16 nov 2002
Israeli troops raid Gaza refugee camp
Israeli troops and tanks raided a Gaza Strip refugee camp and a West Bank village early yesterday, killing one Palestinian and wounding at least 14.
The incursions came as Shimon Peres, the Israeli foreign minister, told the United Nations that there was widespread consensus on the creation of a Palestinian state.
"Today, there is broad agreement that the creation of an independent Palestinian state - non-military and economically viable - is the best bet," he told the general assembly in New York. The speech marked the first reference by Mr Peres to a Palestinian state in front of the UN.
In his address, Mr Peres warned there could be no deal unless Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority imposed control over all armed factions in the occupied territories.
"The Palestinian authority, which is a state in the making, must establish one authority over all arms, all armies and all use of arms," he said. "Not for the sake of Israel, but for the sake of peace, and their own destiny, so that bullets will not negate ballots."
The Israeli army said it had entered the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza in response to mortar attacks late Wednesday evening on the Jewish settlement of Gush Katif, close to the camp.
The Palestinian security chief, Major-General Abdel Razek Majaida, said the raid began after midnight as tanks, armoured personnel carriers and a bulldozer drove about 800 yards into Palestinian-controlled territory.
Camp leaders used local mosque loudspeakers to summon residents to fight Israeli troops and in the clashes that ensued, a 23-year-old Palestinian was killed as well as 13 wounded. The bulldozer destroyed two homes and 12 other houses were badly damaged by tank or machine gunfire, Palestinian officials said.
In a separate raid near Bethlehem in the West Bank, Israeli tanks also rumbled into the village of Shawawrah, arresting eight suspected Palestinian militants before withdrawing, the army said. Palestinian radio said one adult and a baby were wounded.
Israeli troops raid Gaza refugee camp
Israeli troops and tanks raided a Gaza Strip refugee camp and a West Bank village early yesterday, killing one Palestinian and wounding at least 14.
The incursions came as Shimon Peres, the Israeli foreign minister, told the United Nations that there was widespread consensus on the creation of a Palestinian state.
"Today, there is broad agreement that the creation of an independent Palestinian state - non-military and economically viable - is the best bet," he told the general assembly in New York. The speech marked the first reference by Mr Peres to a Palestinian state in front of the UN.
In his address, Mr Peres warned there could be no deal unless Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority imposed control over all armed factions in the occupied territories.
"The Palestinian authority, which is a state in the making, must establish one authority over all arms, all armies and all use of arms," he said. "Not for the sake of Israel, but for the sake of peace, and their own destiny, so that bullets will not negate ballots."
The Israeli army said it had entered the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza in response to mortar attacks late Wednesday evening on the Jewish settlement of Gush Katif, close to the camp.
The Palestinian security chief, Major-General Abdel Razek Majaida, said the raid began after midnight as tanks, armoured personnel carriers and a bulldozer drove about 800 yards into Palestinian-controlled territory.
Camp leaders used local mosque loudspeakers to summon residents to fight Israeli troops and in the clashes that ensued, a 23-year-old Palestinian was killed as well as 13 wounded. The bulldozer destroyed two homes and 12 other houses were badly damaged by tank or machine gunfire, Palestinian officials said.
In a separate raid near Bethlehem in the West Bank, Israeli tanks also rumbled into the village of Shawawrah, arresting eight suspected Palestinian militants before withdrawing, the army said. Palestinian radio said one adult and a baby were wounded.
22 nov 2002
Astal family
Under what possible moral compass is blowing up schoolchildren justified? Khaled Amayreh reports from Hebron
Last Thursday, an undercover unit of the Israeli army buried a mine in the sand that flows around Abdullah Siyam Primary School in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip.
A few hours later, as Palestinian children headed to school, the mine exploded. Five school children were instantly reduced to broken flesh. The youngest was aged just six.
All came from the same extended family: Akram Naim Astal, 6, and his brother Mohamed, 13; Omar Idris Astal, 12, and his brother Anis, 10; and their cousin, Mohamed Sultan Astal, 12.
Their young bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. The limbs of one child were found 50 metres away. Some of the children could only be identified by their school bags, brightly coloured and spattered with blood, still dangling from their butchered bodies.
Initially, the Israeli army denied any guilt, alleging instead that the children had played with an old unexploded (Israeli) tank shell.
But after left-wing Israelis like Meretz leader Yossi Sarid accused the government of a cover-up, the occupation army at last admitted "indirect responsibility."
A statement issued by the army on 26 November accepted that the bomb that killed the five children had been planted by an undercover unit and that it "might have been activated" by an officer. That same army, utterly unashamed, did not even give the families space to grieve. At the funeral on Friday, Israeli soldiers sprayed the angry mourners with bullets. There, they killed another boy: 15-year-old Wael Ali Radwan from the neighbourhood of Abasan.
Under what possible moral compass is blowing up schoolchildren justified? Khaled Amayreh reports from Hebron
Last Thursday, an undercover unit of the Israeli army buried a mine in the sand that flows around Abdullah Siyam Primary School in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip.
A few hours later, as Palestinian children headed to school, the mine exploded. Five school children were instantly reduced to broken flesh. The youngest was aged just six.
All came from the same extended family: Akram Naim Astal, 6, and his brother Mohamed, 13; Omar Idris Astal, 12, and his brother Anis, 10; and their cousin, Mohamed Sultan Astal, 12.
Their young bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. The limbs of one child were found 50 metres away. Some of the children could only be identified by their school bags, brightly coloured and spattered with blood, still dangling from their butchered bodies.
Initially, the Israeli army denied any guilt, alleging instead that the children had played with an old unexploded (Israeli) tank shell.
But after left-wing Israelis like Meretz leader Yossi Sarid accused the government of a cover-up, the occupation army at last admitted "indirect responsibility."
A statement issued by the army on 26 November accepted that the bomb that killed the five children had been planted by an undercover unit and that it "might have been activated" by an officer. That same army, utterly unashamed, did not even give the families space to grieve. At the funeral on Friday, Israeli soldiers sprayed the angry mourners with bullets. There, they killed another boy: 15-year-old Wael Ali Radwan from the neighbourhood of Abasan.
