10 aug 2016
Israeli forces early morning on Wednesday opened fire at Palestinian fishermen and farmers in Gaza Strip.
Local sources told Quds Press that Israeli gunboats in the early morning hours opened machinegun fire at Palestinian fishermen off Rafah and Khan Younis shores in southern Gaza Strip.
No casualties have been reported. The heavy shooting forced the Gazan fishermen to return to shore and end fishing despite sailing within the allowed zone of 12 nautical miles.
In a similar context, eyewitnesses revealed that Israeli troops opened fire at a group of Palestinian farmers east of Central Gaza. No casualties have been reported; however, the farmers had to stop working in their lands to avoid Israeli shooting.
Nizar Ayyash, head of the Palestinian fishermen syndicate in Gaza, said that Israeli forces have intensified their arrest and boat confiscation campaigns against Gazan fishermen over the past few weeks.
In an exclusive statement to the PIC, Ayyash elaborated that Israeli navy forces have arrested 80 fishermen and confiscated 21 boats of different sizes since the beginning of last April.
He pointed out that Israeli troops have been waging repeated arrest campaigns since the Israeli aggression on Gaza in 2014 was over in full violation of the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian resistance stipulating for allowing Gazan fishermen to sail within 12 nautical miles.
Local sources told Quds Press that Israeli gunboats in the early morning hours opened machinegun fire at Palestinian fishermen off Rafah and Khan Younis shores in southern Gaza Strip.
No casualties have been reported. The heavy shooting forced the Gazan fishermen to return to shore and end fishing despite sailing within the allowed zone of 12 nautical miles.
In a similar context, eyewitnesses revealed that Israeli troops opened fire at a group of Palestinian farmers east of Central Gaza. No casualties have been reported; however, the farmers had to stop working in their lands to avoid Israeli shooting.
Nizar Ayyash, head of the Palestinian fishermen syndicate in Gaza, said that Israeli forces have intensified their arrest and boat confiscation campaigns against Gazan fishermen over the past few weeks.
In an exclusive statement to the PIC, Ayyash elaborated that Israeli navy forces have arrested 80 fishermen and confiscated 21 boats of different sizes since the beginning of last April.
He pointed out that Israeli troops have been waging repeated arrest campaigns since the Israeli aggression on Gaza in 2014 was over in full violation of the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian resistance stipulating for allowing Gazan fishermen to sail within 12 nautical miles.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) has reported that Israeli soldiers kidnapped, Wednesday, at least ten Palestinians in the West Bank districts of Nablus, Tulkarem, Jerusalem, Ramallah and Jenin. The army also occupied a Palestinian home, south of Nablus.
The Nablus office of the PPS, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, said the soldiers stormed and searched dozens of homes and kidnapped three Palestinians.
The kidnapped have been identified as Yacoub Yousef Ghazi, 37, Abdul-Karim Rebhi Daoud, 30, and Abdullah Mohammad Hajj Mohammad, 31.
Also in Nablus, the soldiers invaded ‘Aseera al-Qibleyya town, south of the city, before breaking into a Palestinian home and turning it into a military post.
The owner, Abdul-Basset Ahmad, said the soldiers occupied the second floor of his home, and kicked his son’s family out before turning the property into a military post, and used its rooftop as a military tower.
The invaded property is close to the Yitzhar illegal colony, built on Palestinian lands, south of Nablus.
In Tulkarem, in the northern part of the West Bank, the soldiers kidnapped three Palestinians, identified as Abdul-Aziz Qassem Zreiqi, 30, Odai Azmi Abu Ghalia, 26, and Anas Hikmat Masarwa.
Another Palestinian, identified as Ahmad Hussein Abu ar-Rob, was kidnapped from his home in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank.
In addition, the Ramallah office of the PPS, in central West Bank, said the soldiers kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Yacoub Abdul-Jawad Romman, 32.
In occupied Jerusalem, the soldiers kidnapped Yassin Abu Laab, and a child, identified as Ahmad Sweilem, after he spent a few months under house arrest, before an Israeli court ordered him imprisoned.
In Abu Dis town, near Jerusalem, the soldiers kidnapped Eyad Za’atra, after invading and searching his home.
On Tuesday evening, the army invaded the Qalandia refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, and kidnapped Khaled Yousef Matar.
The Nablus office of the PPS, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank, said the soldiers stormed and searched dozens of homes and kidnapped three Palestinians.
