No Accountability

State to announce decision in investigation of killing of Samir ‘Awad by mid-April. B’Tselem criticizes state’s contempt of HCJ ruling and foot-dragging in case

26 March 2015

On 25 March 2015, Israel’s High Court of Justice (HCJ) reiterated its ruling that by mid-April 2015 the State Attorney’s Office must announce its decision in the case of the killing of Samir ‘Awad. The HCJ made this announcement in response to the State’s request for yet another extension, and after the MAG Corps and the State Attorney’s Office had not heeded a previous HCJ ruling that they reach a joint decision in the case and advise of it by 1 March 2015. Instead, the State informed the HCJ that the Military Advocate General (MAG) Corps had “just recently” transferred the case file to the State Attorney’s Office, and accordingly requested another three-month deferral to allow it to review the case. B’Tselem objected to the State’s request and, although the HCJ did not accept the objection, the State was allowed to defer its response for one month.

Samir ‘Awad, 16, was killed on 15 January 2013 by gunshots fired by soldiers close to the Separation Barrier in the West Bank village of Budrus, although he posed no danger. The Military Police Investigation Unit concluded its investigation of the case and the additional investigation requested of the incident. However, although more than two years have passed since the incident, no decision has been made in the case. Ahmad ‘Awad, the father of the deceased, petitioned the HCJ together with B’Tselem a year ago, in March 2014, demanding that the MAG be obliged to decide whether to indict the soldiers who killed his son or close the case file.

In a court hearing on the petition on 1 December 2014, the judges criticized the foot-dragging in the investigation of the case, which was so protracted that it lasted long after the soldiers involved in the incident have completed their military service: in the hearing it transpired that the two main suspects had been discharged from compulsory service more than six months earlier, and that the MAG Corps was aware of their impending dates of discharge. Att. Gaby Lasky, legal counsel for ‘Awad and B’Tselem, explained to the court that this complicates the handling of the case as military law ceases to apply to an individual once six months have elapsed from discharge from military service, and the case must be transferred to the State Attorney’s Office. Accordingly, Att. Lasky requested that the court add the State Attorney’s Office as a respondent – in order to prevent further delay involved in transferal of the case.
B’Tselem criticized the MAG Corps and the State Attorney’s Office for treating court decisions as merely optional recommendations, and their ongoing postponement of a decision concerning measures to be taken against those responsible for the killing of Samir ‘Awad. The family has been awaiting the decision for more than two years.

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הגבעה שעליה נורה עמאר אבו עפיפה. צילום: מוסא אבו השהש, בצלם, 7.3.22

