At aproximately 7.30 am, an international human rights observer alarmed by residents, witnessed another attack of the Israeli occupation forces against farmers. The Israelis were shooting from a watchtower on the Green Line, in the area between the villages Khouza'a and Faraheen, east of the City of Khan Younis. According to local Palestinians, the shooting was from a remote controlled machine gun, installed at the watch towers after the last massacres and was targeting farmers that were clearly beyond the 300 meters "buffer zone" that the Israelis are trying to impose.
www.farmingunderfire.blogspot.com
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
New Israeli incursion in southern Gaza Strip
According to Palestinian farmers, at least 2 Israeli tanks and 2 Israeli bulldozers entered Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning. At 10.30 they were seen in Abassan Jedida coming from Qerrara. They were leveling land near the Green Line. They passed in front of the villages of Faraheen, Khouza'a and Foukhari.
www.farmingunderfire.blogspot.com
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Tanks and bulldozers have been invading border areas of the Gaza Strip on daily basses since the start of this week. On Tuesday midday Palestinian fighters clashed with the invading forces, no injures in both sides were reported.
www.farmingunderfire.blogspot.com
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The Israeli military invades southern Gaza
Wednesday July 29, 2009 14:55 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News & Agencies
A number of Israeli tanks and bulldozers invaded, on Wednesday morning, Al Qararra town on the southern borders of the Gaza Strip and Israel.
An Israeli tank in Gaza - File 2009
Tanks and bulldozers have been invading border areas of the Gaza Strip on daily basses since the start of this week. On Tuesday midday Palestinian fighters clashed with the invading forces, no injures in both sides were reported.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Israeli tanks invades areas in Gaza
Tuesday July 28, 2009 18:11 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News
A number of Israeli tanks and bulldozers invaded on Tuesday midday areas in Gaza City close to the borders with Israeli.
Witnesses reported that at least 18 tanks and 3 bulldozers rolled into the area, tanks opened fire at residents' homes as bulldozers uprooted trees and destroyed fame lands nearby, the witnesses added. No injures were reported during the attack.
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update from PCHR weekly report No. 30/2009 23 - 29 July 2009
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
At approximately 10:30, IOF moved nearly 100 meters into the east of Gaza City. They leveled areas of land, which they had already razed. No casualties were reported.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Farmers with white flags under Israeli fire 25/7/09
On the 25th of July 2009 Palestinian farmers went again to repair the damages caused by an Israeli incursion (21/7/09) at a water well in Abassan Jedida. This time they weren't accompanied by international human rights workers, but they had a lot of white flags. Despite that, they came under Israeli fire and were forced to withdraw.
You can hear one of the shots at 0:56
You can hear one of the shots at 0:56
Israeli incursion in Abassan Jedida, Gaza Strip, 21/7/09
In the afternoon of the 21st of July 2009, 5 Israeli tanks and 2 armoured bulldozers of the Israeli occupation forces, invaded Gaza Strip. They headed towards Abassan Jedida village, shooting towards palestinian houses. According to PCHR there was at least one Palestinian civilian injured in his hand by shrapnel. The Israeli bulldozers leveled a previously damaged house and a water tank and caused severe damages to the irrigation infrastructure of Palestinian farmers
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Repairing the Damage of Israeli army Incursion:
-ISM Gaza Strip
Thursday morning, 2 farmers from Abassan Jeddida (east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip), accompanied by 3 international human rights workers from the International Solidarity Movement, returned to the site of an Israeli military incursion 2 days earlier, to attempt to repair a water well damaged in the invasion. The farmers’ land in question sits roughly 400m from the Green Line.
On July 21st, 4 Israeli tanks and 2 Israeli military bulldozers invaded the area, having crossed over the Green Line, and wreaked considerable damage to the area, including re-visiting a house previously nearly-destroyed by the Israeli army to finish the task. The house is now a pile of rubble, as is the case with 100s of homes in the Israeli-imposed ‘buffer zone’ region along Gaza’s Green Line boundary.
Farmers examined the motor of the well, finding the parts destroyed and in need of replacement. In besieged Gaza, under a full siege which allows less than 40 items into the Strip, replacing the motor will prove difficult and expensive. If the farmers are lucky and able to repair the motor, it is hoped that no other damage done to the well will prevent its functioning.
Ten dunums (1 dunum=1000 square metres) of parsely and 27 dunums of chilli peppers depend on this water source. The two crops are already nearing maturity; the water is critical.
Palestinian farmers in the buffer zone continue to be collectively punished by the Israeli authorities’ arbitrary imposition of no-go zones, the Israeli army’s indiscriminate shooting at civilians in and beyond the ‘300m buffer zone’, the burning of cropland, and the destruction of such infrastructure as wells, irrigation piping, greenhouses, farming equipment and tractors.
