Protection of Civilians Report | 14-27 March 2023

Latest Developments (outside the reporting period)

This section is based on initial information from different sources. Further confirmed details will be provided in the next report.

• On 28 March, a Palestinian man died of wounds sustained on 22 February when he was shot by Israeli forces operating in Nablus; this has raised the death toll in that incident to twelve.

Highlights from the reporting period

• Israeli forces killed five Palestinians, including one child, and injured 23 others, all but one with live ammunition, in two operations that involved exchange of fire with Palestinians in Jenin and Tulkarm. On 16 March, undercover Israeli forces entered Jenin city in a daytime operation. Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men. According to eyewitness reports and video footage, Israeli forces shot one of the men at point-blank range while he appeared to be lying incapacitated on the ground. An exchange of fire between the Israeli forces and Palestinians ensued. Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade later claimed the two as affiliates and an Israeli statement indicated that they were suspected of armed attacks against Israelis and were the target of the operation. During the same operation, Israeli forces also shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian child passing by on his bicycle. According to medical reports he was shot in the back with live ammunition. This has brought the total number of Palestinian children killed in the West Bank so far in 2023 to 16, compared with two in the same period of 2022. Subsequently, Israeli forces fired live ammunition, rubber bullets, and teargas canisters towards Palestinians who threw stones at them, 23 Palestinians were injured, of which 22 by live ammunition. A fourth Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli forces when, according to the Israeli military, he was trying to attack them with a crowbar. On 23 March, Israeli forces raided Izbat Shufa (Tulkarem) during morning hours, surrounded a building, and exchanged fire with a Palestinian man, ultimately killing him. This brings to 64 the total number of Palestinians killed during Israeli forces operations in the West Bank in 2023. Another Palestinian was arrested, and his vehicle was confiscated during the operation in Tulkarem.  Israeli forces closed the main entrance of the village and hindered movement of residents, impeding access to workplaces and schools for about two hours. No members of Israeli forces were reported injured in any of the abovementioned operations.
• Two Palestinian attacks or alleged attacks against Israeli forces resulted in the killing of one Palestinian alleged perpetrator and the injury of two members of Israeli forces in Ramallah and Nablus. On 17 March, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man near Beit El/DCO checkpoint, at the entrance to Al Bireh (Ramallah). According to the Israeli military, he tried to stab an Israeli soldier. No Israeli injuries were reported, and the man’s body was handed over to his family. So far in 2023, ten Palestinians have been shot and killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank and Israel while attacking or allegedly trying to attack Israelis. On 25 March, a Palestinian man shot and injured two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in the town of Huwwara (Nablus) before fleeing the area. Israeli forces launched a manhunt and intensified movement restrictions in and around Nablus city, obstructing the movement of residents (see below). 
• An Israeli man succumbed to wounds he sustained in a Palestinian shooting attack in central Israel on 9 March 2023 where a Palestinian from Ni’lin (Ramallah) opened fire in a crowded street, in which another two Israelis were injured. So far this year, 14 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank, compared with three in the same period in 2022. 
• A total of 246 Palestinians, including at least 19 children, were injured by Israeli forces across the West Bank; 44 of them were shot with live ammunition. Nineteen Palestinians were injured during six search-and-arrest and other operations carried out by Israeli forces in multiple locations, in addition to the 23 Palestinians injured in Jenin (see above). In six incidents that occurred in Nablus city, Qaryut, Huwwara and Deir Sharaf, Israeli forces accompanying settlers entering Palestinian communities, injured 133 Palestinians. The majority were treated for teargas inhalation.. Another 59 Palestinians were injured near Beit Dajan and Beita (both in Nablus), Kafr Qaddum (Qalqilya) and Al Lubban al Gharbi (Ramallah), in demonstrations against access restrictions and settlement expansion. Israeli forces shot live ammunition and teargas cannisters at Palestinians who threw stones at Israeli soldiers positioned at military observation towers, injuring another 12 Palestinians at the entrances of Azzun (Qalqiliya), Beit Ummar (Hebron), Husan (Bethlehem) and An Nabi Salih (Ramallah). Overall, 173 Palestinians were treated for teargas inhalation, 44 were shot with live ammunition, 19 were injured with rubber bullets, six were physically assaulted, three were injured when hit by sound grenades or teargas canisters, and one was hit by a military vehicle. 
