West Bank

Ahmad Hikmat Saif

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March 09, 2022: Ahmad Hikmat Saif, 23, died from severe wounds he suffered a week earlier, after Israeli soldiers shot him in the village of Burqa northwest of Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

The soldiers shot Ahmad with three live rounds in the chest and abdomen during protests that erupted when the army invaded the village and attacked dozens of Palestinians who marched in solidarity with political prisoners held by Israel and facing constant violations of their rights.

Ahmad had undergone several surgeries and remained in a severe condition at the Intensive Care Unit in a hospital in Nablus until he succumbed to his serious wounds.

The medical director of the an-Najah Hospital in Nablus, Dr. Abdul-Karim Barqawi, said Ahmad suffered a gunshot wound to the spine before the bullet lodged in his lung and two bullets in the left thigh and leg.

He required twenty-five units of blood due to severe bleeding in the chest and abdomen and was hooked to respiratory machines but remained in a critical condition due to the severe damage to his internal organs.

Dr. Abdul-Karim added that Ahmad suffered severe bleeding when one of the bullets severed the main artery and required intensive treatment of his internal organs severely damaged by the bullets.

It is worth mentioning that Ahmad was shot on March 1st, just hours after his engagement when he participated in a nonviolent procession in Burqa in solidarity with the Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails.

“I was sitting with him just a few hours before he was shot, we were talking about our future, dreams… and I wanted to accompany him to Burqa, but when I heard that the army was isolating it, I decided to stay because I was afraid I won’t make it back home in Nablus,” his fiancé said, “Just a few hours later, I was told he was shot by the soldiers and is in a critical condition.”

“I went to the hospital, I waited by the surgery room, and I saw the doctors taking him to the Intensive Care Unit…,” she added, “our official engagement ceremony and the party was scheduled for this coming June, but now they took him away from me…”

Burqa and surrounding villages witness constant Israeli invasions and violations by the soldiers and the illegal colonialist settlers, who repeatedly try to reoccupy Palestinian lands in and around the location of the former Homesh colony, which Israel evacuated in the year 2005.

Ahmad was from Burqa village, north of Nablus. Source: IMEMC

Shadi Najm

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March 01, 2022: Shadi Najm, 18, was killed by Israeli forces as he protested the Israeli military invasion of his home city of Jenin.

He was among hundreds of demonstrators who took to the streets to protest when Israeli forces invaded the city early Tuesday morning.

Medical sources said the soldiers shot Najm in the head before the medics rushed him to a hospital in Jenin.

Najm was admitted to surgery and died from his wounds at the Intensive Care Unit.

The medical sources added that the soldiers also shot many Palestinians with live fire and rubber-coated steel bullets and caused dozens to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation.

The head of Urgent Care at Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin said that Shadi was admitted to surgery before succumbing to his serious wounds.

He added that the Palestinian was shot with a live round in the stem of his brain.

Abdullah al-Hosary, 22, killed March 1, 2022 by Israeli forces

Palestinian national and popular factions declared a general strike in Jenin to mourn the deaths of Shadi Najm in addition to Abdullah al-Hosary, 22, who was killed during a fire exchange with Israeli soldiers in Jenin late on Monday at night.

It is worth mentioning that the soldiers also abducted two former political prisoners in Jenin during extensive and violent invasions and searches of homes.

The killing of the two Palestinians also led to massive protests in Jenin, before the soldiers attacked the protesters with live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs, and concussion grenades.

Medical sources said several Palestinians were injured, and dozens suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.

Shadi was from Jenin, in the northern West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Abdullah al-Hosary

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February 28, 2022: Abdullah al-Hosary, 22, was shot in the chest and killed by Israeli forces during an Israeli invasion of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Jenin.

Abdullah was a resistance fighter with the al-Quds Brigades and was among a group of resistance fighters who exchanged fire with the invading Israeli soldiers. Two other fighters were seriously wounded by Israeli gunfire.

Media sources in Jenin said the soldiers surrounded the area of Ibn Sina Hospital after deploying undercover units driving civilian cars.

They added that Israeli military sharpshooters also infiltrated several buildings and began using the rooftops as firing posts.

The soldiers then opened fire at the Palestinian fighters, leading to an exchange of fire in which the army killed a former political prisoner, Abdullah al-Hosary, 22.

Palestinian medical sources said Abdullah was shot in the chest and died from his wounds.

The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, said Abdullah was one of its members.

They added that the soldiers seriously injured two other Palestinians after shooting one with a live round in the head and the other in the abdomen.

During the invasion, the soldiers stormed the home of Jamal Abu al-Haija and ransacked the property before abducting his son, Emad.