PCHR report 16/7-22/7/2009: one Palestinian civilian killed, one injured buy IF
excerpt from PCHR weekly report No. 29/2009 (16 - 22 July 2009)
published on the 23rd of July 2009
Sunday, 19 July 2009
At approximately 18:30, Israeli military vehicles moved nearly 150 meters into the east of Gaza City. Israeli troops shot and arrested Ahmed Zuhair al-Semari, 22. Al-Semari was hit by a gunshot that entered the abdomen and exited the back. He was transferred to an Israeli hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 16:00 on Monday, 20 July 2009. The victim was mentally disabled.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Also at approximately 13:00, Israeli forces moved nearly 500 meters into 'Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis. They leveled areas of Palestinian land, which they had already razed. During this operation, Israeli forces opened fire indiscriminately. As a result, Majed Majdi al-Farra, 20, was wounded by shrapnel to the right hand.
published on the 23rd of July 2009
Sunday, 19 July 2009
At approximately 18:30, Israeli military vehicles moved nearly 150 meters into the east of Gaza City. Israeli troops shot and arrested Ahmed Zuhair al-Semari, 22. Al-Semari was hit by a gunshot that entered the abdomen and exited the back. He was transferred to an Israeli hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 16:00 on Monday, 20 July 2009. The victim was mentally disabled.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Also at approximately 13:00, Israeli forces moved nearly 500 meters into 'Abassan village, east of Khan Yunis. They leveled areas of Palestinian land, which they had already razed. During this operation, Israeli forces opened fire indiscriminately. As a result, Majed Majdi al-Farra, 20, was wounded by shrapnel to the right hand.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
New IOF limited incursion into Beit Hanoun
22-7-2009
Al Mezan
At app. 9am on Wednesday 22 July 2009, 12 IOF armored vehicles entered the southeast of the town of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip. Armored bulldozers leveled the land along the border fence amidst shooting. The force left the town at app. 5:30pm on the same day. No casualties or injuries were reported.
Al Mezan
At app. 9am on Wednesday 22 July 2009, 12 IOF armored vehicles entered the southeast of the town of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip. Armored bulldozers leveled the land along the border fence amidst shooting. The force left the town at app. 5:30pm on the same day. No casualties or injuries were reported.
Farmers and ISM Human Rights Workers to Repair Damaged Well
Thursday 23rd July 2009 at 8am - Farmers from Abassan Jeddida (East of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip)and human rights workers from the International Solidarity movement will be repairing a damaged water well in Palestinian farmland. On Tuesday 21st July, four Israeli tanks and two bulldozers made an incursion into the area, and caused extensive damage. With international accompaniment, the farmer managed to assess the damage to the well on Wednesday.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Farmers & Internationals to Repair Aftermath of Israeli Incursion
Wednesday 22nd July 2009 at 8am - Farmers from Abassan Jeddida (East of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip)and international human rights workers will be accessing their land 400m from the border fence, in order to assess and repair damage caused by an Israeli military incursion. Four Israeli tanks and two bulldozers crossed the green line onto Palestinian farmland today. Reports indicate that their activities involved destroying a water-well and causing further extensive damage to a house which they had already rendered uninhabitable.
Monday, July 20, 2009
New ISM Videos
Five new ISM videos of our accompaniment work with Palestinian farmers in the strip's border areas.
Gaza teen killed overnight identified
Gaza/Bethlehem – Ma’an – A Palestinian teenager injured by Israeli fire on Sunday night was dead by Monday afternoon, according to the country's military.
Palestinian medial sources eventually identified the boy as 15-year-old boy Ahmad As-Samari.
He was taken to Soroka University Medical Center in the city of Beersheba late on Sunday in critical condition after having received chest injuries, and he died of his wounds there overnight, a hospital spokeswoman said.
An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the death to Ma'an. He said that soldiers who searched the Palestinian found that he was unarmed. The spokesman also said that soldiers had aimed at As-Samari's lower body, but could not confirm which part of his body was injured. The boy was also wearing a heavy jacket, unusual for the summer, the spokesman said.
Israel's army had previously stated that under interrogation the boy admitted intending to "infiltrate" the country, which if true would have been despite his chest injuries. The Soroka Hospital spokeswoman cast doubt on this claim, stating that the boy was unconscious by the time he arrived in Beersheba.
Gaza's Health Ministry told Ma'an on Sunday night that the boy was only moderately injured after being shot in the foot, and that after being arrested he was taken to Barzilai Hospital inside Israel. Other Hebrew reports said Barzilai, as well. The Jerusalem Post newspaper too reported that the boy was only moderately injured, quoting army sources, while other news outlets said he was shot in the leg rather than foot.
Israeli sources had reported that an Israeli military patrol spotted the boy approaching the electric fence in the northern Gaza Strip, shooting him when he refused to stop.
Israeli forces routinely patrol a "buffer zone" up to 500 meters wide along the Green Line, inside Palestinian territory. Palestinians who approach the border are often shot.
