Friday, November 29, 2013

Palestinian shot, injured in clashes in Jabaliya

Published Friday 29/11/2013 (updated) 30/11/2013 13:02
 
(MaanImages/File)
 
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian man was shot and injured in clashes with Israeli forces near the al-Shuhada cemetery east of Jabaliya in the Gaza Strip on Friday, witnesses said.

Jibril al-Najjar, 22, was shot in the left leg and taken to Kamal Adwan hospital in moderate condition, they said.

Clashes started after dozens of youths gathered near the cemetery and threw rocks at Israeli forces.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said dozens of Palestinians gathered near a security fence, which they damaged. She said they hurled rocks and a firebomb at the site.

She said Israeli forces fired at one of the Palestinians who refused to comply with instructions and warning shots to leave the area. She said forces identified a hit on the Palestinian's "lower extremities."

Israeli forces fire at Palestinian farmers in southern Gaza

Published Friday 29/11/2013 (updated) 29/11/2013 23:31
(MaanImages/file)
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces early Friday fired at Palestinian farmers in the southern Gaza Strip, witnesses told Ma'an.

Locals said that Israeli soldiers stationed near al-Qarara village shot at farmers east of Khan Younis refugee camp.

The soldiers were reportedly firing in the direction of Palestinian houses.

The farmers fled the scene immediately, witnesses said.

Israeli forces regularly shoot in the area, locals said, adding that Israeli bulldozers raze lands "on a daily basis."

A spokeswoman for the Israeli army did not return calls seeking comment.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Medics: Israeli forces shoot, injure Palestinian in south Gaza


Published Tuesday 26/11/2013 (updated) 28/11/2013 12:26

(MaanImages/File)

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian man on Tuesday in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, medical officials reported.

Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesman for the Gaza health ministry, said that the 23-year-old man, identified only as M.Q., was shot in the right foot near the border.

He was taken to Gaza's European Hospital for treatment.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said forces had no record of the incident.

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Young man wounded in IOF shooting south of Gaza
[ 27/11/2013 - 07:00 AM ]


KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- A Palestinian young man was injured when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at an area east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday night.
Eyewitnesses said that IOF soldiers opened their machineguns at farmers in Fakhari area wounding one of them who was carried to Gaza European hospital south of Khan Younis.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, the health ministry spokesman, told the PIC that a 23-year-old young man was hit with a bullet in his right foot, describing his condition as moderate.


----


GAZA (Alresalah.ps) Agencies— A Palestinian young man was injured when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at an area east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday night.
Eyewitnesses said that IOF soldiers opened their machineguns at farmers in Fakhari area wounding one of them who was carried to Gaza European hospital south of Khan Younis.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, the health ministry spokesman, told the PIC that a 23-year-old young man was hit with a bullet in his right foot, describing his condition as moderate.
 
 
----

Young man wounded in IOF shooting south of Gaza

Young man wounded in IOF shooting south of Gaza  
27-11-2013,09:59
 
ِAl Qassam website- Gaza- A Palestinian young man was injured when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at an area east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday night.
Eyewitnesses said that IOF soldiers opened their machineguns at farmers in Fakhari area wounding one of them who was carried to Gaza European hospital south of Khan Younis.
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, the health ministry spokesman, told the PIC that a 23-year-old young man was hit with a bullet in his right foot, describing his condition as moderate.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Israeli gunfire wounds a Palestinian and injures a child in a resulting accident

25th November 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Rosa Schiano | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Mohammed Adel Afana. (Photo by Rosa Schiano)
Mohammed Adel Afana. (Photo by Rosa Schiano)

On the afternoon of Friday, 22th November 2013, Mohammed Adel Afana, age 22, was injured by Israeli gunfire east of the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
Adel Afana had gone there with friends. Each Friday, many Palestinians go to the cemetery, which is located about 300 meters from the fence that separates the Gaza Strip from territory occupied by Israel in 1948.
It was between 3:30 and 4:00 pm. Some youths began to throw stones at Israeli soldiers. Adel Afana joined them. In the hospital, he said there had been three Israeli jeeps and about 10 soldiers. A soldier shot his right thigh. The bullet entered and exited, but cut the nerves and left shrapnel inside the limb.
The young men with him called an ambulance. It transported Adel Afana to Kamal Odwan hospital in Jabalia. He was later transferred to the Beit Hanoun hospital for surgery. There doctors removed the shrapnel from his leg and cleaned the still-open wound.
Adel Afana will probably need another surgery due to the severed nerves. Before the interviewed ended, he was transferred to Kamal Odwan hospital again.
He works in a bakery. His family is has 10 members.
Adel Afana was previously wounded on 30th March 2012, Land Day, during the Global March to Jerusalem at the Erez checkpoint in Beit Hanoun. It was a bloody day, with Israeli soldiers targeting and shooting the arms and legs of young protesters. Mahmoud Zaqout, age 19, was killed by a bullet to his chest.
Adel Afana says he was shot in his his right thigh, the same place he was injured on Friday.
In addition, one of his brothers was wounded during Israel’s “Operation Cast Lead” military offensive against the Gaza Strip in 2008-2009. One of his legs was amputated.
“All the gunshot wounds caused by the Israeli army are in sensitive areas of the body,” said Dr. Fayez al-Barrawi in Beit Hanoun hospital. “I have 17 years’ experience in surgery at many hospitals. Most wounds are in the head, chest and legs. More than 95% of them have no hope of cure, even abroad.”
“There is not much hope of recovery,” Dr. al-Barrawi said of Adel Afana’s wound. “It is difficult to reconnect nerves and bring the situation to what it was before.”

