Deheishe refugee camp

Omar Yousef Fararja

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December 05, 2022: Omar Yousef Manna’ Fararja, 22, was killed by Israeli soldiers who also shot six others and abducted three, including his brother, in the Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian TV said the soldiers surrounded the Deheishe refugee camp and occupied the rooftops of tall buildings overlooking it before undercover officers infiltrated it using a car carrying Palestinian license plates.

It added that the Palestinians became aware of the undercover officers before many armored military vehicles invaded the refugee camp, leading to protests.

The soldiers fired dozens of live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs, and concussion grenades.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the soldiers killed Omar after shooting him with live rounds in the chest.

The Health Ministry added that the soldiers also shot six Palestinians with live fire before Palestinian medics rushed them to Bethlehem hospitals.

The soldiers also stormed and ransacked many homes and abducted three Palestinians, Omar’s brother, Yazan Fararja, 24, in addition to Odai Essam Abu Nassar, 24, and his brother Mu’ath, 27.

On Monday afternoon, thousands of Palestinians held a funeral procession that started in Deheishe refugee camp and headed towards the Shuhada Graveyard in the nearby Artas village, south of Bethlehem.

It is worth mentioning that Omar was a political prisoner, imprisoned by Israel several times, including when he was held under the arbitrary Administrative Detention orders without charges or trial.

Omar was from the Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Fadi Mohammad Ghattas

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Fadi GhattasSeptember 02, 2022: Fadi Mohammad Fayez Ghattas, 19, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers after an alleged stabbing attack targeting soldiers, near Beit Einoun village junction, northeast of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.

The young man was shot with live fire before the soldiers closed the entire area and prevented Palestinian medics from approaching him while he bled. The soldiers took him to a hospital in occupied Jerusalem, where he was pronounced dead.

Eyewitnesses said the soldiers fired several live rounds at the young man from a close range, even after he fell to the ground.

They added that the soldiers also fired gas bombs and concussion grenades at Palestinians who tried to reach him.

The soldiers then called for an Israeli ambulance that arrived later while he continued to bleed on the ground.

The Israeli occupation army claimed the young stabbed and moderately injured a soldier near Kiryat Arba’ colony before another soldier opened fire and “neutralized him.”
Israeli Paramedics and army medical personnel provided treatment to the wounded soldiers before moving him to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. They said the soldier was fully conscious.

The army alleged that, according to its initial investigation, Fadi got out of a car and walked towards the soldiers before approaching one of them and stabbing him in the neck.

After the fatal shooting, dozens of Palestinians marched in the area, chanting against the illegal Israeli occupation, its colonies, and escalating Israeli violations.

Commenting on how he was informed of his son’s death, Mohammad Ghattas said:

“I returned from work before the wife told me that an Israeli intelligence officer phoned our home and informed her that my brother Mahmoud and I have been summoned for interrogation at Etzion military base.

“After heading there, an officer asked me about my son and if I knew where he was and what he was wearing when he left home before showing me a picture of him after he was shot and covered in his own blood.

“They executed my son. I asked them why they didn’t just shoot him in the legs to incapacitate him, and why they had to deliver fatal shots, but they never answered my questions.”

Fadi was from the Deheishe refugee camp, south of Bethlehem city, in the West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Raed al-Salhi

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September 2, 2017: Raed al-Salhi, 21, died of serious wounds sustained three weeks earlier in an Israeli military raid of Deheishe refugee camp in Bethlehem.

Al-Salhi had been shot multiple times in the chest and abdomen on August 9th, puncturing his liver and landing him in critical condition at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where he died of his injuries on September 2nd, three weeks after being shot.

While he was being treated at the hospital, he was denied any visits by his family, and was heavily guarded by Israeli soldiers who considered him a prisoner. He remained unconscious the entire time, until his death.

According to his brother Khaled, their mother had tried several times to visit him but was prevented. She suffers from several health issues, and was unable to sleep during the past three weeks after her child was shot.

In addition to keeping the unconscious youth under heavy guard, the Israeli military also arrested his brother and kept him for interrogation. Neither Raed nor his brother were ever charged with any crime.

The Israeli military stated that they entered the camp on August 9th to detain al-Salhi and another young men, but when the two young men ran away, the soldiers pursued them, and fired live ammunition at the two unarmed youth.

The Head of the Palestinian Prisoners Committee, Issa Qaraqe’, told reporters from the Ma’an News Agency that the Committee holds Israel responsible for the 21-year old’s death, and condemned the use of live ammunition by Israel in its invasion of the refugee camp.

Qaraqe added that Salhi was left bleeding for more than 90 minutes, after the soldiers prevented local medics from approaching him.

Dr. Ra’fat Hamdouna, the head of the Prisoners’ Center for Studies, stated that the death of the wounded Palestinian should raise an international outcry, and bring attention to the issue of extrajudicial executions and medical neglect of dozens of Palestinian detainees. Dr. Hamdouna added that the soldiers shot Raed from very close range, with the intent to kill him.

Raed al-Salhi was a member of the leftist political party, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The party said that al-Salhi was involved in a number of volunteer activities in the camp to provide health and social activities for the residents. Source: IMEMC