contact@ifamericansknew.org, Author at Israel-Palestine Timeline

Sofian Nawwaf al-Khawaja

March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 contact@ifamericansknew.org

March 22, 2020: Sofian Nawwaf al-Khawaja, 29, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers near the entrance of Ni’lin village, west of the central West Bank city of Ramallah.

Medical sources said the soldiers shot Sofian during an invasion of the area, causing a very serious injury that resulted in his death shortly afterward.

They added that the soldiers stopped and held a Palestinian ambulance that was rushing to render aid to the Palestinian.

Instead of allowing the Palestinian medics to render the urgently needed aid to the critically wounded young man, the soldiers called for an Israeli ambulance while al-Khawaja continued to bleed.

The Israeli army claimed that the soldiers opened fire at several Palestinians who reportedly hurled stones at their jeeps.

However, Palestinian sources said the slain Palestinian was not among the protesters but happened to be passing through the area along with his cousin.

Israeli daily Haaretz quoted a military spokesperson stating that the soldiers opened fire at two Palestinians who were “hurling rocks at Israeli vehicles at the Ni’lin junction,” and added that the soldiers “killed one of them, while the other Palestinian managed to escape.”

Haaretz added that the army initiated a search campaign in the area.

Sofian was from Nil’in, in the central West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Mohammad Abdul-Karim Hamayel

March 11, 2020March 24, 2020 contact@ifamericansknew.org

March 11, 2020: Mohammad Abdul-Karim Hamayel, 15, was killed by Israeli soldiers, and 112 wounded, as the Israeli army cracked down on protesters at the al-‘Arma Mountain, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the child, Mohammad Abdul-Karim Hamayel, 15, was shot with an expanding bullet in the head, and he was rushed to a local hospital before succumbing to his serious wounds.

Tarif Ashour, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry, said at least thirteen Palestinians were rushed to Rafidia governmental hospital, including another child, seventeen years of age, who was shot with two rubber-coated steel bullets in his head, before he was rushed to surgery, and remains in critical condition.

Shortly afterward, the soldiers shot two Palestinians with rubber-coated steel bullets in their heads, causing hemorrhaging in the brain; one of them remains in life-threatening condition.

In addition, a journalist working for the Palestinian TV, identified as Bakr Abdul-Haq, was shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet in his lead, and at least thirteen other residents were shot with similar rounds.

The total number of injuries stood at more than 112 Palestinians in the past two days — among them 90 who suffered the severe effects of teargas inhalation, and eighteen who were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets.

The soldiers also abducted at least three young men, after more than 40 additional military vehicles invaded the area.

The protests are still ongoing as more soldiers and fanatic illegal colonists continue to flock to the mountain and prevented many Palestinian ambulances from approaching it.

The head of the Beita Fuad Maali Village Council told Wafa reporters that scores of illegal Israeli colonists began storming the mountain last night and are still in the place, explaining that hundreds of Palestinian citizens remain stationed on the mountain to repel their invasion.

Ghassan Douglas, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israel’s colonialist activities, said that there have been calls by colonists to storm the mountain, in an attempt to control an archaeological historical site above its summit, and install an illegal colony after occupying the entire Palestinian Mountain.

It is reported that the residents of the village, and the neighboring towns and villages, responded to previous attempts by the settlers to storm the top of the mountain two weeks ago.

Mohammad was from the Nablus district, in the northern West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Ziad Ahmad Mansour

February 24, 2020February 24, 2020 contact@ifamericansknew.org

February 24, 2020: Ziad Ahmad Mansour, 23, a Palestinian fighter with the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, was one of two Palestinians killed by an Israeli missile in Damascus, Syria.

The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, has reported that two of its fighters were killed, late on Sunday at night, after Israeli war jets fired missiles into an area in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The Brigades stated that its slain fighters have been identified as Salim Ahmad Salim, 24, and Ziad Ahmad Mansour, 23.

It added that the Israeli offensive on the Arab Syrian capital “is just another example of Tel Aviv’s failure in facing the Palestinian fighters in occupied Palestine.

