing on his hands.
Nidal says that if the IOF is able to stand by as illegal settlers fire live ammunition at unarmed villagers, then it should not be controversial for him to suggest they stood by and allowed an attack on his son. “There are many cameras in that area and soldiers are on hand 24 hours a day. I want to see the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage of what really happened to my son.”
This would be the only hope for Saleh to prove his innocence as the Israeli military courts are notoriously unjust: 99.74% of cases heard by the military courts against Palestinians in the West Bank end in a conviction. In Israeli military courts, the word of a soldier is enough evidence to convict even a minor.
Saleh was in the midst of saving money for his wedding and the purchase of a home. He is one of 8 children, the eldest of which is currently held in an Israeli prison. Originally having been detained by the Palestinian Authority for his political views, Saleh’s eldest brother was re-incarcerated by the IOF upon his release, without a chance to see his family in between.
Saleh’s uncle, Ahmed al-Zoghayer, also sat down with the ISM. He reenforced Nidal’s belief that if his nephew had attempted to attack a soldier he would have been shot.
Ahmed clarified one of the reasons for Saleh’s presumed death. The ambulance carrying Saleh was late to arrive at the scene. When it arrived, his heart had stopped and he was believed to be dead. Defibrillators were used and his heart began beating again. Saleh was then successfully operated on.
An 18 year old has been accused of attacking an IOF soldier. His family contests this and their demand for CCTV footage has not yet been responded to. ISM supports the call for its obtainment.
18 year old Saleh al-Zoghayer, who was recently stabbed by Israeli soldiers in Bethlehem, has been at the centre of the media recently. Several contradicting and false reports surfaced along with a shocking photograph of Saleh following the stabbing.
On Sunday, May 20, Saleh took a day off. Leaving his construction job in the town of Tobas, he travelled to Bethlehem to visit doctors there due to an illness. Upon arriving in Bethlehem, it is uncertain as to why, he was instructed by Israeli soldiers to exit the vehicle in which he was a passenger. Saleh found himself in the midst of a bike tour held by illegal Israeli settlers. The tour in question was held for Jerusalem day and was heavily guarded by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
According to Israeli media sources such as Ynet and Hareetz, Saleh attempted to stab an IOF soldier and instead harmed himself. At first, both Palestinian and Israeli news sources suggested that Saleh had died from his injuries but this was not the case.
Saleh’s father, Nidal Mohamad al-Zoghayer, was interviewed by International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers on May 23 and an entirely different story emerged. Nidal says his son is not the “Palestinian terrorist” that Itamar Fleishman of Ynet baselessly suggests. Saleh was on the receiving end of criminal violence, said Nidal, and not from IOF soldiers but from the illegal settlers.
Having been denied permission from Israeli authorities to go visit his son, Nidal relays to ISM what his lawyer said after seeing Saleh with his own eyes.
According to Nidal’s lawyer, Saleh is recovering and in stable condition. He suffered multiple stab wounds, with two perpendicular wounds across his abdomen and one near to his heart. Barely able to sit up in his hospital bed, his legs are tied together at the ankles with cuffs. Three IOF soldiers are positioned at his door at all times.
Nidal tells us the IOF are detaining his son and upon his recovery, Saleh will be charged with ‘assaulting a soldier.’ He finds the IOF’s version of events highly unlikely. If Saleh had indeed attacked a soldier in an area with a large military presence, says Nidal, he would have immediately been shot.
Saleh is not a political activist, said Nidal. “My son has no political affiliation, and has never been detained before this incident. He works 6 days a week, Saturday to Thursday, only to come to Hebron on Friday evening to spend time with his family and friends.”
Illegal settlers are known for their violent behaviour against Palestinian men and women of all ages. Just one day prior to Saleh’s stabbing, settlers attacked the town of Asira Al-Qibliya, shooting live ammunition and injuring several including one man who was shot in the head. Israeli soldiers were present but did not interfere with the settlers’ attack as has become routine in the occupied West Bank.
Nidal showed photographs of wounds to Saleh’s neck that indicate a struggle as well as further photographs of his son covered in blood, with IOF soldiers standing on his hands.
Nidal says that if the IOF is able to stand by as illegal settlers fire live ammunition at unarmed villagers, then it should not be controversial for him to suggest they stood by and allowed an attack on his son. “There are many cameras in that area and soldiers are on hand 24 hours a day. I want to see the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage of what really happened to my son.”
This would be the only hope for Saleh to prove his innocence as the Israeli military courts are notoriously unjust: 99.74% of cases heard by the military courts against Palestinians in the West Bank end in a conviction. In Israeli military courts, the word of a soldier is enough evidence to convict even a minor.
Saleh was in the midst of saving money for his wedding and the purchase of a home. He is one of 8 children, the eldest of which is currently held in an Israeli prison. Originally having been detained by the Palestinian Authority for his political views, Saleh’s eldest brother was re-incarcerated by the IOF upon his release, without a chance to see his family in between.
Saleh’s uncle, Ahmed al-Zoghayer, also sat down with the ISM. He reenforced Nidal’s belief that if his nephew had attempted to attack a soldier he would have been shot.
Ahmed clarified one of the reasons for Saleh’s presumed death. The ambulance carrying Saleh was late to arrive at the scene. When it arrived, his heart had stopped and he was believed to be dead. Defibrillators were used and his heart began beating again. Saleh was then successfully operated on.
An 18 year old has been accused of attacking an IOF soldier. His family contests this and their demand for CCTV footage has not yet been responded to. ISM supports the call for its obtainment.
The Euro-Mediterranean Observer for Human Rights (EMOHR) said Israel systematically and deliberately targets the fishing sector in the Gaza Strip.
In a report on Sunday, the observatory warned that the systematic Israeli targeting of the fishing sector in the besieged Gaza Strip led to the depletion and destruction of this important sector.
