Gaza

Azzam Hilal Oweida

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Azzam OweidaApril 28, 2018: Azzam Hilal Oweida, 14, was killed by Israeli forces east of Gaza City, who shot him in the head during the fifth Friday of protests for the ‘Great March of Return’.

Azzam was one of four Palestinians killed by Israeli snipers during protests on April 27th . The snipers fired live ammunition indiscriminately at the unarmed crowds of protesters, according to eyewitnesses.

Azzam died in the pre-dawn hours Saturday morning, of a serious gunshot wound received Friday when an Israeli army sharpshooter shot him with a live round in the head, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that Israeli soldiers killed four young Palestinians, including Azzam, a 14-year old child, on April 27th, and injured more than 995, including at least 178 who were shot with live fire.

In addition to Azzam, the the soldiers also killed Abdul-Salam Bakr, 29, from Khuza’a town, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, Mohammad Amin Al-Moqyd, 21, from Gaza City, and Khalil Na’im Atallah, 22, also from Gaza City.

According to Ashraf al-Qidra of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 18 medics and medical personnel were among those wounded on Friday.

Al-Qidra added that Israeli forces specifically targeted medical service points twice with an unidentified gas east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. This appeared to be a new type of gas that caused those who inhaled it to suffer from severe convulsions. A number of these victims had to be hospitalized.

175 of the wounded Palestinians were injured in Northern Gaza, 251 in Gaza city area, 200 in Central Gaza, 146 in Khan Younis and 183 in Rafah.

On Friday night, Israeli war jets fired missiles at a site that they claimed was run by a Palestinian resistance group, west of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

The army also fired missiles at two Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza port. Media sources in Gaza said the boats are parts of preparations for welcoming an upcoming flotilla to challenge the illegal Israeli siege on Gaza.

The ongoing ‘Great Return March’ protests which started on Palestinian Land Day (March 30th) are meant to bring attention to the fact that millions of Palestinians are imprisoned in the Gaza Strip, unable to return to their homes in what is now Israel. Palestinians make up the largest refugee population on earth.

Israeli troops again opened fire on the unarmed protesters, as they have done each Friday since the protests began on March 30th.

Since March 30th, Israeli forces have killed 44 Palestinian protesters, and wounded more than five thousand.

An international outcry against the continued shooting of civilian protesters has included political leaders, politicians, grassroots leaders and humanitarian organizations around the world. But this outcry has not reached the US, where politicians have been largely silent on the issue.

Irish and South African politicians have been leading the call for justice for Palestinians, calling the Israeli government an ‘apartheid state’ much like South Africa in the 1980s.

In response to Israel’s fifth straight week of attacking unarmed demonstrators at the border, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, issued a statement that, “The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators – not once, not twice, but repeatedly.”

Azzam was from Khuza’a, east of Khan Younis in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Khalil Na’im Atallah

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April 27, 2018: Khalil Na’im Atallah, 22, was killed by Israeli forces east of Gaza City, during the fifth Friday of protests for the ‘Great March of Return’.

Khalil was one of three young men and one child shot and killed by Israeli snipers on April 27th . The snipers fired live ammunition indiscriminately at the unarmed crowds of protesters, according to eyewitnesses.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that Israeli soldiers killed four young Palestinians, including a 14-year old child, on April 27th, and injured more than 995, including at least 178 who were shot with live fire.

In addition to Khalil, the the soldiers also killed Abdul-Salam Bakr, 29, from Khuza’a town, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and Mohammad Amin al-Moqyd, 21, from Gaza City.

According to Ashraf al-Qidra of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 18 medics and medical personnel were among those wounded on Friday.

Al-Qidra added that Israeli forces specifically targeted medical service points twice with an unidentified gas east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. This appeared to be a new type of gas that caused those who inhaled it to suffer from severe convulsions. A number of these victims had to be hospitalized.

175 of the wounded Palestinians were injured in Northern Gaza, 251 in Gaza city area, 200 in Central Gaza, 146 in Khan Younis and 183 in Rafah.

