Updates

The Gaza Strip

Time does not heal all wounds: Gazans injured in the May 2021 fighting describe life one year on

About 15 months after the round of fighting that took place in Gaza in May 2021 (operation “Guardian of the Walls”), Israel rained fire on the Gaza Strip once again, launching a new “round” of fighting (Breaking Dawn). The fighting in August 2022 lasted three days and claimed the lives of 49 Palestinians.Over the past few months, B’Tselem has spoken to several of the wounded in the May 2021 fighting, who are still struggling to rehabilitate themselves.

31 August 2022

Open-Fire Policy

"Suspect" arrest procedure: Rafiq Ghannam (20) shot and killed although he endangered no one

On 6 July 2022, soldiers searched a home in the village of Jaba’. Rafik Ghanem (20) came out of a neighboring house and fled, according to the military. The soldiers initiated a “suspect apprehension procedure” and lethally shot him in the upper body. Since early 2022, soldiers have killed five other Palestinians in what was retroactively defined “suspect apprehension procedure.” None were endangering the soldiers’ live. These are not exceptions or a breach of regulations but the implementation of a lethal, unlawful open-fire policy.

28 August 2022

Open-Fire Policy

Soldier shoots and kills Muhammad Suliman (16) after he threw stones in Silwad

On 24 June 2022, a group of teenagers met on the outskirts of Silwad in Ramallah District. Some of them threw stones at soldiers lying in ambush nearby. One teen, Muhammad Suliman, was shot by a soldier from close range without warning. He was pronounced dead at an Israeli hospital and his family found out through social media. Israel held the body for five days, despite promising to return it the day after his death. Muhammad and his friends did not endanger the lives of the soldiers, and there was no justification for the fatal shooting.

22 August 2022

General

53 civil society organizations in solidarity with the Palestinian organizations designated by Israel as “terrorist groups”

Defense of human rights is not terrorism. Israel is persisting in its declaration of prominent Palestinian civil society organizations as terrorist groups. Recently, the military put words into action by raiding their offices and shutting them down. These declarations are baseless. Indeed, the U.S. Administration, the European Union and other allies of Israel found Israel’s allegations unconvincing. After thoroughly examining the material Israel provided them, all of the European countries that are donors to these organizations decided to continue their support.

21 August 2022

The Israeli military raids the offices of civil society organizations in the Occupied Territories ; B’Tselem: unfounded accusations, we will continue to work with our colleague

B’Tselem stands in solidarity with the Palestinian civil society organizations raided this morning by the Israeli military. The false accusations against them have been rejected by the European Union, the United States and other states. We will continue to work with our colleagues in the Palestinian NGOs to dismantle the apartheid regime. This regime considers violent repression a legitimate tool to control Palestinians, yet defines non-violent civil activity as terrorism.

18 August 2022

Settler Violence = State Violence

Settler assaults and injures Palestinian farmer (64) working his land; settlers later attack his home twice

On Friday morning, 17 June 2022, while ‘Abd al-Karim al-Ja’bari (64), a father of 12, was working his land in the neighborhood of al-Makhul in Hebron, a masked settler appeared behind him, hit him on the head with a stick and sprayed pepper spray in his face. Al-Ja’bari tried to defend himself and hit the settler on the hand with a stick, causing the latter to drop the pepper spray canister. At that point, the settler picked up a rock and threw it at al-Ja’bari, hitting him in the arm. He also hit him on the head again with the stick. Al-Ja’bari fled with his head bleeding. The settler chased him and hit him on the head a third time. When al-Ja’bari approached the gate of the Kiryat Arba settlement, he called out to a soldier standing there, who started running towards him. Only then did the settler flee...

15 August 2022

East Jerusalem

Israel Police and ISA agents severely beat 15-year-old in East Jerusalem

On Tuesday, 28 June 2022, at around 4:00 A.M., about 30 Israel Police officers and Israeli Security Agency (ISA) agents, some of them masked, arrived at the Rweidi family home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. Several of them entered Majd’s (15) room, waking him in a fright. Majd’s father tried to reassure his son and told him they were police officers. When Majd replied to his father, “What am I supposed to do to them?” one of the officers forcefully pushed him, and Majd pushed him back. Other officers pounced on the teen, beat him and then took him into custody, barefoot and shirtless...

14 August 2022

The South Hebron Hills

ISA detains and interrogates B'Tselem field researcher; B'Tselem: "Disgraceful arrest aimed at hampering the work of a human rights organization"

On 6 Aug. 2022, soldiers arrested B'Tselem's field researcher, Nasser Nawaj'ah, at his home in Kh. Susiya for about 12 hours, during which he was held, blindfolded and handcuffed, without food and nearly no water or notifying his family or B'Tselem of his whereabouts. Hagai El-Ad: This case is disgraceful, but not an exception. Israel does everything it can to obstruct the work of human rights organizations that expose the violations it commits.

