Protection of Civilians Report | 17 - 30 September 2019

03 Oct 2019

On 27 September, a Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli forces in a ‘Great March of Return’ (GMR( demonstration, held east of Rafah, near the perimeter fence between Gaza and Israel. Another 441, including 193 children, were injured, including 90 shot with live ammunition. Overall, 210 Palestinians, including 46 children, have been killed in the GMR protests since they started in March 2018. Israeli sources reported that improvised explosive devices, hand grenades and Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli forces, and that there were several attempts to breach the fence during the period.
One Palestinian woman was killed and two boys were arrested in three separate stabbing incidents that wounded two Israeli women. On 18 September, Israeli forces opened fire at a woman at the Qalandiya checkpoint, which controls access to East Jerusalem from the north, after she attempted to stab a soldier; the woman was hit in the leg and died from loss of blood. On 25 September, a 14-year-old boy stabbed and injured a female settler at a bus station near the Maccabim Barrier checkpoint (Ramallah); the boy was later arrested. Additionally, a Palestinian boy was arrested after he stabbed and injured a policewoman in the Old City of Jerusalem on 26 September.
Six Palestinians were injured when a rocket fired from Gaza towards Israel fell short, close to their house, east of Rafah. There were no records of Israeli airstrikes during the reporting period.
On at least 16 occasions, Israeli forces opened warning fire in the areas adjacent to Gaza’s perimeter fence and off the coast of Gaza, while enforcing access restrictions; no casualties were reported. Israeli forces carried out four incursions and land-levelling operations near the fence. In a separate incident, Israeli forces arrested one Palestinian man at Erez crossing after he was called for an interview with security officials.
Israeli forces injured a total of 68 Palestinians, including seven children, in multiple clashes across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of those, 19 people were injured in confrontations with Israeli forces that took place in Al ‘Eizariya town (Jerusalem governorate), where ongoing clashes have been occurring on a regular basis for more than a month. Another 24 Palestinians were injured in search and arrest operations conducted by Israeli forces, including 16 in ‘Azzun village (Qalqiliya), where the operations entailed the closure of shops and the gate controlling the main access to the village. Additionally, two Palestinians were injured in the weekly protest against settlement expansion in Kafr Qaddum (Qalqiliya). Over half of the injured were treated for tear gas inhalation, 20 per cent as a result of rubber bullets and the remaining due to physical assault and live ammunition.
Israeli forces carried out a total of 191 search and arrest operations across the West Bank and arrested 167 Palestinians. The majority of the operations were in the Ramallah (58), Jerusalem (45), and Hebron (23) governorates.
Citing safety reasons, the Israeli authorities installed a permanent barrier along a key road in southern Hebron, further impeding access of vulnerable herding communities. The barrier affects the movement some 800 Palestinians in four communities at risk of forcible transfer, due to their location in an area (Massafer Yatta) designated by Israel as a firing zone for military training, alongside other restrictive practices.
Israeli settlers carried out four attacks that resulted in the injury of three Palestinians and damage to olive trees; another 12 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces in settler-related incidents. In two incidents, settlers stoned and injured five Palestinians, including a 14-year-old child, in the Israeli-controlled area of Hebron city (H2) and in Beitin village (Ramallah). In another two incidents in Nablus, residents reported that settlers stole their olives and vandalized 47 trees in As Sawiya village and sprayed slogans on houses and vandalized one vehicle, in Duma village. A total of 12 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces during clashes with Palestinians that erupted while Israeli settlers were visiting religious sites in the cities of Nablus and Halhul (Hebron). In addition, settlers verbally assaulted and intimidated international volunteers accompanying Palestinian herders near Havat Ma’on settlement outpost (Hebron).
The Israeli authorities demolished or seized 12 Palestinian-owned structures in Area C and East Jerusalem during the reporting period. All but one, a protest tent, were demolished on the grounds of a lack of Israeli-issued permits, displacing seven people. The tent was erected in the Al Muntar area near Al ‘Eizariya town in Jerusalem, in response to the installation of a new settlement outpost. Palestinians reported that the outpost is erected on their land, affecting access for around 300 people. All displacement incidents were recorded in East Jerusalem, where three residences were demolished in the neighbourhoods of Beit Hanina, Silwan and At Tur. The remaining properties demolished included four livelihood structures, two houses under construction, a water cistern and a concrete fence in five Area C localities. A total of 439 structures have been demolished or seized so far in 2019 in the West Bank, an over 40 per cent increase compared with the equivalent period of 2018.
According to Israeli sources, Palestinians stoned Israeli-plated vehicles driving in the Ramallah area, causing damage to one car.