Abdullah was from the Jenin refugee camp, in the northern part of the West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Nihad Amin Barghouthi

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February 15, 2022: Nihad Amin Barghouthi, 24, was killed by Israeli soldiers in Nabi Saleh village, northwest of Ramallah, in the central part of the occupied West Bank.

Media sources said the young man from Kafr Ein village, northwest of Ramallah, was shot in the abdomen and was rushed to the Istishari Hospital in Ramallah but succumbed to his serious wounds.

His brother said Nihad was abducted by the soldiers when he was only sixteen and was imprisoned for nearly a year.

He added that Nihad was also shot by the soldiers before and was imprisoned for a month before being released on bail.

The brother also said that protests were taking place in the area and that the Nihad wasn’t hiding or running but was in an open area, clearly visible by the soldiers at a distance.

An off-duty medic who lives nearby told Quds News Network (QNN) that the young man was not among the protesters but was walking in the area when the soldiers fired two rounds at him, hitting him with one.

“I rushed to help him and tried to talk to him, but he wasn’t alert, although he was still conscious…” the medic said, “We live in a village, no medical center or a hospital nearby, and then some Palestinians rushed to help before we took him in a civilian car to the hospital…”

Video By Quds News

Local activist Bilal Tamimi said the soldiers attacked Palestinian protesters at the village’s main entrance.

He added that the army fired many live rounds, rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs, and concussion grenades at the Palestinians, causing several injuries.

Nihad was from Kafr Ein village, northwest of Ramallah. Source: IMEMC

Video By Palestine Times

 

Mohammad Akram Abu Salah

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February 14, 2022: Mohammad Akram Abu Salah, 17, was killed by Israeli soldiers during protests that erupted after many Israeli army vehicles invaded Silat al-Harithiya town, west of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, to demolish a home.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that the soldiers killed Mohammad after shooting him with a live round in the head.

Video By Palestine TV

The soldiers closed the town and prevented Palestinian medics from reaching the child for more than an hour before Palestinians managed to carry the corpse of the slain teen to Ibn Sina governmental hospital in Jenin.

Mahmoud Sa’adi, the head of the Emergency Department of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Jenin, said the soldiers attacked ambulances and prevented them from reaching the area of the protests to provide the needed treatment to the injured Palestinians.

He added that the soldiers shot more than twenty Palestinians with live rounds and caused dozens to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation; one of the wounded Palestinians remains in a life-threatening condition.

The invasion started on Sunday evening after the soldiers surrounded and isolated Silat al-Harithiya and closed all surrounding roads.

Several army jeeps, including bulldozers, invaded the town from different directions before the soldiers invaded many buildings and occupied their rooftops to use them as firing posts.

Mohammad was from al-Yamoun town, west of Jenin, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Fahmi Abdul-Rauf Hamad

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January 24, 2022: Fahmi Abdul-Rauf Hamad, 57, died from the severe effects of tear gas inhalation he suffered at an UNRWA-run clinic in Qalandia refugee, camp north occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank, after Israeli soldiers invaded the area and fired many gas bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets.

Medical sources said the soldiers invaded the refugee camp and fired a barrage of gas bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians who protested the invasion, in addition to a clinic, and many surrounding homes.

They added that Fahmi suffered the severe effects of tear gas inhalation while inside a clinic run by UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees).

Palestinian medics tried to resuscitate the injured man and rushed him to a hospital in Ramallah, but he succumbed to his wounds.

Video By Qastal News

One of his relatives said the man had preexisting medical conditions, including kidney failure and diabetes, and added that many patients in the clinic also suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation.

He stated that Fahmi used to frequently head to the clinic for medical treatment, including dialysis.

He also said that the soldiers fired dozens of gas bombs and rubber-coated steel bullets at the Palestinians, including the area of the clinic.

Video By Qastal News

Hundreds of Palestinians marched in the funeral procession of the slain man while chanting against the escalating Israeli violations.

Video By Qastal News

In related news, the soldiers placed mobile homes in the location of the evacuated Homesh illegal colony, near Silat ath-Thaher town, south of Jenin, in the northern part of the West Bank.

The soldiers also assaulted and injured a former political prisoner, identified as Islam Nidal Hamarna, from Ya’bad town, west of Jenin.

In addition, several illegal Israeli colonizers injured a Palestinian teen near the town of Huwwara, south of Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. The soldiers also abducted a young man at the roadblock.

It is worth mentioning that Fahmi is the sixth Palestinian to be killed this month.

On January 17th, a Palestinian man, identified as Faleh Mousa Jaradat, 39, was killed by Israeli soldiers at the Etzion Junction, south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank after the army claimed he attempted a stabbing attack against the soldiers.

