2021

Mohammad Ayman Fathi

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May 7th, 2021: Mohammad Ayman Fathi, 20, was killed by Israeli forces along with Abdullah Khaled Da’bas, 20, near the Salem Israeli military roadblock, close to the northern West Bank city of Jenin. A third Palestinian was injured by gunshot wounds inflicted by the Israeli troops. The injured Palestinian has been identified as Ahmad Bashir Foqaha, 19.

The Israeli army claimed the Palestinians fired live rounds at the soldiers and were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire.

Israeli media sources said the exchange of fire took place at a bus stop near the Salem colonialist outpost, outside the Salem military base.

They added that the Palestinians allegedly used improvised Carl Gustav rifles (known as Carlos) in the attack, before they were shot and killed, and stated that the incident did not lead to any injuries among the soldiers.

Following the shooting, Palestinian ambulances rushed to the scene, but the soldiers did not allow them to reach the Palestinians.

Israeli Ynet News said two of the Palestinians were instantly killed during the exchange of fire, and one was injured before he was taken to the HaEmek hospital in Afula, where his condition has been described as very serious.

It is worth mentioning that some Israeli media agencies initially reported that three Palestinians were shot dead.

Following the fatal shooting, the soldiers closed the entire area, forced the Palestinians away, and attacked Palestinian journalists.

Israeli military analysts said the shooting could just be the start of a serious escalation in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and added that the shooting seems to have been carried out by a small cell, however, could be the start for more escalation especially amidst the increasing tension in Jerusalem.

Mohammad was from the Tulkarem refugee camp. Source: IMEMC

Yehuda Guetta

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May 5th, 2021: Yehuda Guetta, 19, of Jerusalem, died from wounds sustained three days earlier in a drive-by shooting

He was one of three 19-year old Israeli settlers were shot and injured by gunshots from a passing vehicle while standing on the roadside by Za’tara military checkpoint in southern occupied Nablus.

Israeli soldiers stationed at the checkpoint opened fire at the vehicle from which the shots were fired — identified as a silver SUV — but the vehicle drove away.

The three wounded Israelis were identified as Yehuda Guetta from Jerusalem, Benaya Peretz from Beit Shean, and Amichai Hala from Safed. The three were students at a Yeshiva (Jewish religious school) located in Itamar settlement, built on stolen Palestinian land near Nablus.

Yehuda sustained critical injuries, while the other two sustained moderate and light injuries, respectively.

According to the Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, “The [Israeli military] and security forces will not rest until they get their hands on the terrorists who carried out the attack”.

Following the shooting, Israeli forces closed the checkpoint, preventing all Palestinian civilians from entering or leaving the area. They also began invading nearby villages and towns, forcing all residents to remain in their homes during the invasions.

In addition, the Israeli military set up a number of ‘flying checkpoints’ throughout the northern West Bank, forcing Palestinian civilians to remain stopped on roadways for hours at a time waiting for their vehicles to be examined by the soldiers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a a statement saying that, “We will not allow terror to raise its head, and we will strike our enemies forcefully.”

The three victims were taken to the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva for treatment.

The attack came in the midst of high tensions throughout the West Bank, with numerous attacks against Palestinian civilians by Israeli settlers and soldiers. The violent attacks against Palestinian civilians began two weeks ago, at the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when a right-wing Israeli group Lehava held a march through Palestinian neighborhoods shouting ‘Death to Arabs’ and injuring more than a hundred Palestinians in a single night.

Israeli soldiers and settlers have, over the previous three weeks before this shooting, repeatedly attacked Palestinian worshipers at and around the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which is the third-holiest site in Islam.

According to Israeli media, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement issued a statement that, “We praise the courageous operation at Za’tara checkpoint. We consider it a message in the name of the entire Palestinian people that Jerusalem is a red line and harming the holy places will cause an explosion of anger in the face of the occupation”.

Yehuda was from Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Sa’id Yousef Mohammad Odah

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May 5th, 2021: Sa’id Yousef Mohammad Odah, 16, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers who were invading Sa’id’s village. Israeli forces invaded the village of Odla, south of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, and began firing live ammunition at local youth who were protesting the Israeli closure of his village for the past three days, and of many villages and towns in the northern West Bank.

Sa’id was known in his town as a very skilled soccer player. He played for the Balata Youth Football League, and competed in different parts of the West Bank (when the Israeli occupation would allow). Soccer matches for Palestinian athletes living under Israeli martial law are frequently stopped by the Israeli military, or teams are prevented from traveling for matches.

