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

Mohammad Tareq dar Yousef

July 26, 2018August 23, 2021 contact@ifamericansknew.org

July 26, 2018: Mohammad Tareq dar Yousef, 17, was shot and killed by an armed paramilitary Israeli settler after he allegedly stabbed three Israeli paramilitary settlers, killing one.

Mohammad allegedly managed to climb over the fence into the illegal Israeli settlement of Geva Binyamin, which had been built on stolen Palestinian land which was taken from his village, Kobar, near Ramallah. He then stabbed three people before he was shot and killed.

A 31-year old Israeli colonial settler was killed, identified as Yotam Ovadia. Another unnamed Israeli settler, age 50, was put in critical condition with stab wounds to the upper body, according to Israeli media sources.

Before going to the settlement to carry out the attack, the young Palestinian wrote on his Facebook page, “After all of the injustice the Palestinians continue to face: the killing, the diaspora, the theft of land by force, this injustice still prevails, and many Palestinians are silent – including those who have weapons, and are watching the massacres. Those are the traitors.”

He goes on to say, “You [Palestinians] who own a weapon, remember this is for your enemy, not for use against your own people. Remember the children of Gaza, suffering and dying.” The statement ends, “A salute to the people who defend their land and their honor. And to those who sold their land and betrayed their country, those cowards, you must be ashamed of yourselves. The people of Gaza and Jerusalem are resisting, and you are trying to silence them.”

Dozens of soldiers in armored vehicles surrounded and invaded Kobar, near Ramallah, in the hours following this incident. Protests broke out in the village, and some teens threw stones at the invading soldiers.

The troops invaded Mohammad’s home, surrounding it and demanding that the family leave. It is unknown at the time of this report if the soldiers are planning to carry out a punitive demolition of the alleged assailant’s home, but this is a known and common practice by the Israeli military.

Over the past hundred days, Palestinians have been engaging in largely non-violent protests on a weekly basis in Gaza as part of the ‘Great March of Return’, calling for a return of the Palestinian refugees to their homes in what is now Israel, and an end to the siege on Gaza that has strangled the economy of the tiny coastal strip since 2007.

Israeli forces have killed nearly 150 Palestinian demonstrators during this time, and wounded more than 17,000, many with live ammunition. One Israeli was killed in this time period, in May, by a stone slab that fell on him from a building in a Palestinian town he was invading in the West Bank. The Palestinian resistance in Gaza has held its fire in solidarity with the non-violent demonstrators, but this past Friday a firefight broke out and an Israeli soldier and four Palestinian fighters were killed.

Mohammad was from the village of Kobar, near Ramallah in the central part of the West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Ahmad Monir al-Basous

July 25, 2018July 26, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

July 25, 2018: Ahmad Monir al-Basous, 28, was killed along with two other Palestinians when the Israeli military fired artillery shells into several areas in central Gaza Strip, and east of Gaza city.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip, said the three slain Palestinians have been identified as Ahmad Monir al-Basous, 28, ‘Abada As’ad Ferwana, 29, and Mohammad Tawfiq al-‘Ar’ir, 27. The three men, from the Sheja’eyya neighborhood in Gaza, were killed by Israeli artillery shells east of the city.

Dr. al-Qedra added that a fourth Palestinian was also wounded during the same Israeli assault. He suffered moderate wounds in an Israeli bombardment of a site in northern Gaza, and was rushed to the Indonesian Hospital.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in an official statement that the three fighters are members of the group, and vowed retaliation.

Israeli soldiers also fired two artillery shells into another area, near Juhr ad-Deek, north of the al-Boreij refuge camp, in central Gaza, and two shells into an observation post east of the refugee camp.

The army also fired several shells at an observation post east of Gaza city, causing excessive damage, in addition to an area east of the al-Maghazi refugee camp, also in central Gaza.

On Wednesday night, as Israeli artillery shells and drones began pounding eastern Gaza, Palestinian resistance groups reportedly fired back, wounding two Israeli soldiers.

Some Israeli media sources claimed that the Palestinian resistance fired first, but live streams posted by Palestinians on Twitter and Facebook show that the drone strikes preceded the reports of Palestinians shooting toward the Israeli military base in eastern Gaza.