The kidnapped have been identified as Yacoub Yousef Ghazi, 37, Abdul-Karim Rebhi Daoud, 30, and Abdullah Mohammad Hajj Mohammad, 31.
Also in Nablus, the soldiers invaded ‘Aseera al-Qibleyya town, south of the city, before breaking into a Palestinian home and turning it into a military post.
The owner, Abdul-Basset Ahmad, said the soldiers occupied the second floor of his home, and kicked his son’s family out before turning the property into a military post, and used its rooftop as a military tower.
The invaded property is close to the Yitzhar illegal colony, built on Palestinian lands, south of Nablus.
In Tulkarem, in the northern part of the West Bank, the soldiers kidnapped three Palestinians, identified as Abdul-Aziz Qassem Zreiqi, 30, Odai Azmi Abu Ghalia, 26, and Anas Hikmat Masarwa.
Another Palestinian, identified as Ahmad Hussein Abu ar-Rob, was kidnapped from his home in Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank.
In addition, the Ramallah office of the PPS, in central West Bank, said the soldiers kidnapped one Palestinian, identified as Yacoub Abdul-Jawad Romman, 32.
In occupied Jerusalem, the soldiers kidnapped Yassin Abu Laab, and a child, identified as Ahmad Sweilem, after he spent a few months under house arrest, before an Israeli court ordered him imprisoned.
In Abu Dis town, near Jerusalem, the soldiers kidnapped Eyad Za’atra, after invading and searching his home.
On Tuesday evening, the army invaded the Qalandia refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, and kidnapped Khaled Yousef Matar.
Israeli soldiers opened fire, Wednesday, on dozens of locals of Qusra, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, as Israeli bulldozers and colonists resumed the uprooting and bulldozing of Palestinian lands, east of the town.
The head of Qusra Local Council, Abdul-Atheem Wadi, said the illegal settlers resumed the bulldozing of Palestinian lands, east of the town, in an attempt to expand their colony.
He added that dozens of youngsters surrounded the bulldozers and attempted to stop them, before the soldiers invaded the area and fired dozens of gas bombs at them, in addition to assaulting several Palestinians.
The soldiers also closed the Qusra’s eastern road and prevented the Palestinians from entering or leaving the town.
On Tuesday, several Israeli bulldozers started uprooting the lands, close to the Megdalim colony, built on illegally confiscated private Palestinian lands, as Israel is planning to expand it.
Israel’s colonies in occupied Palestine, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory and a constant violator.
The head of Qusra Local Council, Abdul-Atheem Wadi, said the illegal settlers resumed the bulldozing of Palestinian lands, east of the town, in an attempt to expand their colony.
He added that dozens of youngsters surrounded the bulldozers and attempted to stop them, before the soldiers invaded the area and fired dozens of gas bombs at them, in addition to assaulting several Palestinians.
The soldiers also closed the Qusra’s eastern road and prevented the Palestinians from entering or leaving the town.
On Tuesday, several Israeli bulldozers started uprooting the lands, close to the Megdalim colony, built on illegally confiscated private Palestinian lands, as Israel is planning to expand it.
Israel’s colonies in occupied Palestine, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory and a constant violator.
An Israeli military jeep rammed, on Wednesday evening, a Palestinian child, south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, before the soldiers detained and interrogated him instead of providing him the needed medical aid.
Palestinian medical sources said the child, identified as Islam Sabaghna, 16, was struck by an Israeli military jeep on the main road linking between Qabatia town, Sanour and Msalya villages, south of Jenin.
They added that the soldiers detained and interrogated the wounded child, and did not allow him access to medical attention.
The child was released later, and was instantly moved to a hospital in Jenin suffering moderate but stable wounds.
Palestinian medical sources said the child, identified as Islam Sabaghna, 16, was struck by an Israeli military jeep on the main road linking between Qabatia town, Sanour and Msalya villages, south of Jenin.
They added that the soldiers detained and interrogated the wounded child, and did not allow him access to medical attention.
The child was released later, and was instantly moved to a hospital in Jenin suffering moderate but stable wounds.
Several Palestinians were injured and 13 others were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Wednesday in a mass-abduction sweep launched across the West Bank.
The IOF wreaked havoc on civilian homes and aggressively attacked native inhabitants in the presence of their children.