Since a drive-by shooting on Sunday in which three Israeli colonial settlers were wounded (one later died of his wounds), Israeli forces conducted a massive manhunt which shut down the daily lives and activities of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who live in the area. Many were prevented from leaving home, prevented from going to work or school, and forced to wait in lines at ‘flying checkpoints’ for many hours at a time.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Sa’id was shot with a live round by Israeli forces, while another young man was shot with a rubber-coated steel round and taken to Rafidia hospital in Nablus.

The Israeli forces who shot Sa’id then prevented Palestinian medics from reaching the scene. The soldiers dragged his body into a military vehicle and took him to an unknown destination – likely a military base. He was not given medical treatment, and his body was only returned to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society after his death.

It is unknown if he would have survived his injuries if he had been allowed to receive proper medical care at the scene.

Israeli forces frequently detain the Palestinians they have injured and killed, and prevent them from receiving medical care. This denial of medical care is

Sa’id was from the northern West Bank village of Odla. Source: IMEMC

Osama Sidqi Mansour

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April 6th, 2021: Osama Sidqi Mansour, 42, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers, and his wife was shot in the back and injured, when the soldiers opened fire at their car near the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem, in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that the soldiers shot Osama Sidqi Mansour, 42, with a live round in the head while he was driving his car on the road between Biddu village to al-Jeeb town, northwest of Jerusalem.

The Ministry added that Osama’s wife was also injured in the same incident, after the soldiers shot her in the back, and was rushed to a Palestinian hospital in Ramallah. Her condition was described as stable.

The army claimed that its soldiers were “operating” in Bir Nibala nearby village before the driver “attempted to ram them with his car.”

The Israeli military spokesperson alleged that the soldiers set up a roadblock and were standing there in order to close the area while the army operated nearby before the Palestinian driver “approached them with his car and started talking to the soldiers before he suddenly sped towards them before they opened fire.

The allegations were strongly refuted by the family and were described as another Israeli attempt to justify a cold-blooded murder.

Talking to reporters from his hospital bed, the wounded wife said, “we were heading back home, and on the road, we saw two Israeli military vehicles, and many soldiers on the road; they stopped our car, along with many cars, but one soldier told us we could go.”

“But that is when the soldiers started shooting at our car, my husband was hit while driving and slumped over my chest,” she added, “I first realized I was shot, and tried to tell him, but this is when he was hit with their bullets….”

Eyewitnesses, including Fateh movement secretary in Jerusalem, Adel Abu Zneid, told the Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) the incident took place approximately at 3:30 am, before dawn, and added that a soldier hurled a concussion grenade at the man’s car before he tried to drive away from it, and then the soldiers then opened fire at his car.

Osama was from Biddu village, northwest of occupied Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Atef Yousef Hanaisha

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March 19th, 2021: Atef Yousef Hanaisha, 45, the Imam of the local mosque, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers who fired a live round in his head while he was participating in a peaceful demonstration in his village, Beit Dajan.

The protest was in defense of Palestinian-owned land which is under the threat of confiscation.

The army opened fire toward Palestinian civilians exercising their right to protest with live rounds, rubber-coated steel rounds, and teargas to suppress the march, which was organized to reject the Israeli occupation’s continued expropriation of Palestinian-owned land.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) stated that they rushed the severely injured man to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where he was soon pronounced dead due to his of his serious wounds.

It is worth mentioning that Hanaisha worked as a carpenter with his brother, however, he also spent the last twenty years of his life as a volunteer Imam of the local mosque.

Atef was from Beit Dajan, in the northern part of the West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Zakariya Mustafa Lahham

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ZakariahMarch 7th, 2021: Zakariya Hijazi Lahham, 24, was one of three fishermen killed, while another was seriously injured, near Khan Younis in the southern part of the besieged Gaza Strip, due to an explosion in their boat. The Israeli army said it had nothing to do with the incident, but a full investigation of the incident by the Palestinian Authority in Gaza found that the explosion was called by an Israeli-placed floating bomb that had been dropped by a drone on February 22nd.

The three were identified as Mohammad Hijazi Lahham, 27, his brother Zakariya Hijazi Lahham, 24, and their cousin Yahia Mustafa Lahham, 29. One other fisherman from the same family was seriously injured in the incident.