Hamada Suleiman al-Barrawi with his mother. (Photo by Rosa Schiano)
Hamada Suleiman al-Barrawi with his mother. (Photo by Rosa Schiano)

The second injured patient lay in the same hospital room as Adel Afana. Hamada Suleiman al-Barrawi, age 15, complained of pain, despite the administration of analgesics.
Hamada saw Adel Afana’s injury. In hysterics, and near a nervous breakdown, he began running aimlessly until he fell. The fall has fractured his right arm and some veins. He already underwent one surgery and will face another.
Hamada already experienced a tragic story. His cousin Bilal al-Barrawi, age 20, was killed by Israeli forces in November, during their “Operation Pillar of Defense” military offensive. When Hamada saw his body, he began having hysterical reaction to the sight of injuries. He doesn’t control his movement and his memory is affected. A doctor said his case is difficult due to the rupture of his veins.
The ceasefire of 21st November 2012 established that Israeli occupation forces should “refrain from hitting residents in areas along the border” and “cease hostilities in the Gaza Strip by land, by sea and by air, including raids and targeted killings.”
However, Israeli military attacks by land and sea followed from the day after the ceasefire, and Israeli warplanes fly constantly over the Gaza Strip. Seven civilians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces since the end of their last major offensive, “Operation Pillar of Defense,” and more than 130 have been wounded.
These attacks on the Gaza Strip continue amid international silence.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Two Palestinians shot, injured by Israeli forces in Gaza

Published today (updated) 22/11/2013 21:58
(MaanImages/file)

GAZA (Ma'an) -- Two Palestinians were shot and injured by Israeli soldiers east of Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday.

A spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra said that two Palestinians in their twenties were shot.

One was shot in the thigh, and one was hit with a bullet fragment in the head, he added.

They were transferred to Kamal Adwan hospital for treatment.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said that "a riot erupted as Palestinians gathered near the security fence," and after the Palestinians "sabotaged" the fence, Israeli forces "opened fire on their lower extremities."

Israeli forces frequently shoot farmers and other civilians inside the Gaza Strip if they approach the border fence.

The Gaza Strip has been under a severe economic blockade imposed by the State of Israel since 2006.

The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.

These have been particularly severe given frequently Israeli military assaults, particularly in 2008-9 and 2011, which killed around 1,400 and 170 Gazans respectively and led to major infrastructural damage.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

VICTIMS OF 1 YEAR OF CEASEFIRE - List of Palestinians killed or injured by IOF in Gaza Strip since the November 21, 2012 ceasefire - UPDATE 20-11-2013



The funeral of martyr Mahmoud Jarghoun 

Since November 22, 2012, 11 Palestinians have been killed and at least 122 Palestinians, including 25 children, have been wounded by IOF fire in Gaza Strip. One of the above mentioned Palestinians has been wounded twice, in 2 different incidents.
Six of the martyrs were civilians and 4 were fighters. One of the martyrs, was accused to be a Palestinian militant, but without his status being clear, at the exact moment when he was extrajudicially executed.
Seven of the wounded are fishermen who were shot in the sea, while the others are mostly protesters, workers and farmers shot in the areas close to the fence of the Green Line. Only one of the wounded is cited as a fighter. Also, 2 Palestinians have been injured by tear gas canister shot with weapon. Additionally, another 7 Palestinians (four of them fishermen) were injured not directly by the Israeli gunfire but because of Israeli shooting attacks or airstrikes.
The data are from PCHR weekly reports, unless otherwise noted. Additional links to the relevant posts of this blog, from other sources, are also provided.
This is not a complete list of Israeli violations of the ceasefire, as it contains only the incidents which resulted in injuries or deaths. 

Martyrs
  • Anwar Abdul Hadi Msallam Qdeih, 20, was wounded in the head and died directly, in the east of Abassan and Khuza'a, east of Khan Yunis, on Friday 23 November.
  • Mahmoud Ali Jarghoun, 20, was wounded by a bullet to the pelvis, in al-Shouka village, east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on Friday, 30 November 2012.Medical efforts to save his life failed and he was pronounced dead in the early morning on Saturday, 01 December 2012.
  • Anwar Al Malouk, 19, wounded by gunshot to the abdomen, east of Jabalya, on Friday 11 January 2013, while 40 meters from the fence. Died while evacuated to the hospital. 
  • Mustafa Abu Jarad, 20, shot in the forehead by sniper's fire, nearly 1,200 meters away from the border, north of Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Monday 14 January 2013, while farming. Died in hospital.  
  • Haitham Ziyad Ibrahim al-Meshal, 26, extrajudicially killed, when an Israeli warplane launched a missile, while he was riding a motorbike near Bader military site, in the northwest of Gaza, on Tuesday, 30 April 2013. Al-Meshal was affiliated to the Jihadist Salafist Group and a security officer in Shifa hospital in Gaza City. 
  • Hussein Abdul Hadi AwadAllah (al-Nouri) (34), was killed by Israeli gunfire, while he attempted to cross the border fence, northeast of al-Bureij refugee camp, on Saturday 10 August 2013.
  • Hweishel Ismail Hweishel Hanajra, 35, was killed having hit by several bullets in the back and one bullet in the back of the head, about 400 meters far from the border fence, east of al- Misreyin Street in the east of Beith Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip, on Monday 30 September 2013.
  • Rabi’ Khalil Suleiman Baraka, 23, a member of the Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades, was killed by shrapnel to the head, during clashes after Israeli incursion, east of al-Qarara village, east of Khan Yunis,on Thursday, 31 October 2013.
  • As a result of the Israeli shelling during those armed clashes, another 3 members of the Izziddin al-Qassam Brigades were killed when a tunnel was destroyed over them by Israeli forces:
1. Khaled Mohammed Jum’a Abu Bakra, 35;
2. Mohammed Rasheed Hussein Dawood, 26; and
3. Mohammed Essam Omar al-Qassas, 23.