On Friday night, Israeli war jets fired missiles at a site that they claimed was run by a Palestinian resistance group, west of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

The army also fired missiles at two Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza port. Media sources in Gaza said the boats are parts of preparations for welcoming an upcoming flotilla to challenge the illegal Israeli siege on Gaza.

The ongoing ‘Great Return March’ protests which started on Palestinian Land Day (March 30th) are meant to bring attention to the fact that millions of Palestinians are imprisoned in the Gaza Strip, unable to return to their homes in what is now Israel. Palestinians make up the largest refugee population on earth.

Israeli troops again opened fire on the unarmed protesters, as they have done each Friday since the protests began on March 30th.

Since March 30th, Israeli forces have killed 44 Palestinian protesters, and wounded more than five thousand.

An international outcry against the continued shooting of civilian protesters has included political leaders, politicians, grassroots leaders and humanitarian organizations around the world. But this outcry has not reached the US, where politicians have been largely silent on the issue.

Irish and South African politicians have been leading the call for justice for Palestinians, calling the Israeli government an ‘apartheid state’ much like South Africa in the 1980s.

In response to Israel’s fifth straight week of attacking unarmed demonstrators at the border, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, issued a statement that, “The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators – not once, not twice, but repeatedly.”

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

Abdul-Salam Bakr

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April 27, 2018: Abdul-Salam Bakr, 29, was killed by Israeli forces east of Gaza City, during the fifth Friday of protests for the ‘Great March of Return’.

Abdul-Salam was one of three young men and one child shot and killed by Israeli snipers on April 27th . The snipers fired live ammunition indiscriminately at the unarmed crowds of protesters, according to eyewitnesses.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that Israeli soldiers killed four young Palestinians, including a 14-year old child, on April 27th, and injured more than 995, including at least 178 who were shot with live fire.

In addition to Abdul-Salam, the the soldiers also killed Mohammad Amin al-Moqyd, 21, from Gaza City, and Khalil Na’im Atallah, 22, also from Gaza.

According to Ashraf al-Qidra of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 18 medics and medical personnel were among those wounded on Friday.

Al-Qidra added that Israeli forces specifically targeted medical service points twice with an unidentified gas east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. This appeared to be a new type of gas that caused those who inhaled it to suffer from severe convulsions. A number of these victims had to be hospitalized.

175 of the wounded Palestinians were injured in Northern Gaza, 251 in Gaza city area, 200 in Central Gaza, 146 in Khan Younis and 183 in Rafah.

On Friday night, Israeli war jets fired missiles at a site that they claimed was run by a Palestinian resistance group, west of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

The army also fired missiles at two Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza port. Media sources in Gaza said the boats are parts of preparations for welcoming an upcoming flotilla to challenge the illegal Israeli siege on Gaza.

The ongoing ‘Great Return March’ protests which started on Palestinian Land Day (March 30th) are meant to bring attention to the fact that millions of Palestinians are imprisoned in the Gaza Strip, unable to return to their homes in what is now Israel. Palestinians make up the largest refugee population on earth.

Israeli troops again opened fire on the unarmed protesters, as they have done each Friday since the protests began on March 30th.

Since March 30th, Israeli forces have killed 44 Palestinian protesters, and wounded more than five thousand.

An international outcry against the continued shooting of civilian protesters has included political leaders, politicians, grassroots leaders and humanitarian organizations around the world. But this outcry has not reached the US, where politicians have been largely silent on the issue.

Irish and South African politicians have been leading the call for justice for Palestinians, calling the Israeli government an ‘apartheid state’ much like South Africa in the 1980s.

In response to Israel’s fifth straight week of attacking unarmed demonstrators at the border, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, issued a statement that, “The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators – not once, not twice, but repeatedly.”