A week after the incident, the Hamas-led Interior Ministry in Gaza released the results of its investigation into the deaths of the three fishermen off the coast of Gaza near Khan Younis. The Ministry collected evidence, and based their investigation on three possibilities:

  1. That the boat was hit by a misfire from resistance fighters in training
  2. That the Israeli navy targeted and fired at the boat
  3. That the boat struck an unexploded mine in the water

The investigators went to the training site of the al-Qassam Brigades and checked the surveillance video and the distance range of each of the rockets there. Knowing the range of the rockets, and checking forensic and video evidence, the investigators ruled out this possibility.

By collecting testimonies from the fishermen and the Palestinian naval police, and by collecting recordings from surveillance cameras, it became clear that the Israeli navy did not fire missiles at the boats.

The investigation committee concluded that this explosion was tied to a previous incident, which took place on February 22nd in Khan Younis sea, near the location where the explosion took place in the boat.

During this incident, the Israeli Navy used Quad Copter drones to drop floating bombs in the sea. These bombs carry powerful explosives, and are like ‘landmines’ on the sea in that the impact is usually on innocents.

After collecting all evidence from the explosion site in the sea, and after receiving into custody the destroyed boat and nets, the investigators concluded:

  1. Nearly 30 minutes before the explosion took place, two fishermen found an Israeli quad copter drone stuck in their nets near the location of the explosion. They managed to remove it and give it to the Palestinian naval police.
  2. The remains of another quad copter drone was found stuck in the nets of the three slain fishermen, after the divers collected the wreckage.
  3. The investigators found the backside of the boat and other parts of the boat, and concluded that the explosion took place under the right side of the boat.
  4. By comparing the quad copter that was found by the fishermen to the remains of the quad copter found in the wreckage of the exploded boat, the two were of similar make.
  5. Forensics experts found that the fishermen were killed by the explosive shock and shrapnel was not found in their bodies.
  6. Following all of the evidence, the investigators concluded that Israel is fully responsible for the deaths of the three fishermen on March 7th in Khan Younis Sea.

The Ministry called on national, international, legal and human rights groups to take a stand and call for an end to Israel’s continued violations against the Palestinian people and their humanity.

Prior to launching the investigation, the Ministry released a statement, “We express our sincere condolences to the families of Mohammad Hijazi Saleh Lahham, Zakariya Hijazi Saleh Lahham, and Yahia Mustafa Saleh Lahham,” the brigades said, “We will investigate this painful incident and will reveal the whole truth as soon as possible.”

In a statement issued by the Israeli army on its official Twitter account, the spokesperson denied any relation to the incident, and added: “our indications show that their deaths were caused by an explosion inside Gaza.”

On the same day, the soldiers stationed on military towers and in armored vehicles across the perimeter fence, fired many live rounds at Palestinian farmers and shepherds, east of Khan Younis.

The farmers and the shepherds had to leave their lands in fear of further Israeli military violations.

The attack is part of the numerous and ongoing Israeli violations targeting the Palestinian farmers, shepherds, and fishermen in the Gaza Strip.

These attacks have led to dozens of casualties, including fatalities, in addition to the abduction of many farmers, shepherds, and fishermen.

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

Mohammad Hijazi Lahham

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MohammedMarch 7th, 2021: Mohammad Hijazi Lahham, 27, was one of three fishermen killed, while another was seriously injured, near Khan Younis in the southern part of the besieged Gaza Strip, due to an explosion in their boat. The Israeli army said it had nothing to do with the incident, but a full investigation of the incident by the Palestinian Authority in Gaza found that the explosion was called by an Israeli-placed floating bomb that had been dropped by a drone on February 22nd.

The three were identified as Mohammad Hijazi Lahham, 27, his brother Zakariya Hijazi Lahham, 24, and their cousin Yahia Mustafa Lahham, 29. One other fisherman from the same family was seriously injured in the incident.

A week after the incident, the Hamas-led Interior Ministry in Gaza released the results of its investigation into the deaths of the three fishermen off the coast of Gaza near Khan Younis. The Ministry collected evidence, and based their investigation on three possibilities:

  1. That the boat was hit by a misfire from resistance fighters in training
  2. That the Israeli navy targeted and fired at the boat
  3. That the boat struck an unexploded mine in the water

The investigators went to the training site of the al-Qassam Brigades and checked the surveillance video and the distance range of each of the rockets there. Knowing the range of the rockets, and checking forensic and video evidence, the investigators ruled out this possibility.

By collecting testimonies from the fishermen and the Palestinian naval police, and by collecting recordings from surveillance cameras, it became clear that the Israeli navy did not fire missiles at the boats.

The investigation committee concluded that this explosion was tied to a previous incident, which took place on February 22nd in Khan Younis sea, near the location where the explosion took place in the boat.