Sources based in the West Bank said the IOF kidnapped five Palestinians from al-Khalil city, six from Ramallah and east Occupied Jerusalem, and two others from Tulkarem.
The IOF ravaged the family home of Moussa Mukhamreh, the father of prisoner Khaled Mukhamreh, in al-Khalil’s town of Yatta. Three Palestinian youths from Beit Ummar town were summoned to questioning in the process.
The IOF soldiers also stormed Tulkarem and kidnapped two Palestinian youths, both in their 20’s, from Bela’a town after they rummaged into their family homes and attacked their parents and relatives.
The occupation troops further raided Qalqilya province and raked through residential neighborhoods at the same time as they showered the area with bullet fire and broke into civilian homes.
Meanwhile, at least four Palestinians were injured with Israeli bullet fire in clashes that burst out at al-Amari refugee camp in Ramallah.
Youngster Iyad Zaatara was also kidnapped by the IOF from Abu Dis town, in eastern Occupied Jerusalem.
The assault culminated in the abduction of another youngster from Jenin’s southern town of Qabatiya. The youth, identified as 27-year-old Ahmad Abu Farasha, was kidnapped by an Israeli army troop disguised in civilian clothes.
At the same time, heavily-armed troops broke into the family home of prisoner Fares Shawahneh, 38, in Jenin’s western corners, and seized furniture without prior notifications.
The IOF soldiers further stole $1,400 cash from the house despite the family’s appeals to return the sum. Heavy barrages of bullet fire were randomly discharged by the IOF all the way through the break-in.
According to eyewitness account, six Israeli army patrols also stormed Nablus’ southern town of Talfit and kidnapped three youngsters from their own family homes.
Youngster Fares Awda was reportedly kidnapped by the Israeli soldiers from the adjacent Qasra town, where several Palestinians choked on teargas in evening clashes with the occupation soldiers.
The IOF wreaked havoc on civilian homes and aggressively attacked native inhabitants in the presence of their children.
Sources based in the West Bank said the IOF kidnapped five Palestinians from al-Khalil city, six from Ramallah and east Occupied Jerusalem, and two others from Tulkarem.
The IOF ravaged the family home of Moussa Mukhamreh, the father of prisoner Khaled Mukhamreh, in al-Khalil’s town of Yatta. Three Palestinian youths from Beit Ummar town were summoned to questioning in the process.
The IOF soldiers also stormed Tulkarem and kidnapped two Palestinian youths, both in their 20’s, from Bela’a town after they rummaged into their family homes and attacked their parents and relatives.
The occupation troops further raided Qalqilya province and raked through residential neighborhoods at the same time as they showered the area with bullet fire and broke into civilian homes.
Meanwhile, at least four Palestinians were injured with Israeli bullet fire in clashes that burst out at al-Amari refugee camp in Ramallah.
Youngster Iyad Zaatara was also kidnapped by the IOF from Abu Dis town, in eastern Occupied Jerusalem.
The assault culminated in the abduction of another youngster from Jenin’s southern town of Qabatiya. The youth, identified as 27-year-old Ahmad Abu Farasha, was kidnapped by an Israeli army troop disguised in civilian clothes.
At the same time, heavily-armed troops broke into the family home of prisoner Fares Shawahneh, 38, in Jenin’s western corners, and seized furniture without prior notifications.
The IOF soldiers further stole $1,400 cash from the house despite the family’s appeals to return the sum. Heavy barrages of bullet fire were randomly discharged by the IOF all the way through the break-in.
According to eyewitness account, six Israeli army patrols also stormed Nablus’ southern town of Talfit and kidnapped three youngsters from their own family homes.
Youngster Fares Awda was reportedly kidnapped by the Israeli soldiers from the adjacent Qasra town, where several Palestinians choked on teargas in evening clashes with the occupation soldiers.
9 aug 2016
Dozens of students suffocated on Tuesday, after Israeli soldiers attacked the campus of Al-Quds University with teargas, in Abu Dis town, east of Jerusalem.
Witnesses told WAFA News & Info Agency that clashes erupted between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian students outside of the campus before the soldiers attacked the latter with teargas canisters and stun grenades, causing multiple cases of suffocation among them.
Those who suffocated were treated at the scene.
Witnesses told WAFA News & Info Agency that clashes erupted between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian students outside of the campus before the soldiers attacked the latter with teargas canisters and stun grenades, causing multiple cases of suffocation among them.
