29 july 2019
Israel’s unlawful open-fire policy during the demonstrations along the Gaza perimeter fence – which were upheld by the Supreme Court – have so far resulted in hundreds of Palestinian deaths and thousands of injuries.
Official sources now admit that they were well aware that people were being killed when even the State did not claim that this is justified.
Despite this, no-one has taken action to amend the open-fire regulations. Instead, the military continued with its trial-and-error approach, ignoring the fact that human lives were at stake: people whose lives have been taken, and families who have been permanently devastated.
Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency reports that on 22 July, 2019, it emerged that the officials were fully aware, at every stage, of the gulf between their declarations and reality.
Carmela Menashe, a reporter for Kan News, reported that the military has now decided to change the open-fire regulations for snipers “after it emerged that firing at the lower limbs above the knee led, in most cases, to death, despite the fact that this was not the objective.
Going forward, soldiers have been briefed to shoot below the knee and then at the ankle.” A senior officer at the military’s Counter-Terrorism School stated that the snipers’ objective “is not to kill but to injure, and accordingly one of the lessons learned related to the direction toward which they fire…
At first, we told them to shoot at the leg. We saw that this can result in fatalities, so we told them to shoot below the knee, then we fine-tuned the regulations to shooting at the ankle.”
The decision to change the regulations only now, after more than a year during which they led to the deaths of at least 206 Palestinians, including 37 minors, and the injury of thousands, in no way suggests that the military attaches great value to human life.
On the contrary, it shows that the military consciously chose not to regard those standing on the other side of the fence as humans. In its naivety, the High Court of Justice approved this practice. Both the military and the courts bear the responsibility for this criminal policy.
Background
In March of 2018, thousands of residents of the Gaza Strip began demonstrating along the fence that separates Gaza from Israel, demanding an end to the siege of the Gaza Strip and the implementation of the right of return. From the outset, following the announcement of the first demonstration, Israel portrayed the protests as an existential threat to the state and regarded the participants as dangerous terrorists.
As a result of this approach, the military implemented lethal open-fire regulations from the first day of the protests: regulations that are patently unlawful and immoral.
As part of this policy, the military permitted the use of live fire against demonstrators on the other side of the fence and posed no danger to anyone, certainly not the armed and well-protected security forces stationed at a considerable distance from them.
B’Tselem urged soldiers to refuse to obey these regulations and to refrain from shooting at unarmed protestors.
The regulation were legally challenged at the High Court of Justice. In its response to the petition, the State defended the regulations, declaring that “there can be no doubt regarding their legality.”
The State emphasized that the regulations were approved by the Military Advocate General and the Attorney General, and that they permit live fire “solely in order to address violent disturbances that present a clear and present danger to IDF forces or to Israeli civilians.”
The State added that “the rules permit precise fire at the legs of a main rioter or main instigator in order to eliminate the danger from the violence disturbance of the peace.”
The State further added that “there is an orderly process in place for operational debriefing and implementation of lessons learned; ” that “forces have been provided with clarifications and highlights designed to further limit, insofar as possible, the scope of injuries;” and that incidents involving fatalities have been referred for “review by the General Staff Mechanism for Fact-Finding Assessments which investigates exceptional incidents.”
The Court accepted this position verbatim and made no attempt to challenge it. Supreme Court Vice President, Justice Hanan Melcer, held that the regulations permit live fire solely when “there is an immediate, clear and present danger to IDF forces or Israeli civilians,” and allow only “precise fire at the legs of a main rioter or main instigator in order to eliminate the danger from the violence disturbance of the peace, with the goal of eliminating the anticipated imminent danger.”
Supreme Court President Esther Hayut concurred with Justice Melcer, similarly accepting each and every one of the State’s claims regarding the great caution the military exercises in the use of life fire, “in order to minimize as far as possible the potential harm to uninvolved civilians who participate in [the demonstrations].”
In the months since the beginning of the demonstrations, a gap between the State’s claims and the horrifying outcomes of the actual implementation of the unlawful open-fire regulations approved by the High Court grew wider. To date, the military has killed at least 206 Palestinian demonstrators using live fire, 37 of whom were minors under the age of 18.