During this incident, the Israeli Navy used Quad Copter drones to drop floating bombs in the sea. These bombs carry powerful explosives, and are like ‘landmines’ on the sea in that the impact is usually on innocents.

After collecting all evidence from the explosion site in the sea, and after receiving into custody the destroyed boat and nets, the investigators concluded:

  1. Nearly 30 minutes before the explosion took place, two fishermen found an Israeli quad copter drone stuck in their nets near the location of the explosion. They managed to remove it and give it to the Palestinian naval police.
  2. The remains of another quad copter drone was found stuck in the nets of the three slain fishermen, after the divers collected the wreckage.
  3. The investigators found the backside of the boat and other parts of the boat, and concluded that the explosion took place under the right side of the boat.
  4. By comparing the quad copter that was found by the fishermen to the remains of the quad copter found in the wreckage of the exploded boat, the two were of similar make.
  5. Forensics experts found that the fishermen were killed by the explosive shock and shrapnel was not found in their bodies.
  6. Following all of the evidence, the investigators concluded that Israel is fully responsible for the deaths of the three fishermen on March 7th in Khan Younis Sea.

The Ministry called on national, international, legal and human rights groups to take a stand and call for an end to Israel’s continued violations against the Palestinian people and their humanity.

Prior to launching the investigation, the Ministry released a statement, “We express our sincere condolences to the families of Mohammad Hijazi Saleh Lahham, Zakariya Hijazi Saleh Lahham, and Yahia Mustafa Saleh Lahham,” the brigades said, “We will investigate this painful incident and will reveal the whole truth as soon as possible.”

In a statement issued by the Israeli army on its official Twitter account, the spokesperson denied any relation to the incident, and added: “our indications show that their deaths were caused by an explosion inside Gaza.”

On the same day, the soldiers stationed on military towers and in armored vehicles across the perimeter fence, fired many live rounds at Palestinian farmers and shepherds, east of Khan Younis.

The farmers and the shepherds had to leave their lands in fear of further Israeli military violations.

The attack is part of the numerous and ongoing Israeli violations targeting the Palestinian farmers, shepherds, and fishermen in the Gaza Strip.

These attacks have led to dozens of casualties, including fatalities, in addition to the abduction of many farmers, shepherds, and fishermen.

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

Yahia Mustafa Lahham

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YahiaMarch 7th, 2021: Yahia Mustafa Lahham, 29, was one of three fishermen killed, while another was seriously injured, near Khan Younis in the southern part of the besieged Gaza Strip, due to an explosion in their boat. The Israeli army said it had nothing to do with the incident, but a full investigation of the incident by the Palestinian Authority in Gaza found that the explosion was called by an Israeli-placed floating bomb that had been dropped by a drone on February 22nd.

The three were identified as Mohammad Hijazi Lahham, 27, his brother Zakariya Hijazi Lahham, 24, and their cousin Yahia Mustafa Lahham, 29. One other fisherman from the same family was seriously injured in the incident.

A week after the incident, the Hamas-led Interior Ministry in Gaza released the results of its investigation into the deaths of the three fishermen off the coast of Gaza near Khan Younis. The Ministry collected evidence, and based their investigation on three possibilities:

  1. That the boat was hit by a misfire from resistance fighters in training
  2. That the Israeli navy targeted and fired at the boat
  3. That the boat struck an unexploded mine in the water

The investigators went to the training site of the al-Qassam Brigades and checked the surveillance video and the distance range of each of the rockets there. Knowing the range of the rockets, and checking forensic and video evidence, the investigators ruled out this possibility.

By collecting testimonies from the fishermen and the Palestinian naval police, and by collecting recordings from surveillance cameras, it became clear that the Israeli navy did not fire missiles at the boats.

The investigation committee concluded that this explosion was tied to a previous incident, which took place on February 22nd in Khan Younis sea, near the location where the explosion took place in the boat.

During this incident, the Israeli Navy used Quad Copter drones to drop floating bombs in the sea. These bombs carry powerful explosives, and are like ‘landmines’ on the sea in that the impact is usually on innocents.