Also on January 17th, Sheikh Suleiman al-Hathalin, 75, died from serious wounds he suffered on January 5th, 2022, after an Israeli tow truck ran him over in the Um al-Khair area of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank.

On January 12th, an elderly Palestinian American man, Omar Abul-Majid As’ad, 80, was killed by Israeli soldiers who invaded a village north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, before detaining and constantly assaulting him in an under-construction building.

On January 6th, the soldiers killed Bakeer Mohammad Hashash, 21, near Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

Also on January 6th, Mustafa Yassin Falna, 25, was killed after being rammed by an Israeli vehicle while heading to his work in Jerusalem.

Fahmi was from Qalandia refugee camp, north of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Faleh Mousa Jaradat

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January 17, 2022: Faleh Mousa Jaradat, 39, was killed by Israeli soldiers at the Etzion Junction, south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank after the army claimed he attempted a stabbing attack against the soldiers.

It added that no soldiers were hurt in the reported incident and that the army initiated a search for the car that transported the man.

The Palestinian remained bleeding on the ground without medical attention until he succumbed to his wounds, eyewitnesses said.

Palestinian medics rushed to the area, but the soldiers did not allow them to even approach Jardatat.

The slain man was a married father of five children; the youngest is a newborn.

After his death, the soldiers summoned his brother, Mohammad, for interrogation at the Etzion military base and security center.

In a statement, the Israeli army claimed that the Palestinian arrived in a vehicle before stepping out and attempted to stab a soldier who opened fire at him.

On Monday morning, the Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that an elderly man, identified as Suleiman al-Hathalin, 75, who was seriously injured after an Israeli tow truck ran him over in the Um al-Khair area of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron earlier this month, has succumbed to his injuries.

On January 12, Israeli soldiers killed an elderly man, identified as Omar Abul-Majid As’ad, 80, after detaining and constantly assaulting him in an under-construction building in Jaljulia village, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, before detaining and constantly assaulting.

Faleh was from Sa’ir town, northwest of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Omar Abul-Majid As’ad

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January 12, 2022: Omar Abul-Majid As’ad, 80, was killed by Israeli soldiers who invaded a village north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah, before detaining and assaulting him in an under-construction building.

An autopsy conducted by Israeli authorities confirmed that the 80-year old Palestinian-American retiree died of a heart attack brought on by “external violence” inflicted by the Israeli soldiers upon his body.

Specifically, “bruises on his head, redness on his wrists from being bound, and bleeding in his eyelids from being tightly blindfolded”, according to the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz.

The Mayor of Jaljulia, Fuad Motea’, said the soldiers invaded the Jaljulia village, abducted Omar, and took him to an under-construction home where they brutally assaulted him before leaving him on the ground.

Although he had U.S citizenship, he could not risk leaving the West Bank to be with his children in the United States for fear of not being allowed back to Palestine.

Motea’ also added that the elderly man, who is also an American citizen, was detained by the soldiers in the al-Ein area in Jaljulia before, around 1:30 at dawn, before he was cuffed, blindfolded, and assaulted by the soldiers in the building.

He added that the slain elderly man was returning home after visiting with relatives when the soldiers stopped his car and forced him out before proceeding to assault him in the building.

He stated that Palestinian medics rushed to the scene, but were unable to resuscitate the man, before moving his corpse to Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah. The soldiers also abducted at least four Palestinians in the village.

Photo By Palestine TV

His nephew, Mohammad, told Palestine TV that several army vehicles invaded the village after midnight, before the soldiers forced his uncle out of his car, and proceeded to cuff and blindfold him, and started dragging him on the ground before taking him to the under-construction building.

He added that after the soldiers repeatedly struck his uncle in the under-construction home, and after realizing that he was dead they just left him on the ground and left the area.

“He was an old man with respiratory issues; the soldiers had no reason to abduct him, let alone to cuff and blindfold him, and to take him to an under-construction home, where they constantly assaulted him, and then just left him there!” Mohammad said.

The Palestinians found his corpse approximately at 4 at dawn in the under-construction building, after the soldiers withdrew from the village.

Photo – Palestine TV

During the invasion, the soldiers also detained several Palestinians after the army broke into homes and searched them.

As’ad is just one of the hundreds of Palestinian men that have lost their lives during middle-of-the-night raids by Israeli soldiers.

The fully armed soldiers routinely carry out operations under the cover of the dark to frighten and intimidate Palestinians – often children – and detain them.

As’ad was an American citizen; he lived most of his adult life in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but returned to Palestine about ten years ago. His US passport is what made him worthy of notice by US media and the government.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price indicated that the U.S. government had reached out for “clarification” on the matter and that Israel had begun an investigation into As’ad’s death. Beyond condolences to the family of the deceased, there was no further action taken by the U.S. government.