According to figures published by OCHA, more than 7,800 Palestinians have been injured by live fire. According to the World Health Organization, physicians have had to perform amputations in 139 cases – 30 of which involved minors and 121 involved the lower limbs. Moreover, 24 people have been left paralyzed as the result of spinal injuries.
Human rights organizations, including B’Tselem, as well as various media outlets, reported these outcomes in real time.
Despite this, officials refused to change the open-fire regulations, persistently repeating that the regulations are legal and proportionate, and that they permit live fire only as a last resort, in the absence of any other alternative.
Official sources now admit that they were well aware that people were being killed when even the State did not claim that this is justified.
Despite this, no-one has taken action to amend the open-fire regulations. Instead, the military continued with its trial-and-error approach, ignoring the fact that human lives were at stake: people whose lives have been taken, and families who have been permanently devastated.
Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency reports that on 22 July, 2019, it emerged that the officials were fully aware, at every stage, of the gulf between their declarations and reality.
Carmela Menashe, a reporter for Kan News, reported that the military has now decided to change the open-fire regulations for snipers “after it emerged that firing at the lower limbs above the knee led, in most cases, to death, despite the fact that this was not the objective.
Going forward, soldiers have been briefed to shoot below the knee and then at the ankle.” A senior officer at the military’s Counter-Terrorism School stated that the snipers’ objective “is not to kill but to injure, and accordingly one of the lessons learned related to the direction toward which they fire…
At first, we told them to shoot at the leg. We saw that this can result in fatalities, so we told them to shoot below the knee, then we fine-tuned the regulations to shooting at the ankle.”
The decision to change the regulations only now, after more than a year during which they led to the deaths of at least 206 Palestinians, including 37 minors, and the injury of thousands, in no way suggests that the military attaches great value to human life.
On the contrary, it shows that the military consciously chose not to regard those standing on the other side of the fence as humans. In its naivety, the High Court of Justice approved this practice. Both the military and the courts bear the responsibility for this criminal policy.
Background
In March of 2018, thousands of residents of the Gaza Strip began demonstrating along the fence that separates Gaza from Israel, demanding an end to the siege of the Gaza Strip and the implementation of the right of return. From the outset, following the announcement of the first demonstration, Israel portrayed the protests as an existential threat to the state and regarded the participants as dangerous terrorists.
As a result of this approach, the military implemented lethal open-fire regulations from the first day of the protests: regulations that are patently unlawful and immoral.
As part of this policy, the military permitted the use of live fire against demonstrators on the other side of the fence and posed no danger to anyone, certainly not the armed and well-protected security forces stationed at a considerable distance from them.
B’Tselem urged soldiers to refuse to obey these regulations and to refrain from shooting at unarmed protestors.
The regulation were legally challenged at the High Court of Justice. In its response to the petition, the State defended the regulations, declaring that “there can be no doubt regarding their legality.”
The State emphasized that the regulations were approved by the Military Advocate General and the Attorney General, and that they permit live fire “solely in order to address violent disturbances that present a clear and present danger to IDF forces or to Israeli civilians.”
The State added that “the rules permit precise fire at the legs of a main rioter or main instigator in order to eliminate the danger from the violence disturbance of the peace.”
The State further added that “there is an orderly process in place for operational debriefing and implementation of lessons learned; ” that “forces have been provided with clarifications and highlights designed to further limit, insofar as possible, the scope of injuries;” and that incidents involving fatalities have been referred for “review by the General Staff Mechanism for Fact-Finding Assessments which investigates exceptional incidents.”
The Court accepted this position verbatim and made no attempt to challenge it. Supreme Court Vice President, Justice Hanan Melcer, held that the regulations permit live fire solely when “there is an immediate, clear and present danger to IDF forces or Israeli civilians,” and allow only “precise fire at the legs of a main rioter or main instigator in order to eliminate the danger from the violence disturbance of the peace, with the goal of eliminating the anticipated imminent danger.”
Supreme Court President Esther Hayut concurred with Justice Melcer, similarly accepting each and every one of the State’s claims regarding the great caution the military exercises in the use of life fire, “in order to minimize as far as possible the potential harm to uninvolved civilians who participate in [the demonstrations].”
In the months since the beginning of the demonstrations, a gap between the State’s claims and the horrifying outcomes of the actual implementation of the unlawful open-fire regulations approved by the High Court grew wider. To date, the military has killed at least 206 Palestinian demonstrators using live fire, 37 of whom were minors under the age of 18.