Wounded
  • 9 Palestinians wounded in the east of al-Faraheen area in Abassan, east of Khan Yunis, on Thursday 22 November 2012.
  • 2 Palestinian wounded in the east of al-Shouka village in the east of Rafah, on Thursday 22 November 2012.
  • 18 Palestinians wounded, including 3 children, in the east of Abassan and Khuza'a, east of Khan Yunis, on Friday 23 November
  • 2 Palestinians wounded, including 1 child, Mohammed Nabil Ahmed Abu Eyadah, 14, lightly wounded in the head, east of ‘Abassan al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday 25 November.
  • 2 Palestinians wounded, east of Jablya in the northern Gaza Strip, on Monday 26 November 2012. The first sustained a bullet wound in the right thigh and shrapnel wounds in the right shoulder. The other one sustained a bullet to the left knee.
  • 1 Palestinian, an 18-year-old boy sustained a bullet wound in his right knee, east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday 27 November 2012
  • 1 Palestinian, Abdul Fattah Ashraf Zaqout, 20, was wounded by 3 bullets to the abdomen and right arm, in the east of al-Shouka village, east of Rafah, on Tuesday 27 November 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian, Hassan Ahmed Naseer, 26, was wounded by a bullet to the right knee, in the east of Beit Hanoun, on Wednesday, 28 November 2012.
  • 8 Palestinians, including 3 children, were wounded, in the east of al-Bureij and al-Maghazi refugee camps in the central camps, on Wednesday, 28 November 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian, Mahmoud Sami Na'im, 24, was wounded by shrapnel from a bullet in the chest, in the east of Beit Hanoun, on Wednesday, 28 November 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian, Suleiman Saleh al-Najadi, 42, was wounded by a bullet to the back, in the east of al-Shouka village, east of Rafah, on Wednesday, 28 November 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian child, Waheed Majed Adel al-Fseifis, 17, was wounded by a bullet to the left leg, on Thursday, 29 November 2012.
  • 4 Palestinians, including 1 child wounded the east of Jabalya town in the north of the Gaza Strip, on Friday, 30 November 2012:
- Lo'ai Ahmed Kamel Abed Rabbu, 14; wounded by a bullet to the right leg;
- Ahmed Anwar al-Zaza, 18; wounded by a bullet to the right knee;
- Salman Osama Salman Abu Ajwa, 24, wounded by a bullet to the right leg;
- Ahmed Mesleh Salah, 26, wounded by a bullet to the right leg.
  • 1 Palestinian, Bassam Mohammed Abu Rjaila, 22, was wounded by a bullet to the leg, in the east of Khan Yunis, on Friday, 30 November 2012.
  • 4 Palestinians protesters wounded, in the northeast of al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Friday, 30 November 2012:
- Hassan Hammad Ibrahim al-Tebri, 39, wounded by a bullet to the left leg;
- Ahmed Abdul Qader Omar Abu Jalal, 22, wounded by a bullet to the right leg;
- Mohammed Ahmed Sulaiman al-Awawda, 27, wounded by a bullet to the left leg;
- Mohammed As'ad Mohammed al-Bardini, 23, wounded by a bullet to the right thigh.
  • 1 Palestinian child, Jihad Iyad Mohammed Abu Ouda, 16, was wounded by a bullet to the right leg, east of Beit Hanoun, on Friday, 30 November 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian, Nedal Mohammed Abdallah, 21, was moderately wounded by a bullet to his right foot, east of Jabalya town in the northern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, 01 December 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian, Mahmoud Mohammed al-Adgham, 23, was wounded by a bullet to his right foot, east of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, 01 December 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian, Sami Saeed Rabi’a Hamdiya, 28, was wounded by a bullet to his right knee, in the east of Beit Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, 01 December 2012. 
  •  3 Palestinians, wounded by Israeli gunfire, in the vicinity of their homes about one kilometer away from the separation fence  between Gaza Strip and Israel northeast of Wadi As-Salqa village, on Saturday 1 December 2012:
    • Rabah Ahmed Khammash, 27;
    • His brother Jihad, 23; and
    • Ahmed Naief Al Louh, 25.  [Al Mezan]
 