Open-Fire Policy

A week in Bethlehem District: Soldiers kill 13-year-old and 18-year-old

In the space of one week, between 22 February and 1 March 2022, Israeli soldiers killed two youths Palestinians in Bethlehem District – Muhammad Salah (13) and ‘Ammar Abu ‘Afifah (18). Muhammad Salah was shot from behind by soldiers who were waiting in ambush in an area where teens and young men often throw Molotov cocktails. Salah, who was at the scene with a friend, threw a Molotov cocktail at the Separation Wall and it landed near the soldiers’ hiding place. They immediately fired at him without warning. He died of his wounds a short while later. Abu ‘Afifah was shot while he was taking a stroll with a friend in a wooded area near the town of Beit Fajjar. The two suddenly came across soldiers, panicked and fled. The soldiers then shot and killed Abu ‘Afifah. Although 13-year-old Muhammad Salah and 18-year-old ‘Ammar Abu ‘Afifah were killed in two separate incidents and under different circumstances, they are both victims of the same wanton open-fire policy that Israel employs in the West Bank. According to this policy, Palestinians are always “suspicious” and “dangerous,” meaning soldiers will often default to using lethal live fire even when they are not actually in danger, or when the danger can be averted by other, non-lethal means. Given all this, and despite the illegality and immorality of using live fire in these circumstances, it is clear that no one will be held to account for the killing of Palestinians. The following testimonies were collected by B’Tselem field researcher Musa Abu Hashhash. The killing of ‘Ammar Abu ‘Afifah (18) near Beit Fajjar, 1 March 2022: On Tuesday, 1 March 2022, at around 4:00 P.M., a 18-year-old and a 17-year-old from al-'Arrub Refugee Camp, south of Bethlehem, went for a walk outside the camp. Within about 15 minutes, the two young men, ‘Ammar Abu ‘Afifah and Muhammad S., reached a hill located about a kilometer north of the camp and several hundred meters from the settlement of Migdal Oz. Many residents of the refugee camp take walks on this hill and use it for recreation. Muhammad S. and Abu ‘Afifah visited the hill the day before, too, and spelled their names out with stones there. About 10 minutes after they reached the hill, a soldier suddenly appeared several meters away from them and called out to them to halt. The two panicked and tried to flee. Other soldiers arrived, and at least one of them fired at the two. Abu ‘Afifah fell as he was running, and when he managed to get up, the soldiers shot him. According to the autopsy, he was hit above the left eyebrow and in the shin. His friend managed to escape to the nearby town of Beit Fajjar and from there back to the refugee camp. Abu ‘Afifah was evacuated in an Israeli ambulance and pronounced dead soon after. In a testimony he gave on 4 March 2022, M.T., a resident of Beit Fajjar who works near the site of the incident, said: On Tuesday afternoon, while I was at work, I saw two young men walk past me and head towards the woods. They passed close by me and weren’t holding anything in their hands. I know the soldiers who are sometimes in those woods aren’t patient and can be violent towards young guys strolling there. The soldiers let families with women and children hang out there. About 10 minutes later, I heard a volley of shots in the woods. I didn’t know what happened until I saw one of the young guys running in my direction and on toward the first houses at the edge of Beit Fajjar. I saw four soldiers chasing him from two different directions. I kept watching him until he disappeared among the houses at the entrance to Beit Fajjar. He seemed to be one of the two young men who had passed by me 10 minutes earlier on their way to the hill. In a testimony he gave the day after the incident, Muhammad S., Abu ‘Afifah’s friend, said: At 4:00 P.M., I went with my friend ‘Ammar Abu ‘Afifah to a wooded area northeast of the camp. The walk took us a little under half an hour. A few minutes after we reached the hill, a soldier suddenly showed up from southwest, a few meters away from us. I heard him yell in Hebrew and then ‘Ammar and I started running away. I was running in front of ‘Ammar and then I heard massive shooting. I think more than one soldier was shooting there. ‘Ammar tripped and fell, and then he got up. I called out to him to run, but the shooting continued. I kept running, and I couldn’t see ‘Ammar behind me anymore. I had a feeling he’d been hit or