• Israeli settlers injured 19 Palestinians, including one child, and people known or believed to be settlers damaged Palestinian property in another 25 instances across the West Bank, resulting in the displacement of six people. This is additional to the injury of 133 Palestinians by Israeli forces in six incidents involving settlers. On 15, 18, 21, 25 and 26 March, Israeli settlers physically assaulted, pepper sprayed, and injured 14 Palestinians who were farming or grazing livestock near Deir Jarir and Sinjil (both in Ramallah), Tuba in southern Hebron, Humsa Al Bqai'a community in the Jordan valley (Tubas) and Qarawat Bani Hassan (Salfit); among the wounded were one child and an elderly woman. On 17 March, a Palestinian man was shot and injured with live ammunition in Deir Sharaf (Nablus); according to Palestinian eyewitnesses, settlers opened fire at the Palestinian in the presence of Israeli forces. In another two sperate incidents, on 19 and 27 March, two Palestinians, were injured when Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles travelling on roads near Nablus and Ramallah. On 25 March, Israeli settlers entered Huwwara, accompanied by Israeli forces, threw stones, injured two Palestinians, set two vehicles on fire, and damaged 15 other vehicles, three shops and five homes. According to community sources, during the reporting period, more than 220 olive trees were vandalized on Palestinian land near Israeli settlements, including where Palestinian access requires approval from the Israeli military. Such damages were reported in six incidents, near Sinjil (Ramallah), As Sawiya and Burin (both in Nablus), Al Ganoub and Halhul (both in Hebron), Husan (Bethlehem) and Deir Istiya (Salfit). Separately, in Huwwara (Nablus), Salfit city and Burqa (Ramallah), Israeli settlers punctured the tires of 30 Palestinian-owned cars, and threw stones and opened live fire, causing damage to four homes and another vehicle. Other Palestinian property was damaged, and livestock was injured in twelve incidents in or near Jenin, Ramallah, Salfit, Tubas, Hebron and Qalqiliya; properties included residential and agricultural structures, tractors, crops, and a water network, according to eyewitnesses and local community sources. On 26 March, Israeli settlers threw a Molotov cocktail at a Palestinian house in Sinjil (Ramallah), setting it on fire, according to local community sources. As a result, a Palestinian family of six, including four children, were displaced, and lost most of their belongings.
• A Palestinian shot and injured an Israeli settler travelling through Huwwara and Israeli forces shot and injured the perpetrator as he was trying to flee. Another Israeli settler was injured and nine Israeli vehicles were damaged in nine incidents, when people known or believed to be Palestinians threw stones at Israeli vehicles travelling on West Bank roads.
• A total of around 40,000 Palestinians holding West Bank IDs entered East Jerusalem on the first Friday of Ramadan (24 March) through the three designated checkpoints along the Barrier, according to official Israeli figures. The Israeli authorities allowed men above 55 years of age, women of all ages and children below 12 years of age to enter East Jerusalem without permits. Palestinians from Gaza require permits to access East Jerusalem regardless of their age.
• Israeli forces restricted the movement of Palestinians in several locations across the West Bank, disrupting the access of thousands to livelihoods and services. Following the shooting attacks in Huwwara on 19 and 25 March, where an Israeli settler and two Israeli soldiers were injured, Israeli forces intensified movement restrictions in and around Nablus city as they launched a manhunt to find the perpetrator. Several roads were closed with earth-mounds, in addition to intensive security checks at checkpoints, leading to long waiting times for commuters. On 16 and 23 March, Israeli forces restricted the movement of more than 8,000 Palestinians by closing the road gate at the entrance of Jamma’in (Nablus), and by placing earth-mounds and concrete blocks at one of the entrances of Khirbet ‘Atuf (Tubas), in response to alleged Palestinian stone-throwing at Israeli-plated vehicles. The intensified movement restrictions remain in place up until the end of the current reporting period. 
• The Israeli authorities demolished four Palestinian structures in East Jerusalem and a fifth one in Area C, citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain; the livelihoods of about 40 people were affected. This reflects a significant decline in the number of structures demolished or seized compared with the biweekly average since the beginning of the year (44). This is consistent with a typical downtrend in Israeli demolitions during the month of Ramadan. All five structures were demolished before the start of Ramadan on 23 March. Separately, Israeli authorities issued a demolition order against a newly rehabilitated donor-funded agricultural road in Sabastiya (Nablus); a destruction of the road would affect people’s access to about 100 dunums of farmland. Military order 1797, which was used in this case, allows for the demolition of unlicensed structures in Area C within 96 hours of the delivery of the military order. 
• In the Gaza Strip, a 14-year-old Palestinian boy was injured when an unexploded ordinance (UXO) detonated while he was tampering with it in Rafah. 
• Also, in the Gaza Strip, on at least 23 occasions, Israeli forces opened “warning fire” near Israel’s perimeter fence or off the coast, presumably to enforce access restrictions; no injuries or damages were reported. Additionally, two Palestinian men from Gaza were arrested by Israeli forces at Erez crossing, including a 55-year-old patient who had received medical treatment in Jerusalem. Six Palestinians, including three children, were arrested by Israeli forces while trying to enter Israel through the perimeter fence. 
• On 18 March, a Palestinian armed group in Gaza fired a rocket into Israel, causing no injuries or damage to property.

Footnotes

1 Palestinians killed or injured by people who are not members of Israeli forces, e.g., by Israeli civilians or with Palestinian rockets falling short, as well as those whose immediate cause of death or the perpetrator’s identity remain disputed, unclear, or unknown, are counted separately.

2 Israeli casualties in these charts include people who were injured while running to shelters during Palestinian rocket attacks. Foreign nationals killed in Palestinian attacks and people whose immediate cause of death or the perpetrator’s identity remain disputed, unclear, or unknown, are counted separately.