  • 1 Palestinian child shepherd, Jihad Mesbah Salim al-Sawarka, 16, wounded him in the left knee, while grazing sheep 300 meters away from the border fence, in the east of al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip, on Monday, 03 December 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian worker, Abdullah Salim Abu Jari, 23, sustained injuries in his left leg, while he was 300 meters away from the border fence, in northwestern Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza Strip, on Sunday, 09 December 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian worker, Hamza Mohammed Rajab Ma’arouf, 19, wounded during IOF incursion, northwest of “Elissenai” settlement, northwest of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, 12 December 2012. He was 500 meters away from the border fence when they started firing.
  • 1 Palestinian, Asef Rasmi Ibrahim al-Khaldi, 19, wounded by a bullet to the right arm, while  collecting aluminum and metal pieces from the landfill, which is 150 meters away from the border fence, in Wadi Gaza (Juhor al-Deek), on Thursday, 13 December 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian, Mohammed Salah Qdeih, 22, was wounded by a bullet to the right hand, in the east of Khan Yunis, east of al-Faraheen area, 200 meters to the west of the border fence, on Friday, 14 December 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian, Mo'men Mohammed al-Abed Nawwarah, 19, was seriously wounded by a bullet to the right leg, in the east of Jabalya, 150 meters away from the fence, on Friday, 14 December 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian farmer, Khaled Sulaiman Abdul Karim Mhanna, 25, was seriously wounded by a bullet to abdomen that exited the back, while working at his farm, located 500 meters away from the border fence, east of Khan Yunis, on Sunday, 16 December 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian fisherman, Mos'ad Abdul Razeq Baker, 38, wounded by a bullet to the left thigh, while sailing 7 nautical miles of Wadi Gaza shore, on Monday, 17 December 2012.
  • 2 Palestinians protesters, including a child, were wounded, east of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, 30 meters away from the fence, on Friday, 21 December 2012:
-Mohammed Ahmed Mahmoud ‘Ebeid, 21 was wounded by a bullet that penetrated his 2 legs.
-Mazen Jamal Mohammed Mesleh, 17 was seriously wounded by a bullet to the right and left knees.
  • 2 Palestinians protesters, including a child, were wounded, north of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, 50 meters away from the fence, on Friday, 21 December 2012:
-Mohammed Mostafa Mohammed ‘Ashour, 31, was wounded by a bullet to the right leg; and
-Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed Salman, 15, was wounded by a bullet to the left leg (entered and exited).
  • 1 Palestinian child worker, Ramzi Mohammed Rajab Ma'rouf, 17, was wounded by a bullet to the right leg, in the northern Gaza Strip, 500 meters away from the border fence, on Monday, 31 December 2012. 
  •  1 Palestinian worker, Awad Abdullah Ali al-Za'anin, 36 wounded by shrapnel from a bullet in the right side of the head, while in a waste truck 150 meters away from the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip, in Beit Hanoun landfill, on Saturday 5 January 2013. 
  •  1 Palestinian, Omar Wadi, 21, wounded by shrapnel in both legs, east of Jabalya, on Friday 11 January 2013, while trying to save Anwar Al Malouk (martyr), who was 40 meters from the fence. 
  • 1 Palestinian child, Mohammed Samir Ahmed Sorour, 17 wounded in the foot, by gunfire, north of Beit Lahiya, on Friday 18 January 2013.  
  • 1 Palestinian child, Nahed Ahmed al-'Edini, 2, was wounded by a bullet to the left leg, east of Wadi al-Salqa village in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday 19 January 2013. 
  • 1 Palestinian worker, Abdullah Mohammed Sofian Mahmoud Ma’arouf, 18, was injured in the right leg that led to damaging it, north of al-Ghoul land, north of the former location of “Eli Sinai” settlement, northwest of Beit Lahiah in the northern Gaza Strip, on Monday 21 January 2013. 
  • 4 Palestinians, including 2 children, injured by Israeli gunfire, while a few meters away to the west of the border fence, northeast of Islamic Martyrs cemetery, east of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday 25 January 2013: 
1- Baker Hashem al-Fayoumi, 20, from al-Sheja’aya neighborhood, sustained shrapnel injuries in the left side of his neck in the right thigh;
2- Mohammed Hatem Mohammed Eidal-Summery, 16, from al-Sheja’aya neighborhood, sustained a seven centimeter long and 2 centimeter deep cut in the left cheek;
3- Faisal Naser Yousif al-Summery, 18, from al-Sheja’aya neighborhood, injured with a gunshot in his right thigh; 
4- Nidal Hussein Ahmed Nofal, 12, from Block 9 in Jabalya, injured with a gunshot in the left hand.

  • 1 Palestinian, Mamdouh Muhanna Mansour al-Kafarnah, 19, was wounded by a bullet in the left thigh, north of Dimrah area, northeast of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday 29 January 2013
  • 2 Palestinian children, wounded by Israeli gunfire,  while few meters away from the west of the border fence, east of Abu Safia area, east of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday 1 February 2013:

    1- Ahmed Ra’afat Harb Abu Namous, 14, from Jabalya, seriously wounded by a bullet to his right leg which was severely damaged.  

    2- Ibrahim Akram Hassan Nassar, 16, wounded by a bullet in the right leg.  
  •  2 Palestinian scrap and rubble collectors, wounded by Israeli gunfire, while 300 meters to the west of the border fence, east of al-Douh valley, northeast of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, Thursday, 14 February 2013 :
    1. Hosam Samih Zaki al-Kafarna, 20, was wounded by a bullet to the left hand (entered and exited) and a bullet to 2 fingers in the right hand; and  2. Kamel Adham Hussein al-Kafarna, 20, was wounded by a bullet to the abdomen. 
  • 2 Palestinian fishermen, including a child, wounded by Israeli Navy's gunfire while on a fishing boat, approximately 3 nautical miles off al-Sudaniya shore, north of Gaza City, on Monday, 18 February 2013:   
1. Abdul Razeq Mahmoud Jarbou', 16, from Gaza City, was wounded by a shrapnel in his right leg; and 2. Abdullah Mas'oud al-Ghoul, 24, from Gaza City, was wounded by a shrapnel in the left leg.
  • 1 Palestinian fisherman, Ayman Adnan Mohammed Kabaja, 37, lightly wounded by a rubber-coated metal bullet to the right leg and by shrapnel in the left hand, while on board of a fishing boat that was sailing 3 nautical miles of Beit Lahia shore in the northern Gaza Strip, on Thursday, 21 February 2013. 
  • 2 Palestinians wounded by Israeli gunfire, while they were about 50 meters to the northeast of al-Shuhada' cemetery near the border fence,  east of Jabalya, north of the Gaza Strip,
    on Friday, 22 February 2013:  
1. Ali Hassan Abdul Rahman Mohammed Khalil, 20, from bloc (1) in Jabalya refugee camp, wounded by a bullet (entered and exited) to the left leg; and
2. Amen Rabah Abdul Khaleq Ali Hussein, 20, from al-Mahkama streets in Jabalya, wounded by a bullet to the left foot.