Not even that slowed the violence. On 23 November, near the West Bank village of Tubas, Israeli gunships poured over 10 air-to-ground Hellfire missiles on to a car carrying Hamas military leader Mahmoud Abu Hannoud, 35. Abu Hannoud, and two Hamas activists riding with him, Ayman Hashayka and his brother Ma'amun Hashayka, were instantly killed, their bodies burnt to soot.
"There were no bodies, only scattered pieces of incinerated human flesh," said a Red Crescent paramedic, who arrived at the scene soon afterwards. "I can't describe it, I've never seen a thing like this in my life." Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben Eleazer, termed this barbarity a "great success."
Abu Hannoud was at the head of Israel's wanted list for planning and conducting resistance attacks and assassinating scores of Israeli occupation soldiers and illegal settlers. Ben Eleazer described Abu Hannoud as a "most dangerous terrorist."
.
"We are proud of him, he is not dead, he is alive and well with the prophets, saints and martyrs," said Abu Hannoud's uncle. He added, "His hour was due. Almighty God chose him to be with Him on a blessed day (Friday) and in a blessed month (Ramadan). We all wish to become martyrs like him." As he spoke, a stream of people came knocking. They were there to congratulate the family, not to offer condolences.
Hamas eulogised Abu Hannoud as a "fighter for God, justice and the freedom of Palestine." Its statement said, "Another hero of Islam and Palestine has dismounted. He fought the evil enemy relentlessly until the last moment. His memory will live in all of us. He is not dead, he is a martyr. Martyrs do not die."
The Israeli occupation army had tried several times to assassinate Abu Hannoud. Their latest effort happened nearly a year ago when Israeli F-16 fighters bombed a Nablus prison where Abu Hannoud was detained by the Palestinian Authority
"There were no bodies, only scattered pieces of incinerated human flesh," said a Red Crescent paramedic, who arrived at the scene soon afterwards. "I can't describe it, I've never seen a thing like this in my life." Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben Eleazer, termed this barbarity a "great success."
Abu Hannoud was at the head of Israel's wanted list for planning and conducting resistance attacks and assassinating scores of Israeli occupation soldiers and illegal settlers. Ben Eleazer described Abu Hannoud as a "most dangerous terrorist."
.
"We are proud of him, he is not dead, he is alive and well with the prophets, saints and martyrs," said Abu Hannoud's uncle. He added, "His hour was due. Almighty God chose him to be with Him on a blessed day (Friday) and in a blessed month (Ramadan). We all wish to become martyrs like him." As he spoke, a stream of people came knocking. They were there to congratulate the family, not to offer condolences.
Hamas eulogised Abu Hannoud as a "fighter for God, justice and the freedom of Palestine." Its statement said, "Another hero of Islam and Palestine has dismounted. He fought the evil enemy relentlessly until the last moment. His memory will live in all of us. He is not dead, he is a martyr. Martyrs do not die."
The Israeli occupation army had tried several times to assassinate Abu Hannoud. Their latest effort happened nearly a year ago when Israeli F-16 fighters bombed a Nablus prison where Abu Hannoud was detained by the Palestinian Authority
That illegal raid slew 14 Palestinian policemen and prison guards, but Abu Hannoud escaped unharmed.
Two years ago, hundreds of Israeli troops, backed by helicopters, raided Abu Hannoud's village, Asira Al- Shamaliya, near Nablus, in an attempt to assassinate the Hamas leader. That time again, he escaped, killing three Israeli soldiers on the way.
Hamas has vowed to avenge Abu Hannoud's death. "We assure our people that his and other martyrs' blood will be avenged very soon," they said in a statement.
On Sunday, 25 November, Hamas guerrillas in Gaza fired a locally-made Kassam-1 rocket at the settlement of Kfar Dorom in central Gaza. The missile killed an Israeli soldier and wounded two others.
That was the first time the primitive and inaccurate rocket has caused an Israeli fatality.
Two years ago, hundreds of Israeli troops, backed by helicopters, raided Abu Hannoud's village, Asira Al- Shamaliya, near Nablus, in an attempt to assassinate the Hamas leader. That time again, he escaped, killing three Israeli soldiers on the way.
Hamas has vowed to avenge Abu Hannoud's death. "We assure our people that his and other martyrs' blood will be avenged very soon," they said in a statement.
On Sunday, 25 November, Hamas guerrillas in Gaza fired a locally-made Kassam-1 rocket at the settlement of Kfar Dorom in central Gaza. The missile killed an Israeli soldier and wounded two others.
That was the first time the primitive and inaccurate rocket has caused an Israeli fatality.
Akram Naim Astal 6
The death of the soldier infuriated Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. On the night of the following Friday and early Saturday morning, Israeli helicopters again raided civilian and police targets in the Gaza Strip. The gunships destroyed a police station in Gaza City and an office building in Khan Younis.
This time, there were no serious injuries; the Palestinian Authority (PA) had vacated the buildings before the raids.
Following these provocations, the PA accused the Israeli government of deliberately escalating violence to scuttle the diplomatic mission of two American envoys, Anthony Zinni and William Burns, who arrived in Israel last Tuesday, in a new and promising effort to consolidate the supposed cease-fire and revive the moribund peace process.
As Sharon has barred Foreign Minister Shimon Peres from holding the talks with Zinni and Burns, replacing him with two of his own hand-picked, right-wing advisers, it seems the Israeli prime minister is utterly uninterested in seeing the latest effort succeed. But then again, peace was never his way.
The death of the soldier infuriated Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. On the night of the following Friday and early Saturday morning, Israeli helicopters again raided civilian and police targets in the Gaza Strip. The gunships destroyed a police station in Gaza City and an office building in Khan Younis.
This time, there were no serious injuries; the Palestinian Authority (PA) had vacated the buildings before the raids.
Following these provocations, the PA accused the Israeli government of deliberately escalating violence to scuttle the diplomatic mission of two American envoys, Anthony Zinni and William Burns, who arrived in Israel last Tuesday, in a new and promising effort to consolidate the supposed cease-fire and revive the moribund peace process.
As Sharon has barred Foreign Minister Shimon Peres from holding the talks with Zinni and Burns, replacing him with two of his own hand-picked, right-wing advisers, it seems the Israeli prime minister is utterly uninterested in seeing the latest effort succeed. But then again, peace was never his way.