Those who suffocated were treated at the scene.
Seven Palestinians were injured and 13 others were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) at dawn Tuesday following abrupt assaults on West Bank provinces.
The Israeli occupation army claimed responsibility for the abduction of 13 Palestinians, including a Hamas activist, on allegations of involvement in anti-occupation activities.
Several Palestinians were also subjected to heavy beating in the presence of their families and children.
24-year-old Sameh al-Na’ji was kidnapped by the occupation troops from Nablus after they rolled into the city and wreaked havoc on his family home.
Earlier, at predawn time, the IOF kidnapped the Palestinian worker Zakaria al-Ghoul, 27, from the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin and aggressively beat three other workers at the Shafi Shamron military checkpoint.
The IOF also re-arrested the leader at the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Nidhal Abu Akr in the Duheisheh refugee camp, in Bethlehem.
Activist Abu Akr had spent 16 years in Israeli prisons. His jailed son, Muhammad, has been on open-ended hunger strike in solidarity with hunger-striker Bilal Kayed, starving for nearly two months in protest at his administrative detention.
Meanwhile, seven Palestinian youngsters were hit and injured with Israeli bullet fire shortly after the occupation troops rolled into the Duheisheh refugee camp.
Violent clashes flared up at the camp, where the IOF attacked the Palestinian protesters with randomly-shot spates of live bullets. Seven protesters were rushed to the Arab Society Hospital for urgent treatment.
The IOF soldiers further stormed the nearby Doha town and ravaged the home of prisoner Raed Ayesh, before they violently attacked his brother and seized laptops.
Earlier, on Monday evening, the IOF kidnapped 50-year-old Khaled al-Fekih, the husband of prisoner Taghreed al-Fekih and the father of prisoner Muadh al-Fekih, at a military checkpoint in Bethlehem.
The Israeli army patrols also stormed the Aida refugee camp and Jabal al-Malih area and summoned a number of civilians to questioning.
The assault culminated in the abduction of the Palestinian youths Udai Khaled Taqatqa and Amjad Abu Rasheed from Beit Fajjar town, to the south.
At the same time, the IOF rummaged into the family home of the slain Palestinian youth Abdul Hameed Abu Surur in Beit Jala, to the west, and subjected native residents to exhaustive questioning.
The Israeli occupation army claimed responsibility for the abduction of 13 Palestinians, including a Hamas activist, on allegations of involvement in anti-occupation activities.
Several Palestinians were also subjected to heavy beating in the presence of their families and children.
24-year-old Sameh al-Na’ji was kidnapped by the occupation troops from Nablus after they rolled into the city and wreaked havoc on his family home.
Earlier, at predawn time, the IOF kidnapped the Palestinian worker Zakaria al-Ghoul, 27, from the northern occupied West Bank city of Jenin and aggressively beat three other workers at the Shafi Shamron military checkpoint.
The IOF also re-arrested the leader at the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Nidhal Abu Akr in the Duheisheh refugee camp, in Bethlehem.
Activist Abu Akr had spent 16 years in Israeli prisons. His jailed son, Muhammad, has been on open-ended hunger strike in solidarity with hunger-striker Bilal Kayed, starving for nearly two months in protest at his administrative detention.
Meanwhile, seven Palestinian youngsters were hit and injured with Israeli bullet fire shortly after the occupation troops rolled into the Duheisheh refugee camp.
Violent clashes flared up at the camp, where the IOF attacked the Palestinian protesters with randomly-shot spates of live bullets. Seven protesters were rushed to the Arab Society Hospital for urgent treatment.
The IOF soldiers further stormed the nearby Doha town and ravaged the home of prisoner Raed Ayesh, before they violently attacked his brother and seized laptops.
Earlier, on Monday evening, the IOF kidnapped 50-year-old Khaled al-Fekih, the husband of prisoner Taghreed al-Fekih and the father of prisoner Muadh al-Fekih, at a military checkpoint in Bethlehem.
The Israeli army patrols also stormed the Aida refugee camp and Jabal al-Malih area and summoned a number of civilians to questioning.
The assault culminated in the abduction of the Palestinian youths Udai Khaled Taqatqa and Amjad Abu Rasheed from Beit Fajjar town, to the south.
At the same time, the IOF rummaged into the family home of the slain Palestinian youth Abdul Hameed Abu Surur in Beit Jala, to the west, and subjected native residents to exhaustive questioning.