  • 1 Palestinian, Montaser Samir Ali Mas'oud, 18, was wounded by a bullet to the right leg, while he was about 100 meters to the west of the fence, east of Abu Safiya area, east of Jabalya, north of the Gaza Strip, on Friday, 22 February 2013.
  •  3 Palestinians wounded, while 100-300 meters away from the border fence, in the east of Abu Safiya area, east of Jabalya, on Friday, 01 March 2013: 
1. Jehad Nasser Jawdat Hmeid, 18, from Ijdaida area in al-Shuja'iya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, wounded by a bullet to both legs (he suffers from a mental disorder);
2. Abdul Rahman Sa'id Abu Jalhoum, 23, from bloc "9" in Jabalya refugee camp, wounded by a bullet to the left leg that caused fractures.
3. Ahmed Abdul Fattah Ibrahim 'Ebeid, 20, from al-Na'ayma streets in Beit Hanoun, wounded by a bullet to the right leg.

  •  1 Palestinian, Mohammed Samir Abdul Jawwad al-Taramsi, 19, lightly wounded in the buttocks, by Israeli gunfire, while a few meters away from the border fence, north of Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, on Friday, 01 March 2013.
  • 1 Palestinian, Omar Isma'il Omar Wadi, 20, seriously wounded by a bullet to the chest, east of Jabalya in the north of the Gaza Strip, on Friday, 08 March 2013.
    It should be noted that on 11 January 2013,  Wadi was wounded by bullet shrapnel in both legs when he attempted to rescue Anwar Mohammed Elian al-Mamlouk, 19, who was killed in the northeast of al-Shuhada' cemetery, east of Jabalia. 
  • 1 Palestinian child, Yazeed Mohammed Abu Khader, 16, sustained a bullet wound in the right leg, when IOF opened fire towards a group of Palestinians who were between 20 and 400 meters away from the separation fence, east of the Islamic Cemetery east of Jabaliya in North Gaza district, on Friday 5 April 2013. [Al Mezan] [ see also OCHA] [PCHR factsheet]
  • 1 Palestinian shepherd, Mohammed Mahmoud Mussallam Abu S'ayed, 32, wounded by a bullet in the back that exited from the chest, while around 400 meters away from the fence, east of al-Bureij refugee camp, in the centre of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, 16 April 2013. [The date is according to Al Mezan and OCHA]
  • 1 Palestinian child, Jamil Wa'el Jamil Risha, 17, wounded by an explosive bullet to the left leg, near al-Shuhada' cemetery, east of Jabalia refugee camp, in the north of the Gaza Strip, on Friday, 26 April 2013. [The correct date is according to Al Mezan , OCHA and PCHR factsheet]
  •  1 Palestinian, Ahmed Emad al-Hamadeen, 21, wounded by a bullet to the right thigh while he was riding a cart 300 meters away from the border fence, east of Abu Safiya area to the east of Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip, on Sunday, 02 June 2013. 
  • 1 Palestinian worker, Amer Mazen Abu Hadyed, 20, wounded by a bullet that entered into his left shoulder and exited from the chest, while working in gravel collecting, 80 meters away from the border fence, east of Khan Yunis, on the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, 10 June 2013. 
  • 1 Palestinian farmer, Omar Gayad Abu Mohareb, 47, wounded by a bullet to the right thigh while he was irrigating his land that is about 400 meters away from the border fence, east of al-Salqa valley, southeast of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on Friday, 14 June 2013. 
  • 1 Palestinian worker, Khaled Shehada Hamad, 18, wounded by a bullet to the left thigh (entered and exited), while collecting metal pieces in the landfill, northeast of Beit Hanoun, about 400 meters away from the border fence, on Sunday 14 July. 
  • 1 Palestinian worker, ‘Awadh R’fat ‘Abdul ‘Aati, 19, wounded by 2 bullets to the right thigh and leg, and shrapnel from a bullet to the abdomen, while collecting wood, approximately 500 meters away from the border, northwest of Beit Hanoun, on Thursday, 25 July 2013.   
  • 1 Palestinian with psychological disorder, Fadi Waleed ‘Eissa, 29, wounded with 2 bullets to the legs, when he approached the border in the central Gaza Strip, on Saturday, 27 July 2013.  
  • 2 fishermen were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets, fired by Israeli gunboats, while on a fishing boat sailing 7 nautical miles off Gaza Valley shore, on Tuesday 6 August 2013.
 1. Khader Marwan al-Sa'idi (26), was wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets to the hands and chest;
2. Mohammed Jamal al-No'man (28), was wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets to the back, abdomen and chest;
  • 1 Palestinian farmer, Hamada Samir Jneid (21) was wounded by a live bullet to the left leg (entered and exited), while harvesting on a farmland that is 400 meters away from the fence, on Sunday, 11 August 2013.
  • 2 Palestinian children where wounded when Israeli forces stationed along the border fence, east of Jabalia, opened fire at a group of boys, 300 meters away from the fence in the area between al-Shuhada' cemetery and Abu Safiya area, east of Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, 20 August 2013. The wounded were:
1. Lo'ay Tal'at al-Mabhouh (17), from Jabalia refugee camp. He was wounded by a bullet to the left leg, another bullet to the right thigh and shrapnel in the head. Medical sources described his wounds as moderate; and
2. Hassan Soheil Abu Aita (16), from Jabalia refugee camp. He was wounded by a bullet to the left leg. Medical sources described his wound as moderate as well.
  • 1 Palestinian, Yusef Kamel Sa'd (20) sustained a bullet wound in the left thigh while he was with his friends on a farmland, near al-Shuhada' cemetery, east of Jabalia,  500 meters away from the Israeli forces, on Friday, 30 August 2013.
  • 2 Palestinians were wounded, when Israeli forces stationed along the border fence, east of al-Shuhada cemetery, east of Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, opened fire at a group of young men who were 100 meters away from the above-mentioned fence. The young men threw stones at Israeli soldiers who stepped out of their military jeeps. The incident happened on Friday, 20 September 2013, and the wounded are:
1. Jehad Rashed al-Haddad (18), from al-Tuffah neighbourhood in Gaza City. He sustained a bullet wound in the left leg; and
2. Kamal Na'im al-'Attar (18), from Jabalia. He sustained a bullet wound in the right leg.
  • 1 Palestinian, Subhi Hussein Salem Abudib, 36, wounded and arrested by IOF, east of al- Misreyin Street in the east of Beith Hanoun in the north of the Gaza Strip, on Monday 30 September 2013.
  • 1 Palestinian fighter moderately wounded during clashes after Israeli incursion, east of al-Qarara village, east of Khan Yunis,on Thursday, 31 October 2013.
  • 1 Palestinian fisherman, Mahmoud Saleh Abu Warda, 18, was wounded with shrapnel to the abdomen, and abducted along with his brother, when Israeli gunboats stationed opposite to Beit Lahia seashore in the northern Gaza Strip opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats that were sailing 3 nautical miles offshore, on Sunday, 10 November 2013.
  • 1 Palestinian, Ashraf Fayez Abu Zaher, 23, who got as close as to 80 meters from the border to the east of al-Qarara village, northeast of Khan Yunis, was wounded with a bullet to the right leg, when Israeli forces positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel fired at him, on Wednesday, 13 November 2013.
  • 1 Palestinian farmer, Abdullah Mohammed Abu Mnaifi, 25, was seriously wounded by a bullet to the chest, when Israeli forces positioned at the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east of al-Musaddar village fired at a number of Palestinian farmers who were working nearly 500 meters away from the border on Wednesday, 13 November 2013.