7 and 8 mar 2002
Black Friday, March 8, 2002
At least 40 Palestinians were killed including 2 ambulance drivers, a nurse, and a 10 year old boy.
8 Palestinian ambulance workers killed by Israeli soldiers in the past two days
Israeli soldiers do not hesitate to consider ambulances as targets, though medical workers are expressly protected by Geneva Conventions.
The latest incidents have brought about international condemnation of Israeli behavior in this respect, with the United Nations, the Red Cross, the European Union and the United States of America calling for protection of ambulances.
8 Palestinian ambulance workers killed by Israeli soldiers in the past two days
Israeli soldiers do not hesitate to consider ambulances as targets, though medical workers are expressly protected by Geneva Conventions.
The latest incidents have brought about international condemnation of Israeli behavior in this respect, with the United Nations, the Red Cross, the European Union and the United States of America calling for protection of ambulances.
10 mar2002
In pictures: Arafat HQ destroyed
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Israeli missiles have destroyed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Gaza headquarters. The attack came after a suicide bomber killed 11 people at a cafe in Jerusalem on Saturday.
Israeli helicopters and naval gunboats fired at least 30 missiles into the compound early on SundayThe compound has come under heavy bombardment before, but this was unprecedented The building was the main symbol of what was meant to be the embryonic Palestinian state Israel said the raid was in retaliation for a suicide attack in Jerusalem the night before A Palestinian man blew himself up in the Moment Cafe, killing 11 people The cafe stood just a few hundred metres from Ariel Sharon's official residence Both sides hope the imminent arrival of US Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni will lead to progress |
Jenin 2002
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On 3 April 2002, the Zionist occupation forces assaulted the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin as a part of its claimed campaign against terrorism.
More than 200 Palestinian were killed in the Massacre of Jenin. The Zionist forces chief of intelligence said, “If our operations in the West Bank result in the death of Qais Odwan only, we will have succeeded.” And on 5 April 2002, the occupation forces killed Qais and five fellow mujahideen after a 7-hour gun battle in the village of Tubas. |
12 apr 2002
IDF causes death of infant by preventing mother's evacuation to hospital
Tahani Fatuah, mother of deceased infant, age 35
I live with my husband and our four-year-old son in the al-Masakan al-Shabiyeh neighborhood of Nablus. I became pregnant again after undergoing fertility treatment. For four years, my husband and I waited for the new baby.
Yesterday [Friday, 12 April], marked the thirty-two-week point of my pregnancy, meaning I was in the end of my eighth month. Nablus was under curfew. Around 4:00 P.M., I felt sharp labor pains. I told my husband about it and said that I had to go to the hospital. He called the Red Crescent and asked them to send an ambulance immediately to take me to the hospital. They responded that the Israeli army was not letting them move about, but that they would try. After about fifteen minutes passed, my husband called the Red Crescent again. They said that they had left the station, but while en route, the Israeli army ordered them to return. My husband asked them to try to coordinate matters with the International Red Cross.
A few minutes later, somebody from the Red Crescent informed my husband that they had tried again, but that the army fired at them and forced them to return. The third time that my husband spoke with the Red Crescent, the ambulance driver said that he would take the risk and try to get through without Red Cross coordination. My husband asked him not to endanger his life, and said that he would try to contact foreign groups to see if they could help us. My husband called the Tom Christ, the director of Save the Child, in Jerusalem. He told Tom about my situation and Tom promised that he would call some organizations that might be able to help us.
Around 6:00 P.M., my labor pains got worse. My husband called Dr. Salem Tabila, an obstetrician who lives nearby. He and my husband, who is also a physician, delivered the baby. A bit after 6:00 P.M., I gave birth to a boy. His condition was normal. They gave him water and sugar to check if he would respond to it, and he did. He was in good condition. I was really happy because I didn't think that he was in danger. About fifteen minutes later, though, his condition started to deteriorate. He started to turn blue, and he stopped crying. My husband gave him first aid, but his condition worsened. My husband was unable to save him, and our baby died.
My husband, who saves lives on a daily basis, couldn't save our son, for whom he waited so much. Our baby died because he needed an incubator, but we couldn't get to the hospital, which was only two kilometers from our house, because of the curfew imposed by the Israeli army. Our first son was also born prematurely, in my thirty-fifth month of pregnancy. But he was placed in the incubator at the hospital. Now he is a normal four-year-old child.
Tahani Assad 'Ali Fatuah, age 35, is married with one child. She works as a pharmacist and lives in Nablus. The testimony was taken by 'Ali Daragmeh, on 13 April, 2002
IDF causes death of infant by preventing mother's evacuation to hospital
Tahani Fatuah, mother of deceased infant, age 35
I live with my husband and our four-year-old son in the al-Masakan al-Shabiyeh neighborhood of Nablus. I became pregnant again after undergoing fertility treatment. For four years, my husband and I waited for the new baby.
Yesterday [Friday, 12 April], marked the thirty-two-week point of my pregnancy, meaning I was in the end of my eighth month. Nablus was under curfew. Around 4:00 P.M., I felt sharp labor pains. I told my husband about it and said that I had to go to the hospital. He called the Red Crescent and asked them to send an ambulance immediately to take me to the hospital. They responded that the Israeli army was not letting them move about, but that they would try. After about fifteen minutes passed, my husband called the Red Crescent again. They said that they had left the station, but while en route, the Israeli army ordered them to return. My husband asked them to try to coordinate matters with the International Red Cross.
A few minutes later, somebody from the Red Crescent informed my husband that they had tried again, but that the army fired at them and forced them to return. The third time that my husband spoke with the Red Crescent, the ambulance driver said that he would take the risk and try to get through without Red Cross coordination. My husband asked him not to endanger his life, and said that he would try to contact foreign groups to see if they could help us. My husband called the Tom Christ, the director of Save the Child, in Jerusalem. He told Tom about my situation and Tom promised that he would call some organizations that might be able to help us.