The report stated that the Israeli government has sought in recent years to completely destroy the fishing profession, upon which some 70,000 Gazan citizens live, through a gradual reduction of fishing zones where the fishermen are allowed to sail.
The report added that this Israeli policy peaked in 2009 in flagrant violation of its agreement with the Palestinian Authority, which provides 20 nautical miles for fishing along the beach of the Gaza strip.
The report described this Israeli infringement as a collective punishment and noted that in the second intifada, Israel reduced the fishing zone to 10 nautical miles from the coast, then to six miles after the capture of Gilad Shalit, and finally to three miles after the war on Gaza, which ended in January 2009.
In a report on Sunday, the observatory warned that the systematic Israeli targeting of the fishing sector in the besieged Gaza Strip led to the depletion and destruction of this important sector.
The report stated that the Israeli government has sought in recent years to completely destroy the fishing profession, upon which some 70,000 Gazan citizens live, through a gradual reduction of fishing zones where the fishermen are allowed to sail.
The report added that this Israeli policy peaked in 2009 in flagrant violation of its agreement with the Palestinian Authority, which provides 20 nautical miles for fishing along the beach of the Gaza strip.
The report described this Israeli infringement as a collective punishment and noted that in the second intifada, Israel reduced the fishing zone to 10 nautical miles from the coast, then to six miles after the capture of Gilad Shalit, and finally to three miles after the war on Gaza, which ended in January 2009.
26 may 2012
IOF troops open fire at southern Gaza
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened heavy machinegun fire at the eastern outskirts of Khan Younis, to the south of Gaza Strip, on Saturday morning, local sources said.
They told the PIC reporter that the IOF troops stationed to the east of Khan Younis fired at Qarara, Fakhari, and Khuza’a.
The sources said that no casualties were reported in the shooting.
They told the PIC reporter that the IOF troops stationed to the east of Khan Younis fired at Qarara, Fakhari, and Khuza’a.
The sources said that no casualties were reported in the shooting.
On May 26, the village of Urif, south of Nablus, was attacked by Israeli settlers from the illegal Yitzhar settlement. Extensive amounts of agricultural land belonging to Urif were burned and settlers threw stones and shot live ammunition at civilians from the village. A Palestinian man was shot with live ammunition in the abdomen and a Franco-British volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement was injured by a tear gas canister.
The attack began around 1p.m. with shooting coming from a hill east to the village, nearby to a Palestinian secondary school. After one and a half hours the settlers appeared on the opposite side of the valley and began again to fire. It was during this attack that a young Palestinian man was shot and seriously injured. Urif residents carried him down the hill towards an ambulance that took him immediately to Rafadiyah hospital in Nablus. Israeli soldiers witnessed the attack from the top of one of hills, yet did not intervene.
Urif’s residents attempted to climb the hill to put out fires that the settlers had started. They were confronted by heavily armed Israeli soldiers who prevented them from reaching the fires. Soldiers fired live ammunition into the air and fired blanks at the crowd of unarmed civilians. They then left the area in two armoured jeeps. Other soldiers who were positioned atop the hill, continued to monitor the Palestinians who managed to climb the hill and were attempting to put out the fires.
After one hour the settlers started a new fire on another hill near the settlement. The soldiers prevented the Palestinians from climbing the hill to put out the fires, but allowed the settlers a free pass to throw stones at the young Palestinians and internationals below them on the hill.
The Israeli military then began to shoot teargas grenades from both sides of the valley, effectively trapping the Palestinians and internationals from both sides.
The Palestinians moved towards the hill where the the secondary school stands. A group of speeding Israeli army jeeps almost ran over a group of young Palestinian men and the soldiers and some settlers stood waiting for them on this hill. The Israeli military continued to shoot excessive amounts of tear gas. A Franco-British activist was injured in the leg after being struck by a tear gas canister.
Tear gas was fired at the residential area, and many households including women and children were affected.
Urif’s residents were unable to be precise as to the number of Israeli settlers that attacked the village since there were multiple attacks throughout the afternoon. A conservative estimate of 100 settlers was given.
The casualties were high. One Palestinian man is currently still in hospital after being shot by a settler in the kidney. The Franco-British volunteer shot in the leg required medical treatment and is still unable to walk without assistance. Several individuals required treatment for tear gas inhalation, including one in particular who reacted severely to the gas due to their asthma.
Illegal settlers from the Yitzhar colony were also responsible for the attack on Asira al-Qibliyah last week, wherein a Palestinian was shot in the head.
The attack began around 1p.m. with shooting coming from a hill east to the village, nearby to a Palestinian secondary school. After one and a half hours the settlers appeared on the opposite side of the valley and began again to fire. It was during this attack that a young Palestinian man was shot and seriously injured. Urif residents carried him down the hill towards an ambulance that took him immediately to Rafadiyah hospital in Nablus. Israeli soldiers witnessed the attack from the top of one of hills, yet did not intervene.
Urif’s residents attempted to climb the hill to put out fires that the settlers had started. They were confronted by heavily armed Israeli soldiers who prevented them from reaching the fires. Soldiers fired live ammunition into the air and fired blanks at the crowd of unarmed civilians. They then left the area in two armoured jeeps. Other soldiers who were positioned atop the hill, continued to monitor the Palestinians who managed to climb the hill and were attempting to put out the fires.
After one hour the settlers started a new fire on another hill near the settlement. The soldiers prevented the Palestinians from climbing the hill to put out the fires, but allowed the settlers a free pass to throw stones at the young Palestinians and internationals below them on the hill.
The Israeli military then began to shoot teargas grenades from both sides of the valley, effectively trapping the Palestinians and internationals from both sides.