Injured by tear gas canisters


  •  1 Palestinian, Yousif Soliman Hamdan Abu Odah, 21, was injured with a tear gas canister in the head,  north of the Islamic Martyrs cemetery, east of Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip, while 100 meters from the fence, on Friday 18 January 2013.
  • 1 Palestinian, Adham Abdullah Salim al-Dabji, 18, sustained injuries in his lips as he was hit by a tear gas canister at the mouth,  a few meters away from the border fence, north of Bouret Abu Samrah, north of Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Friday 25 January 2013. 
Other Palestinians injured because of Israeli attacks

  • 1 Palestinian, Basel Mohammed Abu Al Qoumasan, 23, sustained a fracture in the left elbow while he was trying to help one of the injured persons, in Hamdoush agricultural area north of Beit Lahiya, in North Gaza district, on Friday 21 December 2012. [Al Mezan]
  • 1 Palestinian fisherman, Adel Abdul Karim Baker, 50, sustained serious injuries, when the sail of a boat fell on his head, when Israeli gunboats stationed off Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats sailing within 2 nautical miles of the shore, on Wednesday, 01 May 2012.
  • 1 Palestinian woman, Alaa' Jihad al-'Amawi, 19, sustained a fracture in the left leg as a door of a closet fell over her when she was sleeping at home, during an Israeli airstrike, in al-Zawayda village, in the central Gaza Strip, on Monday, 24 June 2013.
  • 1 Palestinian fisherman, Sharif Hussein Khalil ‘Arafat, 29, was injured while he was trying to hide from Israeli shooting, when Israeli gunboats opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats in al-Soudaniya area 6 nautical miles off the shore, on Sunday, 30 June 2013. His right leg stuck in the fishing spinner which wrapped around it causing the leg to bleed. Medical sources in the hospital stated that there is an urgent need for amputation of his right leg. However, the family of the fisherman refused and he was transferred in Israel to receive treatment.
  • 1 Palestinian fisherman, Hassan Ali Murad, 27, was injured as his face was hit by the boat, during an attack of Israeli gunboats, while sailing 7 nautical miles off Gaza Valley shore, on Tuesday 6 August 2013.
  • 1 Palestinian, Mohammed Atta Shabat, 25, was injured in the left hand due to smash of windowpanes, when an Israeli jet plane fired a missile at an open area about 500 meters away from the northern separation fence between Gaza Strip and Israel, southeast of Erez crossing, on Wednesday 14 August 2013. [Al Mezan]
  • 1 Palestinian fisherman, Saleem Khaleel Al Faseeh, 58 was injured when Israeli gunboats opened heavy fire at a Palestinian fishing boat, off the coast west of Gaza city, causing damage to the winch which fall and hurt him, on Wednesday 18 September 2013. He was referred to Shifa hospital and one of his fingers was amputated. [Al Mezan]

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Gazan farmers and fisherfolk call for food sovereignty and an end to Israeli attacks

20th November 2013 | Corporate Watch, Tom Anderson and Therezia Cooper | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Palestinians demonstrate outside UNSCO – 20/11/13. (Photo by Corporate Watch)
Palestinians demonstrate outside UNSCO – 20/11/13. (Photo by Corporate Watch)

On 20th November 2013, hundreds of farmers and fisherfolk gathered outside the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East (UNSCO) in Gaza City to demand that the international community take action to prevent the Israeli military’s attacks against them and to end the occupation.
One fisherman told Corporate Watch, “We are only looking for our daily food and a livelihood. We want to ask the UN to pressure the Israeli occupation not to attack us. We are just trying to earn a living for our families.”
(Photo by Corporate Watch)
(Photo by Corporate Watch)
Saad El-Deen Ziada, Farmer and Fishermen Coordinator for the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, said, “This demonstration was the start of a Palestinian and international campaign to access our lands and control our water. To achieve what we call food sovereignty.
“We want to send a message to the international community and the General Secretary of the United Nations that it is time to stop the Israeli attacks against Palestinian farmers and to activate human rights law. International human rights law gives us the chance to sanction the occupation government and to support the Palestinians to stay on their land. The international community must deal with the situation as a political issue and not a humanitarian one. First of all we need to end the Israeli occupation. We condemn the international community’s silence at the crimes we are subjected to.”
Several of the speakers at the demonstration also emphasised the importance of the international campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israeli apartheid.
A delegation from the demonstration delivered a letter to a representative of Ban Ki-moon articulating the protesters’ demands.
(Photo by Corporate Watch)
(Photo by Corporate Watch)
(Photo by Corporate Watch)
(Photo by Corporate Watch)
Palestinians and internationals deliver a message to the international community – 20/11/13. (Photo by Corporate Watch)
Palestinians and internationals deliver a message to the international community – 20/11/13. (Photo by Corporate Watch)
(Photo by Corporate Watch)
(Photo by Corporate Watch)