“This new aggression will not deter us, as it is only another incentive for us to continue our fight for liberation and independence,” the Brigades added, “Our struggle against the Israeli occupation will continue until we achieve our legitimate goals,” and vowed a fierce retaliation.

Medical sources have confirmed that at least four Palestinians were injured.

In related news, Israeli fighter jets fired, on Sunday evening, many missiles into sites run by the Al-Quds Brigades in several areas in the besieged Gaza Strip, after the fighters fired homemade shells into nearby settlements in retaliation to the death of Mohammad Ali Hasan an-Na’em, 27, from Khan Younis, who was killed by army fire before the soldiers crushed his body with the blade of their bulldozer, then grabbed the corpse with the blade and swinging the body back and forth in the air.

ِAbu Hamza, the spokesperson of the Al-Quds Brigades, said in a statement that the brigades will retaliate to the Israeli aggression on Syria resulting in the death of the two fighters.

On Saturday evening, the soldiers abducted a Palestinian merchant, identified as Amer Baraka, at the Erez Terminal, in northern Gaza. He is the third merchant to be taken prisoner at the terminal since the beginning of this year.

Source: IMEMC

Salim Ahmad Salim

February 24, 2020February 24, 2020 contact@ifamericansknew.org

February 24, 2020: Salim Ahmad Salim, 24, a Palestinian fighter with the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, was one of two Palestinians killed by an Israeli missile in Damascus, Syria.

The Brigades stated that its slain fighters have been identified as Salim Ahmad Salim, 24, and Ziad Ahmad Mansour, 23.

It added that the Israeli offensive on the Arab Syrian capital “is just another example of Tel Aviv’s failure in facing the Palestinian fighters in occupied Palestine.

Medical sources have confirmed that at least four Palestinians were injured.

ِAbu Hamza, the spokesperson of the Al-Quds Brigades, said in a statement that the brigades will retaliate to the Israeli aggression on Syria resulting in the death of the two fighters.

Salim was from Gaza. Source: IMEMC

Mohammad Ali Hasan an-Na’em

February 23, 2020February 24, 2020 contact@ifamericansknew.org

February 23, 2020: Mohammad Ali Hasan an-Na’em, 27, was shot and killed by Israeli forces, who then repeatedly crushed his body using an armored bulldozer as a weapon, then used the blade of the bulldozer to lift the corpse of Mohammad from where it lay on the ground, then swing the corpse back and forth in the air.

The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, has reported that the slain Palestinian was one of its members.

The Brigades stated that the Palestinian has been identified as Mohammad Ali Hasan an-Na’em, 27, from Khan Younis.

The slain Palestinian was unarmed and wasn’t even in military attire when the soldiers attacked him, along with many residents, with their bulldozer, and live rounds.

In addition to killing Mohammad, the Israeli forces injured four, on Palestinian lands, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army claimed that its soldiers observed two Palestinians approaching the perimeter fence, before placing an explosive device.

It alleged that the soldiers then rushed to the scene and fired live ammunition at the two Palestinians, causing the explosive device to explode.

Israeli officials frequently make outrageous claims about Palestinians they kill, which are often proven later to be false.

Media sources in Gaza said several Palestinians tried to reach the two Palestinians to provide them with the needed medical care and move them to a hospital, but a military bulldozer sped towards them and drove over the corpse of the slain Palestinian, before scooping it using the bulldozer’s plow.

The second Palestinian was injured with a live round in his leg and was rushed to a hospital in Khan Younis after the Palestinians managed to evacuate him before the soldiers could reach him.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has reported that two other Palestinians were shot and injured by Israeli army fire while attempting to help evacuate the wounded.

Israeli sources initially quoted the army claiming its soldiers killed two Palestinians in the incident.

Despite the military claims, a video from the scene shows the corpse of the young man on Palestinian land in an area quite a distance away from the fence.

The bulldozer was speeding towards the Palestinians to prevent them from retrieving the corpse of the slain young man.

Mohammad was from Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Maher Ibrahim Zaatra

February 22, 2020February 24, 2020 contact@ifamericansknew.org

February 22, 2020: Maher Ibrahim Zaatra, 33, was shot and killed by the Israeli police in Bab al-Asbat area in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.