The Palestinians moved towards the hill where the the secondary school stands. A group of speeding Israeli army jeeps almost ran over a group of young Palestinian men and the soldiers and some settlers stood waiting for them on this hill. The Israeli military continued to shoot excessive amounts of tear gas. A Franco-British activist was injured in the leg after being struck by a tear gas canister.
Tear gas was fired at the residential area, and many households including women and children were affected.
Urif’s residents were unable to be precise as to the number of Israeli settlers that attacked the village since there were multiple attacks throughout the afternoon. A conservative estimate of 100 settlers was given.
The casualties were high. One Palestinian man is currently still in hospital after being shot by a settler in the kidney. The Franco-British volunteer shot in the leg required medical treatment and is still unable to walk without assistance. Several individuals required treatment for tear gas inhalation, including one in particular who reacted severely to the gas due to their asthma.
Illegal settlers from the Yitzhar colony were also responsible for the attack on Asira al-Qibliyah last week, wherein a Palestinian was shot in the head.
25 may 2012
Jamal Daraghmeh is peppersprayed and loses his shoe in the violent arrest
On Friday, May 25, illegal Israeli settlers drove into the village Lubban ash-Sharqiya where they attempted to forcefully enter a family’s home. When Israeli soldiers and policemen arrived at the scene they joined the settlers, supporting’ them whilst they tried to enter the house.
Men of the Palestinian family, together with International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers and other internationals, stood at the gate of the house to prevent the settlers from entering. The father of the household, Khaled Daraghmeh, and his son were then beaten and arrested.
Lubban ash-Sharqiya is a village located some 30 kilometres south of Nablus, adjacent to Route-60, the primary north-south road that runs through the occupied West Bank. The village is surrounded from all directions by 3 illegal settlements: Eli, Shilo, and Ma’le Levona. The illegality of these Israeli colonies has been confirmed by the International Court of Justice and the United Nations Security Council.
On the outskirts of Lubban ash-Sharqiya, near the colony Ma’le Levona, Khaled Daraghmeh lives with his family. Khaled, like many other Palestinian villagers, works as a farmer and is dependent on what the harvest provides him. Living next to Israeli settlements is not an easy fate for Palestinians and Khaled has suffered a lot.
“It began to get really bad about five years ago. That was when the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) demolished my first house.” says Khaled.
After his first house was demolished, Khaled moved to his father’s old house just across the road. The peace he seeked there did not last long. Only a couple months later, settlers attacked and burned down the entire building. Khaled was then forced to move to a third house, an ancient Ottoman building that also belongs to his father. Here the family lived in one part of the house, using the remaining space as a poultry farm.
The settlers have made it clear, however, that they are determined to get rid of Palestinians in the area. Last Saturday, some 50 settlers forcefully entered the house, removed all the furniture, and burned it. They also poisoned the drinking water of the poultry farm, leading to the death of most of the animals inside.
Now Khaled is frightened of life in his own home. He welded the door to the living area and moved into a small, dark room, where he used to keep animals.
“In the past, I was able to repair or rebuild what the settlers destroyed, but now I have used up all my savings,” says Khaled.
The harassment continues to today. As Khaled worked his land, a settler car stopped at the road and began making phone calls. He feared a new attack and called the ISM, seeking their immediate presence. Upon their arrival, the settlers had already left and everything appeared calm. Later, while the group of Palestinians and internationals sat together having lunch, approximately 20 settlers of all ages arrived and started walking towards the Ottoman house.
Palestinians from the area, accompanied by the ISM, approached the settlers and asked them what they were doing here. They replied that the land was ‘community property’ and that they had the right to be there. Khaled, who owns the land and has all the needed documents to prove it, replied by saying that this is his land, and that he wanted them to leave.
While the discussion continued, an Israeli military jeep with 6 soldiers arrived and began to split up the crowd. A policeman told the settlers that they could not enter the house as it belongs to Khaled and his family. The settlers grew upset with the policeman and screamed that he was a coward and afraid of the internationals and their cameras.
A discussion in Hebrew took place between them and meanwhile another police car arrived and 2 other policemen joined the crowd. After a couple of minutes of heated dialogue, the 3 policemen, the 6 soldiers, and the illegal settlers walked towards the house while the settlers screamed, “you see, you see, now we can enter!”
The Palestinians together with the internationals formed a line at the gate of the house to prevent the approaching group from illegally entering the house. Khaled was wrestled to the ground and beaten by soldiers and police men, even after being handcuffed. When Jamal, Khaled’s 21 year old son, saw his father beaten and attacked, he ran over to try to help. When he reached, the soldiers and policemen attacked Jamal in the same way they did his father.
Khaled’s 17 year old son, Jalad, then tried to help them and was instead attacked by the settlers and pushed away by the soldiers.
As the policemen walked away with the handcuffed men, they struck Jamal in the head a couple of times. The youngest son, Mu’min, 14, was filming the attacks on his brother and father when the policemen tried to kick him in the head. The boot missed him only by a few centimetres. Then policeman pulled the camera out of the teenager’s hands and stole it.
Only moments later, Jamal was pepper sprayed in the face before they forced him into the police vehicle. Khaled was then pushed into the jeep with bleeding hands from the brutal handcuffing.
“This has become normal to us. My father has been arrested 4 times recently and my brothers is beaten up all the time. Mu’min can not even walk to school without the settlers attacking him,” says Jalad.
To survive as a Palestinian living adjacent to these illegal settlements, can, with the assistance of the Israeli Occupation Forces, feel like a losing game. Only last year, 250 to 270 of Khaled’s olive trees were uprooted by settlers. Last week, an entire field of cucumbers was destroyed along with the irr system of the family’s land.
These attacks have pushed the Daraghmeh family into the desperate situation they are now in. After being forced to start over again and again, they have no money left. They can not repair the things that are destroyed, leading to a bad harvest, and less income.