Israeli daily Haaretz has reported that the army believes some armed groups, not affiliated with Hamas, are responsible for sniper fire against the soldiers near the border fence.

It added that the soldiers exchanged fire with Hamas fighters, on Wednesday evening, when the soldiers reportedly tried to remove Palestinian youngsters from the fence area, and said that the soldiers were then targeted with sniper fire.

On July 22, a young Palestinian man, identified as Karam Ibrahim Arafat, 26, died from serious wounds he suffered on June 8^th, when Israeli soldiers shot him with live fire east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.On Tuesday, the Health Ministry has confirmed, Tuesday, that Majd Soheil Mohammad ‘Oqeil, 26, died from serious wounds her suffered, on May 14th, after Israeli soldiers shot him with live fire in northern Gaza.

On the same day, during pre-dawn hours, the soldiers invaded Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, and killed a child, identified as Akram Tha’er Mizhir, 15.

Over the past hundred days, Israeli forces have killed 147 Palestinians, and wounded more than 17,000 participating in non-violent protests at or near the parameter fence in Gaza. No Israelis were killed in Gaza until this past Friday, when Israeli bombs killed two Palestinian children, and Palestinian fighters fired at an Israeli military base with gunfire, killing one soldier.

Four Palestinian fighters were killed in that exchange of fire. Later that night, Israeli forces dropped more than two dozen bombs on the Gaza Strip, then negotiated a ceasefire through Egyptian mediators.

Ahmad was from the Sheja’eyya neighborhood in Gaza City, in the central part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Mohammad Tawfiq al-‘Ar’ir

July 25, 2018July 26, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

July 25, 2018: Mohammad Tawfiq al-‘Ar’ir, 27, was killed along with two other Palestinians when the Israeli military fired artillery shells into several areas in central Gaza Strip, and east of Gaza city.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in an official statement that the three fighters are members of the group, and vowed retaliation.

The army also fired several shells at an observation post east of Gaza city, causing excessive damage, in addition to an area east of the al-Maghazi refugee camp, also in central Gaza.

On Wednesday night, as Israeli artillery shells and drones began pounding eastern Gaza, Palestinian resistance groups reportedly fired back, wounding two Israeli soldiers.

Israeli daily Haaretz has reported that the army believes some armed groups, not affiliated with Hamas, are responsible for sniper fire against the soldiers near the border fence.

On the same day, during pre-dawn hours, the soldiers invaded Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, and killed a child, identified as Akram Tha’er Mizhir, 15.

Mohammad was from the Sheja’eyya neighborhood in Gaza City, in the central part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

‘Abada As’ad Ferwana

July 25, 2018July 26, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

July 25, 2018: ‘Abada As’ad Ferwana, 29, was killed along with two other Palestinians when the Israeli military fired artillery shells into several areas in central Gaza Strip, and east of Gaza city.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in an official statement that the three fighters are members of the group, and vowed retaliation.

The army also fired several shells at an observation post east of Gaza city, causing excessive damage, in addition to an area east of the al-Maghazi refugee camp, also in central Gaza.

On Wednesday night, as Israeli artillery shells and drones began pounding eastern Gaza, Palestinian resistance groups reportedly fired back, wounding two Israeli soldiers.

Israeli daily Haaretz has reported that the army believes some armed groups, not affiliated with Hamas, are responsible for sniper fire against the soldiers near the border fence.

On the same day, during pre-dawn hours, the soldiers invaded Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, and killed a child, identified as Akram Tha’er Mizhir, 15.

‘Abada was from the Sheja’eyya neighborhood in Gaza City, in the central part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Majd Soheil ‘Oqeil

July 22, 2018July 25, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

July 22, 2018: Majd Soheil Mohammad ‘Oqeil, 26, died from serious wounds he suffered on May 14^th, when Israeli soldiers shot him with live fire in northern Gaza.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said that Majd was shot during the “Great Return March” nonviolent protests, on May 14^th, and remained in critical condition until he succumbed to his wounds.