14 August 2022

Open-Fire Policy

Israel resumes ambushes of workers trying to cross known gaps in Separation Barrier; soldiers fatally shoot Nabil Ghanem (53)

On 19 June 2022, Nabil Ghanem (53), tried to enter Israel through a gap in the Separation Barrier in order to collect money owed him by an Israeli employer, and was fatally shot by soldiers lying in wait. From April to July, Israel implemented a policy permitting live fire at the lower body of Palestinians crossing or trying to cross the barrier. As a result, Ghanem and Mahmoud ‘Aram were killed and at least 15 Palestinians injured. The policy of shooting Palestinians seeking to enter Israel, mostly for work, is unlawful and unjustifiable.

4 August 2022

East Jerusalem

Family separation law: Mother of two infants deported alone to West Bank at night

Anas (24) and Nuzhah (22) ‘Afanah married in 2018. Anas is a resident of Zur Baher in East Jerusalem and has an Israeli identity card. Nuzhah is a resident of ‘Anata, a town north of Jerusalem in the West Bank, and has a Palestinian Authority identity card. On Wednesday, 29 June 2022, at around 10:00 P.M., the couple were driving with their two daughters – Yaqin (18 months old) and Sadin (one month old) – to a pastry shop in the neighborhood of Beit Safafa in East Jerusalem, when police officers stopped them. When the officers discovered that Nuzhah is a resident of the West Bank and was in Israel without a permit, they told her she was under arrest and ordered her to get into the police car. Anas protested and after an exchange, the officers agreed to let him take Nuzhah’s place in the police car, but prevented her from taking care of the girls...

31 July 2022

A Routine Founded on Violence

Israeli soldiers detain 6-year-old, his father and a 13-year-old in village of Kisan, Bethlehem District

On Saturday, 25 June 2022, at around 9:30 A.M., about 50 residents of Kisan, a village in Bethlehem District, gathered to protest against the air pollution and odor nuisances generated by a recycling plant for waste and building materials in the nearby settlement of Ma’ale Amos. During the protest, several young Palestinians threw stones at the quarry, but stopped at the request of council head Musa al-‘Abayat (34). After about an hour, the residents dispersed and al-‘Abayat left the area to attend to business...

25 July 2022

A Routine Founded on Violence

Palestinians not even allowed to mourn: Soldiers and police officers attack participants at four funerals

On 13 May 2022, Israeli forces beat pallbearers and other participants in Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral in East J-m. Footage of the incident drew harsh international criticism yet officially, Israel remained unmoved. B’Tselem has since documented three other funerals of Palestinians in which Israeli forces assaulted participants. This violence is another aspect of the apartheid regime’s official policy towards grieving Palestinians, which includes holding on to bodies and denying relatives of the deceased permits.

24 July 2022

Open-Fire Policy

The killing of Shireen Abu Akleh

On 11 May 2022, Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was fatally shot at the entrance to Jenin R.C. Investigations conducted since, including B’Tselem’s, determined that all findings indicate that the shots were fired by the military from about 200 meters away. Immediately after the incident, Israel denied any responsibility and continues to do so, with US backing. Israel’s promises to continue investigating the incident are detached from reality, and all that can now be expected is that Israel will complete the whitewashing process it began.

21 July 2022

Open-Fire Policy

Soldier shoots and kills Palestinian teen (16) watching stone-throwing

On 11 May 2022, by the settlement of Psagot, about 20 Palestinian youths threw stones at soldiers from afar. The soldiers fired stun grenades, tear gas canisters and live rounds at them. One of the youths, Thaer Mislet (16), who did not throw stones, peeked out at the soldiers from behind a van and was fatally shot. He is the 14th minor killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank in the first half of 2022 — the deadliest six months since 2016 – as part of Israel’s unlawful policy permitting live fire at Palestinians in non-life-threatening situations.

7 July 2022

Hebron City Center

Palestinian refusing to comply with Israeli officer’s draconian instructions detained for nearly 20 hours

Sa’ed a-Din a-Zaro (57), a father of nine, lives near the Pharmacy Checkpoint in the city center of Hebron. On Monday, 30 May 2022, he arrived at the checkpoint at around 5:30 P.M., carrying sacks of flour intended for his neighbors. A female police officer at the checkpoint refused to let him through and told him he had to cross another checkpoint, located about 800 meters away. A-Zaro refused and three female police officers came out of the checkpoint, attacked him and pinned him forcibly against a fence. One also grabbed him by the neck. Then other soldiers and Border Police officers arrived, one of whom handcuffed a-Zaro and took him inside the checkpoint...