Palestinian medial sources eventually identified the boy as 15-year-old boy Ahmad As-Samari.
He was taken to Soroka University Medical Center in the city of Beersheba late on Sunday in critical condition after having received chest injuries, and he died of his wounds there overnight, a hospital spokeswoman said.
An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the death to Ma'an. He said that soldiers who searched the Palestinian found that he was unarmed. The spokesman also said that soldiers had aimed at As-Samari's lower body, but could not confirm which part of his body was injured. The boy was also wearing a heavy jacket, unusual for the summer, the spokesman said.
Israel's army had previously stated that under interrogation the boy admitted intending to "infiltrate" the country, which if true would have been despite his chest injuries. The Soroka Hospital spokeswoman cast doubt on this claim, stating that the boy was unconscious by the time he arrived in Beersheba.
Gaza's Health Ministry told Ma'an on Sunday night that the boy was only moderately injured after being shot in the foot, and that after being arrested he was taken to Barzilai Hospital inside Israel. Other Hebrew reports said Barzilai, as well. The Jerusalem Post newspaper too reported that the boy was only moderately injured, quoting army sources, while other news outlets said he was shot in the leg rather than foot.
Israeli sources had reported that an Israeli military patrol spotted the boy approaching the electric fence in the northern Gaza Strip, shooting him when he refused to stop.
Israeli forces routinely patrol a "buffer zone" up to 500 meters wide along the Green Line, inside Palestinian territory. Palestinians who approach the border are often shot.
Gaza teen shot overnight dies
Published yesterday (updated) 20/07/2009 16:10
Gaza/Bethlehem – Ma’an – A Palestinian teenager injured by Israeli fire on Sunday night was dead by Monday afternoon, according to the country's military.
The unidentified 15-year-old boy was taken to Soroka University Medical Center in the city of Beersheba late on Sunday in critical condition after having received chest injuries, and he died of his wounds overnight, a hospital spokeswoman said.
An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the death to Ma'an. He said that soldiers who searched the Palestinian found that he was unarmed. The spokesman also said that soldiers had aimed at the boy's lower body, but could not confirm which part of his body was injured. The boy was also wearing a heavy jacket, unusual for the summer, the spokesman said.
Israel's army had previously stated that under interrogation the boy admitted intending to "infiltrate" the country, which if true would have been despite his chest injuries. The Soroka Hospital spokeswoman cast doubt on this claim, stating that the boy was unconscious by the time he arrived in Beersheba.
Furthermore, Gaza's Health Ministry told Ma'an on Sunday night that the boy was only moderately injured after being shot in the foot, and that after being arrested he was taken to Barzalai Hospital inside Israel. The Jerusalem Post newspaper too reported that the boy was only moderately injured, quoting army sources, while other news outlets said he was shot in the leg rather than foot.
Israeli sources had reported that an Israeli military patrol spotted the boy approaching the electric fence in the northern Gaza Strip, shooting him when he refused to stop.
Israeli forces routinely patrol a "buffer zone" up to 500 meters wide along the Green Line, inside Palestinian territory. Palestinians who approach the border are often shot.
Gaza/Bethlehem – Ma’an – A Palestinian teenager injured by Israeli fire on Sunday night was dead by Monday afternoon, according to the country's military.
The unidentified 15-year-old boy was taken to Soroka University Medical Center in the city of Beersheba late on Sunday in critical condition after having received chest injuries, and he died of his wounds overnight, a hospital spokeswoman said.
An Israeli army spokesman confirmed the death to Ma'an. He said that soldiers who searched the Palestinian found that he was unarmed. The spokesman also said that soldiers had aimed at the boy's lower body, but could not confirm which part of his body was injured. The boy was also wearing a heavy jacket, unusual for the summer, the spokesman said.
Israel's army had previously stated that under interrogation the boy admitted intending to "infiltrate" the country, which if true would have been despite his chest injuries. The Soroka Hospital spokeswoman cast doubt on this claim, stating that the boy was unconscious by the time he arrived in Beersheba.
Furthermore, Gaza's Health Ministry told Ma'an on Sunday night that the boy was only moderately injured after being shot in the foot, and that after being arrested he was taken to Barzalai Hospital inside Israel. The Jerusalem Post newspaper too reported that the boy was only moderately injured, quoting army sources, while other news outlets said he was shot in the leg rather than foot.
Israeli sources had reported that an Israeli military patrol spotted the boy approaching the electric fence in the northern Gaza Strip, shooting him when he refused to stop.
Israeli forces routinely patrol a "buffer zone" up to 500 meters wide along the Green Line, inside Palestinian territory. Palestinians who approach the border are often shot.
Buffer zone widow
In Gaza
*Mahmoud’s father Anwar was shot in the head on January 27th by Israeli soldiers east of Gaza.