Israeli soldiers have killed 142 unarmed protesters, and wounded 17,000 who were participating in non-violent protests, since the Great Return March procession started on Palestinian Land Day, on March 30^th.

In a report, Defense For Children International (DCI) has reported that Israeli soldiers have killed 25 Palestinian children, 21 of them in the Gaza Strip, since the beginning of this year.

On the same day that Majd died, July 22, a young Palestinian man, identified as Karam Ibrahim Arafat, 26, died from serious wounds he suffered on June 8^th, when Israeli soldiers shot him with live fire east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

On the same day, during pre-dawn hours, the soldiers invaded Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, and killed a child, identified as Akram Tha’er Mizhir, 15.

Majd was from Jabalia refugee camp, in Jabalia, in northern Gaza. Source: IMEMC

Karam Ibrahim Arafat

July 22, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

July 22, 2018: Karam Ibrahim Arafat, 26 died on Monday at dawn from serious wounds he suffered on June 8^th, when Israeli soldiers shot him with live fire.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the young man, identified as , was shot during the “Great Return March” procession, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The Ministry added that Arafat, from Abasan al-Saghira town, southeast of Khan Younis, was shot with a live round in the head, and remained in a critical condition until he succumbed to his serious wounds.

Also at dawn, dozens of soldiers invaded the Deheishe refugee camp, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, killed one child, identified as Akram Tha’er Mizhir, 15, injured two young men and caused dozens to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation.

On July 20^th, the army killed four Palestinians, identified as Mohammad Sharif Badwan, 27, Mohammad Abu Farhana, 31, Mahmoud Khalil Qishta, 23, Sha’ban Rajab Abu Khater, 26.

On the same day, Palestinian fighters in Gaza killed one soldier, identified as Aviv Levi, 20, from Petah Tikva, in the Central District.

The soldier is the first to be killed by Palestinian fire since Israel’s offensive and major deadly assault in Gaza in 2014.

Israeli Walla News said an Israeli army investigation revealed that the soldier was shot by a Palestinian sniper, hundreds of meters away, and added that Levi was kneeling in a sniper post when he was shot in the upper body.

It stated that Israeli army officials believe that the sniper fire was not approved by Hamas leadership, but was likely ordered by the shooter’s “direct commander.”

The report quoted defense officials stating that Hamas’s armed wing leadership would not place their political leader Ismael Haniyya in danger of Israeli fire, especially since he was present near the protest area, close to the border fence, when the soldier was shot.

The officials said it possible that one fighter decided to shoot a soldier in retaliation for the death of another fighter, who was killed by army fire Thursday.

Karam’s death brings the number of Palestinians, killed by Israeli army fire in Gaza since the beginning of the Great Return March protests on March 30^th, to 147, including 17 children, two medics and two journalists.

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

Arkan Tha’er Mizhir

July 22, 2018August 1, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

July 22, 2018: Arkan Tha’er Mezher, 15, died after being shot with a live round in the chest while protesting the invasion of his refugee camp, Deheishe Camp in Bethlehem, by Israeli soldiers in the pre-dawn hours.

After the child was shot, he was rushed Beit Jala (al-Hussein) Governmental Hospital, where he was declared dead.

His death came as dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded, on Monday at dawn, the Deheishe refugee camp, south of the West Bank city of Bethlehem, killing Arkan injuring two young men and causing dozens to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation.

Media sources in Bethlehem said the soldiers invaded the camp, storming and ransacking homes, causing damage.

They added that dozens of youngsters protested the invasions, and hurled stones at the soldiers, who fired many live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs and concussion grenades.

In addition, the soldiers abducted two young men from the camp.

Arkan was from Deheishe camp, in Bethlehem, in the southern part of the West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Mohammad Sharif Badwan

July 20, 2018July 21, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

July 20, 2018: Mohammad Sharif Badwan, 27, was shot with a live round in the chest by an Israeli sharpshooter, east of Gaza City. Mohammad was killed while participating in the Great Return March procession, east of Gaza city, when the soldiers attacked the protesters with live fire, rubber-coated steel bullets, high-velocity gas bombs and concussion grenades.