5 July 2022

Open-Fire Policy

In one week, Israeli soldiers kill three Palestinians in stone-throwing incidents in northern West Bank

In one week in April, Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinians when stones were thrown at security forces entering Palestinian communities. Fawaz Hamayel (46) was shot in the chest in Beita, Muhammad ‘Assaf (32) was shot in the chest in Nablus, and Lutfi Labadi (18) was shot in the head in al-Yamun. In all three cases – as in many other cases in which Palestinians were killed or injured in similar circumstances – the shooting was unlawful and unjustified, as there was no clear and present danger to the forces’ lives.

5 July 2022

A Routine Founded on Violence

Soldiers attack human rights activists volunteering with B’Tselem

On Sunday, 8 May 2022, soldiers attacked, beat and attempted to arrest two Palestinians in two separate incidents in the West Bank. Ahmad Ziyadah (31) from the village of Madama in the Nablus area and Basel Adra (25) from the village of a-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills, both B’Tselem volunteers, were attacked by soldiers while documenting their actions...

3 July 2022

A Routine Founded on Violence

March-April 2022: Soldiers stand by as settlers repeatedly throw stones from Beit Hadassah settlement at Palestinian homes and passersby

The settlement of Beit Hadassah is one of eight settlement sites installed by Israel in central Hebron, in the heart of the city’s Palestinian population. Israel enforces a regime of segregation between settlers and Palestinians in the area, which includes severe restrictions on Palestinian movement, brutal violence against them and facilitation of daily settler attacks.

29 June 2022

A Routine Founded on Violence

Palestinian protester in Hebron handcuffed and beaten unconscious by Border Police

On Monday evening, 23 May 2022, at around 8:00 P.M., several dozen Palestinians set out in a procession from Ibn Rushd Square in Hebron’s city center towards al-Haram al-Ibrahimi (the Tomb of the Patriarchs), to protest Israeli work under way to make the site entrance that serves Jewish worshippers more accessible. When the procession reached the al-Haram al-Ibrahimi Checkpoint, several protesters crossed it and then the police closed the checkpoint and did not allow other protesters through...

28 June 2022

Settler Violence = State Violence

Settlers throw stones at Palestinian’s home; security forces then arrest and abuse him for 72 hours

On Thursday, 19 May 2022, at around 7:30 P.M., about 20 young settlers threw stones from the Beit Hadassah settlement at the Abu Hayah family’s home, which lies nearby, in the city center of Hebron. A soldier stood at a nearby observation post watching the incident but did nothing to intervene. Muhammad Abu Hayah (43), who volunteers with B’Tselem’s camera distribution project, went up to the roof of his home with his son Maher (20) to try and drive the settlers away...

26 June 2022

East Jerusalem

Demolitions in Jerusalem area, May 2022: Israeli authorities demolish 29 structures; 59 people, including 30 minors, lose homes

Throughout May 2022, on orders of the Jerusalem Municipality and the Civil Administration, 29 structures were demolished in the parts of the West Bank annexed to Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries and in adjacent areas lying within the al-Quds District of the Palestinian Authority. The demolished structures included 20 homes, six of which were demolished by their owners. Twelve were inhabited, and their demolition left 59 people, including 30 minors, homeless. Eight additional homes were under construction and slated to house a family of seven, including one minor, and for the future residence of five newly-wed young men. A part of another demolished house under construction was slated to house a young couple...

23 June 2022

Human Shields

Border Police officers use members of Jenin family as human shields

On Friday, 13 May 2022, at around 6:00 A.M., Israeli troops, including Special Police Unit forces, entered the al-Hadaf neighborhood in Jenin. They stopped by the home of the extended Mer'eb family, blew up the door of Muhammad and Manal Mer'eb’s apartment on the first floor, and called for the couple’s son Mahmoud (20) to come out. The parents came out with three of their children – ‘Ahd (16), Fares (9) and 'Abd a-Rahman (4). Mahmoud stayed in the apartment. Two of Muhammad's brothers, their mother Khairiyah (64), and their wives and children – 12 people in total – stayed in their apartments on the top floor....

19 June 2022

A Routine Founded on Violence

Hebron city center: Soldiers assault three Palestinian men

On Monday, 23 May 2022, at around 4:00 A.M., Mu’taz Jaber (20) and Mahmoud Jaber (23) were on their way home. When they reached a military checkpoint near their homes in the Jaber neighborhood, two soldiers detained them. They beat the two men, frisked them and bound their hands. After about half an hour, the soldiers untied their hands but ordered them to stay put. While the two were being held at the checkpoint, Mu’taz’s cousin, ‘Alaa Abu ‘Odeh (26), passed by on his way to work...

13 June 2022