Simultaneously, the Israeli state has offered Khaled 5 million shekels (1 million Euros) for his land. But as many other Palestinians, he is rejecting the money, and the resulting ethnic cleansing, and will continue to live and work on his land even if it means sleeping in a small, dark room with no electricity or running water.
On Friday, May 25, illegal Israeli settlers drove into the village Lubban ash-Sharqiya where they attempted to forcefully enter a family’s home. When Israeli soldiers and policemen arrived at the scene they joined the settlers, supporting’ them whilst they tried to enter the house.
Men of the Palestinian family, together with International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers and other internationals, stood at the gate of the house to prevent the settlers from entering. The father of the household, Khaled Daraghmeh, and his son were then beaten and arrested.
Lubban ash-Sharqiya is a village located some 30 kilometres south of Nablus, adjacent to Route-60, the primary north-south road that runs through the occupied West Bank. The village is surrounded from all directions by 3 illegal settlements: Eli, Shilo, and Ma’le Levona. The illegality of these Israeli colonies has been confirmed by the International Court of Justice and the United Nations Security Council.
On the outskirts of Lubban ash-Sharqiya, near the colony Ma’le Levona, Khaled Daraghmeh lives with his family. Khaled, like many other Palestinian villagers, works as a farmer and is dependent on what the harvest provides him. Living next to Israeli settlements is not an easy fate for Palestinians and Khaled has suffered a lot.
“It began to get really bad about five years ago. That was when the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) demolished my first house.” says Khaled.
After his first house was demolished, Khaled moved to his father’s old house just across the road. The peace he seeked there did not last long. Only a couple months later, settlers attacked and burned down the entire building. Khaled was then forced to move to a third house, an ancient Ottoman building that also belongs to his father. Here the family lived in one part of the house, using the remaining space as a poultry farm.
The settlers have made it clear, however, that they are determined to get rid of Palestinians in the area. Last Saturday, some 50 settlers forcefully entered the house, removed all the furniture, and burned it. They also poisoned the drinking water of the poultry farm, leading to the death of most of the animals inside.
Now Khaled is frightened of life in his own home. He welded the door to the living area and moved into a small, dark room, where he used to keep animals.
“In the past, I was able to repair or rebuild what the settlers destroyed, but now I have used up all my savings,” says Khaled.
The harassment continues to today. As Khaled worked his land, a settler car stopped at the road and began making phone calls. He feared a new attack and called the ISM, seeking their immediate presence. Upon their arrival, the settlers had already left and everything appeared calm. Later, while the group of Palestinians and internationals sat together having lunch, approximately 20 settlers of all ages arrived and started walking towards the Ottoman house.
Palestinians from the area, accompanied by the ISM, approached the settlers and asked them what they were doing here. They replied that the land was ‘community property’ and that they had the right to be there. Khaled, who owns the land and has all the needed documents to prove it, replied by saying that this is his land, and that he wanted them to leave.
While the discussion continued, an Israeli military jeep with 6 soldiers arrived and began to split up the crowd. A policeman told the settlers that they could not enter the house as it belongs to Khaled and his family. The settlers grew upset with the policeman and screamed that he was a coward and afraid of the internationals and their cameras.
A discussion in Hebrew took place between them and meanwhile another police car arrived and 2 other policemen joined the crowd. After a couple of minutes of heated dialogue, the 3 policemen, the 6 soldiers, and the illegal settlers walked towards the house while the settlers screamed, “you see, you see, now we can enter!”
The Palestinians together with the internationals formed a line at the gate of the house to prevent the approaching group from illegally entering the house. Khaled was wrestled to the ground and beaten by soldiers and police men, even after being handcuffed. When Jamal, Khaled’s 21 year old son, saw his father beaten and attacked, he ran over to try to help. When he reached, the soldiers and policemen attacked Jamal in the same way they did his father.
Khaled’s 17 year old son, Jalad, then tried to help them and was instead attacked by the settlers and pushed away by the soldiers.
As the policemen walked away with the handcuffed men, they struck Jamal in the head a couple of times. The youngest son, Mu’min, 14, was filming the attacks on his brother and father when the policemen tried to kick him in the head. The boot missed him only by a few centimetres. Then policeman pulled the camera out of the teenager’s hands and stole it.
Only moments later, Jamal was pepper sprayed in the face before they forced him into the police vehicle. Khaled was then pushed into the jeep with bleeding hands from the brutal handcuffing.
“This has become normal to us. My father has been arrested 4 times recently and my brothers is beaten up all the time. Mu’min can not even walk to school without the settlers attacking him,” says Jalad.
To survive as a Palestinian living adjacent to these illegal settlements, can, with the assistance of the Israeli Occupation Forces, feel like a losing game. Only last year, 250 to 270 of Khaled’s olive trees were uprooted by settlers. Last week, an entire field of cucumbers was destroyed along with the irr system of the family’s land.
These attacks have pushed the Daraghmeh family into the desperate situation they are now in. After being forced to start over again and again, they have no money left. They can not repair the things that are destroyed, leading to a bad harvest, and less income.
Simultaneously, the Israeli state has offered Khaled 5 million shekels (1 million Euros) for his land. But as many other Palestinians, he is rejecting the money, and the resulting ethnic cleansing, and will continue to live and work on his land even if it means sleeping in a small, dark room with no electricity or running water.
23 may 2012
IOF incursion in central Gaza
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) raided eastern Deir Al-Balah town in central Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, local sources told the PIC reporter.
They said that the IOF soldiers in five tanks escorted seven bulldozers that entered from eastern Khan Younis and headed north to the eastern area of Deir Al-Balah.
IOF soldiers fired at Palestinian farmers to the east of Al-Qarara in Khan Younis and moderately wounded one of them a couple of days ago.