In February, exactly one month after Israel declared (and ignored) a ‘cease-fire’ on Gaza following the massacre of nearly 1500 Palestinians, Israeli soldiers along the Green Line –and roughly 500m away away from their target –shot Mohammed al-Buraim, a 20 year old from the Khan Younis region, in the ankle while he worked on farmland.
Al-Buraim comes from a family of 15 children (8 boys, 7 girls), among whom 4 are deaf, including Mohammed. By working as hired labour on farmland, Mohammed had been contributing to his family’s insufficient income. After he was shot, Mohammed stopped working, out of necessity (he was shot in the ankle) and out of fear (his cousin Anwar had been killed just weeks earlier in the same region, also shot by Israeli soldiers).
Anwar Le Brem (27), living around the corner from Mohammed’s family, was married with 2 young children, Mohammed (just under 3 years old) and Mahmoud (~ 2 years old). Anwar was shot and killed on January 27th, leaving behind a widow and his elderly parents, including his disabled father.
Both families are quite poor.
Anwar’s mother can’t be blamed for questioning the use of telling their story. “So what if people know about my son, then what? Nothing will change. We’ve been living under attack for over 60 years.”
With her son dead for only just over 5 months, and their poverty continuing, her skepticism wasn’t surprising.
*one of Mohammed’s 14 sibilings.
Israel shoots and detains Palestinian youth at Gaza border
Monday July 20, 2009 12:29 by Katherine Orwell - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group
Israeli forces at the Gaza border shot a Palestinian teenager in his foot and proceeded to detain him, on Sunday evening.
Israeli army detains a Palestinian man in the West Bank - Photo by Delayed Gratification
Gaza's Health Ministry told local media that the 15-year-old boy was taken to a hospital inside Israel.
Israeli sources reported that a military patrol discovered the boy approaching the electronic fence that surrounds Gaza. The patrol shot the boy when he refused to stop.
Others sources claim that the boy was wearing a thick jacket, which made the boy look suspicious in the eyes of the soldiers. The boy was searched and no explosives or weapons where found on him.
The boy reportedly admitted that he intended to "infiltrate" into Israel during his interrogation. But he kept insisting that he had no plans to carry out any attacks against Israel.
It remains unknown how trustworthy this testimony is, since it is widely documented by human rights organizations that Israel employs dubious interrogation techniques that can be qualified as torture. Palestinian children have not been exempted from such treatment.
Palestinian teen shot, detained near Israel border
Published yesterday (updated) 20/07/2009 11:59
Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained a Palestinian teenager after shooting him in the foot near the Israel border on Sunday evening, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The 15-year-old boy was taken to Barzalai Hospital inside Israel, according to Muawiyah Hassanein, the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services at the ministry.
Israeli sources reported that an Israeli military patrol spotted the boy approaching the electronic fence in the northern Gaza Strip, shooting him when he refused to stop.
Others said he was wearing a heavy jacket, uncharacteristic for the time of year. Nevertheless the boy was searched and found not to be carrying weapons or explosives.
The Israelis added that under interrogation he admitted intending to "infiltrate" into Israel, but insisted that he had no other plans to carry out attacks inside the country.
Israeli forces routinely patrol a "buffer zone" up to 500 meters wide along the Green Line, inside Palestinian territory. Palestinians who approach the border are often shot.
Meanwhile, Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces clashes near the Nahal Oz crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Fighters launched a rocket-propelled grenade at forces stationed there, according to Israeli news reports. No one was reported injured, and Ma'an received no claim of responsibility for the alleged attack.
Gaza – Ma’an – Israeli forces detained a Palestinian teenager after shooting him in the foot near the Israel border on Sunday evening, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The 15-year-old boy was taken to Barzalai Hospital inside Israel, according to Muawiyah Hassanein, the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services at the ministry.
Israeli sources reported that an Israeli military patrol spotted the boy approaching the electronic fence in the northern Gaza Strip, shooting him when he refused to stop.
Others said he was wearing a heavy jacket, uncharacteristic for the time of year. Nevertheless the boy was searched and found not to be carrying weapons or explosives.
The Israelis added that under interrogation he admitted intending to "infiltrate" into Israel, but insisted that he had no other plans to carry out attacks inside the country.
Israeli forces routinely patrol a "buffer zone" up to 500 meters wide along the Green Line, inside Palestinian territory. Palestinians who approach the border are often shot.
Meanwhile, Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces clashes near the Nahal Oz crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Fighters launched a rocket-propelled grenade at forces stationed there, according to Israeli news reports. No one was reported injured, and Ma'an received no claim of responsibility for the alleged attack.