Around 6:00 P.M., my labor pains got worse. My husband called Dr. Salem Tabila, an obstetrician who lives nearby. He and my husband, who is also a physician, delivered the baby. A bit after 6:00 P.M., I gave birth to a boy. His condition was normal. They gave him water and sugar to check if he would respond to it, and he did. He was in good condition. I was really happy because I didn't think that he was in danger. About fifteen minutes later, though, his condition started to deteriorate. He started to turn blue, and he stopped crying. My husband gave him first aid, but his condition worsened. My husband was unable to save him, and our baby died.
My husband, who saves lives on a daily basis, couldn't save our son, for whom he waited so much. Our baby died because he needed an incubator, but we couldn't get to the hospital, which was only two kilometers from our house, because of the curfew imposed by the Israeli army. Our first son was also born prematurely, in my thirty-fifth month of pregnancy. But he was placed in the incubator at the hospital. Now he is a normal four-year-old child.
Tahani Assad 'Ali Fatuah, age 35, is married with one child. She works as a pharmacist and lives in Nablus. The testimony was taken by 'Ali Daragmeh, on 13 April, 2002
JENIN 2002
Jenin apr 13
On April 3, 2002 the Israeli Defense Force initiated an assault on the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin as a part of its campaign against terrorism following the Passover Massacre.
The fighting was reported to be fierce as the IDF faced intense resistance from the Palestinians and lost 13 soldiers.
The IDF is said to have gone from house to house searching for suspects and demolished several civilian buildings. The city surrendered on April 10.
Despite numerous civilian casualties and significant destruction to civilian houses and living areas, the IDF, for three days, prevented ambulances and aid workers from having access to the area and from providing care to the wounded and to Palestinians trapped in the refugee camp.
Estimates of the dead have ranged from 48 to 500 people, though the total number is unclear as the remains of destroyed buildings have yet to be cleared.
On April 3, 2002 the Israeli Defense Force initiated an assault on the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin as a part of its campaign against terrorism following the Passover Massacre.
The fighting was reported to be fierce as the IDF faced intense resistance from the Palestinians and lost 13 soldiers.
The IDF is said to have gone from house to house searching for suspects and demolished several civilian buildings. The city surrendered on April 10.
Despite numerous civilian casualties and significant destruction to civilian houses and living areas, the IDF, for three days, prevented ambulances and aid workers from having access to the area and from providing care to the wounded and to Palestinians trapped in the refugee camp.
Estimates of the dead have ranged from 48 to 500 people, though the total number is unclear as the remains of destroyed buildings have yet to be cleared.
UNRWA staff members who entered the Agency's badly damaged clinic for the first time since the Israeli army occupied the camp witnessed the health center being the target of wanton destruction with damage caused by hundreds of bullet holes fired inside the Center by Israeli soldiers who occupied the clinic for four days wrecking havoc to medical equipment, medical files and medicine.
Extensive damage to the Agency's girls school also took place.
The United Nations Security Council approved an official mission to study the incident at Jenin on April 19.
Martti Ahtisaari, the former President of Finland, will head a fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations Security Council to develop accurate information regarding recent events at the Jenin refugee camp on the West Bank.
In addition to Mr. Ahtisaari, who served in various high-level UN posts over the course of his career, the team will comprise former UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata and Cornelio Sommaruga, former President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
General Bill Nash of the United States will serve as Military Advisor while Thomas Peter Fitzgerald of Ireland will be the team's Police Advisor.
Extensive damage to the Agency's girls school also took place.
The United Nations Security Council approved an official mission to study the incident at Jenin on April 19.
Martti Ahtisaari, the former President of Finland, will head a fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations Security Council to develop accurate information regarding recent events at the Jenin refugee camp on the West Bank.
In addition to Mr. Ahtisaari, who served in various high-level UN posts over the course of his career, the team will comprise former UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata and Cornelio Sommaruga, former President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
General Bill Nash of the United States will serve as Military Advisor while Thomas Peter Fitzgerald of Ireland will be the team's Police Advisor.
The Israeli government denies that there was a massacre stating that only 48 people died during IDF operations. Furthermore, the IDF has stated that the area of destruction within the camp is roughly 100 x 100 meters.
But after viewing imagery of the area it is clear that the damage is substantially greater than the Israeli's are admitting, showing an area of destuction that measures roughly six acres as opposed to the 2.5 claimed by Israel's IDF or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later, and evidently erroneous, figure of 200 m2. UNRWA reportedly listed the area at 475 by 275 meters.
The discrepancy in the numbers being provided by both Israel's IDF and UNRWA can in large part be attributed to the selection criteria for the assessment of damage, with the IDF apparently selecting a much more restritive criteria focused mainly on destroyed buildings.
UNRWA estimates that 400 families were made homeless when their shelters were completely destroyed during the Israeli military action in the camp. An additional 1,500 shelters were damaged to varying degrees.
UNRWA has undertaken to rebuild the camp over the course of the next two years in three phases.
In phase one, which is planned to take nine months, UNRWA would complete its work assessing the damage and the needs of the refugees, demolishing structures, preparing designs and removing rubble and any remaining unexploded ordnance.
In phase one it will also make minor repairs to the refugee shelters that need them and begin rehabilitating buildings with major structural damage.
Phase one will also involve the rehabilitation of around 70 homes belonging to the camp's most impoverished residents that are badly in need of improvement.
In phase two, which should take 19 months, UNRWA will completely reconstruct 400 shelters and rebuild the camp's water supply, sewage, electricity, roads, pathways and public areas.
In phase three, planned to take 15 months, repair and reconstruction work will be done to communal facilities such as schools, health centres and mosques.
All three phases are designed to overlap to allow UNRWA to meet its two-year deadline.
The project is to be implemented in co-ordination with the refugees themselves, the Municipality of Jenin and the Palestinian Authority. During the building works UNRWA will make use of local Palestinian contractors, workers and suppliers to the maximum extent possible.
The Jenin refugee camp was established in 1953, within the municipal boundaries of Jenin on 373 dunums. Most of the camp's residents came from villages which can be seen from the camp and which today lie inside the Green Line in Israel. Many of the refugees still maintain close ties with their relatives in those villages.
