Violation of right to life and bodily integrity
3 Palestinians, including 2 civilians and a child member of the Palestinian armed groups, were killed, and 56 others, including 15 children and a paramedic, were injured, while dozens of others suffocated and sustained bruises in Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and settlers’ attacks in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Details are as follows:
On 22 September 2023, ‘Abdullah ‘Emad Abu al-Hasan (16) was shot dead by IOF with a live bullet in his abdomen in exchange of fire following IOF’s incursion into Kafr Dan village, west of Jenin.
On 24 September 2023, IOF killed Osaid Abu ‘Ali (21) and ‘Abed al-Rahman Suliman Abu Daghash (32) during IOF’s incursion into Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm. (Details available in PCHR’s press release.)
Meanwhile, those injured were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied IOF incursions into cities and villages, or suppression of peaceful protests organized by Palestinian civilians.
On 21 September 2023, a Palestinian was seriously injured with a live bullet that penetrated his back and exited his abdomen after IOF opened fire at him during their suppression of Palestinian protestors in Malaka area, east of Gaza City. On the same day, IOF opened fire at a Palestinian and injured him with several bullets in the neck and back, claiming that he carried out a stabbing attack at the light rail station near Shu’fat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem. The wounded Palestinian was then taken to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in West Jerusalem for treatment while he is under the Israeli custody.
On 22 September 2023, 15 Palestinians, including a child, were injured after IOF fired ammunition and teargas canisters at Palestinian protestors in Malaka area, east of Gaza City. On the same day, 14 other Palestinians, including 5 children, sustained injuries after IOF opened fire at Palestinian protestors near the security border fence with Israel, east of Bureij refugee camp and northeast of Jabalia refugee camp in central and northern Gaza Strip. Also, another Palestinian was directly hit with a teargas canister while a child was shot with a live bullet in his leg during IOF’s suppression of protestors in eastern Khan Yunis and Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
On the same day, 3 Palestinians were shot with rubber-coated bullets following IOF’s suppression of the weekly peaceful protest at the northern entrance to Kafr Qaddum village in Qalqilya. Also, a child was shot with a rubber-coated bullet in his leg in clashes with IOF during their incursion into al-Eizariya village in East Jerusalem.
On 23 September 2023, 4 Palestinians, including 2 children, were injured after IOF fired ammunition and teargas canisters at Palestinian protestors in Malaka area, east of Gaza City.
On 24 September 2023, 5 Palestinians, including 3 children and a paramedic, were injured after IOF fired ammunition and teargas canisters at Palestinian protestors in eastern Bureij refugee camp. Also, 2 other Palestinians, including a child, got injured after IOF fired bullets and teargas canisters at Palestinian protestors in northeastern Jabalia refugee camp.
On 25 September 2023, 2 Palestinians, including a child, were injured after IOF fired ammunition and teargas canisters at Palestinian protestors in Malaka area, east of Gaza City.
On 26 September 2023, 6 Palestinians, including 2 children, got injured after IOF fired ammunition and teargas canisters at Palestinian protestors in eastern Rafah. Also, 2 Palestinians, including a child, sustained injuries in similar circumstances in eastern Gaza City.
This week, IOF warplanes and artillery targeted observation posts belonging to the Palestinian armed groups. Also, 8 IOF shootings were reported on agricultural lands in eastern Gaza Strip, while 4 shootings were reported on fishing boats off the Gaza western Gaza shores.
So far in 2023, IOF have killed 233 Palestinians, including 117 civilians; amongst them 44 children, 6 women and a person with disability, 9 killed by settlers and the rest were members of the Palestinian armed groups, including 10 children, and two died in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, 1264 Palestinians, including 193 children, 33 women and 20 journalists, were injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Land razing, demolitions, notices and settlement
On 21 September 2023, IOF demolished the foundations of a 1000-sqm commercial facility near Odala village’s intersection, southeast of Nablus, under the pretext of illegal construction in Area (C). On the same day, IOF forced Fadi Shoqirat to self-demolish part of his house in Jabel Mukaber in occupied East Jerusalem upon an Israeli municipal decision under the pretext of unlicensed construction.
Also, IOF handed Beit ‘Anan, Qatna, and Beit Liqya municipalities a military order to renew a previous military order aimed at seizing 350 dunums from Beit ‘Anan, Qatna, and al-Qubeiba villages, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, and Beit Liqya village in Ramallah, allegedly for military purposes. Moreover, a large Israeli force accompanied by military vehicles and settlers’ vehicles moved into the pastoral areas in Za’tara village, east of Bethlehem, set up several tents and raised the Israeli flag in a prelude to seize the area.