An eight-month-old female infant suffered from inhaling pepper spray during an Israeli police raid on Monday evening on her parents' house in Silwan district, east Jerusalem.
Local sources said that Israeli police troops stormed several homes in Batten al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan district, south of the Aqsa Mosque.
They added that the pepper spray attack happened when the troops broke into and ransacked the house of Jadallah al-Rajabi.
They explained that the troops sprayed pepper at members of the family during their presence in the house, which led eight-month-old Asya al-Rajabi to suffer from suffocation.
The infant was rushed to a medical center in Ein Loza neighborhood. The father of the infant said he was handed a summons for interrogation at a police station in the holy city In a separate incident, the Israeli police on the same day stormed and ransacked the house of Ismail al-Abbasi in Ras al-Amud neighborhood of Silwan district, without making any arrest.
Police troops also raided stores in Silwan, took photos of their signboards and closed the main street for some time. Meanwhile, four Palestinian citizens from Jerusalem, including a child, were physically assaulted and then arrested yesterday by policemen near al-Maghariba Gate in the Old City.
The detainees were taken to a police station in the Old City. Their identities are not yet known.
Local sources said that Israeli police troops stormed several homes in Batten al-Hawa neighborhood of Silwan district, south of the Aqsa Mosque.
They added that the pepper spray attack happened when the troops broke into and ransacked the house of Jadallah al-Rajabi.
They explained that the troops sprayed pepper at members of the family during their presence in the house, which led eight-month-old Asya al-Rajabi to suffer from suffocation.
The infant was rushed to a medical center in Ein Loza neighborhood. The father of the infant said he was handed a summons for interrogation at a police station in the holy city In a separate incident, the Israeli police on the same day stormed and ransacked the house of Ismail al-Abbasi in Ras al-Amud neighborhood of Silwan district, without making any arrest.
Police troops also raided stores in Silwan, took photos of their signboards and closed the main street for some time. Meanwhile, four Palestinian citizens from Jerusalem, including a child, were physically assaulted and then arrested yesterday by policemen near al-Maghariba Gate in the Old City.
The detainees were taken to a police station in the Old City. Their identities are not yet known.
Israeli soldiers invaded, on Tuesday at dawn, the Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, kidnapped a former political prisoner from his home and injured seven Palestinians during ensuing clashes.
Local sources said the soldiers broke into and searched several homes, including the home of former political prisoner, Nidal Naim Abu Aker, 48, and abducted him.
The invasion led to clashes between the soldiers and dozens of local youths, who hurled stones and empty bottles at the military vehicles, while the army fired dozens of live rounds, gas bombs, and concussion grenades.
It is worth mentioning that Abu Aker previously spent eleven years imprisoned in Israeli detention centers under arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial. He was released some months ago after holding an extended hunger strike.
The Deheishe News has reported that the soldiers shot seven Palestinians with live rounds, while many others suffered the effects of teargas inhalation, and added that the army also used a surveillance drone during the invasion.
Army Raids Al Duheisha Refugee Camp, 7 Injured by Live Fire
Israeli forces raided the al-Duheisha refugee camp, on Tuesday, in the occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem, in the early morning hours, redetaining a Palestinian activist and injuring seven Palestinians with live bullets.
Israeli forces stormed the camp and opened live fire, according to locals, injuring seven Palestinians who were immediately taken to the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation to receive medical care. Their conditions have been reported as stable, according to Ma’an News Agency.
Israeli forces also raided the home of former detainee 48-year-old Nidal Abu Aker, a prominent Palestinian journalist and activist affiliated with the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Abu Aker had previously spent 14 years in Israeli prison, 11 of which were spent in administrative detention — an Israeli policy of imprisonment without charge or trial. He was released in December following an open hunger strike launched in protest of his detention.
An Israeli army spokesperson said that Israeli forces opened live fire on Palestinians in al-Duheisha after a “violent riot erupted” as hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks and explosives at the Israeli soldiers raiding the camp. She also said that she was aware of the seven Palestinians being injured by live ammunition during the clashes.
The spokesperson confirmed a detention in al-Duheisha, but could not provide more details on the incident.
PFLP officials released a statement condemning Abu Aker’s detention, saying “Israeli forces continually target our affiliated members in the refugee camps, especially al-Duheisha and Qalandiya. These camps remain sites of resistance to the Israeli occupation.”