arrested. I ran through some farm fields towards Beit Fajjar and got near to a car repair shop. Four soldiers were chasing me. I kept running between the buildings in Beit Fajjar until I got to the camp (al-'Arrub R.C.) at around 5:00 P.M. When I got there, I heard from people they’d read on social media that ‘Ammar had been killed. I was shocked and cried from the bottom of my heart. I couldn’t believe it. He was my best friend, and there was no reason to kill him. All we did was take a stroll in nature. The killing of Muhammad Salah (13) in al-Khader, 22 February 2022: On Tuesday, 22 February 2022, at around 7:00 P.M., soldiers who were waiting in ambush fired at Muhammad Salah, a 13-year-old from al-Khader, after he threw a Molotov cocktail at a tall section of the Separation Barrier near Road 60. Salah was shot from behind, after he threw the Molotov cocktail and turned around. His friend dragged him a few dozen meters down the hill they had been standing on, and then fled. Three soldiers ran over to the wounded Salah and gave him first aid. Several minutes later, they took him on a stretcher to an Israeli ambulance that was waiting on Road 60. He was pronounced dead shortly after. Ahmad J. lives in a building on the slope of the hill, across from the spot where the soldiers gave Salah first aid. In a testimony he gave on 24 February 2022, he recounted what happened that evening: I live in al-Khader, not far from the fence that separates the community from Road 60. Sometimes, usually in the evening, kids and young guys come and throw stones and Molotov cocktails at the road. There are almost always soldiers there, guarding the place and ambushing the kids. They throw stun grenades and fire tear gas, “rubber” and live shots to drive them away and stop them from getting close to the fence. On 22 February 2022, at around 7:00 P.M., I was at home on the top floor of our family house. I heard gunshots and immediately went to the balcony overlooking the road to see what was going on. I saw a teen dragging someone from the top of the hill. The person he was dragging looked like a minor and I assumed he was injured. Then I saw the teen leave the wounded person on the ground across from my house and run away. I saw a soldier running up to the wounded person. He saw me on the balcony and yelled at me in Hebrew to go inside. Two more soldiers came running. One of them was holding a first aid kit. He tried to give the wounded person CPR but I guess he didn’t respond, because the soldier took his clothes off and wrapped him in an aluminum blanket. A few minutes later, some more soldiers came and took the wounded person in a stretcher towards the gate in the fence. In a testimony he gave on 24 February 2022, Muhammad’s father, Rizeq Salah (48), a married father of six, recounted: On 22 February 2022, at around 6:00 P.M., Muhammad got back from the car repair shop where he’s apprenticing and wanted to go out. His mother and I tried to convince him to stay home and warned him he could get hurt, because there had been clashes with soldiers in that area in recent days. Muhammad tried to reassure his mother and said that if clashes started, he’d come home as soon as he heard the soldiers’ first shot. At around 7:30 P.M., my brother Muhammad called me and said a friend of my son’s had called them and told them my son Muhammad was injured. I drove right away to the neighborhood near the fence. Muhammad wasn’t there. Some residents told me a boy had been hurt and soldiers had taken him on a stretcher to Road 60. I drove over there, and saw some military vehicles and two Israeli ambulances by the side of the road. I tried to go up to the ambulances because I thought my son was in one of them, but the soldiers blocked my way. One of them yelled at me to get back and threatened to shoot me if I tried to approach. Then some relatives came and said that according to social media and the news, Muhammad had been martyred. When I got home, there were dozens of people at the front entrance. The Palestinian DCO told me Israel would give us the body at night, but it didn’t happen, and we had to wait until the next day at 2:00 P.M. We buried him that evening at the local cemetery. Muhammad was daring. He wasn’t afraid of anything. He had tons of friends, and I know they sometimes went to the area near the Separation Barrier to throw stones at the road. I warned him more than once not to do it because I was worried about him and because some young guys had been hurt there before.