1 The registered refugee population is 13,055 persons
2 UNRWA runs two schools in the camp, one for boys (750 pupils) and one for girls (727 pupils);
3 There are some 307 families registered as special hardship cases (SHCs), consisting of 877 beneficiaries;
4 Over the past three years, UNRWA has assisted around 177 poor refugee families (SHCs and non-SHCs) with the rehabilitation of their shelters;
5 As part of UNRWA's poverty alleviation programme, about 25 youth from poor families were provided with skills-training/apprenticeships in marketable skills.
Jenin was originally built on the old Canaanite city which was called "Ayn Jenim". This name meant "the head of paradise." The ancient city of Jenin was situated on the Tell right in the middle of the present city, next to the bus station. Under the Roman Empire Jenin was called "Ginae", which belonged to the Roman commune of Sebastney. In the time of Saladin Al Ayubi, around the year 1187, there was a castle in or near Jenin.
Saladin's army took over this city in one day. Jenin became an important town during the 13th century because the Mamluks, who feared more Crusader invasions, destroyed the coastal Palestinian towns and fortified several inland cities including Jenin.
During the World War II the Germans built an airport runway in Jenin to help the Turks. On the western edge of the town there is a memorial to the pilots who died during the war. At the southern entrance of the city is another memorial for Iraqi soldiers who fell during the 1948 war.
Jenin's geographic location close to the Jordan valley to the east, the Mediterranean to the west, and right in the center of the most fertile plain in Palestine, Marj Bin Amer, makes it an ideal site for growing fruit trees and vegetables. Citrus trees are abundant, and its vegetable market is a shopper's pilgrimage for the residents of nearby cities and villages.
In Spring, the road to Jenin, whether the official Nablus-Jenin road heading north-west, or the less trodden road through Tubas (south-east and then heading north), or the trip southward from Nazareth, the hills and mountains on the way are covered with wild yellow and purple flowers growing amidst the green grass. Wheat fields are abundant, as well as olive and almond trees.
A hike and picnic along the way in the middle of what seems to be nowhere is recommended in May, before the summer heat creeps in.
The fifth holiest Christian place and the third oldest church in the world is located in the village of Burqin, 3 kms west of Jenin. The Burqin church is also known as St. George's church.
But after viewing imagery of the area it is clear that the damage is substantially greater than the Israeli's are admitting, showing an area of destuction that measures roughly six acres as opposed to the 2.5 claimed by Israel's IDF or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs later, and evidently erroneous, figure of 200 m2. UNRWA reportedly listed the area at 475 by 275 meters.
The discrepancy in the numbers being provided by both Israel's IDF and UNRWA can in large part be attributed to the selection criteria for the assessment of damage, with the IDF apparently selecting a much more restritive criteria focused mainly on destroyed buildings.
UNRWA estimates that 400 families were made homeless when their shelters were completely destroyed during the Israeli military action in the camp. An additional 1,500 shelters were damaged to varying degrees.
UNRWA has undertaken to rebuild the camp over the course of the next two years in three phases.
In phase one, which is planned to take nine months, UNRWA would complete its work assessing the damage and the needs of the refugees, demolishing structures, preparing designs and removing rubble and any remaining unexploded ordnance.
In phase one it will also make minor repairs to the refugee shelters that need them and begin rehabilitating buildings with major structural damage.
Phase one will also involve the rehabilitation of around 70 homes belonging to the camp's most impoverished residents that are badly in need of improvement.
In phase two, which should take 19 months, UNRWA will completely reconstruct 400 shelters and rebuild the camp's water supply, sewage, electricity, roads, pathways and public areas.
In phase three, planned to take 15 months, repair and reconstruction work will be done to communal facilities such as schools, health centres and mosques.
All three phases are designed to overlap to allow UNRWA to meet its two-year deadline.
The project is to be implemented in co-ordination with the refugees themselves, the Municipality of Jenin and the Palestinian Authority. During the building works UNRWA will make use of local Palestinian contractors, workers and suppliers to the maximum extent possible.
The Jenin refugee camp was established in 1953, within the municipal boundaries of Jenin on 373 dunums. Most of the camp's residents came from villages which can be seen from the camp and which today lie inside the Green Line in Israel. Many of the refugees still maintain close ties with their relatives in those villages.
1 The registered refugee population is 13,055 persons
2 UNRWA runs two schools in the camp, one for boys (750 pupils) and one for girls (727 pupils);
3 There are some 307 families registered as special hardship cases (SHCs), consisting of 877 beneficiaries;
4 Over the past three years, UNRWA has assisted around 177 poor refugee families (SHCs and non-SHCs) with the rehabilitation of their shelters;
5 As part of UNRWA's poverty alleviation programme, about 25 youth from poor families were provided with skills-training/apprenticeships in marketable skills.
Jenin was originally built on the old Canaanite city which was called "Ayn Jenim". This name meant "the head of paradise." The ancient city of Jenin was situated on the Tell right in the middle of the present city, next to the bus station. Under the Roman Empire Jenin was called "Ginae", which belonged to the Roman commune of Sebastney. In the time of Saladin Al Ayubi, around the year 1187, there was a castle in or near Jenin.
Saladin's army took over this city in one day. Jenin became an important town during the 13th century because the Mamluks, who feared more Crusader invasions, destroyed the coastal Palestinian towns and fortified several inland cities including Jenin.
During the World War II the Germans built an airport runway in Jenin to help the Turks. On the western edge of the town there is a memorial to the pilots who died during the war. At the southern entrance of the city is another memorial for Iraqi soldiers who fell during the 1948 war.
Jenin's geographic location close to the Jordan valley to the east, the Mediterranean to the west, and right in the center of the most fertile plain in Palestine, Marj Bin Amer, makes it an ideal site for growing fruit trees and vegetables. Citrus trees are abundant, and its vegetable market is a shopper's pilgrimage for the residents of nearby cities and villages.
In Spring, the road to Jenin, whether the official Nablus-Jenin road heading north-west, or the less trodden road through Tubas (south-east and then heading north), or the trip southward from Nazareth, the hills and mountains on the way are covered with wild yellow and purple flowers growing amidst the green grass. Wheat fields are abundant, as well as olive and almond trees.
A hike and picnic along the way in the middle of what seems to be nowhere is recommended in May, before the summer heat creeps in.
The fifth holiest Christian place and the third oldest church in the world is located in the village of Burqin, 3 kms west of Jenin. The Burqin church is also known as St. George's church.