Abdul-Salam was from Gaza City, in the central part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Mohammad Amin al-Moqyd

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Mohammad Amin alMoqydApril 27, 2018: Mohammad Amin al-Moqyd, 21, was killed by Israeli forces east of Gaza City, during the fifth Friday of protests for the ‘Great March of Return’.

Mohammad was one of three young men and one child shot and killed by Israeli snipers on April 27th . The snipers fired live ammunition indiscriminately at the unarmed crowd of protesters, according to eyewitnesses.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that Israeli soldiers killed four young Palestinians, including a 14-year old child, on April 27th, and injured more than 995, including at least 178 who were shot with live fire.

In addition to Mohammad, the the soldiers also killed Abdul-Salam Bakr, 29, from Khuza’a town, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and Khalil Na’im Atallah, 22, from Gaza.

According to Ashraf al-Qidra of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 18 medics and medical personnel were among those wounded on Friday.

Al-Qidra added that Israeli forces specifically targeted medical service points twice with an unidentified gas east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. This appeared to be a new type of gas that caused those who inhaled it to suffer from severe convulsions. A number of these victims had to be hospitalized.

175 of the wounded Palestinians were injured in Northern Gaza, 251 in Gaza city area, 200 in Central Gaza, 146 in Khan Younis and 183 in Rafah.

On Friday night, Israeli war jets fired missiles at a site that they claimed was run by a Palestinian resistance group, west of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

The army also fired missiles at two Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza port. Media sources in Gaza said the boats are parts of preparations for welcoming an upcoming flotilla to challenge the illegal Israeli siege on Gaza.

The ongoing ‘Great Return March’ protests which started on Palestinian Land Day (March 30th) are meant to bring attention to the fact that millions of Palestinians are imprisoned in the Gaza Strip, unable to return to their homes in what is now Israel. Palestinians make up the largest refugee population on earth.

Israeli troops again opened fire on the unarmed protesters, as they have done each Friday since the protests began on March 30th.

Since March 30th, Israeli forces have killed 44 Palestinian protesters, and wounded more than five thousand.

An international outcry against the continued shooting of civilian protesters has included political leaders, politicians, grassroots leaders and humanitarian organizations around the world. But this outcry has not reached the US, where politicians have been largely silent on the issue.

Irish and South African politicians have been leading the call for justice for Palestinians, calling the Israeli government an ‘apartheid state’ much like South Africa in the 1980s.

In response to Israel’s fifth straight week of attacking unarmed demonstrators at the border, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, issued a statement that, “The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators – not once, not twice, but repeatedly.”

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

Ahmad Mohammad Abu Hussein

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April 25, 2018: Ahmad Mohammad Abu Hussein, 25, a journalist, died of wounds sustained on April 13th when he was shot in the abdomen by an Israeli military sniper while covering a protest in the eastern part of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that Ahmad was shot and seriously injured by Israeli army fire on April 13, with an expanding bullet in the abdomen, and was rushed to the Indonesian Hospital, in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza.

On the same day, the soldiers also shot another journalist, identified as Mohammad al-Hajjar, with a live round.

Abu Hussein was transferred to Ramallah General Hospital, in central West Bank, on April 16, where he arrived in a coma after repeated delays of his transfer by Israeli authorities and the denial of treatment by Israeli hospitals.

The head of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, Nassar Abu Bakr, criticized the delay in the transfer of the patient, telling reporters from the Ma’an News Agency, “The Israeli authorities committed two crimes against Abu Hussein, one when injuring him with an explosive bullet in the head and another when delaying his transfer from Gaza hospitals to Ramallah, as if the occupation insists on killing him.”

Abu Bakr said that specialized Israeli hospitals were better equipped to treat the severely wounded journalist, but none would accept to have him transferred. So he was sent to Ramallah General Hospital in the West Bank. He added that only through ‘strenuous efforts’ by a number of Palestinian officials was this transfer made possible.

Dozens of journalists gathered in front of Ramallah General Hospital in solidarity with their wounded colleague, when he arrived at the hospital on April 16th.