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Photos of Israeli tear gas canisters fired at Palestinian demonstrators in the Gaza ‘buffer zone’

17th November 2013 | Corporate Watch, Tom Anderson and Therezia Cooper | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Palestinians demonstrate in the buffer zone East of Gaza City on the anniversary of the signing of the Balfour Declaration. (Photo by ISM Gaza)
Palestinians demonstrate in the buffer zone East of Gaza City on the anniversary of the signing of the Balfour Declaration. (Photo by ISM – Gaza team)

On 2nd November 2013 Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinians demonstrating in the Gaza buffer zone East of Gaza City, by the Nahal Oz checkpoint. A report of the demonstration by an eyewitness can be viewed here. Pictures of one of the canisters fired at the activists are shown below.
Corporate Watch has written several articles about Israel’s use of tear gas in the West Bank. Some of our previous work can be found here and here.
This canister looks a little different to the ones that we have seen in the West Bank, particularly because it is encased in a hard plastic shell. We do not have any evidence to determine which company supplied these canisters to the Israeli military. However, we know that tear gas canisters manufactured by Combined Systems (CSI) in the US and Defense Technologies, previously owned by the British arms giant BAE systems and now owned by the US firm Safariland, have been used by the Israeli police and army in the past.
It is imperative that BDS campaigners take action against companies selling tear gas to Israel.
Combined Systems can be contacted at:
388 Kinsman Road, Jamestown, PA 16134
Safariland can be contacted at:
Ontario Headquaters:
Safariland
3120 E. Mission Blvd.
Ontario, CA 91761
Jacksonville Headquarters:
Safariland
13386 International Parkway
Jacksonville, FL 32218
Gas canister fired at Palestinian demonstrators in the buffer zone on 2/11/13. (Photo by Corporate Watch)
Gas canister fired at Palestinian demonstrators in the buffer zone on 2/11/13. (Photo by Corporate Watch)
The three separate pieces of the canister fired at Palestinian demonstrators in the buffer zone – 2/11/13. (Photo by Corporate Watch)
The three separate pieces of the canister fired at Palestinian demonstrators in the buffer zone – 2/11/13. (Photo by Corporate Watch)

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Palestinian farmer injured by Israeli gunfire in the Gaza Strip

16th November 2013 | International Solidarity Movement, Rosa Schiano | Gaza, Occupied Palestine

Mneifi Abu Abdullah. (Photo by Rosa Schiano)
Mneifi Abu Abdullah. (Photo by Rosa Schiano)

On Wednesday, 13th November, gunfire by Israeli occupation forces injured a Palestinian farmer near al-Maghazi refugee camp, in the center of Gaza strip.
Mneifi Abu Abdullah, age 25, was working with three other farmers about 600 meters from the separation barrier.
Abu Abdullah is a worker who ears 30 shekels per day in the fields.
Farmworkers near al-Maghazi are used to hearing gunshots. The Israeli military presence is constant in areas along the barrier.
On Thursday, some of Abu Abdullah’s uncles, as well as another farmer present during the shooting, visited his room in al-Shifa hospital.
The witness said he suddenly heard three shots, injuring Abu Abdullah in at his right shoulder, around 2:50 pm. Another bullet struck near his feet.
The farmers transported Abu Abdullah roughly one kilometer before reaching an ambulance that brought him to al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir el-Balah.
The witness added that he had not seen Israeli soldiers, but military vehicles had been moving along the barrier.
On the same day in Deir el-Balah, another farmer, from Abu Daher family, was wounded in his leg by Israeli gunfire and rushed to al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital.
Abu Abdullah is married and has two children. His work in the fields is his family’s only source of livelihood.
He was transferred from al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital to al-Shifa hospital. The bullet entered and exited his shoulder. He needs surgery, as the bullet severed a nerve.
The ceasefire of 21st November 2012 established that Israeli occupation forces should “refrain from hitting residents in areas along the border” and “cease hostilities in the Gaza Strip by land, by sea and by air, including raids and targeted killings.”
However, Israeli military attacks by land and sea followed from the day after the ceasefire, and Israeli warplanes fly constantly over the Gaza Strip. Seven civilians have been killed by Israeli occupation forces since the end of their last major offensive, “Operation Pillar of Defense,” and more than 130 have been wounded.
These attacks on the Gaza Strip continue amid international silence.

