Jerusalem

Tadasa Tashume Ben Ma’ada

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November 26, 2022: Tadasa Tashume Ben Ma’ada, 50, succumbed to serious wounds in Shaare Zedek Medical Center.

He was injured in one of two separate explosions near a bus stop in Givat Shaul in West Jerusalem.

Israeli sources said Ben Ma’ada was an immigrant from Ethiopia after he came to the country 21 years ago. He was a married father of six children.

The blast immediately killed an Israeli-Canadian teen and caused the injury of about twenty-two Israelis.

The first victim, Aryeh Shechopek, 16, was killed by an explosive placed in a bush behind a bus station in Jerusalem.

An additional twenty-two Israelis were injured in two separate explosions near a bus stop in Givat Shaul in West Jerusalem.

According to Israeli sources, the Police, army, and internal security initiated a massive manhunt looking for those responsible for the two bombings and described the incident as the first of this magnitude of its kind in many years.

Israeli daily Haaretz said the head of the Israeli Police Operations Division, Sigal Bar Zvi, described the explosives used in the two attacks as of “high quality,” adding that the explosives were placed in a bush behind a bus station.

The Police believe that explosives were left several hours before they were remotely detonated, an issue seen as a sign of a pre-planned sophisticated attack. The two explosives were detonated 30 minutes apart.

Haaretz said the blasts killed Aryeh Shechopek, 16, an Israeli teen and a Yeshiva student who also holds Canadian citizenship, adding that his funeral was held in Jerusalem a few hours after he was killed.

Also, more than twenty Israelis were injured in the bombings, including one in critical condition.

Israeli Ynet News said, according to the preliminary evaluation of the bombings, it is believed that several persons are behind the attack that seems to have been in the planning stage for a long period, adding that it does not appear that it was conducted under the direction of the leadership of any armed group.

Ynet added that the persons behind the bombings appeared familiar with the area and scouted its surroundings before choosing the exact time to inflict larger casualties.

It also said that the explosives used in the two bombings were “relatively small but densely packed with nails and metal shrapnel that caused the lion’s share of the damage.”

The Israeli police and security agencies are investigating “whether the people behind the bombings entered Israel from the West Bank and could be from East Jerusalem.”

According to the Jerusalem Post, the explosive used in the second explosion at the Ramot junction was smaller than the first, and added that Israeli security and police assessments indicate that the same person likely placed both explosives.

It said that the first explosion occurred at the entrance of Jerusalem near the Central Bus Station, while the second explosive detonated in the Ramot neighborhood, adding that both explosions occurred at bus stops during rush hours.

Following the bombings, the Israeli army and the Police closed all main roads in Jerusalem and deployed hundreds of additional troops in addition to installing roadblocks.

In related news, Israeli colonizers attacked dozens of Palestinian cars and homes in Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, and several parts of the occupied West Bank, causing damage.

It is worth mentioning that Ynet said a news anchor working with an Army Radio was suspended from her work after insinuating that the Jerusalem blasts “might be connected to the ongoing negotiations to form a coalition government.”

Ynet added that, in an on-air coverage, the anchor, Hadas Shtaif, said: “Police also said that due to fruitful negotiations with a certain character who is about to receive a certain position in the new government – emotions are tense, and these emotions also have to do with the situation.”

Tadasa was an Israeli who lived in Jerusalem and was originally from Ethiopia. Source: IMEMC, Jerussalem Post

Aryeh Shechopek

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November 23, 2022: Aryeh Shechopek, 16, was killed by an explosive placed by unknown assailants in a bush behind a bus station in Jerusalem. An additional twenty-two Israelis were injured in two separate explosions near a bus stop in Givat Shaul in West Jerusalem.

According to Israeli sources, the Police, army, and internal security initiated a massive manhunt looking for those responsible for the two bombings and described the incident as the first of this magnitude of its kind in many years.

Israeli daily Haaretz said the head of the Israeli Police Operations Division, Sigal Bar Zvi, described the explosives used in the two attacks as of “high quality,” adding that the explosives were placed in a bush behind a bus station.

The Police believe that explosives were left several hours before they were remotely detonated, an issue seen as a sign of a pre-planned sophisticated attack. The two explosives were detonated 30 minutes apart.

Haaretz said the blasts killed Aryeh Shechopek, 16, an Israeli teen and a Yeshiva student who also holds Canadian citizenship, adding that his funeral was held in Jerusalem a few hours after he was killed.