After repeated protests by Palestinian journalists and officials, Ahmad was moved to Tel HaShomer Israeli Hospital, on April 19, where he succumbed to his serious wounds on April 24.

Ahmad was shot with an exploding bullet, a banned type of live fire that explodes on impact, causing severe internal injuries.

At least ten Palestinian journalists have been among those targeted by Israeli forces in their attacks on non-violent protests in Gaza since March 30. On April 6th alone, six journalists were shot, and one was killed – 30-year-old Yasser Murtaja, who was wearing a clearly labeled PRESS flak jacket.

Yasser Murtaja was also shot with a live round in the abdomen, below his ‘PRESS’ jacket, in the same area where Ahmad was shot.

It is worth mentioning that the slain journalist worked for the People’s Voice Radio (Sha’ab Radio), in Gaza.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate issued a statement strongly condemning the ongoing Israeli violations against the journalists in Palestine, and urging all international, legal and human rights organizations to perform their duties and provide the needed protection to the Palestinian people.

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

Tahrir Mahmoud Wahba

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April 22, 2018: Tahrir Mahmoud Wahba, 18, a deaf and mute teen, died of wounds he suffered, on April 1st, after Israeli soldiers shot him during a nonviolent protest near the border fence, in Khuza’a village, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Tahrirwas shot in the head during a nonviolent procession, and remained in a very serious condition until his death at the European Hospital, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Tahrir, who is deaf and cannot speak, was shot near the border fence east of Khuza’a town, east of Khan Younis.

“My son cannot speak or hear, and I frequently tried to prevent him from protesting near the border area,” his mother said, “But he would get angry, and would shake his head, refusing to stay home, and insisting on being part of the struggle.”

On Sunday night, another young man, identified as Abdullah Mohammad Shamali, 20, from al-Barazil neighborhood, in Rafah died from serious wounds he suffered after Israeli soldiers shot him, Friday, April 27th.

The Health Ministry stated that the soldiers have killed 39 Palestinians, and injured more than 5000, including 138 who suffered serious wounds, since the “Great March of Return” protests started on Palestinian Land Day, on March 30th, 2018.

Tahrir was from Tal al-Sultan area, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Abdullah Mohammad Shamali

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April 22, 2018: Abdullah Mohammad Shamali, 20, died of serious wounds he suffered two days prior, on Friday April 20th, when he was shot in the abdomen with a live round fired by an Israeli soldier stationed across the border fence.

After doctors tried for two days to save his life, they were unsuccessful, and Abdullah died from his wounds at the Gaza European Hospital, in Rafah.

On the same day of his serious injury, the soldiers killed four Palestinians, including one child, and injured 729, including 156 of the wounded were shot with live fire.

The slain Palestinians have been identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Ayyoub, 15, Ahmad Rashad al-Athamna, 24, Ahmad Nabil Aqel, 25, and Sa’ad Abdul-Majid Abu Taha, 29.

At least three of the injured Palestinians suffered life-threatening wounds; 174 were rushed to local hospitals, and 271 others who received treatment in make-shift field clinics.

In related news, the soldiers shot, Sunday, three young Palestinian men with live fire, east of Khan Younis, and Gaza city, after the army attacked nonviolent protesters in the two areas.

Another young man, 18-year old Tahrir Mahmoud Wahba, who was deaf and mute, died of his wounds on Sunday as well.

The Palestinian Health Ministry stated that the soldiers have killed 39 Palestinians, and injured more than 5000, including 138 who suffered serious wounds, since the “Great March of Return” protests started on Palestinian Land Day, on March 30th, 2018.

Abdullah was from from al-Barazil neighborhood, in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Mohammad Ibrahim Ayyoub

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Mohammad Ibrahim AyoubApril 20, 2018: Mohammad Ibrahim Ayyoub, 15, from Jabalia in northern Gaza, was shot by Israeli soldiers with an expanding bullet in the head while participating in a non-violent protest against the Israeli siege on Gaza.