April 11 A Palestinian woman collapses after her husband was killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Jenin
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April 13 The burned remains of a Palestinian boy lay amidst toys in a house destroyed by Israeli soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp Saturday
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April 15 UN Commission on Human Rights Condemns Israeli Mass Killings in Palestine
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April 17 Red Cross workers cover the remains of a Palestinian woman killed by Israeli soldiers in the Jenin refugee camp
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2 juni 2002
IDF mortar fire kills Fares a-Sa'adi, age 12, burying him under the ruins of his house, June 2002
Hussam a-Sa'adi, father of victim, aged 39
On Thursday, June 20, 2002, Jenin was under curfew. I was at home with my wife Ahlam, age 33 and our five children, Hadil, age 14, Rabi', age 13, Fares, age 12, Mahmud, age 11, and Asil, age 8. My niece, Mona Ibrahim a-Sa'adi, age 22, was visiting us at the house.
The situation in the area was very tense, as the occupation forces were bombing houses, conducing searches and arresting citizens. Around midnight, we heard the army around our house, in the old city. I prepared the family for any situation that might occur, especially as we heard the army was arresting people. I gathered my wife and children, and we all sat in one of the rooms. We were expecting the soldiers to break into the house. The soldiers broke into the home of Marwan and Sofian a-Sukki, which is adjacent to ours. Our house was quiet. We were expecting the soldiers. We left the house lights on so that the soldiers would understand that there were people in it. Suddenly, I heard one of the neighbors saying out loud: "There are people in this house, and children."
At that moment, there was a loud explosion. Parts of the house came down, including the room we were in. It simply caved in on top of us, and we remained beneath the ruins. I was relatively all right, because I had been standing when the explosion happened, so the only part of my body that was under ruins was the lower part. I was shocked and scared. I began calling out my children's' names, as they were all under the ruins.
The first voice I heard was Mahmud's. I removed about ten rocks off him. He was scared. I then rescued Asil, who had been hurt in the head and left thigh. I then removed the rocks that were on my legs and came out of the ruins. I continued to look for the rest of the family, shouting in the hope that someone would come to the house to help me. I then rescued my wife, and she began to help me, despite her condition. Together, we rescued Rabi' and Hadil. Hadil came out and began to cry for help. Within ten minutes, only Fares and my niece remained underneath the ruins. The neighbors hurried over and helped us. We managed to get Mona out. She had been hurt in several parts of her body. When we got Fares out, we noticed that his condition was severe. I collapsed. Some of the neighbors told me that they could still hear him speak.
In the meantime, an ambulance arrived. The crew took Fares and the ambulance headed east. It drove a distance of 70 meters and then turned north toward al-Mathan street, where there were a number of tanks and jeeps. The soldiers stopped the ambulance. Following that, the rest of the ambulances, which evacuated the other members of the family, took a different route. They turned south to Tal'at al-'Atari road and made it to the hospital. When we arrived at the hospital, we found out that Fares had not arrived yet. He finally arrived, about an hour and a half later. He was dead.
The soldiers that demolished the house left the place and left us underneath the ruins. They didn't offer us any help. In addition, they detained the ambulance that evacuated Fares. Our house was ruined for no reason.
Hussam Fares Suleiman a-Sa'adi, age 39, is a resident of Jenin. He is married and the father of five. The testimony was given to 'Atef Abu a-Rub, on June 2, 2002.
IDF mortar fire kills Fares a-Sa'adi, age 12, burying him under the ruins of his house, June 2002
Hussam a-Sa'adi, father of victim, aged 39
On Thursday, June 20, 2002, Jenin was under curfew. I was at home with my wife Ahlam, age 33 and our five children, Hadil, age 14, Rabi', age 13, Fares, age 12, Mahmud, age 11, and Asil, age 8. My niece, Mona Ibrahim a-Sa'adi, age 22, was visiting us at the house.
The situation in the area was very tense, as the occupation forces were bombing houses, conducing searches and arresting citizens. Around midnight, we heard the army around our house, in the old city. I prepared the family for any situation that might occur, especially as we heard the army was arresting people. I gathered my wife and children, and we all sat in one of the rooms. We were expecting the soldiers to break into the house. The soldiers broke into the home of Marwan and Sofian a-Sukki, which is adjacent to ours. Our house was quiet. We were expecting the soldiers. We left the house lights on so that the soldiers would understand that there were people in it. Suddenly, I heard one of the neighbors saying out loud: "There are people in this house, and children."
At that moment, there was a loud explosion. Parts of the house came down, including the room we were in. It simply caved in on top of us, and we remained beneath the ruins. I was relatively all right, because I had been standing when the explosion happened, so the only part of my body that was under ruins was the lower part. I was shocked and scared. I began calling out my children's' names, as they were all under the ruins.
The first voice I heard was Mahmud's. I removed about ten rocks off him. He was scared. I then rescued Asil, who had been hurt in the head and left thigh. I then removed the rocks that were on my legs and came out of the ruins. I continued to look for the rest of the family, shouting in the hope that someone would come to the house to help me. I then rescued my wife, and she began to help me, despite her condition. Together, we rescued Rabi' and Hadil. Hadil came out and began to cry for help. Within ten minutes, only Fares and my niece remained underneath the ruins. The neighbors hurried over and helped us. We managed to get Mona out. She had been hurt in several parts of her body. When we got Fares out, we noticed that his condition was severe. I collapsed. Some of the neighbors told me that they could still hear him speak.
In the meantime, an ambulance arrived. The crew took Fares and the ambulance headed east. It drove a distance of 70 meters and then turned north toward al-Mathan street, where there were a number of tanks and jeeps. The soldiers stopped the ambulance. Following that, the rest of the ambulances, which evacuated the other members of the family, took a different route. They turned south to Tal'at al-'Atari road and made it to the hospital. When we arrived at the hospital, we found out that Fares had not arrived yet. He finally arrived, about an hour and a half later. He was dead.
The soldiers that demolished the house left the place and left us underneath the ruins. They didn't offer us any help. In addition, they detained the ambulance that evacuated Fares. Our house was ruined for no reason.
Hussam Fares Suleiman a-Sa'adi, age 39, is a resident of Jenin. He is married and the father of five. The testimony was given to 'Atef Abu a-Rub, on June 2, 2002.
18 juni 2002
'Odeh Shahadeh, 55
Yusef resident of Tammun, Tubas district, killed at the checkpoint in the area of Halhul, Hebron district. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Killed when he was stopped at a surprise checkpoint.
'Odeh dies on way to hospital due to unneccessary delay at Surda checkpoint
Sirin Shahadeh, daughter, aged 22
On Tuesday [18 June 2002], around 12:45 P.M., I was in my house, which is located on 'Ein al-Hamam Street, Bir Zeit. Suddenly, my mother called to me. She shouted, "Come, come, your father fell." I immediately ran to my father and saw him lying on the floor in the living room. My mother and I turned him onto his back. I saw that he had a cut on his forehead. He stammered, "My chest, my chest." I called the village physician, Dr. Nasser al-Mualam, and he arrived within ten minutes. He examined my father and gave him a medication that, the doctor explained, would make it easier for him to breathe. Then he told us to move my father and call for an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
My cousin Maher al-Warda summoned an ambulance from Ramallah. After thirty minutes passed, the Red Crescent ambulance driver, Maher al-Qaddi, told us that the soldiers at the Surda checkpoint would not let him pass. So we summoned an ambulance from Bir Zeit that did not have any medical equipment, only a stretcher. The ambulance arrived within fifteen minutes. We put my father inside the ambulance, and my mother, my uncle's wife Maha Andraus, my sister Nancy, my cousin Tamer Faiq 'Odeh, my brother Samer, and I also got into the ambulance. The driver, Kamel Mahane, took the direct route to the hospital in Ramallah.
On the road between Surda and Ramallah, we came across soldiers who were at a roadblock manned by soldiers. The roadblock was composed of dirt piles that made it impossible to cross by auto in either direction. About eight to ten soldiers were there. Some of them were standing in front of the roadblock, and others were located on the nearby hill. When we got to the roadblock, we removed my father from the ambulance, put him into a wheelchair, and began to walk. When the soldiers saw us, one of them ordered us to turn around and go back. They shouted at us and mocked us. I spoke to them in Arabic, asking them to take into account my father's condition and let us cross the roadblock. They ignored my request and ordered us to go back. They were aiming their weapons at us. My cousin Tamer intervened and spoke to the soldiers in English. He told them that they had to let a sick person cross because he might die at the roadblock if they didn't. The soldier mocked him, too. Another person - a doctor I later realized - who was at the site and also wanted to pass spoke with the soldiers, but it didn't help. They refused. My cousin and the doctor continued to try and persuade the soldiers and demanded that they let my father pass. The doctor showed the soldiers his physician's card, but the soldier still refused. The soldier was average height, light-skinned, had a moderate build, and was about twenty-four years old. He told the doctor, "Doctor or not, go back!"
After arguing with them for about forty-five minutes, we decided to cross the roadblock even though the soldiers said it was forbidden. The soldiers tried to stop us. They aimed their rifles at us and cocked the triggers. We were not deterred and continued to walk. When the soldiers saw that we were adamant, they did nothing and let us go. We crossed to the other side of the checkpoint and walked toward the dirt piles, which were about seven hundred meters from the checkpoint. After walking around two hundred meters, we saw mucus exiting from my father's mouth. The doctor wasn't there at that moment because the soldiers had delayed him. We continued until we crossed the second piles of dirt, which were at the entrance to al-Birah. We got into a taxi, which took us straight to the hospital in Ramallah.
They examined my father in the emergency room. The doctors told us that he was dead on arrival. We had reached the hospital at 2:45 P.M. Around 7:30 that evening, my father's body was brought to the village following coordination with the Israelis.
Sirin 'Odeh Yaqub 'Odeh Shahadeh is 22 year-old and single. She is
unemployed and lives in Bir Zeit. The testimony was taken by Iyad Haddad in Bir Zeit on 19 June 2002
Yusef resident of Tammun, Tubas district, killed at the checkpoint in the area of Halhul, Hebron district. Did not participate in hostilities when killed. Killed when he was stopped at a surprise checkpoint.
'Odeh dies on way to hospital due to unneccessary delay at Surda checkpoint
Sirin Shahadeh, daughter, aged 22
On Tuesday [18 June 2002], around 12:45 P.M., I was in my house, which is located on 'Ein al-Hamam Street, Bir Zeit. Suddenly, my mother called to me. She shouted, "Come, come, your father fell." I immediately ran to my father and saw him lying on the floor in the living room. My mother and I turned him onto his back. I saw that he had a cut on his forehead. He stammered, "My chest, my chest." I called the village physician, Dr. Nasser al-Mualam, and he arrived within ten minutes. He examined my father and gave him a medication that, the doctor explained, would make it easier for him to breathe. Then he told us to move my father and call for an ambulance to take him to the hospital.
My cousin Maher al-Warda summoned an ambulance from Ramallah. After thirty minutes passed, the Red Crescent ambulance driver, Maher al-Qaddi, told us that the soldiers at the Surda checkpoint would not let him pass. So we summoned an ambulance from Bir Zeit that did not have any medical equipment, only a stretcher. The ambulance arrived within fifteen minutes. We put my father inside the ambulance, and my mother, my uncle's wife Maha Andraus, my sister Nancy, my cousin Tamer Faiq 'Odeh, my brother Samer, and I also got into the ambulance. The driver, Kamel Mahane, took the direct route to the hospital in Ramallah.
On the road between Surda and Ramallah, we came across soldiers who were at a roadblock manned by soldiers. The roadblock was composed of dirt piles that made it impossible to cross by auto in either direction. About eight to ten soldiers were there. Some of them were standing in front of the roadblock, and others were located on the nearby hill. When we got to the roadblock, we removed my father from the ambulance, put him into a wheelchair, and began to walk. When the soldiers saw us, one of them ordered us to turn around and go back. They shouted at us and mocked us. I spoke to them in Arabic, asking them to take into account my father's condition and let us cross the roadblock. They ignored my request and ordered us to go back. They were aiming their weapons at us. My cousin Tamer intervened and spoke to the soldiers in English. He told them that they had to let a sick person cross because he might die at the roadblock if they didn't. The soldier mocked him, too. Another person - a doctor I later realized - who was at the site and also wanted to pass spoke with the soldiers, but it didn't help. They refused. My cousin and the doctor continued to try and persuade the soldiers and demanded that they let my father pass. The doctor showed the soldiers his physician's card, but the soldier still refused. The soldier was average height, light-skinned, had a moderate build, and was about twenty-four years old. He told the doctor, "Doctor or not, go back!"