Also, more than twenty Israelis were injured in the bombings, including one in critical condition.

Israeli Ynet News said, according to the preliminary evaluation of the bombings, it is believed that several persons are behind the attack that seems to have been in the planning stage for a long period, adding that it does not appear that it was conducted under the direction of the leadership of any armed group.

Ynet added that the persons behind the bombings appeared familiar with the area and scouted its surroundings before choosing the exact time to inflict larger casualties.

It also said that the explosives used in the two bombings were “relatively small but densely packed with nails and metal shrapnel that caused the lion’s share of the damage.”

The Israeli police and security agencies are investigating “whether the people behind the bombings entered Israel from the West Bank and could be from East Jerusalem.”

According to the Jerusalem Post, the explosive used in the second explosion at the Ramot junction was smaller than the first and added that Israeli security and police assessments indicate that the same person likely placed both explosives.

It said that the first explosion occurred at the entrance of Jerusalem near the Central Bus Station, while the second explosive detonated in the Ramot neighborhood, adding that both explosions occurred at bus stops during rush hours.

Following the bombings, the Israeli army and the Police closed all main roads in Jerusalem and deployed hundreds of additional troops in addition to installing roadblocks.

In related news, Israeli colonizers attacked dozens of Palestinian cars and homes in Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus and several parts of the occupied West Bank, causing damage.

It is worth mentioning that Ynet said a news anchor working with an Army Radio was suspended from her work after insinuating that the Jerusalem blasts “might be connected to the ongoing negotiations to form a coalition government.”

Ynet added that, in an on-air coverage, the anchor, Hadas Shtaif, said “Police also said that due to fruitful negotiations with a certain character who is about to receive a certain position in the new government – emotions are tense, and these emotions also have to do with the situation.”

Aryeh lived in Jerusalem, and was originally from Canada. Source: IMEMC

Amer Husam Bader

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November 3, 2022: Amer Husam Bader, 20, was shot and killed by Israeli troops after an alleged stabbing attack targeting soldiers near the Council Gate in the Old City of the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem, in the West Bank.

Israeli daily, Haaretz, said the Palestinian stabbed a police officer before other soldiers in the area opened fire at the Palestinian and killed him.

One of the injured police officers, 30 years of age, suffered moderate wounds, and another officer, 25, suffered mild wounds.

The moderately injured officer, who remained alert, was moved to Shaarei Zedek Medical Center for treatment, while the second officer suffered wounds to the lower parts of his body and received treatment at the site.

Following the incident, dozens of soldiers were deployed in the area and closed all streets leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Many Israeli soldiers invaded the home of the slain Palestinian in Beit Hanina, north of occupied Jerusalem, and abducted his parents.

The army also installed many roadblocks, stopped and searched dozens of Palestinians, and interrogated many while inspecting their ID cards.

The incident came shortly after dozens of Israeli soldiers and police officers accompanied groups of illegal Israeli colonizers into the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque after forcing the Palestinian out.

Early Thursday morning, the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the death of Daoud Mahmoud Khalil Rayyan, 42, whom Israeli soldiers shot in Beit Duqqu town, northwest of Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, the soldiers killed Habes Abdul-Hafith Rayyan, 54, from Beit Duqqu town, northwest, after shooting him at a military roadblock west of Ramallah in the central part of the occupied West Bank.

Amer was from Beit Hanina, Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Barakat Mousa Odah

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October 30, 2022: Barakat Mousa Odah, 49, was killed by Israeli soldiers in what the army claimed was a car-ramming attack near Jericho, in the northeastern part of the occupied West Bank, before the soldiers shot and killed the Palestinian driver.

The Palestinian was shot while driving near Nabi Mousa Junction, south of Jericho, and suffered life-threatening wounds before he was moved to Hadassah Israeli Medical center in Jerusalem, where he was pronounced dead.

Israeli daily Haaretz said five soldiers were injured; two moderately and three mildly, before they were transferred to Hadassah and Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, and added that two of the injured soldiers were later discharged from Hadassah.

According to Haaretz, Barakat was imprisoned 14 times for drug and weapons trafficking, had no political affiliation, and was not a member of any party or group.

Haaretz also said that the incident occurred on two junctions and quoted the army claiming that the Barakat rammed soldiers waiting at Nabi Mousa Junction before continuing towards soldiers at a nearby intersection where he hit a bus stop.