Israeli police opened a barrage of gunfire toward the Palestinian man at Lions’ Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City, reportedly after attempting a stabbing attack.

Witnesses told the Palestinian News Agency Wafa that the man, who was not immediately identified, was shot several times and was left to bleed on the ground before Israeli paramedics arrived at the scene.

The man was identified as Maher Ibrahim Zaatra, 33. He was a father of three children, and his wife is pregnant, from Jabal al-Mokabber village, south of occupied East Jerusalem. Video clips show the young man lying motionless on the ground, with a large police force at the scene.

In an act of retribution and collective punishment, the soldiers invaded the home of the slain Palestinian, ransacked the property, before abducting his mother, and two brothers.

First Published on: Feb 23, 2020 at 00:34

Israeli forces have, in the past, made false claims about Palestinians who they said were attacking Israeli soldiers when they were shot, but were found upon closer evidence to have been the victims of trigger-happy soldiers who were not under threat at all.

Maher was from Jabal al-Mokabber village, south of occupied East Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Fakhr Mahmoud Qurt

February 17, 2020February 18, 2020 contact@ifamericansknew.org

February 17, 2020: Fakhr Mahmoud Abu Zayed Qurt, 53, was found dead in a deserted valley in the West Bank. Israeli soldiers stationed in the occupied West Bank recovered his body, which they found tangled among bushes in a rural area, and stated that Fakhr apparently died of his wounds after a shooting attack targeting Israeli soldiers two weeks prior.

The corpse was found near Ras Karkar village, west of Ramallah, in central West Bank.

The slain Palestinian has been identified as Fakhr Mahmoud Abu Zayed Qurt, 53, from Betunia town, south of Ramallah.

According to the Israeli military spokesperson, the body was found “at the end of operational and intelligence efforts and after sweeping operations of the Israeli security services.”

The military claimed the Palestinian was injured after the soldiers responded to him firing at them, and fled the scene.

The military reported to Israeli news outlets that next to the body, which was eventually located only one kilometer from where the incident took place, the soldiers located an M16 rifle and a pistol, indicating that the person killed may have been responsible for the shooting.

The attack which the deceased Palestinian is suspected of having taken part was a shooting incident targeting Israeli soldiers two weeks ago, in which one Israeli soldier was lightly wounded near the “Dolip” settlement on Feb. 6^th.

Local sources in Betunia said that, five days ago, the soldiers invaded and ransacked his home, before abducting two of his sons, Haitham and Mohammad, in addition to confiscating his car.

A statement issued by the Israeli military read, in part, “Following an operational and intelligence effort by all the security forces, and after extensive searches, [Israeli military] fighters soon located a body of the Palestinian who carried out a shooting attack in Binyamin”.

The February 6^th exchange of fire was one of three attacks that same day, which was the day that the Trump-Kushner plan for Israeli annexation of historic Palestine was publicly announced. Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in protest of the plan when it was announced, because they see it as a colonial land grab by Israel. No Palestinian leaders were consulted in the creation of the Trump-Kushner plan.

Fakhr was from Betunia town, south of Ramallah. Source: IMEMC

Bader Nidal Nafla Harsha

February 7, 2020February 9, 2020 contact@ifamericansknew.org

February 7, 2020: Bader Nidal Nafla Harsha, 19, was fatally wounded by Israeli soldiers during protests near the village of Qaffin, in the northern West Bank, on Friday evening.

Bader was pronounced dead, Friday, shortly after he was shot and critically injured by Israeli occupation forces, north of Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank, said the Ministry of Health.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that the young man was shot with a live round in the main artery in his neck, and died from his wounds.

In a show of excessive use of force, Israeli forces resorted to the use of live ammunition, which penetrated the teen’s neck, striking the main carotid artery, resulting in his death only minutes later. He was rushed to Tulkarem governmental hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Bader was shot during protests that erupted near the illegal Israeli Annexation Wall, where many residents marched on their lands.

Soldiers have been deployed across the West Bank to suppress the protests of the Palestinian people expressing their rejection of the so-called ‘deal of the century’. This is the fifth Palestinian youth to be killed in recent days.