After collecting all evidence from the explosion site in the sea, and after receiving into custody the destroyed boat and nets, the investigators concluded:

  1. Nearly 30 minutes before the explosion took place, two fishermen found an Israeli quad copter drone stuck in their nets near the location of the explosion. They managed to remove it and give it to the Palestinian naval police.
  2. The remains of another quad copter drone was found stuck in the nets of the three slain fishermen, after the divers collected the wreckage.
  3. The investigators found the backside of the boat and other parts of the boat, and concluded that the explosion took place under the right side of the boat.
  4. By comparing the quad copter that was found by the fishermen to the remains of the quad copter found in the wreckage of the exploded boat, the two were of similar make.
  5. Forensics experts found that the fishermen were killed by the explosive shock and shrapnel was not found in their bodies.
  6. Following all of the evidence, the investigators concluded that Israel is fully responsible for the deaths of the three fishermen on March 7th in Khan Younis Sea.

The Ministry called on national, international, legal and human rights groups to take a stand and call for an end to Israel’s continued violations against the Palestinian people and their humanity.

Prior to launching the investigation, the Ministry released a statement, “We express our sincere condolences to the families of Mohammad Hijazi Saleh Lahham, Zakariya Hijazi Saleh Lahham, and Yahia Mustafa Saleh Lahham,” the brigades said, “We will investigate this painful incident and will reveal the whole truth as soon as possible.”

In a statement issued by the Israeli army on its official Twitter account, the spokesperson denied any relation to the incident, and added: “our indications show that their deaths were caused by an explosion inside Gaza.”

On the same day, the soldiers stationed on military towers and in armored vehicles across the perimeter fence, fired many live rounds at Palestinian farmers and shepherds, east of Khan Younis.

The farmers and the shepherds had to leave their lands in fear of further Israeli military violations.

The attack is part of the numerous and ongoing Israeli violations targeting the Palestinian farmers, shepherds, and fishermen in the Gaza Strip.

These attacks have led to dozens of casualties, including fatalities, in addition to the abduction of many farmers, shepherds, and fishermen.

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

Bilal Shehada Bawatna

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February 12, 2021: Bilal Shehada Bawatna, 52, was killed, and two other Palestinians were injured, after they were rammed by an illegal Israeli colonist’s car, while participating in a nature walk activity in the Northern Plains of the occupied West Bank.

Mo’taz Bisharat, a Palestinian Authority official who monitors Israel’s colonialist activities in Tubas, said one man was killed and two were injured, all from the Ramallah governorate in central West Bank, when they were struck by the speeding colonist’s car near Ein al-Baida and Bardala Junctions in the Northern Plains of the Jordan Valley.

Bisharat added that the Palestinians came to the area to participate in a nature walk and exploration in the Northern Plains.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) rushed to the scene and moved the corpse of Bilal Shehada Bawatna, 52, to a Palestinian hospital, while Israeli medics moved the wounded residents to the al-Afula hospital.

Bawatna is from the Sateh Marhaba neighborhood in the al-Biereh city, north of Ramallah.

Eyewitnesses said the Israeli colonist was driving at an exceedingly high speed when he rammed the Palestinians, killing Bawatna and wounding the two others.

The funeral procession of Bilal Shehada was held, on Friday evening, starting from Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, heading towards Sateh Marhaba neighborhood, before the Palestinians took his body to the al-Ein Mosque in the city, and conducted the burial ceremony in the Shuhada Graveyard in the city.

Bawatna is the fifth Palestinian to be killed by Israelis this year.

On February 10, a Palestinian man, identified as Azzam Jamil Amer, from Kafr Qalil village near Ramallah, was killed after being rammed by an Israeli colonists’ car near Salfit, in central West Bank.

On January 31, the soldiers shot and killed Mohammad Hussein Amro, 35, from Halhoul, north of the southern West Bank city of Hebron,

On January 26, the soldiers shot and killed Atallah Mohammad Rayyan, 17, near Salfit in central West Bank.

On January 11, the Israeli police killed Bashar Zubeidat, 18, during a protest against police violence near Haifa.

Bilal was from Ramallah, in the central West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Mohammad Hussein Amro

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January 31st, 2021: Mohammad Hussein Amro, 35, was shot and killed when Israeli forces shot him in an alleged stabbing attempt in the southern occupied West Bank.

The incident took place near an illegal Israeli colony at the Gush Etzion junction, south of Bethlehem, and no Israeli civilians or troops were injured.

An Israeli army spokesperson claimed that the man attempted to stab a soldier, and that an investigation would be opened in an attempt to establish a motive.

The Palestinian has later been identified as Mohammad Hussein Amro, 35, from Halhoul town, north of Hebron.

He was a married father of two children and worked at the sanitary department of Halhoul City Council.

Photo from WAFA

 

 

 

Video from Y-Net

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Mohammad was from Halhoul town, north of Hebron. Source: IMEMC