He was shot many times by both Israeli soldiers and paramilitary illegal colonialist settlers after he reportedly tried to escape.

However, a video from the scene shows the soldiers continuing to fire at him after the initial shots that incapacitated him, and he was already on the ground.

Barakat, a married father of six children, was from the Al-Ezariya town, east of occupied Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

 

Odai Kamal Tamimi

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October 19, 2022:  Odai Kamal Tamimi, 22, was killed by Israeli soldiers near Ma’ale Adumim illegal colony, east of the occupied capital Jerusalem in the West Bank, after he opened fire at security guards, mildly wounded one.

The Israeli army said the Palestinian shot a security guard, 24, mildly wounding him in his hand, and added that another security guard at the scene fired at the Palestinian and killed him.

Video footage shows the Palestinian continuing to exchange fire with the officers even after he was shot multiple times.

After the shooting, the army installed many roadblocks in the area and initiated massive searches, fearing that another Palestinian might be involved in the shooting, although the assumption was not verified.

Hundreds of Palestinians marched in the Shu’fat refugee camp northeast of Jerusalem and headed to Odai’s home, condemning his death and chanting against the ongoing illegal Israeli occupation and escalating violations, and calling for continued resistance until liberation and independence.

The Israeli army has been looking for the Palestinian since October 9, after holding him responsible for the shooting of an Israeli soldier, Noa Lazar, 18, who succumbed to her wounds, and the serious injury of a security guard at a military roadblock near Shu’fat.

The army has since been constantly invading his family’s home and the homes of his relatives and ransacking them, causing serious damage, in addition to interrogating and detaining many of them.

Immediately after the shooting, the army imposed a tight siege on the Shu’fat refugee camp, Anata town, and surrounding areas, and initiated extensive and violent searches of homes and buildings, abducted dozens of Palestinians.

Following Odai’s death, thousands of Palestinians held massive processions in Shu’fat refugee camp northeast of Jerusalem, Qalandia, north of Jerusalem, the northern entrance of Bethlehem city, Nabi Saleh village, northwest of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, Ni’lin village, northwest of the city, and the northern entrance of the nearby Al-Biereh city, in addition to many areas in Jenin and Nablus in the northern part of the occupied territory.

The soldiers fired live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs, and concussion grenades at the Palestinians and surrounding buildings.

The soldiers also closed many roadblocks on main roads in the West Bank, including the Qalandia terminal, north of Jerusalem, and the Al-Jalama roadblock, northeast of Jenin, in the northern West Bank.

Palestinian national and Islamic factions declared a comprehensive general strike in the occupied West Bank Thursday to mourn the slain young man and called for raising black flags on homes and buildings and for massive processions across the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, to protest the seriously escalating Israeli violations.

It is worth mentioning that, a day before the soldier’s death, the army killed Ahmad Mohammad Hussein Daraghma, 24, and Mahmoud Moayyad Sous, 18, in Jenin, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

Their deaths also came just a day after the Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinian teens, Adel Ibrahim Adel Daoud, 14, and Mahdi Mohammad Ladadwa, 17, and injured dozens of Palestinians near Qalqilia and Ramallah in the northern and central parts of the occupied West Bank.

On October 11, an Israeli soldier, Ido Baruch, 20, succumbed to serious wounds he suffered in a shooting targeting a large group of Israeli colonizers, guarded by dozens of soldiers, marching near Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

Odai was from Shu’fat refugee camp, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem in the West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Noa Lazar

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October 09, 2022: Noa Lazar, 18, died from serious wounds she sustained a day earlier when she was shot by a Palestinian at a military roadblock near Shu’fat, in occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank.

The army said the soldier Sgt. Noa Lazar, 18, was a member of the Israeli army’s Military Police Erez Battalion.

Noa and an armed civilian guard were injured and were rushed to a hospital in Jerusalem for medical treatment before she underwent brain surgery but succumbed to her serious wounds.

Israeli sources said the wounded guard also underwent surgery by neurosurgeons overnight, adding that he is still in critical condition, hooked to a ventilator.

According to the Israeli sources, the Palestinian apparently arrived at the roadblock on foot, approximately at 9 p.m., before he fired several live rounds and reportedly ran towards Shu’fat refugee camp.

A video surveillance footage shows the Palestinian getting out of a car and casually walking towards the roadblock before opening fire from a handgun wounding the two and running away toward the refugee camp before the army initiated a large search campaign.