On the same day, during the protests, the soldiers shot a child, 14 years of age, with a live round in the head, east of Khan Younis, during the Great March of Return Procession, and fired many live rounds at homes, east of Abasan, east of Khan Younis.

The soldiers injured 120 Palestinians, and caused dozens to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation, along the eastern border areas, in the Gaza Strip.

After killing 142 unarmed protesters, and wounding 17,000 who were participating in non-violent protests over the the past three and a half months, without provoking an armed response from Palestinian resistance fighters in Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on July 20^th that Israel was planning an assault on Gaza, bigger than the Israeli war on the coastal region in 2014, in which 2100 Palestinians, including entire families, were killed, and thousands were injured.

According to local sources, hundreds of Gaza residents raced to the return camps along the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, to protest non-violently, even as Israel threatened an all-out war.

Sources added that protesters set car tires on fire, in attempt to blur the vision of Israeli snipers with smoke and flames, while they proceeded with the march.

Earlier that day, Israeli forces killed three fighters with the al-Qassam Brigades by an Israeli missile fired by the Israeli airforce from a drone aircraft toward sites run by the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in Khan Younis and Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The Al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement mourning Sha’ban Rajab Abu Khater, 26, and Mohammad Riyad Abu Farhana, 31, from Khan Younis, in addition to Mahmoud Khalil Qishta, 23, from Rafah. It said that the fighters were killed when the army fired missiles at observation posts in Rafah and Khan Younis.

The al-Qassam Brigades vowed fierce retaliation to the serious Israeli escalation, and said the “Israeli crimes are foolish acts, which will cause Israel to pay dearly.”

The bodies of the three Palestinians were severely mutilated by the Israeli missiles, and their remains were moved to the field clinic, east of Khan Younis.

Following the attack, Palestinian fighters exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers along the border areas, while the army fired more live rounds, in addition to several shells into northern Gaza.

A day earlier, on Thursday afternoon, the al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement saying that the Israeli missiles were fired at an observation post, east of Rafah, killing Abdul-Karim Ismael Radwan, 22, and wounding three others.

Mohammad was from Gaza City, in the central part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Aviv Levi

July 20, 2018July 22, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

July 20, 2018: Aviv Levi, 20, a Staff Sergeant with the Israeli Army, was killed by sniper fire from Gaza. He was the first soldier to be killed by Palestinian fire since Israel’s offensive and major deadly assault in Gaza in 2014.

It is believed that the Levi was shot with a “Steyr HS .50” long range sniper rifle, since the bullet penetrated his military vest and killed him.

Senior Israeli Military officials said that they do not believe Hamas was behind the death of Aviv, who was shot with sniper fire from Gaza, and added that the person who shot the soldier acted without Hamas’s approval.

Israel believes that Hamas did not approve the shooting of the soldier, and had no knowledge of the attack, especially since senior political leaders of the movement, including its Political Bureau Chief Ismael Haniyya, were present in the protest areas.

It said that senior political leaders of the movement would not put themselves at such risk by being exposed near the firing zone if they had any knowledge about the use of live fire by the Palestinians.

They believe that the attack was carried out by a party that is not loyal to Hamas, and does not follow its directives.

It is worth mentioning that Israeli soldiers killed, on the same day, four Palestinians and injured 120 others, including 50 who were rushed to hospitals in the coastal region.

The army also dropped dozens of missiles into Palestinian areas in several parts of the coastal region, before an indirect ceasefire understanding was reached.

On Thursday, July 19, 2018, an Israeli army drone dropped a missile at Palestinians, east of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, killing one, identified as Abdul-Karim Radwan, 22, and wounding three others.

The bombing came just hours after Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman stated that he was planning to launch a large-scale war in Gaza similar to the one in 2014, in which 2200 people were killed. In his statement, he said the ‘Palestinian people will pay the price’ for the continued non-violent protests at the border, which have been going on for 100 days.

Fawzi Barhoum, the spokesperson of Hamas in Gaza, said that Israel has chosen the path of war and offensive on Gaza and its people, by murdering unarmed protesters, and added that these killings have raised the bar of retaliation.