Israeli raids in Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps are a daily occurrence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with a weekly average of 78 search and detention raids carried out since the start of 2016, and with 108 carried out just in the previous week, according to UN documentation.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces commonly detain Palestinians during raids without evidence of any wrongdoing, subsequently sentencing the detainees for up to six-month renewable intervals without charge or trial and based on undisclosed evidence.
According to prisoners’ rights group Addameer, as of July there were 7,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, 750 of whom were held in administrative detention.
Local sources said the soldiers broke into and searched several homes, including the home of former political prisoner, Nidal Naim Abu Aker, 48, and abducted him.
The invasion led to clashes between the soldiers and dozens of local youths, who hurled stones and empty bottles at the military vehicles, while the army fired dozens of live rounds, gas bombs, and concussion grenades.
It is worth mentioning that Abu Aker previously spent eleven years imprisoned in Israeli detention centers under arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial. He was released some months ago after holding an extended hunger strike.
The Deheishe News has reported that the soldiers shot seven Palestinians with live rounds, while many others suffered the effects of teargas inhalation, and added that the army also used a surveillance drone during the invasion.
Army Raids Al Duheisha Refugee Camp, 7 Injured by Live Fire
Israeli forces raided the al-Duheisha refugee camp, on Tuesday, in the occupied West Bank district of Bethlehem, in the early morning hours, redetaining a Palestinian activist and injuring seven Palestinians with live bullets.
Israeli forces stormed the camp and opened live fire, according to locals, injuring seven Palestinians who were immediately taken to the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation to receive medical care. Their conditions have been reported as stable, according to Ma’an News Agency.
Israeli forces also raided the home of former detainee 48-year-old Nidal Abu Aker, a prominent Palestinian journalist and activist affiliated with the left-wing Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Abu Aker had previously spent 14 years in Israeli prison, 11 of which were spent in administrative detention — an Israeli policy of imprisonment without charge or trial. He was released in December following an open hunger strike launched in protest of his detention.
An Israeli army spokesperson said that Israeli forces opened live fire on Palestinians in al-Duheisha after a “violent riot erupted” as hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks and explosives at the Israeli soldiers raiding the camp. She also said that she was aware of the seven Palestinians being injured by live ammunition during the clashes.
The spokesperson confirmed a detention in al-Duheisha, but could not provide more details on the incident.
PFLP officials released a statement condemning Abu Aker’s detention, saying “Israeli forces continually target our affiliated members in the refugee camps, especially al-Duheisha and Qalandiya. These camps remain sites of resistance to the Israeli occupation.”
Israeli raids in Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps are a daily occurrence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with a weekly average of 78 search and detention raids carried out since the start of 2016, and with 108 carried out just in the previous week, according to UN documentation.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces commonly detain Palestinians during raids without evidence of any wrongdoing, subsequently sentencing the detainees for up to six-month renewable intervals without charge or trial and based on undisclosed evidence.
According to prisoners’ rights group Addameer, as of July there were 7,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, 750 of whom were held in administrative detention.
8 aug 2016
An old weapon appears to have re-emerged in Palestine.
Over the past six months, say activists in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military has resumed the use of Indoor Barricade Penetrators, a form of high velocity tear gas 40mm projectile designed to deliver its payload inside buildings or homes and used during raids, demonstrations and clashes.
The use of such heavy duty tear gas projectiles fell by the wayside in 2013 after a number of high-profile court cases demonstrated how easily this particular form of delivery could kill or maim. However, a modified version is now employed across the West Bank, say protestors, and no matter what claims the military and manufacturers may make, these barrier piercing projectiles remain potentially lethal.
Israel has used them to deadly effect before.
In 2009, Bassem Abu Rahmeh was killed during the weekly protest in the West Bank of Bilin, after he was struck in the chest with an Indoor Barricade Penetrator.
Just a few weeks earlier, Tristan Anderson, an American volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, was hit with a high velocity tear gas canister in the nearby town of Nilin. He didn’t die, but was permanently paralyzed on his left side and suffered massive brain damage.
Recent injuries
Anderson and Abu Rahmeh are among the best known victims of such attacks: many others sustained injuries.