Gaza farmers succeed in tending to olive harvest — with international support

16th November 2013 | The Electronic Intifada, Joe Catron | Gaza City, Occupied Palestine

Palestinian workers sort olives at a press in Gaza City, October 2013. (Ashraf Amra / APA images)
Palestinian workers sort olives at a press in Gaza City, October 2013. (Ashraf Amra / APA images)

During the recent olive harvest, which lasted from the end of September through October, dozens of Palestinian volunteers joined farmers in their groves near the tense barriers of the Gaza Strip.
The volunteers worked during a week at the height of the harvest season, from 20 to 27 October, in two of the farming districts most often targeted by Israeli forces: Beit Hanoun, around the Erez checkpoint in northern Gaza, and al-Qarara, a town in the Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip.
Along with others near the “buffer zone” separating Gaza from present-day Israel, these areas face regular incursions by Israeli forces, which often send tanks and bulldozers to level farmland. Even more frequent are the bursts of gunfire aimed at farmers or others near the barrier erected by Israel.
These attacks have claimed vast tracts of productive farmland stretching hundreds of meters into the Gaza Strip, converting them to wasteland or fields of low-maintenance crops, most of which are wheat.
Abeer Abu Shawish, project coordinator for the Protection for Better Production campaign — a project of the Arab Center for Agricultural Development — said that more than fifty volunteers joined the effort.
The mobilization involved farmers’ organizations, like the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, and other groups across Gaza.
“Our partner organizations mobilized volunteers to help farmers in the restricted area harvest their olives,” Abu Shawish said. “They’re other farmers, civil society activists, women: all these people joined us this year.”
Destruction
“We can just plant wheat and wait,” said Abu Jamal Abu Taima, a farmer in the village of Khuzaa outside Khan Younis. “Other crops need to be tended every day.”
Abu Jamal’s 50 dunams (a dunam is equivalent to 1,000 square meters), which he plans to sow with wheat after the November rains begin, once contained olive groves as well as greenhouses for an array of vegetables.
“We used to grow enough olives for seventy large bottles of olive oil,” he said. “Now? Six.”
In 2002, Israeli forces began razing Palestinian agricultural areas near the barrier, as well as along the Philadelphi Route by the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.
This included the demolition of Abu Jamal’s olive groves and greenhouses, as well as his home. “The Israelis destroyed them with four bulldozers, five huge tanks and three Hummers,” he said.
Since its occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank in 1967, Israel has uprooted 800,000 olive trees in those territories, Oxfam reported in 2011. As the graphic design activism initiative Visualizing Palestine recently illustrated, those trees would cover an area33 times the size of New York City’s Central Park.
By 2013, according to the Palestinian ministry of agriculture in Gaza, Israeli forces had leveled “some 20,000 dunams of land areas planted with half a million trees” in the Gaza Strip, contributing to a local deficit in olive oil production of 60 percent (“Israeli crimes against farmers cause 60 percent deficit in olive production,” Palestine News Network, 24 September 2013).
In the West Bank, the destruction of olive trees by both Israeli settlers and occupation forces continues. Stop the Wall and the Palestinian Farmers’ Union have organized an accompaniment project there, the You Are Not Alone campaign. By 8 November, its volunteers had documented the burning and uprooting of 1,905 olive trees by settlers during this harvest season alone.
Toxic sewage
A report by Stop the Wall states that its list of attacks does not “pretend to be complete.” Among the problems encountered by farmers trying to reach their olive trees are “settlers pump[ing] toxic sewage water on agricultural land” (“Settlers burn and uproot 1,905 olive trees during the harvest season,” 8 November 2013).
On 28 October, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published excerpts of a list of settler attacks on Palestinian olive groves and farmers maintained by the Israeli army (“Israeli attacks on Palestinian olive groves kept secret by state.”
The Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din has reported that Israeli occupation police “overwhelmingly failed to investigate the incidents and prosecute offenders,” noting that of 211 investigations actually opened between 2005 and June 2013, only four produced indictments (“97.4 percent of investigative files relating to damage of Palestinian olive trees are closed due to police failings,” 21 October 2013).
On 11 September, the Israeli army’s West Bank commander said his troops would destroy olive groves in the town of Yabad for unspecified “security purposes” (“Israeli authorities to destroy olive groves for ‘security purposes,” Ma’an News Agency, 9 November 2013).
“We are still here”
But the destruction of olive trees in the Gaza Strip is largely complete. For years Israel has used armored Caterpillar D9 bulldozers, accompanied by tanks, to clear away olive trees in the “buffer zone.” Farmers in the area, who face the constant threats of both gunfire and leveling of land, have little reason to plant any crop needing regular attention or significant resources, much less crops that require years of careful cultivation and maintenance.
“I want to plant more olive trees, and other things, but cannot,” Abu Taima said. “For now, I plant wheat.”
With exceptions — most notably a 28 October airstrike on an olive grove near Soudanya in the north of Gaza — the Strip’s olive harvest passed more quietly than most agricultural activities in the territory.
“We try to bring international attention to the farmers and discourage Israeli attacks on them,” the Protection for Better Production campaign’s Abu Shawish said. “By supporting them, we encourage them to access their lands and keep using them. It shows the Israelis we are still here, and we can access our lands without any fears. Farmers in the restricted area can resist the occupation by existing on their own lands.”
The Arab Center for Agricultural Development’s programs for farmers do not end with accompaniment, Abu Shawish explained. The organization has conducted intensive leadership training for 100 farmers from the Gaza Strip’s five governorates, in farmers’ rights as well as skills like public advocacy. It has also held awareness-raising workshops for 500 more farmers.
“We are interested in building a social movement for farmers in Gaza,” she said.
The workshops also aim to build popular support for boycotts of Israeli products and the purchase of Palestinian goods among farmers.
“These workshops are about how to encourage farmers themselves to be involved in the boycott campaign, and how they can help the national economy by boycotting Israeli agriculture,” Abu Shawish said.
“We try to encourage farmers to boycott Israeli agricultural goods and buy Palestinian products to support the local economy. It’s raising awareness. At the same time, it’s about getting farmers involved in the campaign itself.”
Abu Taima, too, has a path of resistance.
“For us, the land is something very important,” he said. “We cannot just leave it. We will not have another 1948. We will not leave our lands again.”

Joe Catron is a US activist in Gaza, Palestine. He co-edited The Prisoners’ Diaries: Palestinian Voices from the Israeli Gulag, an anthology of accounts by detainees freed in the 2011 prisoner exchange. He blogs at joecatron.wordpress.com and tweets @jncatron.