According to figures published by OCHA, more than 7,800 Palestinians have been injured by live fire. According to the World Health Organization, physicians have had to perform amputations in 139 cases – 30 of which involved minors and 121 involved the lower limbs. Moreover, 24 people have been left paralyzed as the result of spinal injuries.
Human rights organizations, including B’Tselem, as well as various media outlets, reported these outcomes in real time.
Despite this, officials refused to change the open-fire regulations, persistently repeating that the regulations are legal and proportionate, and that they permit live fire only as a last resort, in the absence of any other alternative.
27 july 2019
Ahmad Mohammad al-Qarra, 22
The Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip has confirmed that a young man died, on Friday at night, from serious wounds he suffered in the evening after Israeli soldiers shot him during the Great Return March processions.
The Health Ministry said the young man, identified as Ahmad Mohammad al-Qarra, 22, was shot with a live round in his abdomen, suffering serious wounds, and died at a hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip.
It added that the Palestinian was shot east of Khan Younis and was treated by the medics who rushed him to the hospital but succumbed to his serious wounds.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers injured during Friday’s processions 71 Palestinians, including 30 children, one medic and three women, after the army attacked the Great Return March processions in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said.
The PCHR referred to a report published last Tuesday by the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Aharonot, in which is said that the army has, in recent months, been training the soldiers on a new type of a sniper rifle, which indicates that the military is using the Palestinians as target practice for its weapons, in direct violation of all international laws and regulations, including human rights treaties and International Humanitarian Law.
According to extensive and ongoing PCHR documentation, the Israeli army has killed 207 Palestinians, including 44 children, two women, 9 persons with special needs, four medics and two journalists, in addition to wounding 13323 Palestinians, including 2742 children, 409 women, 221 medics and 207 journalists, since the Great Return March processions started on March 30 2018.
196 of the wounded Palestinians. Including 28 children and 5 women, suffered permanent disabilities. 149 of them suffered amputations as a result of Israeli gunfire, 21 suffered paralysis, 26 lost their hearing or vision, and 9 suffered permanent damage to reproductive organs.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip has confirmed that a young man died, on Friday at night, from serious wounds he suffered in the evening after Israeli soldiers shot him during the Great Return March processions.
The Health Ministry said the young man, identified as Ahmad Mohammad al-Qarra, 22, was shot with a live round in his abdomen, suffering serious wounds, and died at a hospital in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza Strip.
It added that the Palestinian was shot east of Khan Younis and was treated by the medics who rushed him to the hospital but succumbed to his serious wounds.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers injured during Friday’s processions 71 Palestinians, including 30 children, one medic and three women, after the army attacked the Great Return March processions in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said.
The PCHR referred to a report published last Tuesday by the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Aharonot, in which is said that the army has, in recent months, been training the soldiers on a new type of a sniper rifle, which indicates that the military is using the Palestinians as target practice for its weapons, in direct violation of all international laws and regulations, including human rights treaties and International Humanitarian Law.
According to extensive and ongoing PCHR documentation, the Israeli army has killed 207 Palestinians, including 44 children, two women, 9 persons with special needs, four medics and two journalists, in addition to wounding 13323 Palestinians, including 2742 children, 409 women, 221 medics and 207 journalists, since the Great Return March processions started on March 30 2018.
196 of the wounded Palestinians. Including 28 children and 5 women, suffered permanent disabilities. 149 of them suffered amputations as a result of Israeli gunfire, 21 suffered paralysis, 26 lost their hearing or vision, and 9 suffered permanent damage to reproductive organs.
16 july 2019
Nassar Taqateqa
A Palestinian prisoner on Tuesday morning died inside an isolation cell in the Israeli Nitzan jail.
According to Asra Media Office, prisoner Nassar Taqateqa was found dead in his cell, with no known reason.
Taqateqa was kidnaped from his home in Beit Fajjar town in Bethlehem last month.
The Palestinian Captive Movement has held the Israeli prison service fully responsible for the death of Taqateqa and called on human rights organizations to form a committee to probe his death.
Palestinian Detainee Dies In Solitary Confinement In Nitzan Israeli Prison
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has reported, Tuesday, that a Palestinian detainee from Beit Fajjar town, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, died in solitary confinement in Nitzan Israeli Prison.
