March 7, 2002
Today, Israeli special forces raided the Palestinian village of Siris, near Jenin, and broke into the home of 28-year old Mohammad Yassin. As he tried to leave his home, Israeli Apache attack helicopters, hovering above the area, opened fire, killing him instantly. Mohammad Kattit (28) was injured in the assault. He was left bleeding for one hour before paramedics were allowed to evacuate him.
Since the outbreak of the intifada, Israeli forces have killed at least 70 Palestinians in extra-judicial killings. The number of bystanders who were killed in the same attacks is at least 35. LAW emphasizes that extra- judicial executions constitute willful killings, which are a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and as such constitute war crimes subject to universal jurisdiction.
Also today, Israeli troops entered Tulkarem and nearby refugee camps. Tulkarem is now under full Israeli occupation. Around 120 Israeli tanks, armored personnel carriers besieged the city and opened indiscriminately fire on Palestinians, killing Yusif Shihada (17), Mohanad Abu Hilal (26), and Tarek Abu Jamoos (17). Israeli special forces raided Nur Shams refugee camp wounding two. Israeli troops took hold of two United Nations run schools and established military posts.
In Bethlehem, Israeli F16 warplanes shelled the headquarters of Force 17 and the Medical Services Center. At least four missiles destroyed the building and damaged nearby civilian homes in the centre of the city. In Halhoul, in the Hebron district, Israeli Apache attack helicopters shelled the intelligence office. The building is destroyed and the attack caused damaged to nearby civilian homes.
LAW Society strongly condemns the ongoing violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including those acts that amount to war crimes perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces with impunity and urges the international community to immediately fulfill their obligations to ensure Israel's respect of the Fourth Geneva Convention and end its occupation of the Gaza strip and West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and to provide immediate and effective international protection for Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
LAW – The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is affiliate to the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Federation Internationale des Ligues de Droits de l'Homme (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).
LAW – The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, PO Box 20873, Jerusalem, tel. +972-2-5833530, fax. +972-2- 5833317, email: law@lawsociety.org, web: http://www.lawsociety.org