Jerusalem District Police Commander Doron Turgeman said the identities of the shooter and two other Palestinians involved in the incident are known to police.

Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Barlev arrived at the shooting scene and vowed to capture the shooter “alive or dead,” adding that the shooter was 22, from Shu’fat.

The Israeli army also said the soldiers abducted three Palestinians, in their twenties, from Shu’fat and Beit Hanina, allegedly for being “accomplices in the shooting.”

According to the Israeli army radio, the soldiers arrested three members of the Palestinian believed to be the shooting, adding that the man, believed to be the driver of the car, turned himself in to the police, but said the driver is not believed to be involved of the shooting or had any prior knowledge of it.

A day earlier, Israeli soldiers killed Ahmad Mohammad Hussein Daraghma, 24, and Mahmoud Moayyad Sous, 18, in Jenin, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

Their deaths also came just a day after the Israeli army killed two Palestinians teens, Adel Ibrahim Adel Daoud, 14, and Mahdi Mohammad Ladadwa, 17, and injured dozens of Palestinians near Qalqilia and Ramallah, in the northern and central parts of the occupied West Bank.

Noa, a member of the Israeli army’s Military Police Erez Battalion, was from Bat Hefer town in the northern part of the country. Source: IMEMC

 

Fayez Khaled Damdoum

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October 01, 2022: Fayez Khaled Damdoum, 18, was killed by Israeli soldiers in the Al-Ezariyya town, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed his death and said the Israeli soldiers shot the young man with a live round in the neck.

Eyewitnesses said the Israeli soldiers fired live rounds at the slain Palestinian while driving his motorcycle near a local mosque in the town.

Israeli Ynet News claimed that the slain Palestinian “was driving a scooter during an exchange of fire” when the soldiers shot him and alleged that Palestinian protesters also hurled an explosive charge at the army.

Palestinian sources said there were protests in the area, and the soldiers were firing live rounds randomly, killing the young man and seriously wounding another.

The slain Palestinian was not participating in the protests and was passing through the area on his motorcycle.

Fayez was from the Al-Ezariyya town, southeast of occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Mohammad Ali Abu Kafia

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September 24, 2022: Mohammad Ali Hussein Abu Kafia, 36, was killed by Israeli soldiers after his car accidentally collided with an empty police vehicle near Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli army and various Israeli media outlets justified the fatal shooting by describing the traffic accident as a “deliberate ramming attack.”

Some Israeli media sources claimed the two officers were injured, but the Israeli police later released a statement denying the reports.

The Israeli police said its officers were interrogating a Palestinian when the other driver, Mohammad, was reportedly driving fast and crashed into an empty Police vehicle.

Video By Palestine TV

The Israeli army issued a brief statement claiming that the officers opened fire at the Palestinian car when the “driver tried to run them over,” however, it added that “there was no way to verify this allegation immediately.”

Many Palestinians, including several women, have been killed or seriously injured after Israeli soldiers or police officers opened fire at them in similar traffic accidents, simply because they are Palestinians, and the other party of the accident was an Israeli soldier, officer, or colonialist settler.

Mohammad’s cousin, Ramadan Abu Kafia, said Mohammad was driving back home from Qalqilia, in the northern West Bank, when he had a traffic accident with an empty police vehicle parked at the side of the street near Havat Gilad illegal colony, southwest of Nablus.

He added that the soldiers immediately decided that he was carrying out a ramming attack” and opened fire at him even though their lives were not in any danger, and they could have easily arrested him to investigate the incident.

A week ago, the soldiers shot and seriously injured a young Palestinian man in a traffic accident in Huwwara town, south of Nablus.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement denouncing the killing of Mohammad Abu Kafia and said it is yet another Israeli crime against the Palestinian civilians in occupied Palestine.

It added that the Israeli political and military leaderships passed various legislations and laws allowing the soldiers and the police to resort to fatal means against the Palestinians merely if they suspect the Palestinians “intended to carry an attack out.”

The Foreign Affairs Ministry called on the International Community to act on providing the needed protection for the Palestinian people and called on the International Criminal Court to immediately start investigating Israeli crimes against Palestinian civilians.

Mohammad, a teacher, an education counselor, and a married father of three children, the youngest is only six years of age, was from Beit Ijza village, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Walid Sharif

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May 15, 2022: Walid Sharif, 23, died from serious wounds he suffered on April 22nd after Israeli soldiers stormed the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and assaulted hundreds of worshipers.