Mohammad was one of four Palestinians killed on Friday, in the fourth straight week of Friday protests known as the “Great Return March”. Each week since March 30th, thousands of Palestinians have gathered at the border between Gaza and Israel, demanding an end to the decade-long siege.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that Israeli soldiers shot and killed, Friday, four Palestinians, including one child, and injured more than 729, including 24 children and twelve women, after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against protesters, on their lands, near the border fence, in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In addition to Mohammad, the soldiers shot and killed Ahmad Rashad al-Athamna, 24, from Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, after shooting him with a live round in his neck, east of nearby Jabalia.

The soldiers also killed Ahmad Nabil Aqel, 25, after shooting him with an expanding bullet in the head, east of Jabalia, in northern Gaza. He was first shot in his leg, received the needed treatment, and returned to the protests, before being killed by Israeli army fire.

In addition, the soldiers killed Sa’ad Abdul-Majid Abu Taha, 29, from al-Qarara town, northeast of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, after shooting him with a live round in his neck.

The Health Ministry also stated that the soldiers shot more than 729 Palestinians, including 174 who were rushed to local hospitals, and at least three who suffered life-threatening wounds, and 271 who received treatment in make-shift field clinics. 156 of the wounded were shot with live fire.

One of the wounded is a medic, who suffered a very serious injury, in addition to two journalists. Ninety Palestinians suffered moderate wounds.

The Ministry stated that eighteen of the wounded Palestinians were shot in the neck and head, 26 in the chest and back, twelve in the pelvis and abdomen, and 154 were shot in their legs.

Furthermore, eighty-six Palestinians suffered the effects of teargas inhalation; 29 were injured by shrapnel; five were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and 29 sustained cuts and bruises.

The army also fired many gas bombs at a Palestinian ambulance east of Gaza city.

The protests started on March 30th, which marks the Palestinian Land Day, and are planned to continue until May 15th, the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe), in which more than 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced by Israeli forces in 1948, and their villages and towns were destroyed, prior to the establishment of Israel in historic Palestine.

The Israeli army killed at least 34 Palestinians, and injured thousands or protesters since the nonviolent protests started on March 30th.

April 20th, 2018 marked the fourth Friday of the massive nonviolent protests in Gaza, during which thousands of Palestinian refugees have taken to the heavily militarized borders with Israel to demand their collective right of return to their homelands.

The six-week protest is set to end on May 15th, the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, or “catastrophe,” when the state of Israel was created, leaving some 750,000 Palestinians and millions of their descendants as refugees.

Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Palestinian Observer at the United Nations, sent three identical letters to the United Nations Secretary General, the head of the Security Council and the head of the General Assembly, informing them of the latest Israeli violations and the excessive use of force against unarmed Palestinian civilians.

He called on the International Community to provide the urgently-needed protection to the Palestinian people, facing serious Israeli military escalation and crimes, and urging them to oblige Israel to respect International Law and the Four Geneva Convention.

The Palestinian official said that peace and security around the world start with justice, and implementing International Law, by holding those who violate it accountable for their crimes.

“For the fourth consecutive week, Israel continues the excessive and lethal use of force against Palestinians participating in the nonviolent Great March of Return, especially in the Gaza Strip,” Mansour said, “Israel is shooting Palestinian women, children and the elderly, and is escalating its violations against them. These serious violations must stop; Israel should not be allowed to continue its breaches on International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

Despite widespread outcry from international rights groups who have condemned Israel’s excessive use of forces against the civilian protesters, Israeli has maintained its open-fire rules for the Gaza border, ordering its soldiers to “shoot to kill” any Palestinian, even children, who enter the ‘no-go’ zone near the border.

Mohammad was from Jabalia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Sa’ad Abdul-Majid Abu Taha

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Saad Abu TahaApril 20, 2018: Sa’ad Abdul-Majid Abu Taha, 29, from al-Qarara town, northeast of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, was shot by Israeli soldiers in the neck with a live bullet while participating in a non-violent protest against the Israeli siege on Gaza.