Two Palestinians wounded in IOF shelling, a third injured and kidnapped
| [ 20/07/2009 - 09:17 AM ] | ||||||
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GAZA, (PIC)-- Two Palestinian civilians were wounded at a late hour on Sunday after Israeli occupation forces (IOF) opened artillery fire at eastern Gaza city, local sources said. They told PIC reporter that the IOF soldiers fired a number of shells at Shujaiah suburb wounding the two and damaging a number of houses. IOF command said that Palestinian resistance fighters retaliated to the shelling and fired an anti-armored projectile at an IOF vehicle. An exchange of fire ensued near Nahal Oz, east of Shujaiah, the command added. Meanwhile a third unarmed Palestinian was shot at while trying to infiltrate the security fence north of the Gaza Strip, the IOF command said. It added that soldiers fired at the man when he refused to stop wounding him in the leg and then took him to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon for treatment. It added that investigation proved that the man was unarmed and that he was trying to infiltrate the security fence but with no intention of launching attacks. Meanwhile, IOF troops rounded up seven Palestinians in the West Bank districts of Bethlehem and Jericho at dawn Monday.
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Please wait ...
Sunday, July 19, 2009
PCHR report 9/7-15/7/2009: incursions, bulldozing of land
excerpt from PCHR weekly report No. 28/2009 (09 - 15 July 2009) published on the 16th of July 2009:
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
At approximately 09:00, Israeli forces moved nearly 200 meters into al-Shoubaki area in the north of Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. They leveled areas of land, which they had razed during the latest offensive on the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops opened fire indiscriminately, but no casualties were reported.
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
At approximately 08:30, Israeli forces moved nearly 150 meters into Wadi al-Daraj area in the east of Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. They leveled areas of land, which they had already razed during the latest offensive on the Gaza Strip.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
At approximately 09:00, Israeli forces moved nearly 200 meters into al-Shoubaki area in the north of Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. They leveled areas of land, which they had razed during the latest offensive on the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops opened fire indiscriminately, but no casualties were reported.
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
At approximately 08:30, Israeli forces moved nearly 150 meters into Wadi al-Daraj area in the east of Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip. They leveled areas of land, which they had already razed during the latest offensive on the Gaza Strip.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Palestinian farmer boy injured by shrapnel
Interview with a 16 year old Palestinian farmer who got injured by shrapnel, above his eye, on the 15th of July while working about 500 meters from the Green Line between the areas of Abassan Jedida and Al Faraheen, in Gaza Strip. The interview was taken the next night, after the boy got out of the European Hospital in Khan Younis and returned to his house. Although that day there was exchange of fire between the Israeli Occupation Forces and the Palestinian armed resistance, the boy, his family and other Palestinians in the area insist that the injury was caused by Israeli gunfire. They showed also some kind of bullet (?) collected that day.
Israeli forces penetrate half kilometer into Gaza; burn fields
Published yesterday (updated) 17/07/2009 18:10
The agricultural field of wheat and barley crops belonging to the Shabat family was destroyed after an Israeli militarized vehicle left the Erez District Coordination Office (DCO) and drove into the Strip, stopping only to set the land on fire. Dry weather meant the crops burned quickly, consuming the much needed grains.
The incident is a string in what farmers call persistent attempts by Israeli soldiers to prevent the harvesting of crops outside the Israeli-patrolled buffer zone near the Gaza border fence. Locals reported almost daily patrols of military jeeps on the outskirts of the town.
| Israeli forces burn orchards northern Gaza | | ||
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IOF soldiers set fire to Palestinian farmland
[ 18/07/2009 - 10:02 AM ]
BEIT HANUN, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Friday advanced into northern Gaza Strip in army jeeps and set 150 dunums of Palestinian farmland on fire, eyewitnesses reported.
They said that the soldiers advanced 500 meters into Beit Hanun town and burnt the wheat and barley crops in the area.
Shabat family that owns the farmland said that they could not harvest their crops because of the proximity of their lands to the border fence between the Strip and Palestinian lands occupied in 1948 where IOF troops shoot at anyone approaching the area.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank village of Yabad, Jenin district, inhabitants have complained that Jewish settlers in the adjacent settlement of Mevo Dotan were cutting off their water supply at random.
They said that the settlers frequently close the pipeline supplying the town with water from the nearby water well.
The villagers said that their suffering has been ongoing for the past two months, and appealed to human rights organizations to intervene and find a solution to this crisis.
IOF soldiers rounded up two Palestinian citizens in the West Bank on Friday including a young man near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil on charges of possessing a knife.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
IOF Enters North Beit Hanoun Limitedly
14-7-2009
Al Mezan
Al Mezan
| At around 8am on 14 July 2009, 14 IOF armored vehicles entered 200 meters into the plot of Hasan Khalil Shabat in Al-Shoubaki area in the north of Beit Hanoun town, amid intensive fire. Then they started bulldozing lands in the area. According to Al-Mezan's field investigations, the IOF sporadic shooting caused cutting off the power in the northern area of the town, but no injuries were reported. The IOF are still in the area of the incursion as this news is issued. |
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Hiyam, a Gaza teenager killed as she offered aid
Electronic Intifada
Rami Almeghari writing from the occupied Gaza Strip, Live from Palestine, 5 July 2009
Relatives of 17-year-old Hiyam Abu Ayish view her body in the morgue at Gaza's al-Aqsa hospital a day after she was killed in an Israeli attack, 3 July 2009. (Hatem Omar/MaanImages)
Thursday was as normal and quiet an afternoon as you get in Johr al-Deek village in the central Gaza Strip. "Prepare yourself for I will be taking you to the dentist in half an hour," Salim Abu Ayish recalled telling his 17-year-old daughter Hiyam.