According to Murad Shtaiwi, head of the popular resistance committee in the village of Kafr Qaddum, there have been three moderate injuries from these projectiles since March alone. Ahmad Nasser, a medic working in the Ramallah district, has noted two injuries at clashes outside Ofer prison in the same time period. Nasser himself was also struck with one of the projectiles, but was not injured since he was wearing a bulletproof kevlar vest.
Indoor Barricade Penetrators are a more dangerous means of using tear gas for several reasons. As the name implies, they are not intended for use directly against individuals, rather they are designed to penetrate doors, windows and interior drywalls, and release their payload inside a building.
US weapons manufacturer Combined Systems, a longstanding supplier of tear gas to the Israeli military, makes special note [PDF] that these “less lethal” weapons are intended for use on doors, windows and wallboard, and operators should take caution to avoid firing them in a way that risks hitting a person.
Like other kinds of tear gas, barrier penetrating projectiles are fired from a grenade launcher; however some models used by the Israeli military also have a secondary propulsion mechanism, which takes them further and faster. And unlike outdoor short range tear gas, it does not disperse gas until after impact. This means that protesters cannot see the trajectory of the projectiles until they are detonated, making them much more dangerous.
Harmful gas
In addition to the dangers posed as a high velocity projectile, activists from Ramallah and Nabi Saleh have also reported that the projectiles are more likely to carry an Oleoresin Capsicum- (OC spray — more commonly known as pepper spray) based gas than the more common, and less harmful, CS- (O-chlorobenzylidene malonitrile) based tear gas.
Manal Tamimi, an organizer in Nabi Saleh, cannot find a lab in the West Bank with the capacity to analyze the different types of tear gas. She told The Electronic Intifada that protesters who were exposed to gas from Indoor Barricade Penetrators exhibited symptoms consistent with OC gas, including immediate loss of motor control.
The renewed use of these tear gas projectiles has had a significant impact on demonstrations. In Kafr Qaddum, which Israeli soldiers raid on a regular basis, houses near the village’s weekly protest route have installed metal shutters to protect their interiors. But this provides little protection against a projectile that can move at 122 meters per second.
In Nabi Saleh, where demonstrators try to walk from the center of the village to a spring located in a nearby valley which Israel has confiscated for settlers, there’s little hope of ever getting close. The military can keep protesters at bay from a cool 500 meters with these tear gas projectiles, according to those who have taken part in the demonstrations.
Their renewed use was first noted in early 2016 by activists in Ramallah and came after a new wave of protest and deadly confrontation between Palestinians and the Israeli military that began in October last year.
Activists in Ramallah started to note the return of these tear gas projectiles during weekly demonstrations in Kafr Qaddum and Nabi Saleh and speculate that the army has chosen to reintroduce them because they serve a dual purpose: like live ammunition, it is long range and potentially deadly, thus keeping protesters farther away from soldiers than almost any other weapon. However, unlike live ammunition, deaths caused by high velocity tear gas can more easily written off as accidents.
The Israeli military declined to comment for this article.
For demonstrators who face these projectiles, the threat is very tangible.
“After the October uprisings, more Palestinians broke the wall of fear inside themselves. They began to take more risks,” said Tamimi. “This prompted the Israelis to find a weapon that will not directly cause death. In the middle of all the chaos … they don’t want more criticism.”
Clare Maxwell is a journalist and human rights activist working in the Salfit region of the West Bank.
Over the past six months, say activists in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military has resumed the use of Indoor Barricade Penetrators, a form of high velocity tear gas 40mm projectile designed to deliver its payload inside buildings or homes and used during raids, demonstrations and clashes.
The use of such heavy duty tear gas projectiles fell by the wayside in 2013 after a number of high-profile court cases demonstrated how easily this particular form of delivery could kill or maim. However, a modified version is now employed across the West Bank, say protestors, and no matter what claims the military and manufacturers may make, these barrier piercing projectiles remain potentially lethal.
Israel has used them to deadly effect before.
In 2009, Bassem Abu Rahmeh was killed during the weekly protest in the West Bank of Bilin, after he was struck in the chest with an Indoor Barricade Penetrator.
Just a few weeks earlier, Tristan Anderson, an American volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement, was hit with a high velocity tear gas canister in the nearby town of Nilin. He didn’t die, but was permanently paralyzed on his left side and suffered massive brain damage.
Recent injuries
Anderson and Abu Rahmeh are among the best known victims of such attacks: many others sustained injuries.