Sa’ad was one of four Palestinians killed on Friday, in the fourth straight week of Friday protests known as the “Great Return March”. Each week since March 30th, thousands of Palestinians have gathered at the border between Gaza and Israel, demanding an end to the decade-long siege.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that Israeli soldiers shot and killed, Friday, four Palestinians, including one child, and injured more than 729, including 24 children and twelve women, after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against protesters, on their lands, near the border fence, in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In addition to Sa’ad, the Ministry said the soldiers killed a child, identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Ayyoub, 15, from Jabalia in northern Gaza, after shooting him with an expanding bullet in the head.

It added that the soldiers also killed Ahmad Rashad al-Athamna, 24, from Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, after shooting him with a live round in his neck, east of nearby Jabalia.

The soldiers also killed Ahmad Nabil Aqel, 25, after shooting him with an expanding bullet in the head, east of Jabalia, in northern Gaza. He was first shot in his leg, received the needed treatment, and returned to the protests, before being killed by Israeli army fire.

The Health Ministry also stated that the soldiers shot more than 729 Palestinians, including 174 who were rushed to local hospitals, and at least three who suffered life-threatening wounds, and 271 who received treatment in make-shift field clinics. 156 of the wounded were shot with live fire.

One of the wounded is a medic, who suffered a very serious injury, in addition to two journalists. Ninety Palestinians suffered moderate wounds.

The Ministry stated that eighteen of the wounded Palestinians were shot in the neck and head, 26 in the chest and back, twelve in the pelvis and abdomen, and 154 were shot in their legs.

Furthermore, eighty-six Palestinians suffered the effects of teargas inhalation; 29 were injured by shrapnel; five were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and 29 sustained cuts and bruises.

The army also fired many gas bombs at a Palestinian ambulance east of Gaza city.

The protests started on March 30th, which marks the Palestinian Land Day, and are planned to continue until May 15th, the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe), in which more than 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced by Israeli forces in 1948, and their villages and towns were destroyed, prior to the establishment of Israel in historic Palestine.

The Israeli army killed at least 34 Palestinians, and injured thousands or protesters since the nonviolent protests started on March 30th.

April 20th, 2018 marked the fourth Friday of the massive nonviolent protests in Gaza, during which thousands of Palestinian refugees have taken to the heavily militarized borders with Israel to demand their collective right of return to their homelands.

The six-week protest is set to end on May 15th, the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, or “catastrophe,” when the state of Israel was created, leaving some 750,000 Palestinians and millions of their descendants as refugees.

Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Palestinian Observer at the United Nations, sent three identical letters to the United Nations Secretary General, the head of the Security Council and the head of the General Assembly, informing them of the latest Israeli violations and the excessive use of force against unarmed Palestinian civilians.

He called on the International Community to provide the urgently-needed protection to the Palestinian people, facing serious Israeli military escalation and crimes, and urging them to oblige Israel to respect International Law and the Four Geneva Convention.

The Palestinian official said that peace and security around the world start with justice, and implementing International Law, by holding those who violate it accountable for their crimes.

“For the fourth consecutive week, Israel continues the excessive and lethal use of force against Palestinians participating in the nonviolent Great March of Return, especially in the Gaza Strip,” Mansour said, “Israel is shooting Palestinian women, children and the elderly, and is escalating its violations against them. These serious violations must stop; Israel should not be allowed to continue its breaches on International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

Despite widespread outcry from international rights groups who have condemned Israel’s excessive use of forces against the civilian protesters, Israeli has maintained its open-fire rules for the Gaza border, ordering its soldiers to “shoot to kill” any Palestinian, even children, who enter the ‘no-go’ zone near the border.