“Israel will be held accountable for its crimes; our resistance has the moral and legal duties to protect its people, despite the dire consequences of its retaliation,” Barhoum said, “Shelling will be met my shelling – the resistance is ready, and capable of retaliation and of fighting for the liberation of its people, for breaking the siege and continuing the struggle for independence.”

In announcing the death of the soldier, the Israeli military issued a statement that, “Hamas will be held accountable for this incident as well as the series of the terror activities it has been executing over the past months. Hamas has chosen to escalate the security situation and will bear the responsibility for its actions.”

The reference to ‘terror activities’ appears to be a reference to the three months of non-violent protests that Palestinians have engaged in at the Gaza-Israel border fence. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, in the period between March 30th and July 17th, 2018, Israeli forces killed 142 Palestinian non-violent demonstrators, and wounded 16,496.

7901 of the wounded were treated in field trauma stabilization units, while 8695 of the wounded were transferred to several hospitals. 17 of the slain Palestinians are children. 68 of the wounded had limbs amputated. Israeli army fire also caused damage to 58 Palestinian ambulances in several parts of the Gaza Strip.

During this period, Palestinian demonstrators have gathered each Friday at the border fence between Gaza and Israel for the ‘Great March of Return’, in which they are demanding a lifting of the decade of sanctions against Gaza, the opening of the border, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees to homes they were forcibly removed from in 1948 during the creation of the state of Israel.

Since the March of Return protests began on March 30th, the Israeli army killed 146 Palestinian protesters, including 17 children, two medics and two journalists. One Israeli soldier was killed in the same time period, in the West Bank, not Gaza, when a stone slab fell on his head from atop a building.

Aviv was from Petah Tikva, in central Israel. Source: IMEMC

Mohammad Abu Farhana

July 20, 2018July 21, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

July 20, 2018: Mohammad Riyad Abu Farhana, 31, a fighter with the al-Qassam Brigades, was killed by an Israeli missile fired by the Israeli airforce from a drone aircraft toward a site run by the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Mohammad was one of three fighters killed by Israeli drone airstrikes in Rafah and Khan Younis targeting al-Qassam sites. The Al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement mourning Sha’ban Rajab Abu Khater, 26, and Mohammad Riyad Abu Farhana, 31, from Khan Younis, in addition to Mahmoud Khalil Qishta, 23, from Rafah. It said that the fighters were killed when the army fired missiles at observation posts in Rafah and Khan Younis.

That same day, an Israeli army sharpshooter shot Mohammad Sharif Badwan, 27, with a live round in the chest, east of Gaza City. Mohammad was killed while participating in the Great Return March procession, east of Gaza city, when the soldiers attacked the protesters with live fire, rubber-coated steel bullets, high-velocity gas bombs and concussion grenades.

The al-Qassam Brigades vowed fierce retaliation to the serious Israeli escalation, and said the “Israeli crimes are foolish acts, which will cause Israel to pay dearly.”

The bodies of the three Palestinians were severely mutilated by the Israeli missiles, and their remains were moved to the field clinic, east of Khan Younis.

Following the attack, Palestinian fighters exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers along the border areas, while the army fired more live rounds, in addition to several shells into northern Gaza.

Furthermore, the soldiers shot a child, 14 years of age, with a live round in the head, east of Khan Younis, during the Great March of Return Procession that afternoon, and fired many live rounds at homes, east of Abasan, east of Khan Younis.

The soldiers injured 120 Palestinians, and caused dozens to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation, along the eastern border areas, in the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday afternoon, the al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement saying that the Israeli missiles were fired at an observation post, east of Rafah, killing Abdul-Karim Ismael Radwan, 22, and wounding three others.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on July 20^th, the day of the drone strikes, that Israel is planning an assault on Gaza, bigger than the Israeli war on the coastal region in 2014, in which 2100 Palestinians, including entire families, were killed, and thousands were injured.

According to local sources, hundreds of Gaza residents raced to the return camps along the eastern border of the Gaza Strip, to protest non-violently, even as Israel threatened an all-out war.

Sources added that protesters set car tires on fire, in attempt to blur the vision of Israeli snipers with smoke and flames, while they proceeded with the march.

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