Farmers in the raided area fear that the IOF soldiers would level their cultivated land and the loss of their crops as a result.
They said that the IOF soldiers in five tanks escorted seven bulldozers that entered from eastern Khan Younis and headed north to the eastern area of Deir Al-Balah.
IOF soldiers fired at Palestinian farmers to the east of Al-Qarara in Khan Younis and moderately wounded one of them a couple of days ago.
Farmers in the raided area fear that the IOF soldiers would level their cultivated land and the loss of their crops as a result.
Muhammad Salah Zughayar 18
An 18-year-old stabbed by Israeli soldiers near Bethlehem on Sunday is in a stable condition after surgery, the Palestinian prisoners society said Wednesday.
Salah al-Zghayar underwent surgery at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center after he was stabbed in the abdomen at Gush Etzion junction, prisoners society lawyer Mofeed al-Haj said in a statement.
Al-Zghayar, from Hebron, told the lawyer he was attacked by several soldiers who were guarded by police.
His father Nidal told Ma’an he has not yet received permission from Israeli authorities to visit his son. He said his son was on his way to Bethlehem when he was stabbed.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said Sunday that al-Zghayar had approached soldiers while carrying a knife and “violently resisted a routine security check.”
He was wounded by his own knife, she said.
Zughayar tells the real story of how he got seriously injured
18-year-old Palestinian prisoner, Muhammad Salah Zughayar, from the occupied city of Al-Khalil, revealed the details of the incident that caused him serious injuries, and after which some reports announced his martyrdom.
The lawyer for the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) Mufeed al-Haj, who visited Zughayar in Hadassah hospital in West Jerusalem, said that the young prisoner told him he was not shot as was reported by some media outlets, but was attacked with knives by a number of Israeli soldiers who stabbed him in his stomach from bottom to top.
The lawyer affirmed that Zughayar underwent surgery at the hospital to close the wound and was reported in stable condition, adding that he was registered as an anonymous person in Hadassah hospital, where he was held under police custody.
Israeli media reports claimed Salah Zughayar was stabbed by his own knife after he fell to the ground when he tried to attack a Zionist soldier, which was denied by Zughayar himself.
An 18-year-old stabbed by Israeli soldiers near Bethlehem on Sunday is in a stable condition after surgery, the Palestinian prisoners society said Wednesday.
Salah al-Zghayar underwent surgery at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center after he was stabbed in the abdomen at Gush Etzion junction, prisoners society lawyer Mofeed al-Haj said in a statement.
Al-Zghayar, from Hebron, told the lawyer he was attacked by several soldiers who were guarded by police.
His father Nidal told Ma’an he has not yet received permission from Israeli authorities to visit his son. He said his son was on his way to Bethlehem when he was stabbed.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said Sunday that al-Zghayar had approached soldiers while carrying a knife and “violently resisted a routine security check.”
He was wounded by his own knife, she said.
Zughayar tells the real story of how he got seriously injured
18-year-old Palestinian prisoner, Muhammad Salah Zughayar, from the occupied city of Al-Khalil, revealed the details of the incident that caused him serious injuries, and after which some reports announced his martyrdom.
The lawyer for the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) Mufeed al-Haj, who visited Zughayar in Hadassah hospital in West Jerusalem, said that the young prisoner told him he was not shot as was reported by some media outlets, but was attacked with knives by a number of Israeli soldiers who stabbed him in his stomach from bottom to top.
The lawyer affirmed that Zughayar underwent surgery at the hospital to close the wound and was reported in stable condition, adding that he was registered as an anonymous person in Hadassah hospital, where he was held under police custody.
Israeli media reports claimed Salah Zughayar was stabbed by his own knife after he fell to the ground when he tried to attack a Zionist soldier, which was denied by Zughayar himself.
On Wednesday, May 23, a group of Israeli settlers forcefully occupied the home of a Palestinian family near the illegal Tel Rumeida colony in the Palestinian city of Hebron.
In an incident that lasted 3 hours, settlers forced their way into the house and began physically and verbally abusing the family. The family was evacuated by Israeli soldiers.
The settlers then blocked the entrance, preventing the family from entering the premises -- ...At approximately 5:30 p.m., Muhammed’s wife, Merfat Muhammed Aburmeli, and 4 children, the eldest only 8 years old, were inside their new home located on the same road as the illegal Tel Rumeida settlement. The family was preparing to move furniture into the house.
As the preparations were underway a group of 15 to 20 settlers no older than the age of 16 stormed into the house. The settlers immediately confronted the frightened family, insulting them and demanding that they leave the home. The young settlers repeatedly claimed that the land is theirs and that the Palestinian family has no right to live here. As well as the verbal barrage, the settlers began to violently push Muhammed’s wife and her children.
In an incident that lasted 3 hours, settlers forced their way into the house and began physically and verbally abusing the family. The family was evacuated by Israeli soldiers.
The settlers then blocked the entrance, preventing the family from entering the premises -- ...At approximately 5:30 p.m., Muhammed’s wife, Merfat Muhammed Aburmeli, and 4 children, the eldest only 8 years old, were inside their new home located on the same road as the illegal Tel Rumeida settlement. The family was preparing to move furniture into the house.
As the preparations were underway a group of 15 to 20 settlers no older than the age of 16 stormed into the house. The settlers immediately confronted the frightened family, insulting them and demanding that they leave the home. The young settlers repeatedly claimed that the land is theirs and that the Palestinian family has no right to live here. As well as the verbal barrage, the settlers began to violently push Muhammed’s wife and her children.
21 may 2012
Waheed Ali Zer, 22 years old
On Sunday, May 20, an Israeli soldier shot a young Palestinian farmer while on his land in Al-Quara, north east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza strip.