The PPS said the detainee, Nassar Majed Taqatqa, 31, was taken prison by Israeli soldiers on June 19 2019, and has been under interrogation since then. This was his first arrest by the army.
It also denied allegations by the Israel Prison Authority about his death and confirmed that the Palestinian did not have any preexisting health conditions.
The PPS held Israel fully responsible for his death, especially while under interrogation, as Palestinian detainees are frequently physically and psychologically tortured, in addition to the very bad living conditions they face, and the lack of medical treatment.
The PPS stated that the death of Taqatqa brings the number of detainees, who were killed or died in Israeli prisons since 1967, to 220.
The International Red Cross sent its condolences to the family and stated that although it does not take part in investigation committees or autopsy, it will be following the case closely with the Israeli authorities and the family.
It added that it is following the detainee’s death with great concern and advised refraining from publishing sensitive information for the privacy of the family.
In a statement, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) called for an immediate and impartial investigation into Taqatqa’s death while in solitary confinement in Nitzan (al-Ramla) Prison.
It quoted his family stating that the detainee did not have any health issues and was a completely healthy young man when he was taken prisoner.
The PCHR said:
According to human rights organizations’ reports followed up by PCHR’s field workers, Israeli forces arrested Taqatqa on 19 June 2019 after raiding his house in Beit Fajjar and taking him to al-Jalamah Center for investigation.
On 09 July 2019, the Israeli forces again raided and searched his family house while he was in prison. Two weeks after his arrest, the Israeli authorities sent Taqatqa to solitary confinement in “Nitzan” Prison (al-Ramla) in Israel to continue investigating with him.
Lawyer Raji Sourani, PCHR’s Director, commented on that by saying, “Israel has a black record of priors, which proves Israeli security services’ involvement in torture, inhuman treatment, and deliberate medical negligence against dozens of prisoners as part of an Israeli systematic policy and under legal cover.
Taqatqa, as said, did not have any health issues prior to his arrest, so his death during investigation raises suspicions, which urge opening an investigation into possible occurrence of torture and medical negligence.”
Taqatqa’s family said that this was his first arrest, and they knew about his death via media. Thus, they contacted the lawyer of the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Committee to confirm this news.
PCHR emphasizes that living conditions of around 5800 Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails continue to deteriorate; 700 of them who suffer chronic diseases and do not receive the adequate healthcare. PCHR also holds the Israeli government fully responsible for the death of Taqatqa and calls for a prompt and impartial investigation into the death circumstances.
A Palestinian prisoner on Tuesday morning died inside an isolation cell in the Israeli Nitzan jail.
According to Asra Media Office, prisoner Nassar Taqateqa was found dead in his cell, with no known reason.
Taqateqa was kidnaped from his home in Beit Fajjar town in Bethlehem last month.
The Palestinian Captive Movement has held the Israeli prison service fully responsible for the death of Taqateqa and called on human rights organizations to form a committee to probe his death.
Palestinian Detainee Dies In Solitary Confinement In Nitzan Israeli Prison
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) has reported, Tuesday, that a Palestinian detainee from Beit Fajjar town, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, died in solitary confinement in Nitzan Israeli Prison.
The PPS said the detainee, Nassar Majed Taqatqa, 31, was taken prison by Israeli soldiers on June 19 2019, and has been under interrogation since then. This was his first arrest by the army.
It also denied allegations by the Israel Prison Authority about his death and confirmed that the Palestinian did not have any preexisting health conditions.
The PPS held Israel fully responsible for his death, especially while under interrogation, as Palestinian detainees are frequently physically and psychologically tortured, in addition to the very bad living conditions they face, and the lack of medical treatment.
The PPS stated that the death of Taqatqa brings the number of detainees, who were killed or died in Israeli prisons since 1967, to 220.
The International Red Cross sent its condolences to the family and stated that although it does not take part in investigation committees or autopsy, it will be following the case closely with the Israeli authorities and the family.
It added that it is following the detainee’s death with great concern and advised refraining from publishing sensitive information for the privacy of the family.
In a statement, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) called for an immediate and impartial investigation into Taqatqa’s death while in solitary confinement in Nitzan (al-Ramla) Prison.
It quoted his family stating that the detainee did not have any health issues and was a completely healthy young man when he was taken prisoner.