Sa’ad was from al-Qarara town, northeast of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. Source: IMEMC

Ahmad Rashad al-Athamna

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Ahmad AthamnaApril 20, 2018: Ahmad Rashad al-Athamna, 24, from Beit Hanoun, was killed by Israeli soldiers east of Jabalia in the northern part of the Gaza Strip when they shot him with a live round in his neck, while he was participating in a non-violent protest against the Israeli siege on Gaza.

Ahmad was one of four Palestinians killed on Friday, in the fourth straight week of Friday protests known as the “Great Return March”. Each week since March 30th, thousands of Palestinians have gathered at the border between Gaza and Israel, demanding an end to the decade-long siege.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that Israeli soldiers shot and killed, Friday, four Palestinians, including one child, and injured more than 729, including 24 children and twelve women, after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against protesters, on their lands, near the border fence, in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In addition to Ahmad, the Ministry said the soldiers killed a child, identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Ayyoub, 15, from Jabalia in northern Gaza, after shooting him with an expanding bullet in the head.

In addition, the soldiers killed Sa’ad Abdul-Majid Abu Taha, 29, from al-Qarara town, northeast of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, after shooting him with a live round in his neck.

The soldiers also killed Ahmad Nabil Aqel, 25, after shooting him with an expanding bullet in the head, east of Jabalia, in northern Gaza. He was first shot in his leg, received the needed treatment, and returned to the protests, before being killed by Israeli army fire.

The Health Ministry also stated that the soldiers shot more than 729 Palestinians, including 174 who were rushed to local hospitals, and at least three who suffered life-threatening wounds, and 271 who received treatment in make-shift field clinics. 156 of the wounded were shot with live fire.

One of the wounded is a medic, who suffered a very serious injury, in addition to two journalists. Ninety Palestinians suffered moderate wounds.

The Ministry stated that eighteen of the wounded Palestinians were shot in the neck and head, 26 in the chest and back, twelve in the pelvis and abdomen, and 154 were shot in their legs.

Furthermore, eighty-six Palestinians suffered the effects of teargas inhalation; 29 were injured by shrapnel; five were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and 29 sustained cuts and bruises.

The army also fired many gas bombs at a Palestinian ambulance east of Gaza city.

The protests started on March 30th, which marks the Palestinian Land Day, and are planned to continue until May 15th, the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe), in which more than 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced by Israeli forces in 1948, and their villages and towns were destroyed, prior to the establishment of Israel in historic Palestine.

The Israeli army killed at least 34 Palestinians, and injured thousands or protesters since the nonviolent protests started on March 30th.

April 20th, 2018 marked the fourth Friday of the massive nonviolent protests in Gaza, during which thousands of Palestinian refugees have taken to the heavily militarized borders with Israel to demand their collective right of return to their homelands.

The six-week protest is set to end on May 15th, the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, or “catastrophe,” when the state of Israel was created, leaving some 750,000 Palestinians and millions of their descendants as refugees.

Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Palestinian Observer at the United Nations, sent three identical letters to the United Nations Secretary General, the head of the Security Council and the head of the General Assembly, informing them of the latest Israeli violations and the excessive use of force against unarmed Palestinian civilians.

He called on the International Community to provide the urgently-needed protection to the Palestinian people, facing serious Israeli military escalation and crimes, and urging them to oblige Israel to respect International Law and the Four Geneva Convention.

The Palestinian official said that peace and security around the world start with justice, and implementing International Law, by holding those who violate it accountable for their crimes.

“For the fourth consecutive week, Israel continues the excessive and lethal use of force against Palestinians participating in the nonviolent Great March of Return, especially in the Gaza Strip,” Mansour said, “Israel is shooting Palestinian women, children and the elderly, and is escalating its violations against them. These serious violations must stop; Israel should not be allowed to continue its breaches on International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

Despite widespread outcry from international rights groups who have condemned Israel’s excessive use of forces against the civilian protesters, Israeli has maintained its open-fire rules for the Gaza border, ordering its soldiers to “shoot to kill” any Palestinian, even children, who enter the ‘no-go’ zone near the border.

Ahmad was from Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC