PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Press Releases
|
Ref: 69/2014
Date: 21 June 2014
Time: 11:30 GMT
For the 9th Consecutive Day, Israeli Forces Continue to Attack the West Bank and Launch Airstrikes on the Gaza Strip;
Palestinian
Child Killed, Old Man Dies Due to Heart Attack, 6 Civilians, including a
Child, Wounded and 320 Palestinian Civilians Arrested, Including PLC
Speaker and 6 Members
For the 9th
consecutive day, Israeli forces continued to practice a policy of
collective punishment against Palestinian civilians in the occupied
Palestinian territory (oPt), especially in the West Bank. This campaign
included large-scale
incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and brutal
night house raids using tracker dogs and maltreating residents of houses
by expelling them outside their houses, detaining them in one room or
arresting them. Moreover, Israeli forces turned many of those houses
into military sites and deliberately damaged their belongings. This
campaign was accompanied by the use of excessive force against
Palestinian civilians, who demonstrated against the Israeli forces. In
addition, the raid campaign
targeted charities, health centers, media offices, schools, universities
and currency exchange shops. Israeli forces confiscated their contents
as well as dozens of surveillance cameras. Israeli forces also
launched many airstrikes on training sites for armed groups and civilian
objects in the Gaza Strip.
In
an excessive use of force, on Friday, 20 June 2014, Israeli forces
killed a 14-year-old Palestinian child in Dura, southwest of Hebron.
According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for
Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately 01:00
on the aforementioned day, Israeli forces backed by military vehicles
and accompanied by armored personnel carriers moved into Dura, southwest
of Hebron, and stationed in a number of its neighborhoods. They
deployed between the houses when dozens of Palestinian boys and children
gathered in several parts of the town outskirts and threw stones and
empty bottles at the Israeli soldiers. At approximately 04:50,
an Israeli infantry force comprised of around 300 soldiers deployed
between the houses in Haninah neighborhood in the south of the town.
When they tried to pass through the main street to head to the area
overseeing al-Ma’ajour neighborhood near the “Adoraym” military camp
known as “the crazy camp”, a number of boys and children gathered to
throw stones at them. In response, the Israeli soldiers fired
ceaselessly for 10 minutes sound bombs, tear gas canisters and
rubber-coated metal bullets at the stone-throwers until an Israeli
soldier appeared and fired live bullets indiscriminately at the
demonstrators. As a result, Mohammed Jihad Mohammed Doudin (14) was hit
by a live bullet, which penetrated the right side of the chest and
exited from the back. He was then taken by a civilian vehicle to the
Palestine Red Crescent Society clinic in the town, but he died upon
arrival.
On Saturday
early morning, 21 June 2014, Naji ‘Ali ‘Abed Souf (60) from Haris
village, west of Salfit, died of a severe heart attack as Israeli forces
refused to allow his family to take him to the hospital for treatment.
At approximately 03:40,
Israeli forces backed by 50 military vehicles moved into the
aforementioned village. When Souf, who suffered from a weak heart
muscle, was on his way to the village’s mosque for the dawn prayer, he
was surprised with Israeli forces surrounding his house. As a result,
he collapsed and the Israeli soldiers refused to give him first aid.
Few minutes later, he died.
On
the same day morning, a Palestinian child was wounded in Nablus when
Israeli forces moved into the city. Moreover, on 20 June 2014, 3
Palestinian civilians were wounded in Qalandia refugee camp, north of
occupied Jerusalem, when a group of children and youngsters demonstrated
against the Israeli soldiers. The wounds of two of them were described
as serious, and one of them was transferred to Hadassah Hospital in
Jerusalem. In addition, on 19 June 2014, 4 Palestinian civilians were
wounded in similar circumstances.
According
to PCHR’s investigations and the fieldworkers’ documentation, during
this campaign, Israeli forces conducted more than 220 incursions into
Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps in the West Bank. During
the campaign, Israeli forces arrested at least 320 Palestinian
civilians, including the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council
(PLC) and 6 of its members.
Also
during the campaign, Israeli forces raided charities and health centers
and confiscated their contents in addition to closing many of them. On
19 June 2014, Israeli forces raided al-Dar Mall in Salah al-Deen Street
in the center of Jerusalem searching for an office belonging to
“Jerusalem Association for Development.” They also raided the Zakat and
Sadaqat Committee in Sour Baher village, southeast of the city, and
handed the chairman of the committee an order signed by General
“Youhanan Danino”, the Israeli Police Inspector General, to close the
committee’s office for one year. Moreover, they confiscated laptops and
USBs from the office. They also raided the head office of al-Namaa’
Society for Social Innovations in the building of Hamzah Mosque in Beit
Safafa village, southeast of the city, and handed the workers there an
order signed by the Israeli Police Inspector General to close the
Society for 6 months.
For
the second consecutive day, at approximately 03:00 on Thursday, 19 June
2014, Israeli forces backed by military vehicles raided the building of
the American Arab University in al-Zababdah village, east of Jenin,
after breaking the lock of gate (3). The Israeli soldiers detained the
university guard and raided the building of Student Affairs Deanship,
from which they confiscated flags and papers belonging to the student
blocks. Moreover, they raided al-Hawari company for currency exchange
in the mall in Nablus after calling its owner, Tayel Mohammed Salim
‘Odah, and forcing him to open the door. They confiscated 4 computers
and the money that was in the safe, without allowing him to know how
much, as well as his 2010 Mercedes black car. In Ramallah and al-Bireh,
Israeli forces raided Pal Media offices, the Head office of Islamic
Relief Worldwide Charity and al-Noun Centre for Quranic studies and
confiscated their contents.
In
the Gaza Strip, on Thursday, 19 June 2014, Israeli warplanes launched 5
airstrikes targeting Tunis paramilitary site in the east of al-Zaytoun
neighborhood, east of Gaza City; Abu Jarad military site, southeast of
Gaza City; ‘Emad Abu Qadous site, west of al-Maqousi buildings, north of
Gaza City; another site to the east of al-Sheikh Zayed buildings,
southeast of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip; and a training site,
north of al-Nussairt in the central Gaza Strip. As a result of the
airstrikes, damages were caused to the aforementioned sites, but no
injuries were reported.
On Friday
early morning, 20 June 2014, Israeli warplanes launched 3 airstrikes.
During which, they targeted a vacant land in al-Sabrah neighborhood in
Gaza City. As a result, a barrack used as Chips factory was destroyed
and burnt in addition to damages caused to the nearby houses; 8 of its
residents, including 2 women and 2 children, sustained shrapnel wounds
due to the flying glass. The two airstrikes on Khan Younis targeted a
vacant land and military site for armed groups. No injuries were
reported. Thus, the number of airstrikes launched on targets in the
Gaza Strips has increased to 26 airstrikes since the beginning of this
latest Israeli campaign.
PCHR
stresses that the measures taken by the Israeli forces in the oPt are
part of the collective punishment policy and reprisals against
Palestinian civilians in violation of Article 33 of the 1949 Fourth
Geneva Convention Relative to Protection of Civilians in Times of War
which provides that: “No protected person may be punished for an offence
he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and
likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited.”
PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and
effective actions and reiterates its call for the High Contracting
Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their
obligations under Article 1; to respect and to ensure respect for the
Convention in all circumstances. PCHR also calls upon the international
community to fulfill their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute
persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva
Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article
147 of the same Convention and Protocol (I) Additional to the Geneva
Conventions.
Public Document
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