The PCHR said:
According to human rights organizations’ reports followed up by PCHR’s field workers, Israeli forces arrested Taqatqa on 19 June 2019 after raiding his house in Beit Fajjar and taking him to al-Jalamah Center for investigation.
On 09 July 2019, the Israeli forces again raided and searched his family house while he was in prison. Two weeks after his arrest, the Israeli authorities sent Taqatqa to solitary confinement in “Nitzan” Prison (al-Ramla) in Israel to continue investigating with him.
Lawyer Raji Sourani, PCHR’s Director, commented on that by saying, “Israel has a black record of priors, which proves Israeli security services’ involvement in torture, inhuman treatment, and deliberate medical negligence against dozens of prisoners as part of an Israeli systematic policy and under legal cover.
Taqatqa, as said, did not have any health issues prior to his arrest, so his death during investigation raises suspicions, which urge opening an investigation into possible occurrence of torture and medical negligence.”
Taqatqa’s family said that this was his first arrest, and they knew about his death via media. Thus, they contacted the lawyer of the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Committee to confirm this news.
PCHR emphasizes that living conditions of around 5800 Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails continue to deteriorate; 700 of them who suffer chronic diseases and do not receive the adequate healthcare. PCHR also holds the Israeli government fully responsible for the death of Taqatqa and calls for a prompt and impartial investigation into the death circumstances.
Tariq Zebania, 7
A Palestinian child who was riding his bicycle near his village in the southern part of the West Bank was hit by an unknown Israeli settler and killed on Monday.
Tariq Zebania, 7 years old, was from Tarqumia, west of Hebron, and was riding his bicycle by the settlement road near his town. He was struck by a car driven by an Israeli settler who headed into the ‘Adhoura’ settlement after hitting the boy.
Eyewitnesses called the Israeli security forces, who sent a military ambulance to transport the child to an Israeli hospital, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.
Local sources report that no efforts were made by the Israeli authorities to apprehend the driver who killed the boy.
A Palestinian child who was riding his bicycle near his village in the southern part of the West Bank was hit by an unknown Israeli settler and killed on Monday.
Tariq Zebania, 7 years old, was from Tarqumia, west of Hebron, and was riding his bicycle by the settlement road near his town. He was struck by a car driven by an Israeli settler who headed into the ‘Adhoura’ settlement after hitting the boy.
Eyewitnesses called the Israeli security forces, who sent a military ambulance to transport the child to an Israeli hospital, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.
Local sources report that no efforts were made by the Israeli authorities to apprehend the driver who killed the boy.
11 july 2019
The IDF issues statement saying the troops stationed at the border mistakenly identified a 'restrain operative' along the security fence as an armed terrorist; Hamas threatened Israel with retaliation as a result of the shooting
The fatal shooting of a Hamas operative by Israeli troops along the Gaza border, appears to have been a result of a "misunderstanding," the military said in a statement Thursday.
IDF troops shot and killed a Palestinian near the border fence in the northern Gaza Strip earlier on Thursday, prompting Hamas - who claim the man killed was their operative - to threaten Israel with retaliation.
“Two Palestinians approached the area of the border fence earlier in the morning in the northern Gaza Strip, behind them was a Hamas restraint operative, who was supposed to take the men back to Gaza,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit in a statement.
"An initial inquiry suggests that the IDF troops who arrived at the location misidentified the Hamas restraint operative to be an armed terrorist and fired as a result of this misunderstanding. The incident will be reviewed," it said.
"We will not allow this shooting to go without a response, and Israel will pay for its actions," the terror group said in a statement. "Israel intentionally fired at one of our members while he was carrying out his duties. We've launched an investigation into this crime."
The incident comes just as a senior Egyptian intelligence delegation was due to enter the Gaza Strip to discuss the agreement for calm with Israel, and also to restart reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah. These meetings were planned before today's shooting, but could now potentially be undermined by Hamas' response.
The Egyptian delegation will first meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior Fatah officials in Ramallah, as well as possibly meeting with senior Israeli defense officials.
The killing of the gunman comes just as a temporary ceasefire agreement between the two sides has come into effect between Israel and Hamas, which was preceded by over 100 fires in southern Israel which broke out as a result of incendiary balloons launched from Gaza.
