NOVANEWS
As Israeli occupation forces have continued their offensive on the Gaza Strip committing crimes against the Palestinian civilians, they used excessive force against Palestinian civilians who organized protests against the offensive on Gaza. Israeli forces have used firearms to disperse these protests. Since Friday, 8 August 2014, Israel forces have killed 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child, and have wounded 63 others, including 16 children. Thus, the number of Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on Gaza has increased to 18, including 3 children. Another civilian was also killed by Israeli settlers. The number of civilians wounded by Israeli forces have increased to 459, including 88 children.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR:
- · Following the Friday Prayer on 08 August 2014, hundreds of Palestinian civilians organized a demonstration at Ibn Rushd Square in the center of Hebron in protest against the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip. The demonstrators marched towards Bab al-Zawia area. Immediately, Israeli soldiers fired live and rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas canisters and stun grenades at the demonstrators. As a result, 40 demonstrators, including 13 children, were wounded; 25 of whom were wounded by live bullets, while the remaining 15 ones were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets. One of the wounded, Nader Mohammed Edris, 42, was wounded by a bullet that hit the main artery of the heart. He was evacuated to al-Mezan Hospital where he underwent an urgent operation. At approximately 01:20 on Saturday, 09 August 2014, he was pronounced dead.
- · On Friday evening, Israeli forces shot dead Mohammed Ahmed Qataru, 19, from al-Am’ari refugee camp in the center of Ramallah, when he was participating in a demonstration organized in Jabal al-Tawil area near “Psagot” settlement. The demonstrators threw stones at the fence of the settlement. Immediately, 3 Israeli soldiers positioned in the area fired at the demonstrators and chased them. At approximately 19:00, an Israeli soldier who was lying on the ground fired a bullet at Qatari from a distance of 60-70 meters. Qatari was wounded in the chest. Four Israeli soldier them pulled him from the shoulders on the ground for 10 meters after kicking him. They put him behind cement blocks in the above-mentioned settlement. At approximately 19:45, a Palestinian ambulance received Qatari’s body.
- · On Sunday morning, 10 August 2014, Israeli forces shot dead Khalil Mohammed al-‘Anati, 12, from al-Fawar refugee camp south of Hebron. According to initial investigations, Israeli forces moved into the camp and stationed in Nab’at al-Haffara area. A number of Palestinian children threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who responded by firing at the children. As a result, the abovementioned child was wounded by a bullet that entered his back and exited his abdomen when he was in front of his family’s house. He was evacuated in a civilian car to the National Hospital in Hebron in a critical condition. Doctors attempted to save his life, but their efforts failed and he was pronounced dead.
- · Four Palestinian civilians were wounded in Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron. An 18-year-old boy was wounded by 2 gunshots fired from a weapon equipped with a silencer from a distance of 5 meters, while the other 3 civilians were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets.
- · Thirteen Palestinian civilians, including 3 children, were wounded near Beit Fourik checkpoint, east of Nablus; 9 of them were wounded by live bullets while the other 4 ones were wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets.
- · An 18-year-old Palestinian civilian was wounded by 2 gunshots to the side during a demonstration organized at the entrance of ‘Azzoun village, east of Qalqilya, which caused paralysis to his lower limbs.
- · A 20-year-old Palestinian civilian was hit by a tear gas canister to his left wrist and a rubber-coated metal bullet to the left elbow near Qalandya checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah.
- · A 28-year-old Palestinian civilian was wounded by a live bullet to the left thigh and a rubber-coated metal bullet to the chest at the western entrance of Silwad village, northeast of Ramallah.
- · Three Palestinian civilians were wounded by live bullets in Kufor Qaddoum village, east of Qalqilya.
PCHR strongly condemns these crimes, which further prove the use of excessive force by Israeli forces against the Palestinian civilians in disregard for the civilians’ lives. PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate and effective actions to put an end to such crimes and reiterates its call for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e., to respect and to ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances, and their obligation under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions.