Update: Thirteen days after he was killed by the soldiers, his name was among the names of Palestinians who received family reunification documents from Israel.

This is not the first time an American citizen has met with tragedy and injustice at the hands of the Israeli military. A number of others have been killed, seriously injured, or tortured. Some of the victims were activists, fighting for equal rights for Palestinians. Others were Palestinian-Americans. If Americans Knew reported on six of these cases; the Foreign Service Journal documented others.

These American victims had little success in holding Israel accountable – Palestinian victims have even less.

Also at dawn on the day Omar was killed, the soldiers abducted eighteen Palestinians and injured two, including a journalist, in several parts of the occupied West Bank.

Omar, a Palestinian who also holds U.S citizenship, was from Jaljulia village, north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah. Source: IMEMC, IsraelPalestineNews

Bakeer Mohammad Hashash

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January 6, 2022: Bakeer Mohammad Hashash, 21, was killed by Israeli soldiers near Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

Media sources said protests took place after many Israeli army vehicles invaded the area.

His cousin, Mohammad Hashash, said Bakeer recently exchanged fire with Israeli soldiers during an invasion into Nablus city, especially the eastern area near Joseph Tomb site, and since then, the army has been trying to abduct him.

He added that, approximately at 2:30 at dawn, the soldiers invaded the eastern area of Balata refugee camp, Balata town, and the al-Quds Street, and said that Mohammad exchanged fire with the soldiers for almost twenty minutes before he was shot and killed.

During the invasion, the soldiers invaded and searched several homes and abducted a young man, identified as Mohammad Salama from Balata al-Balad adjacent town.

After his death, hundreds of Palestinians marched in Nablus calling for ongoing resistance against the Israeli occupation.

His mother said that just before the soldiers invaded the area, he asked her to make him some coffee, and added that after he drank the coffee, he told her he wants to seek shelter at a Palestinian security center but was killed minutes later.

Israeli sources have confirmed that the slain man has been “wanted” by the army for a long time.

Bakeer was from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, in northern West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Amir Atef Khader Rayyan

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December 31, 2021: Amir Atef Khader Rayyan, 36, was killed by Israeli soldiers after he allegedly attempted to carry out a stabbing attack near the illegal Ariel colony, northwest of Salfit in the central occupied West Bank.

Israeli sources claimed that the young man “got out of a vehicle and ran towards a bus stop at the Giti Avishar junction with a knife in his hand,” in an alleged stabbing attempt.

Israeli media agency “Walla” claimed that “the soldiers in the area ordered the man to stop, and when he did not respond, he was shot with several live rounds in the abdomen”.

The Palestinian News & Information Agency (WAFA) reported that the seriously injured young man was pronounced dead one hour after being shot and added that Palestinian medical crews rushed to the area but were denied access to provide him treatment.

There were no reports of any injuries among Israeli colonists or soldiers.

The slain Palestinian man was a married father of several children. His brother, Mansour, is a former political prisoner who was exiled by Israel from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip, several years ago.

Video By Hadi Sabarna

The Palestinian is the ninth to be killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, in December 2021.

On December 24, a Palestinian woman, identified as Ghadir Anis Masalma, 63, was killed by an Israeli colonialist settler who rammed her with his car and fled the scene, near the entrance of the town of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank.

On December 22, Israeli soldiers killed Mohammad Issa Abbas, 26, in the al-Biereh city, near Ramallah.

On December 21, the soldiers killed Abdul-Aziz Hikmat Mousa, 22, at Dothan military roadblock, near Ya’bad town, southwest of Jenin in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

On December 12, 2021, the soldiers killed Jamil Mohammad al-Kayyal, 31, in Nablus city in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

On December 10, 2021, the soldiers killed Jamil Abu Ayyash, 31, during the weekly protest against the illegal Israeli colonies in Beita town, southeast of Nablus.

On December 6, 2021, the soldiers killed Mohammad Nidal Younis, 15, at a military roadblock near Tulkarem, in the northern part of the West Bank, after the army claimed he intentionally rammed his car into the roadblock.

On December 04, 2021, the army killed Mohammad Shawkat Salima, 25, after he stabbed an Israeli settler in occupied Jerusalem, in the West Bank. He was first shot and injured and was lying on the ground before the soldiers fired a second live round that killed him.

Video By Al-Jazeera – Palestine

In addition, one Israeli was, identified as Yehuda Dimantman, 20, was killed on December 16, 2021, by Palestinians who opened fire at his car, near the evacuated Homesh colonialist outpost, which was built on Palestinian lands north of Nablus.

Amir was from Qarawat Bani Hassan town, northwest of Salfit in the central West Bank. Source: IMEMC