Moments later everything changed. "At 5:30 PM an Israeli shell landed on my brother's house," the father told visitors who had come to offer condolences for his daughter at the family's home on Friday. The shell injured a nephew and Salim Abu Ayish rushed to render aid.
"I asked Hiyam to bring me the car key from my bedroom," Salim Abu Ayish said. As she went, he recalled, "suddenly another shell struck my room, killing Hiyam instantly, as shrapnel rippled through her body. I was injured with some of the shrapnel in my back and my neck."
Two Israeli army shells landed in the family houses of the Abu Ayish clan in the Johr al-Deek village, just north of the al-Bureij refugee camp and about 1.5 kilometers from the border with Israel. The shelling caused critical injury to Husam Abu Ayish, Hiyam's 21-year-old cousin and minor wounds to Hiyam's father and sister, Nawal. For hours after the attack, the Israeli army denied any involvement and claimed the attack was the result of mortar shells fired by Palestinians. But late on Thursday, the Israeli army changed its story, admitting that Palestinian civilians were hit "accidentally" by Israeli army fire directed at Palestinian gunmen in the area, according to Israeli media.
Taking a deep breath, and trying to be strong despite his agony, Abu Ayish remembered his daughter: "She used to be humorous, active, well-mannered and smiling. I never turned down her requests. On Thursday, the day her soul went to heaven, she asked me to bring some watermelon, but her destiny was faster than me. Two months ago, she asked me to bring her a necklace, and I did buy her one," he recalled.
"Hiyam was more than a sister," recalled Emad, 24, Hiyam's brother. "She was different from my other five sisters. Just about an hour before she was martyred, she wondered when I would get married." Emad remembers her saying, "we want to celebrate your wedding, my brother." Instead of such happy memories, Emad now has only pictures of his sister's wounded face, taken with his mobile phone.
"Every time she visited our home, my children would get so cheerful as they enjoyed the laughter and fun she would bring to our house," recalled Saleh Abu Hajjaj, Hiyam's brother-in-law.
"She was one of my best students," said Jamal al-Nabahin, a teacher at Qaysaria Secondary School for Girls where Hiyam had recently completed her 11th year certificate. "She was active and sometimes very funny. Her death is a great loss, and may she rest in peace."
Mahmoud al-Aydi, the father of Raghda, one of Hiyam's friends and schoolmates, recalled that the two girls had been chatting on the phone shortly before the shells struck. On hearing what had happened Raghda had "fainted for three hours," according to Raghda's father, "she could not believe Hiyam was killed."
Um Jihad, Hiyam's mother only uttered a few words, "May God hold accountable those who killed my beloved daughter."
In December 2008 and January 2009, Israel carried out a massive bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip. The 22 days of Israeli attacks claimed the lives of 1,400 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom were unarmed civilians. Before and after the attack, Israel has maintained a strict blockade on the coastal territory grossly hampering the daily lives of its 1.5 million residents.
"We have nowhere to go to," said Hiyam's father, "Even if we wanted to move, the siege has prevented us from building as there are no building materials available. The situation is extremely difficult, and yet the world keeps silent about our continuing agony."
Rami Almeghari is a journalist and university lecturer based in the Gaza Strip.
Rami Almeghari writing from the occupied Gaza Strip, Live from Palestine, 5 July 2009
Relatives of 17-year-old Hiyam Abu Ayish view her body in the morgue at Gaza's al-Aqsa hospital a day after she was killed in an Israeli attack, 3 July 2009. (Hatem Omar/MaanImages)
Thursday was as normal and quiet an afternoon as you get in Johr al-Deek village in the central Gaza Strip. "Prepare yourself for I will be taking you to the dentist in half an hour," Salim Abu Ayish recalled telling his 17-year-old daughter Hiyam.
Moments later everything changed. "At 5:30 PM an Israeli shell landed on my brother's house," the father told visitors who had come to offer condolences for his daughter at the family's home on Friday. The shell injured a nephew and Salim Abu Ayish rushed to render aid.
"I asked Hiyam to bring me the car key from my bedroom," Salim Abu Ayish said. As she went, he recalled, "suddenly another shell struck my room, killing Hiyam instantly, as shrapnel rippled through her body. I was injured with some of the shrapnel in my back and my neck."