However, recent data from Israeli authorities show that the number of fires caused by incendiary balloons from Gaza have gone down in 2019, compared to 2018.
The fatal shooting of a Hamas operative by Israeli troops along the Gaza border, appears to have been a result of a "misunderstanding," the military said in a statement Thursday.
IDF troops shot and killed a Palestinian near the border fence in the northern Gaza Strip earlier on Thursday, prompting Hamas - who claim the man killed was their operative - to threaten Israel with retaliation.
“Two Palestinians approached the area of the border fence earlier in the morning in the northern Gaza Strip, behind them was a Hamas restraint operative, who was supposed to take the men back to Gaza,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit in a statement.
"An initial inquiry suggests that the IDF troops who arrived at the location misidentified the Hamas restraint operative to be an armed terrorist and fired as a result of this misunderstanding. The incident will be reviewed," it said.
"We will not allow this shooting to go without a response, and Israel will pay for its actions," the terror group said in a statement. "Israel intentionally fired at one of our members while he was carrying out his duties. We've launched an investigation into this crime."
The incident comes just as a senior Egyptian intelligence delegation was due to enter the Gaza Strip to discuss the agreement for calm with Israel, and also to restart reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah. These meetings were planned before today's shooting, but could now potentially be undermined by Hamas' response.
The Egyptian delegation will first meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior Fatah officials in Ramallah, as well as possibly meeting with senior Israeli defense officials.
The killing of the gunman comes just as a temporary ceasefire agreement between the two sides has come into effect between Israel and Hamas, which was preceded by over 100 fires in southern Israel which broke out as a result of incendiary balloons launched from Gaza.
However, recent data from Israeli authorities show that the number of fires caused by incendiary balloons from Gaza have gone down in 2019, compared to 2018.
Mahmoud Ahmad al-Adham, 28
Israeli soldiers killed, Thursday, a young Palestinian man, east of Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian was a member of Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and was shot while trying to prevent protesters from approaching the perimeter fence.
The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that the soldiers shot and seriously injured Mahmoud Ahmad al-Adham, 28, on Thursday morning, east of Beit Hanoun, and added that the young man succumbed to his injuries on Thursday evening.
He was one of many “Field Control” officers, stationed near the perimeter fence to prevent Palestinian protesters from approaching the perimeter fence with Israel as part of understandings to avoid escalation.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers also fired several live rounds at filed control post, east of Rafah, in southern Gaza Strip.
The Al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement accusing Israel of deliberately killing the Palestinian, and said that “it is evaluating the situation, and its response to the grave Israeli violation.”
His death comes after a period of relative calm along the perimeter fence, especially after the indirect “ceasefire understandings” between Hamas and Israel, to avoid tension along the fence.
He was one of the dozens of officers, and fighters, tasked with preventing any Palestinian from reaching the perimeter fence or attempting to cross it.
As part of these understandings, Israel increased the fishing zone in the coastal region to fifteen nautical miles, a move that was described by Israeli officials as aiming at “preventing humanitarian deterioration,” in the already besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip.
Israeli soldiers killed, Thursday, a young Palestinian man, east of Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian was a member of Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, and was shot while trying to prevent protesters from approaching the perimeter fence.
The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that the soldiers shot and seriously injured Mahmoud Ahmad al-Adham, 28, on Thursday morning, east of Beit Hanoun, and added that the young man succumbed to his injuries on Thursday evening.
He was one of many “Field Control” officers, stationed near the perimeter fence to prevent Palestinian protesters from approaching the perimeter fence with Israel as part of understandings to avoid escalation.
It is worth mentioning that the soldiers also fired several live rounds at filed control post, east of Rafah, in southern Gaza Strip.
The Al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement accusing Israel of deliberately killing the Palestinian, and said that “it is evaluating the situation, and its response to the grave Israeli violation.”
His death comes after a period of relative calm along the perimeter fence, especially after the indirect “ceasefire understandings” between Hamas and Israel, to avoid tension along the fence.
He was one of the dozens of officers, and fighters, tasked with preventing any Palestinian from reaching the perimeter fence or attempting to cross it.
As part of these understandings, Israel increased the fishing zone in the coastal region to fifteen nautical miles, a move that was described by Israeli officials as aiming at “preventing humanitarian deterioration,” in the already besieged and impoverished Gaza Strip.