Waheed Ali Zer, 22 years old, was shot in his left leg and remains hospitalized in Khan Younis’s Nasser hospital. We went to go visit his family and Waheed’s brother Mohammed spoke to us about the events that took place on Sunday.
“After being shot, Waheed began to crawl before being picked up and taken to a first aid point. At the time, I was at university.” Mohammed is a mathematics student at Al-Aqsa University and he intends to pursue a PhD.
Waheed has three brothers and seven sisters, three of which are married. The Zer family’s land is only 500 meters from the Israeli border. Waheed’s uncle told us that the Israeli soldiers will open fire at any time.
“Here in the Kussufim area, tanks and bulldozers will often enter,” says Waheed’s uncle, “until three years ago, there were many trees, olive trees, but they have all been destroyed by the bulldozers. Also here where we are, a house has been demolished by a bulldozer. If there are no tanks and bulldozers available, the Israeli soldiers shoot from the control towers”.
Mohammed told us that Waheed was walking his donkey when he saw a military jeep coming. Mohammed retreated back towards the tent next to his house. An Israeli soldier emerged from the jeep and shot at Mohammed from behind a small hill.
There was no warning, no bullet shots into the air. No notice, just one bullet, which was targeted directly at Waheed.
“My father carried Waheed in his arms while my mother cried,” one of Waheed’s brothers tells us.
We visited the land where Waheed was shot. On this land the family cultivates oranges, eggplants, wheat, and olives. “Our houses are very simple, we have no chance to protect ourselves,” Mohammed’s uncle told us. “The plants and the trees are scared by the Israelis, imagine us!” said Mohammed.
As I looked out across the land I noticed the proximity of military towers. One of the towers is particularly close to their land, with a machine gun visibly located on it. One of Waheed’s aunts approached us. “Our life is very difficult, for this reason the people go closer to the border to collect as much [harvest] as they can,” she says.
Waheed’s family comes from Be’er Sheva. They are refugees like many others after Israel displaced thousands of Palestinians, proclaiming their state.
We went to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis to meet Waheed. His left leg was wrapped in a bandage stained with blood and his bed sheet was also tainted with blood and liquid. He had an expression of suffering on his face after having been operated on while under general anaesthesia. The bullet aimed at him perforated an artery and a nerve.
“I had bought a donkey,” Waheed began to tell us, “and I was taking it towards my land when I saw an [Israeli] jeep coming. A soldier came out of the jeep and shot me. I fell to the ground feeling my head spinning. The bullet entered from one side [of my leg] and exited from the other side. I crawled and my father called an ambulance which took a long time to arrive.”
I asked him if he wants to send a message to the international community and he replied, “I ask for their solidarity with the Palestinian people. I ask them to stop the Israeli attacks.”
During our visit to the hospital other relatives and friends of Waheed arrived. One brought him some food. Waheed smiles to his visitors but his eyes cannot hide his grief. A cotton curtain separates him from the other beds of the crowded hospital.
A nurse arrived to tell us that we should go because the visiting time is over. I left Waheed with the promise of going back to his home for another visit. We will return to their area as an international presence while the international community continues to stay silent in the face of ongoing crimes against the civilians of the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday, May 20, an Israeli soldier shot a young Palestinian farmer while on his land in Al-Quara, north east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza strip.
Waheed Ali Zer, 22 years old, was shot in his left leg and remains hospitalized in Khan Younis’s Nasser hospital. We went to go visit his family and Waheed’s brother Mohammed spoke to us about the events that took place on Sunday.
“After being shot, Waheed began to crawl before being picked up and taken to a first aid point. At the time, I was at university.” Mohammed is a mathematics student at Al-Aqsa University and he intends to pursue a PhD.
Waheed has three brothers and seven sisters, three of which are married. The Zer family’s land is only 500 meters from the Israeli border. Waheed’s uncle told us that the Israeli soldiers will open fire at any time.
“Here in the Kussufim area, tanks and bulldozers will often enter,” says Waheed’s uncle, “until three years ago, there were many trees, olive trees, but they have all been destroyed by the bulldozers. Also here where we are, a house has been demolished by a bulldozer. If there are no tanks and bulldozers available, the Israeli soldiers shoot from the control towers”.
Mohammed told us that Waheed was walking his donkey when he saw a military jeep coming. Mohammed retreated back towards the tent next to his house. An Israeli soldier emerged from the jeep and shot at Mohammed from behind a small hill.
There was no warning, no bullet shots into the air. No notice, just one bullet, which was targeted directly at Waheed.
“My father carried Waheed in his arms while my mother cried,” one of Waheed’s brothers tells us.
We visited the land where Waheed was shot. On this land the family cultivates oranges, eggplants, wheat, and olives. “Our houses are very simple, we have no chance to protect ourselves,” Mohammed’s uncle told us. “The plants and the trees are scared by the Israelis, imagine us!” said Mohammed.
As I looked out across the land I noticed the proximity of military towers. One of the towers is particularly close to their land, with a machine gun visibly located on it. One of Waheed’s aunts approached us. “Our life is very difficult, for this reason the people go closer to the border to collect as much [harvest] as they can,” she says.
Waheed’s family comes from Be’er Sheva. They are refugees like many others after Israel displaced thousands of Palestinians, proclaiming their state.
We went to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis to meet Waheed. His left leg was wrapped in a bandage stained with blood and his bed sheet was also tainted with blood and liquid. He had an expression of suffering on his face after having been operated on while under general anaesthesia. The bullet aimed at him perforated an artery and a nerve.
“I had bought a donkey,” Waheed began to tell us, “and I was taking it towards my land when I saw an [Israeli] jeep coming. A soldier came out of the jeep and shot me. I fell to the ground feeling my head spinning. The bullet entered from one side [of my leg] and exited from the other side. I crawled and my father called an ambulance which took a long time to arrive.”