Two Israeli army shells landed in the family houses of the Abu Ayish clan in the Johr al-Deek village, just north of the al-Bureij refugee camp and about 1.5 kilometers from the border with Israel. The shelling caused critical injury to Husam Abu Ayish, Hiyam's 21-year-old cousin and minor wounds to Hiyam's father and sister, Nawal. For hours after the attack, the Israeli army denied any involvement and claimed the attack was the result of mortar shells fired by Palestinians. But late on Thursday, the Israeli army changed its story, admitting that Palestinian civilians were hit "accidentally" by Israeli army fire directed at Palestinian gunmen in the area, according to Israeli media.
Taking a deep breath, and trying to be strong despite his agony, Abu Ayish remembered his daughter: "She used to be humorous, active, well-mannered and smiling. I never turned down her requests. On Thursday, the day her soul went to heaven, she asked me to bring some watermelon, but her destiny was faster than me. Two months ago, she asked me to bring her a necklace, and I did buy her one," he recalled.
"Hiyam was more than a sister," recalled Emad, 24, Hiyam's brother. "She was different from my other five sisters. Just about an hour before she was martyred, she wondered when I would get married." Emad remembers her saying, "we want to celebrate your wedding, my brother." Instead of such happy memories, Emad now has only pictures of his sister's wounded face, taken with his mobile phone.
"Every time she visited our home, my children would get so cheerful as they enjoyed the laughter and fun she would bring to our house," recalled Saleh Abu Hajjaj, Hiyam's brother-in-law.
"She was one of my best students," said Jamal al-Nabahin, a teacher at Qaysaria Secondary School for Girls where Hiyam had recently completed her 11th year certificate. "She was active and sometimes very funny. Her death is a great loss, and may she rest in peace."
Mahmoud al-Aydi, the father of Raghda, one of Hiyam's friends and schoolmates, recalled that the two girls had been chatting on the phone shortly before the shells struck. On hearing what had happened Raghda had "fainted for three hours," according to Raghda's father, "she could not believe Hiyam was killed."
Um Jihad, Hiyam's mother only uttered a few words, "May God hold accountable those who killed my beloved daughter."
In December 2008 and January 2009, Israel carried out a massive bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip. The 22 days of Israeli attacks claimed the lives of 1,400 Palestinians, the vast majority of whom were unarmed civilians. Before and after the attack, Israel has maintained a strict blockade on the coastal territory grossly hampering the daily lives of its 1.5 million residents.
"We have nowhere to go to," said Hiyam's father, "Even if we wanted to move, the siege has prevented us from building as there are no building materials available. The situation is extremely difficult, and yet the world keeps silent about our continuing agony."
Rami Almeghari is a journalist and university lecturer based in the Gaza Strip.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
PCHR report 2/7-8/7/2009: one girl killed her father lightly injured by IF shelling
excerpt from PCHR weekly report No. 27/2009 (02 - 08 July 2009) published on the 9th of July 2009
The body of Heyam Abu 'Aayesh, 17, who was killed by Israeli shelling in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday evening, 02 July 2009
Thursday, 02 July 2009
At approximately 17:30, after Palestinian resistance activists fired home-made projectiles at Israeli troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of Gaza Valley village, southeast of Gaza City. Israeli forces fired three artillery shells at the area. One shell landed a few meters away from the house of Kamal 'Abdul 'Aziz Abu 'Aayesh, 52, nearly one kilometer away from the border, wounding him in the left side. The second shell landed on a bedroom in a house belonging to Saleem 'Abdul 'Aziz Abu 'Aayesh, 57, killing his daughter, 17-year-old Heyam. The father was also lightly wounded by shrapnel to the neck and the right shoulder. The third shell landed near a dairy killing two cows.
Monday, July 6, 2009
IOF troops advance into southern Gaza, bulldoze lands
| [ 05/07/2009 - 07:59 PM ] |
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KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Sunday advanced into east of Khuza'a town Khan Younis district, south of the Gaza Strip, amidst shooting at farmers and civilian homes, local sources reported. They told PIC reporter that six army tanks, five bulldozers and two patrols advanced more than 200 meters in the area and bulldozed cultivated lands and erected sand barriers. The area is an open cultural land with no inhabitants after the IOF soldiers completely destroyed 15 houses forcing the inhabitants to seek refuge in other safer areas. Meanwhile, in the West Bank IOF troops kidnapped two Palestinian citizens in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, at dawn Sunday. The Hebrew radio said that the two were taken into custody for "incitement" against the IOF during the weekly rally organized by the village inhabitants against the racist, separation wall. |
Palestinian women condemn Thursday's killing of Gaza teen
Date: 03 / 07 / 2009 Time: 20:53 | |
A women's bloc affiliated with the Popular Struggle Front condemned the death that Israel's military insisted was a mistake, according to a statement.
Hiam Abu A'yesh, 17, was killed and her 24-year-old brother Husam was also injured by shrapnel from an Israeli shell that struck the family's home in the Juhor Ad-Dik neighborhood in the Strip late on Thursday.
A member of the Central Committee of the Front, Nosra Al-Qubalany, called on the international community to break its silence and accept responsibility for the ongoing "comprehensive and systematic war that aims to break [Palestinians'] will and steadfastness."