After arguing with them for about forty-five minutes, we decided to cross the roadblock even though the soldiers said it was forbidden. The soldiers tried to stop us. They aimed their rifles at us and cocked the triggers. We were not deterred and continued to walk. When the soldiers saw that we were adamant, they did nothing and let us go. We crossed to the other side of the checkpoint and walked toward the dirt piles, which were about seven hundred meters from the checkpoint. After walking around two hundred meters, we saw mucus exiting from my father's mouth. The doctor wasn't there at that moment because the soldiers had delayed him. We continued until we crossed the second piles of dirt, which were at the entrance to al-Birah. We got into a taxi, which took us straight to the hospital in Ramallah.
They examined my father in the emergency room. The doctors told us that he was dead on arrival. We had reached the hospital at 2:45 P.M. Around 7:30 that evening, my father's body was brought to the village following coordination with the Israelis.
Sirin 'Odeh Yaqub 'Odeh Shahadeh is 22 year-old and single. She is
unemployed and lives in Bir Zeit. The testimony was taken by Iyad Haddad in Bir Zeit on 19 June 2002
5 juli 2002
Jenin deaths video implicates army
The BBC has obtained video footage which appears to show an incident in the West Bank city of Jenin two weeks ago in which two Palestinian children were killed by Israeli tank fire.
The Israeli army has apologised for causing the deaths of six-year-old Ahmad Abu Aziz and his 13-year-old brother Jamil, but said the tank crew opened fire to deter Palestinians breaking a curfew and approaching them.
However, the footage shows a tank firing the first of two shells, at close range, at a group of civilians who are running away.
The BBC has obtained video footage which appears to show an incident in the West Bank city of Jenin two weeks ago in which two Palestinian children were killed by Israeli tank fire.
The Israeli army has apologised for causing the deaths of six-year-old Ahmad Abu Aziz and his 13-year-old brother Jamil, but said the tank crew opened fire to deter Palestinians breaking a curfew and approaching them.
However, the footage shows a tank firing the first of two shells, at close range, at a group of civilians who are running away.
The dead boys' father, Youssef Abu Aziz, told the BBC that they had gone outside to buy chocolate, thinking the Israeli curfew imposed on their city had been lifted.
The film of their last moments begins with the two boys and a number of other civilians running towards the camera along an otherwise deserted street in Jenin.
Filmed from high building some distance away the footage is shaky, but clearly shows the sequence of events.
A white car speeds along the road, horn blaring, the driver - Dr Samer al-Ahmad - apparently warning the people to run for their lives.
Now recovering from his wounds, Dr al-Ahmad told the BBC that, moments earlier, an Israeli officer had said to him that it was allowed for him to be on the streets.
But then he said the tank crew opened fire on him with a machine-gun "without warning... I was hit but I drove on".
Soon afterwards in the film, the Israeli tank appears at the end of the street. It stops for a few seconds before firing in the direction of the retreating Palestinians, the blast engulfing it in a ball of flame and smoke.
Questions to answer
The film of their last moments begins with the two boys and a number of other civilians running towards the camera along an otherwise deserted street in Jenin.
Filmed from high building some distance away the footage is shaky, but clearly shows the sequence of events.
A white car speeds along the road, horn blaring, the driver - Dr Samer al-Ahmad - apparently warning the people to run for their lives.
Now recovering from his wounds, Dr al-Ahmad told the BBC that, moments earlier, an Israeli officer had said to him that it was allowed for him to be on the streets.
But then he said the tank crew opened fire on him with a machine-gun "without warning... I was hit but I drove on".
Soon afterwards in the film, the Israeli tank appears at the end of the street. It stops for a few seconds before firing in the direction of the retreating Palestinians, the blast engulfing it in a ball of flame and smoke.
Questions to answer
Top: The two boys and others run on the street; Dr al-Ahmad's car approaches Bottom: Israeli tank appears, and opens fire
"I thought there was no danger," says Mr Abu Aziz.
"Ahmad asked me for money because he wanted to buy a chocolate bar. I loved him and his brother so much. Ahmad was buried with the chocolate in his hand."
The troops entered Jenin and imposed a curfew as part of a massive security operation Israel said was designed stamp out the militant cells which have launched dozens of suicide attacks in the past two years.
Twenty-three suicide bombers have come from Jenin alone, earning it the reputation in Israel as the "capital of terrorism".
The Israeli army says its still investigating what happened that day.
BBC correspondent Orla Guerin, who viewed at first had the Abu Aziz tape, says the army has many questions to answer, including:
If the soldiers wanted to clear the street why didn't they fire warning shots?
Why were tank shells used in a crowded civilian area?
Our correspondent says Israel has a poor record in prosecuting its own soldiers when faced with evidence like that seen in the tape.
When the Israeli army was asked to comment on the footage, it refused.
"I thought there was no danger," says Mr Abu Aziz.
"Ahmad asked me for money because he wanted to buy a chocolate bar. I loved him and his brother so much. Ahmad was buried with the chocolate in his hand."
The troops entered Jenin and imposed a curfew as part of a massive security operation Israel said was designed stamp out the militant cells which have launched dozens of suicide attacks in the past two years.
Twenty-three suicide bombers have come from Jenin alone, earning it the reputation in Israel as the "capital of terrorism".
The Israeli army says its still investigating what happened that day.
BBC correspondent Orla Guerin, who viewed at first had the Abu Aziz tape, says the army has many questions to answer, including:
If the soldiers wanted to clear the street why didn't they fire warning shots?
Why were tank shells used in a crowded civilian area?
Our correspondent says Israel has a poor record in prosecuting its own soldiers when faced with evidence like that seen in the tape.
When the Israeli army was asked to comment on the footage, it refused.