According to Murad Shtaiwi, head of the popular resistance committee in the village of Kafr Qaddum, there have been three moderate injuries from these projectiles since March alone. Ahmad Nasser, a medic working in the Ramallah district, has noted two injuries at clashes outside Ofer prison in the same time period. Nasser himself was also struck with one of the projectiles, but was not injured since he was wearing a bulletproof kevlar vest.
Indoor Barricade Penetrators are a more dangerous means of using tear gas for several reasons. As the name implies, they are not intended for use directly against individuals, rather they are designed to penetrate doors, windows and interior drywalls, and release their payload inside a building.
US weapons manufacturer Combined Systems, a longstanding supplier of tear gas to the Israeli military, makes special note [PDF] that these “less lethal” weapons are intended for use on doors, windows and wallboard, and operators should take caution to avoid firing them in a way that risks hitting a person.
Like other kinds of tear gas, barrier penetrating projectiles are fired from a grenade launcher; however some models used by the Israeli military also have a secondary propulsion mechanism, which takes them further and faster. And unlike outdoor short range tear gas, it does not disperse gas until after impact. This means that protesters cannot see the trajectory of the projectiles until they are detonated, making them much more dangerous.
Harmful gas
In addition to the dangers posed as a high velocity projectile, activists from Ramallah and Nabi Saleh have also reported that the projectiles are more likely to carry an Oleoresin Capsicum- (OC spray — more commonly known as pepper spray) based gas than the more common, and less harmful, CS- (O-chlorobenzylidene malonitrile) based tear gas.
Manal Tamimi, an organizer in Nabi Saleh, cannot find a lab in the West Bank with the capacity to analyze the different types of tear gas. She told The Electronic Intifada that protesters who were exposed to gas from Indoor Barricade Penetrators exhibited symptoms consistent with OC gas, including immediate loss of motor control.
The renewed use of these tear gas projectiles has had a significant impact on demonstrations. In Kafr Qaddum, which Israeli soldiers raid on a regular basis, houses near the village’s weekly protest route have installed metal shutters to protect their interiors. But this provides little protection against a projectile that can move at 122 meters per second.
In Nabi Saleh, where demonstrators try to walk from the center of the village to a spring located in a nearby valley which Israel has confiscated for settlers, there’s little hope of ever getting close. The military can keep protesters at bay from a cool 500 meters with these tear gas projectiles, according to those who have taken part in the demonstrations.
Their renewed use was first noted in early 2016 by activists in Ramallah and came after a new wave of protest and deadly confrontation between Palestinians and the Israeli military that began in October last year.
Activists in Ramallah started to note the return of these tear gas projectiles during weekly demonstrations in Kafr Qaddum and Nabi Saleh and speculate that the army has chosen to reintroduce them because they serve a dual purpose: like live ammunition, it is long range and potentially deadly, thus keeping protesters farther away from soldiers than almost any other weapon. However, unlike live ammunition, deaths caused by high velocity tear gas can more easily written off as accidents.
The Israeli military declined to comment for this article.
For demonstrators who face these projectiles, the threat is very tangible.
“After the October uprisings, more Palestinians broke the wall of fear inside themselves. They began to take more risks,” said Tamimi. “This prompted the Israelis to find a weapon that will not directly cause death. In the middle of all the chaos … they don’t want more criticism.”
Clare Maxwell is a journalist and human rights activist working in the Salfit region of the West Bank.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday evening arrested two Palestinian young men after one of them suffered a bullet injury during their presence in a West Bank area east of Ramallah.
According to the Hebrew website 0404, the young men were throwing stones at Israeli soldiers near Ofra settlement when the latter opened fire and wounded one of them.
The wounded young man was detained and transferred to an Israeli hospital, and the other was taken in for interrogation, the website added.
The wounded was identified as Abdul-Fattah Mubarak from Kafr Malik town, northeast of Ramallah. He was shot in his back and his treatment will take several days, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society. The other young man was identified as Mua'men al-Hamayel.
According to the Hebrew website 0404, the young men were throwing stones at Israeli soldiers near Ofra settlement when the latter opened fire and wounded one of them.
The wounded young man was detained and transferred to an Israeli hospital, and the other was taken in for interrogation, the website added.
The wounded was identified as Abdul-Fattah Mubarak from Kafr Malik town, northeast of Ramallah. He was shot in his back and his treatment will take several days, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Society. The other young man was identified as Mua'men al-Hamayel.