Walid was seriously injured when the soldiers invaded Al-Aqsa on the third Friday of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan and assaulted hundreds of worshipers. He suffered a profoundly serious head injury near the al-Magharba Gate before the soldiers abducted and assaulted him.

The soldiers dragged the wounded Palestinian out of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and then, they assaulted him despite his serious wounds before taking him to Hadassah Medical Center. Still, the army and the police were deployed there in the dozens and prevented the family from seeing him for several hours.

Video By Jmedia – Ramallah

His brother Abdul-Rahman, a medic in Al-Aqsa, said Walid suffered a skull fracture and Hemorrhage in the brain after the soldiers shot him with a rubber-coated steel bullet in the head from a very close range.

He added that his brother remained in a coma after his brain was deprived of oxygen for at least twenty minutes.

At the time, the doctors at the Hadassah Israeli Medical Center in occupied Jerusalem said there is nothing more they can do for the young man and that he is in a coma in the intensive care unit.

Although Walid was shot in the afternoon, the family could not see him until the early night hours.

During the Israeli assault on the worshipers, the army injured 152 Palestinians, including many women and children, especially after the army used drones to fire gas bombs at the worshipers in the Al-Aqsa compound.

The Israeli army also abducted and detained more than five hundred Palestinians from the courtyard of Al-Aqsa.

Walid was from Beit Hanina north of Jerusalem. Source: IMEMC

Ala’ Mohammad Shaham

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Ala ShahamMarch 15, 2022: Ala’ Mohammad Shaham, 22, was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied Jerusalem in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Ministry added that the young man, identified as Ala’ Mohammad Shaham, 22, was shot with live rounds in the head and died instantly.

Soldiers also shot and injured six other young men with live rounds, who were all transferred to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.

Two more young men from the refugee camp were abducted by Israeli soldiers and taken to an unknown location.

The Palestinian was not part of protests but was heading to his work in the al-Ram town but was met with Israeli soldiers who invaded the refugee camp before they fired several fatal live rounds at him.

His father, Mohammad, said Ala’ loved his work and was a very compassionate, loving young man who always helped his family and his friends.

“He was the youngest of my three children,” the father said, “He was a hardworking young man who always helped us,” Mohammad added, “What can I say, thank God for everything, may his soul rest in peace…”

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) investigation and eyewitnesses’ testimonies regarding the murder in Qalandia camp, at approximately 07:30 on Tuesday, 15 March 2022, a large Israeli force moved into Qalandia camp, north of occupied East Jerusalem, from two sides. During the invasion, Israeli snipers topped the roofs of houses and residential buildings while Israeli forces raided and searched several houses and abducted Wesam ‘Ataa Abu Latifa and Mohammed Hasan Abu Latifa.

Afterwards, dozens of Palestinian young men gathered on the camps streets and topped the houses roofs. They threw stones and empty bottles at the soldiers, who fired heavy live bullets at them. As a result, 7 civilians sustained live bullet wounds; one of them was ‘Alaa Mohammed al-Shahaam (24), who was shot with several live bullets in his head and all over his body while topped one of the houses’ roof. All the wounded were taken a Medical Complex in Ramallah, where medical sources announced the death of al-Shahaam upon his arrival at the hospital while the health condition of the other wounded was stable.

PCHR points out that Israeli murders of Palestinian civilians have been on the rise, including the use of snipers and direct shooting to kill, harm, and cause severe injuries, ascertaining that these crimes are done without justification So far in 2022, Israeli forces have killed 16 Palestinian civilians, including 4 children, and wounded tens of others, including women and children; all of them are residents of the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Nader Haitham Rayyan, 17

In related news, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian child, Nader Haitham Rayyan, 17, early Tuesday morning after storming the Balata refugee camp, east of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, in addition to shooting and injuring three more young men.

The slain child suffered serious wounds and was transferred to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where he succumbed to his wounds.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli soldiers have killed twenty Palestinians since the beginning of this year.

Since the beginning of 2022, the army has killed twenty Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories, the Ministry of Health reported.

Various Palestinian factions called on retaliation and ongoing resistance against the illegal occupation and the escalating Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, their homes, lands, and holy sites.

Ala’ was from Qalandia refugee camp in the central West Bank. Source: IMEMC, PCHR