I asked him if he wants to send a message to the international community and he replied, “I ask for their solidarity with the Palestinian people. I ask them to stop the Israeli attacks.”
During our visit to the hospital other relatives and friends of Waheed arrived. One brought him some food. Waheed smiles to his visitors but his eyes cannot hide his grief. A cotton curtain separates him from the other beds of the crowded hospital.
A nurse arrived to tell us that we should go because the visiting time is over. I left Waheed with the promise of going back to his home for another visit. We will return to their area as an international presence while the international community continues to stay silent in the face of ongoing crimes against the civilians of the Gaza Strip.
20 may 2012
Palestinian medical sources reported Sunday that a Palestinian youth was injured near the Israeli settlement of Etzion, between Bethlehem and Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The soldiers then stepped on his hands to pose for pictures as the youth continued to bleed.
The Israeli army claimed that the resident, identified as Salah Sghayyar, 18 years old, attempted to stab an Israeli soldier, but “fell on his knife during a scuffle with the soldier”. Yet, initial media reports indicated that the youth was shot, not stabbed, in the chest.
As the youth was lying in the ground, heavily bleeding and unable to move, soldiers stepped on his hands and posed for pictures.
The Maan News Agency reported that the Israeli District Coordination Office in the area told its reporter that the youth was not killed and that Israeli medics arrived at the scene and transferred him to Hadassah Israeli hospital, in Jerusalem where he was admitted to surgery. He is currently in a serious condition.
The army and the police invaded the home of Sghayyar’s father, in as-Salam Street in Hebron, searched it, and ordered the father and the mother to go to the Etzion military and security center for interrogation, the Maan News Agency reported.
In related news, a Palestinian youth was shot and wounded by Israeli military fire east of al-Qarara town, east of Khan Younis city, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The wounded resident, identified as Waheed Abu Zir, 22, was shot by a live round to his leg. The shots came from Israeli military towers east of Kissufim Israeli military base. The soldiers also fired at random hitting a number of homes and properties in the area, local sources reported.
Two youths injured in IOF shooting one seriously
A Palestinian teen was seriously injured near Gush Etzion settlement to the north of Al-Khalil after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at him.
Medical sources said that the 17-year-old youth Salah Zaghir was seriously wounded in his abdomen after an Israeli soldier fired at him near a bus stop for settlers after “suspecting” that he was carrying a knife and that he would use it to stab a settler.
Other sources said that the IOF closed the Bethlehem-Al-Khalil road and took the youth to Hadassah hospital where his condition was described as “serious”, but denied that he was dead.
In a related incident, a Palestinian youth was shot and injured east of Qarara town in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.
The PIC reporter said that Wahid Abu Zir, 22, was hit with a bullet in his leg in the indiscriminate shooting by IOF soldiers at residential quarters.
The Israeli army claimed that the resident, identified as Salah Sghayyar, 18 years old, attempted to stab an Israeli soldier, but “fell on his knife during a scuffle with the soldier”. Yet, initial media reports indicated that the youth was shot, not stabbed, in the chest.
As the youth was lying in the ground, heavily bleeding and unable to move, soldiers stepped on his hands and posed for pictures.
The Maan News Agency reported that the Israeli District Coordination Office in the area told its reporter that the youth was not killed and that Israeli medics arrived at the scene and transferred him to Hadassah Israeli hospital, in Jerusalem where he was admitted to surgery. He is currently in a serious condition.
The army and the police invaded the home of Sghayyar’s father, in as-Salam Street in Hebron, searched it, and ordered the father and the mother to go to the Etzion military and security center for interrogation, the Maan News Agency reported.
In related news, a Palestinian youth was shot and wounded by Israeli military fire east of al-Qarara town, east of Khan Younis city, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The wounded resident, identified as Waheed Abu Zir, 22, was shot by a live round to his leg. The shots came from Israeli military towers east of Kissufim Israeli military base. The soldiers also fired at random hitting a number of homes and properties in the area, local sources reported.
Two youths injured in IOF shooting one seriously
A Palestinian teen was seriously injured near Gush Etzion settlement to the north of Al-Khalil after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at him.
Medical sources said that the 17-year-old youth Salah Zaghir was seriously wounded in his abdomen after an Israeli soldier fired at him near a bus stop for settlers after “suspecting” that he was carrying a knife and that he would use it to stab a settler.
Other sources said that the IOF closed the Bethlehem-Al-Khalil road and took the youth to Hadassah hospital where his condition was described as “serious”, but denied that he was dead.
In a related incident, a Palestinian youth was shot and injured east of Qarara town in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip.
The PIC reporter said that Wahid Abu Zir, 22, was hit with a bullet in his leg in the indiscriminate shooting by IOF soldiers at residential quarters.
19 may 2012
Four Palestinians wounded in settlers’ attack
Four Palestinians were wounded on Saturday when Jewish settlers attacked their village south of Nablus city, eyewitnesses told the PIC reporter.
They said that more than 50 Jewish settlers from Yitzhar settlement attacked Assira Al-Qabaliya village throwing stones at civilians and setting their wheat and olive crops on fire.
Young men rushed to defend their village and violent clashes erupted between them, the sources said, adding that Israeli occupation forces came to assist the settlers and fired bullets and teargas at the villagers.
They said that one of the casualties was rushed to Rafidiya hospital after he was hit with a bullet in his head.
They said that more than 50 Jewish settlers from Yitzhar settlement attacked Assira Al-Qabaliya village throwing stones at civilians and setting their wheat and olive crops on fire.
Young men rushed to defend their village and violent clashes erupted between them, the sources said, adding that Israeli occupation forces came to assist the settlers and fired bullets and teargas at the villagers.