Al-Qubalany insisted that Amnesty International, which days before issued a scathing indictment of Israel's actions in Gaza, needs to take "serious steps" to maintain international law by bringing Israeli leaders to justice on war crimes charges.
Shortly following Thursday evening's deadly incident, Israel's military insisted it had nothing to do with the girl's death, according to a spokesperson quoted in Israeli news reports, adding that its soldiers acted appropriately and professionally.
Nevertheless, just after midnight on Friday the Israeli news agency Ynet, quoting army officials, reported that a probe into the clash ultimately showed that the 17-year-old Palestinian girl was killed by the country's military.
Massive turnout at Gaza funeral for teen girl killed by Israel
Date: 03 / 07 / 2009 Time: 20:22 | |
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| [Ma'anImages] |
The procession took to the streets from a local mosque and marched with the body to the girl's final burial place in a nearby cemetery.
Hiam Abu A'yesh, 17, was killed and her 24-year-old brother Husam was injured by shrapnel from an Israeli shell that struck the family's home in the Juhor Ad-Dik neighborhood in the Strip, according to medical officials at Al-Aqsa Hospital.
Israel's military had insisted it had nothing to do with the girl's death, according to a spokesperson quoted in Israeli news reports, adding that its soldiers acted appropriately and professionally, placing the blame on Palestinians fighters.
Nevertheless, just after midnight on Friday the Israeli news agency Ynet, quoting army officials, reported that a probe into the clash ultimately showed that the 17-year-old Palestinian girl was killed by the country's military.
Israel's military backtracks, admits to killing Gaza girl
Date: 02 / 07 / 2009 Time: 19:27 | |
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| [Ma'anImages] |
The announcement came following its insistence Thursday that the girl's death was the result of Palestinian friendly fire.
The teenager was killed and her brother injured by Israeli shelling in the area, medics had told Ma'an moments after the incident.
Shortly thereafter, Israel's military insisted it had nothing to do with the girl's death, according to a spokesperson quoted in Israeli news reports, adding that its soldiers acted appropriately and professionally.
Nevertheless, just after midnight on Friday the Israeli news agency Ynet, quoting army officials, reported that a probe into the clash ultimately showed that the 17-year-old Palestinian girl was killed by the country's military.
"The debriefing continues and it's too early to draw final conclusions," an Israeli military official reportedly told the news agency. He added that the investigation revealed that "the Palestinian civilians were mistakenly hit by IDF [Israel Defense Forces] fire."
After Israel's military earlier denied responsibility for the incident, it placed the blame squarely on Palestinian fighters, who for their part insisted they did not possess weaponry capable of destroying an entire home, as happened on Thursday.
Hours before that, an Israeli military spokesperson said that no one on either side had even been injured in the cross-border incursion into the Gaza Strip, but soon backtracked on that claim late Thursday evening when the victim's name was released.
Medical sources at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in the Gaza Strip identified the slain girl as Hiam Abu A'yesh, 17, and reported that her 24-year-old brother Husam was also injured by shrapnel from an Israeli shell that struck the family's home in the Juhor Ad-Dik neighborhood in the Strip.
Sources at the hospital in central Gaza added that more Palestinians were presumed to have been hurt in the attack, while other news reports placed the exact figure at 11.
Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters had been reported earlier in the area on Thursday evening, and the Israeli military reported that it had "returned fire" near the Nahal Oz border crossing, but had denied it used tank shells, which had previously been claimed.
Other Israeli reports quoted Palestinians as saying clashes had been witnessed at Bureij Refugee Camp, while exchanges of gunfire were also reported following an alleged attempt to detonate a roadside bomb near a military jeep traveling inside Gaza, according to Israel's military.
No factions immediately claimed responsibility for involvement in Thursday's clashes.
***Updated 3 July 2009, 01:49 Gaza time
Thursday, July 2, 2009
PCHR report 25/6-1/7/2009: one boy injured in the head by Israeli gubshot
excerpt from PCHR weekly report No. 26/2009 (25 June- 01 July 2009) published on the 2nd of July 2009
Monday, 29 June 2009
At approximately 15:30, IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of Gaza Valley village in the central Gaza Strip and helicopter gunships opened fire at Palestinian areas located to the west of the border following an armed clash with Palestinian resistance activists. As a result, Sabri Hani al-'Owaidat, 12, was wounded by a gunshot to the head when he was near his family's house nearly 1,500 meters away from the border.
Monday, 29 June 2009
At approximately 15:30, IOF troops positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of Gaza Valley village in the central Gaza Strip and helicopter gunships opened fire at Palestinian areas located to the west of the border following an armed clash with Palestinian resistance activists. As a result, Sabri Hani al-'Owaidat, 12, was wounded by a gunshot to the head when he was near his family's house nearly 1,500 meters away from the border.
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