Bader was from Qaffin, in the northern West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Shadi Bana

February 6, 2020February 8, 2020 contact@ifamericansknew.org

February 6, 2020: Shadi Bana, 45, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who ran a flower shop in Jerusalem, was shot and killed by Israeli border police in Jerusalem on Thursday. Israeli authorities claimed that the florist was shot because he “had a gun and attempted to fire at police”.

Bana’s family was shocked by his killing, and the claim that he had been involved in any kind of politically-motivated attack, saying he had no ties to any political parties or groups.

A neighbor who worked near Bana’s home told reporters from the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, “He was an ordinary guy from the neighborhood. He has no interest in politics. It’s really surprising that he came to do such a thing.”

Bana was shot and killed just outside the Lion’s Gate into Jerusalem’s Old City. He was originally from Haifa, in northern Israel. Israeli sources note that he had a criminal record.

He was the owner of a small flower shop, but his brother told reporters that he was suffering economically.

Israeli sources claimed that Bana had converted to Islam several months ago, but his brother told Ha’aretz reporters, “We don’t know about this whole business of him converting to Islam. He has more than a few Muslim friends but I don’t know if he converted – his entire conduct is strange and he mostly lived as a loner.”

Bana was the fourth Palestinian killed on Thursday. Tariq Lu’ay Badwan and Yazan Monther Abu Tabeekh were both killed by Israeli forces invading the city of Jenin, while Mohammad Salman al-Haddad was killed in Hebron.

Shadi was from Nazareth, in northern Israel. Source: IMEMC

Tariq Lu’ay Badwan

February 6, 2020February 6, 2020 contact@ifamericansknew.org

February 6, 2020: Tariq Lu’ay Badwan, aged 24, succumbed to injuries sustained by Israeli gunfire during confrontations that erupted in Jenin, on Thursday.

Sgt. Badwan, was a Palestinian police officer from Qalqilia. He died after he was shot and injured by Israeli occupation forces while working at the special police headquarters in Jenin.

Badwan was shot by Israeli soldiers while he was standing near the door inside a police station in Jenin.

Badwan was shot in the stomach and then transferred to the Khalil Suleiman Governmental Hospital, and then to Al-Razi Hospital, due to the seriousness of his condition.

The sergeant underwent a surgery that lasted for several hours, with the participation of 5 doctors who administered 30 units of blood, but were powerless to save his life.

Badwan’s death follows that of Yazan Monther Abu Tabeekh, aged 16, who was killed at dawn while 6 others were wounded in Jenin. Israeli forces also shot dead Muhammad Salman Al-Haddad , 17, at the Bab al-Zawiya area of Hebron city.

Yazan was killed Thursday morning when the Israeli military invaded Jenin city and started the demolition of a home belonging to the family of a political prisoner. An additional six Palestinians were wounded with live ammunition.

The six other wounded Palestinians, who were all shot with live fire, have been identified as Majd Azmi, Mohammad Hussein Zeidan, Jamal Mohammad Ghanem, Zein Zeid, Odai Ayman Mer’ery, and Hani Ata Abu Rmeila. All were moved to the al-Razi hospital.

The fatal shooting and the injuries took place during protests that erupted when more than 30 Israeli military vehicles, including bulldozers, invaded Jenin and demolished the home of a political prisoner, identified as Ahmad Abu al-Qombo’, for the second time.

It is worth mentioning that, on April 24^th 2019, the Israeli army invaded Jenin and demolished Ahmad’s family home, after accusing him of involvement in a shooting attack that took place near Nablus, leading to the death of an Israeli settler, identified as Rabbi Raziel Shevach, near Nablus.

After being demolished the first time, the home was rebuilt through local society donations and support, however, on January 12^th, the Israeli army decided to destroy the property again.

On February 06, 2018, the soldiers killed Ahmad Nasr Jarrar, 22, in the al-Yamoun, near Jenin, on suspicion of involvement in the fatal shooting.

Tariq was from Qalqilia, in the northern West Bank. Source: IMEMC