They said that one of the casualties was rushed to Rafidiya hospital after he was hit with a bullet in his head.
17 may 2012
The Israeli occupation police on Wednesday killed a Palestinian citizen in Tayeba city of the 1948 occupied lands and wounded others during a raid on a house.
Palestinian sources said that after the attack, an ambulance transferred the wounded Palestinians to Meir hospital and one of them aged 21 died there of serious injuries.
The sources added policemen wearing masks stormed a house in the city to arrest Palestinians from the same family, but things went ugly and turned into an armed confrontation between them and the young men.
Many residents of the area where the attack happened fled their homes and a large number of police forces were deployed throughout the city.
The citizens deplored the Israeli attack on the house and affirmed that the Israeli police escalated recently its provocative raids on homes in the city and spread a state of panic among the local population.
For its part, the Israeli police issued orders prohibiting its members from revealing any details about the incident or the investigations taking place.
For his part, Arab Knesset member Taleb Al-Sanea demanded the minister of the internal security to form a fact-finding committee to probe this incident.
Palestinian sources said that after the attack, an ambulance transferred the wounded Palestinians to Meir hospital and one of them aged 21 died there of serious injuries.
The sources added policemen wearing masks stormed a house in the city to arrest Palestinians from the same family, but things went ugly and turned into an armed confrontation between them and the young men.
Many residents of the area where the attack happened fled their homes and a large number of police forces were deployed throughout the city.
The citizens deplored the Israeli attack on the house and affirmed that the Israeli police escalated recently its provocative raids on homes in the city and spread a state of panic among the local population.
For its part, the Israeli police issued orders prohibiting its members from revealing any details about the incident or the investigations taking place.
For his part, Arab Knesset member Taleb Al-Sanea demanded the minister of the internal security to form a fact-finding committee to probe this incident.
7 casualties in IOF artillery shelling east of Gaza
Seven Palestinian citizens were wounded to the east of Gaza city on Thursday in Israeli artillery shelling of the area, medical sources reported.
Adham Abu Salmiya, the spokesman for emergency and ambulance services in Gaza, told the PIC reporter that two of the casualties were in serious condition.
He added that three of the wounded were old men, adding that the casualties were taken to Shifa hospital in moderate condition except the abovementioned two.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired a number of artillery shells at civilian neighborhoods and farmlands east of Shujaia suburb in Gaza city.
IOF soldiers earlier on Thursday raided southern and northern Gaza Strip areas, firing at random and bulldozing land.
Local sources in Khan Younis, south of the Strip, said that eight IOF armored vehicles infiltrated 800 meters into Fakhari area and bulldozed land amidst indiscriminate shooting.
Other IOF units raided northern Beit Lahia town to the north of the Strip while firing at farmers tending to their land.
Abu Salmiya said that no casualties were reported in the northern area despite earlier news of one casualty among the farmers.
Adham Abu Salmiya, the spokesman for emergency and ambulance services in Gaza, told the PIC reporter that two of the casualties were in serious condition.
He added that three of the wounded were old men, adding that the casualties were taken to Shifa hospital in moderate condition except the abovementioned two.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired a number of artillery shells at civilian neighborhoods and farmlands east of Shujaia suburb in Gaza city.
IOF soldiers earlier on Thursday raided southern and northern Gaza Strip areas, firing at random and bulldozing land.
Local sources in Khan Younis, south of the Strip, said that eight IOF armored vehicles infiltrated 800 meters into Fakhari area and bulldozed land amidst indiscriminate shooting.
Other IOF units raided northern Beit Lahia town to the north of the Strip while firing at farmers tending to their land.
Abu Salmiya said that no casualties were reported in the northern area despite earlier news of one casualty among the farmers.
Two workers seriously injured during IOF chase
Two Palestinian workers were injured when a wall fell over their head while escaping chase of Israeli occupation forces (IOF) near Beit Awa village in Al-Khalil, local sources said.
They said that the two Ayman Abu Dhrei, 38, and Abdulfattah Masalma, 38, were taken to Al-Khalil government hospital in serious condition. They said that both were trying to enter 1948 occupied Palestine in search of work.
The IOF soldiers last night arrested Saber Abu Hadid, 38, south of Al-Khalil, locals said, noting that the soldiers stormed eight villages in Al-Khalil province.
They said that the two Ayman Abu Dhrei, 38, and Abdulfattah Masalma, 38, were taken to Al-Khalil government hospital in serious condition. They said that both were trying to enter 1948 occupied Palestine in search of work.
The IOF soldiers last night arrested Saber Abu Hadid, 38, south of Al-Khalil, locals said, noting that the soldiers stormed eight villages in Al-Khalil province.
16 may 2012
A Palestinian child was hospitalized in Al-Khalil on Wednesday when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired bullets and tear gas grenades at protestors.
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the child Ahmed Badawi was hit with a gas grenade in his face while many others were treated for gas inhalation.
The IOF provocative search of civilians at the entrance to Arub refugee camp had triggered the clashes in which citizens throw stones and empty bottles at the soldiers. The IOF soldiers routinely install roadblocks near the camp to provide protection for Jewish settlers who trek the nearby main street.
Other attacks
IOF soldiers serve five demolition notices in Jenin
Jewish groups to stage anti-Arab march to Aqsa Mosque
Local sources told the PIC reporter that the child Ahmed Badawi was hit with a gas grenade in his face while many others were treated for gas inhalation.
The IOF provocative search of civilians at the entrance to Arub refugee camp had triggered the clashes in which citizens throw stones and empty bottles at the soldiers. The IOF soldiers routinely install roadblocks near the camp to provide protection for Jewish settlers who trek the nearby main street.
Other attacks
IOF soldiers serve five demolition notices in Jenin
Jewish groups to stage anti-Arab march to Aqsa Mosque
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