On 23 September 2023, IOF confiscated a tractor in Kafr ad-Dik village, west of Salfit, under the pretext of working in a prohibited zone.
On 24 September 2023, IOF handed 22 cease-construction notices to 18 inhabited and under-construction houses and to 4 barracks in Sarta village, west of Salfit.
On 26 September 2023, IOF demolished a 200-sqm under-construction house and a 30-sqm barrack built of wood and tinplate and used as a livestock barn in An-Nuway’imah village in Jericho, under the pretext of unlicensed construction in Area (C).
Since the beginning of 2023, IOF have made 140 families homeless, a total of 809 persons, including 177 women and 357 children. This was the outcome of IOF demolition of 150 houses; 39 were forcibly self-demolished by their owners and 14 were demolished on grounds of collective punishment. IOF also demolished 118 other civilian objects, razed other property, and delivered dozens of notices of demolition and cease-construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Settler-attacks and retaliatory acts
On 21 September 2023, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian houses in al-Mas’oudyia area, north of “Shafi Shomron” settlement established on Palestinian lands confiscated from northwestern Nablus. As a result, the windows of a house and the windows of 3 vehicles parked in the house yard were broken.
On 22 September 2023, Israeli settlers, from “Aliyah” settlement established on Palestinian lands confiscated from Qaryut village, southeast of Nablus, attacked nearby lands and uprooted and broke about 100 olive trees.
On 23 September 2023, Israeli settlers, from “Mitzpe Yair” settlement outpost in Hebron, moved into Palestinian pastoral lands in Sha’b al-Batam area, east of Yatta, and forced Palestinian shepherds to leave.
On 24 September 2023, under Israeli police heavy protection, Israeli settlers raided Bab al-Rahma Cemetery to the eastern wall of al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, where they desecrated Muslims’ graves and trampled on them. On the same day, under IOF’s protection, settlers broke into Palestinian lands in Khalayil al-Louz area, southeast of Bethlehem, where they removed barbed wires surrounding them in order to establish a settlement bypass road in the area.
On 26 September 2023, Israeli settlers, from “Esh Kodesh” settlement outpost established on Palestinian lands confiscated from Nablus, attacked a road connecting Jalud village with Qusra village and cut five electricity poles with saws.
Since the beginning of the year, settlers have conducted at least 315 attacks against Palestinian civilians and their property. As a result, 9 Palestinians were killed, and dozens of others were injured; most of them due to being beaten and thrown with stones. Also, dozens of houses, vehicles and civilian facilities were set ablaze.
Violations against Right to Education
On 21 September 2023, IOF raided and searched al-Eizariya School for Girls in central al-Eizariya village in occupied East Jerusalem after blowing up its doors. They damaged the school’s contents and seized the surveillance cameras’ recorders.
On 24 September 2023, IOF raided Birzeit University in northern Ramallah and the guard room. They confiscated the guards’ cellphones and held them inside. Afterwards, IOF raided the Student Council office after destroying the door, and arrested 8 students, one of whom was the Student Council President.
Israeli closure, restrictions on freedom of movement, and collective punishment:
Israeli occupation maintains its illegal and inhuman 17-year closure on the Gaza Strip. Details available in PCHR’s monthly-update on the state of the Gaza crossings in August.
IOF announced the closure of crossings with the Gaza Strip and West Bank for the Jewish New Year, starting from 24 September and until midnight of 26 September 2023, marking the Israeli “Yom Kippur” holiday. Although the crossings were partially reopened, IOF remained the Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing closed to the movement of workers and merchants intending to leave Gaza in a collective punitive measure over the protests in eastern Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, IOF continue to impose restrictions on the freedom of movement. On top of its 110 permanent checkpoints, IOF established 118 temporary military checkpoints in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, and arrested several Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Since 12 September 2023, IOF have tightened their military measures in the vicinity of Huwara village and the nearby villages of ‘Aqraba, Osrin, Beita and Yatma in Nablus, and closed sub-roads with sand berms and checkpoints. These measures are part of IOF’s collective punishment measures imposed following a shooting that killed 2 settlers in Huwara.
On 24 September 2023, IOF closed several main streets in occupied East Jerusalem, put up barricades, and placed cement cubes at the neighborhoods’ entrances and intersections due to the Israeli “Yom Kippur” holiday. The closure continued until 20:00 the next day, denying residents access to their workplaces and students to their schools and universities.
On 25 September 2023, IOF continued to close the main entrance to Isawiya village although the closure period declared by IOF for the Israeli Yom Kippur holiday ended. Next day at dawn, IOF reopened the entrance.
So far in 2023, IOF have established 4,690 temporary military checkpoints and arrested dozens of Palestinians at those checkpoints.
Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