11 April 2022

Palestinian workers entering Israel through gaps in the Separation Barrier, Far’on, Tulkarm District. Photo: Ahmad al-Bazz, Activestills, 5 Aug. 2020

Open-Fire Policy

Soldiers again ambush, shoot and injure 12 Palestinian workers trying to enter Israel

Thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank enter Israel every day for work without a permit. The state is fully aware of this reality that serves its interests by guaranteeing cheap, disempowered labor. Despite this, soldiers lying in wait in front of gaps in the Separation Barrier or patrolling in military jeeps along the barrier’s security road open live fire at Palestinian workers crossing through these openings. As B’Tselem has previously reported, these planned shootings are not an independent initiative by a soldier or commander but policy implementation. It is clear that this policy is not — and cannot be — legal. After all, the workers do not endanger anyone, and all they ask for, as the military knows full well, is to provide for their families. Yet as far as Israel is concerned, this is policy. And due to this, no one will be held accountable for these acts — neither the soldiers who fired the shots, nor the commanders who planned the ambushes, nor the legal advisors who signed off on the policy, nor senior military officials. Since October 2019, B’Tselem has documented 36 cases of workers injured by live fire while attempting to enter or return from Israel through gaps in the Separation Barrier. Many of these incidents took place in Far’on, while others took place in other parts of Tulkarm District or in Jenin District. 11 January 2021, the injuring of nine workers at the Separation Barrier, Far’on: On Monday, 11 January 2021, soldiers lay in wait in front of gaps in the Separation Barrier near the village of Far’on, where Palestinians who do not have a permit try to enter Israel for work. Throughout the day, soldiers fired 0.22-inch caliber bullets (two-twos) without warning from a distance of 10 to 15 meters, injuring at least nine Palestinians in the legs. All nine were taken to hospitals in Tulkarm, and five suffered leg fractures. Below are testimonies collected by B’Tselem field researcher Abdulkarim Sadi from some of the victims: M.F. (25), a resident of Beit Imrin north of Nablus, set out from his home at around 3:30 A.M. He reached the fence about an hour later, crossed it, and was shot in the leg after he advanced several steps. In his testimony, he recounted: When I reached the gap in the fence, it was still dark. Some workers had already started coming to the area on their way to work. I crossed through the gap, and after a few steps, several shots were fired at me. I was hit in the left leg and fell down on the road. Because I was shocked and afraid, I got up and ran towards the cars parked in Far’on, east of the fence, about 200 meters away. I found a car that took me to a hospital in Tulkarm. I didn’t see the soldiers who shot at me. I only heard them chasing after me and calling me to stop. I was examined and x-rayed at the hospital, and it turned out that the bullet had caused a bone fracture. The doctors put my left leg in a cast. I’m still in hospital, receiving treatment, and undergoing more tests. B.A. (25), a resident of the village of Kafr ‘Abush, south of Tulkarm, works as an autobody mechanic in an auto repair shop inside Israel. He came to the gap in the fence around 6:30 A.M., as he does every day. After crossing and advancing several meters, he was shot in the leg. In his testimony, he recalled what happened that morning: On Monday morning, at around 6:30, I came to the area of the gap in the fence. There were dozens of workers there who had come from different parts of the northern West Bank. Everyone was going to their jobs in Israel through one of these gaps. I crossed the fence and advanced several steps. There were more workers in front of me. Then three shots were fired, and one hit my right leg. I fell down on the security road, and three soldiers came out of a nearby olive grove. They surrounded me and started treating me to stop the bleeding. About 15 minutes later, a military ambulance arrived. The paramedics gave me a pain relief shot because I couldn’t stand on my feet. The ambulance then took me to the Jbarah Checkpoint, where a waiting Palestinian ambulance rushed me to the hospital in Tulkarm. I was examined and x-rayed in the ER, and it turned out I have a fracture below my right knee. The doctors gave me a full leg cast. I’m supposed to stay in the hospital for a few days for further treatment. Living in poverty has pushed me into the risky venture of crossing the fence. If I had found work in Tulkarm or its vicinity, I wouldn’t have endangered myself like that. After all, I’m not going to Israel for travel or a change of scenery. I’m going there to work so I can support my family. I don’t know how long I’ll be confined and unable to work. It will take time for the bone to heal. B.’A. (29), a resident of Bal’a, east of Tulkarm, works as a plasterer in Israel. He arrived at the Separation Barrier at around 8:30 A.M. After he saw no soldiers in the area, he crossed the gap in the barrier and was shot in the leg. In his testimony, he recounted: When I came to the fence area at around 8:30 A.M., I kept watching the security road to see if any soldiers or military jeeps were there. When I saw there weren’t any, I advanced with several other workers that I didn’t know towards the gap where I usually cross over. After five or six workers went through, my turn came, and I crossed, too. After a few steps, I heard several shots. I didn’t know where they were fired from. It felt like I’d been electrocuted in my right leg. Out of fright, I started running back through the gap towards Far’on. Five or six soldiers stepped out from the olive trees in front of the gap and called me to stop. They chased after me, but I kept running. After about 400 meters, I lost them and reached a parked car. I got in, and the driver took me to the Far’on junction near the Palestinian National Security checkpoint. The Palestinian force called an ambulance that took me to the hospital in Tulkarm. I was examined and x-rayed in the ER. Luckily, it turned out that the two bullets had entered and exited my right leg without causing any bone fractures, but some fragments stayed inside. I’m still hospitalized and receiving anti-inflammatory treatments. N.’A. (20), a resident of Jinsafut southwest of Nablus, arrived at the Separation Barrier in the early morning hours. After hearing that several laborers had been shot by soldiers that day, he decided to return home, try to cross again in the evening, and stay overnight in Israel. At around 5:00 P.M., N.’A. came to the gap, crossed it, and was then shot. In his testimony, he recalled: Towards the evening, at around 5:00 P.M., I came back to the fence area west of Far’on. I didn’t know that soldiers were ambushing the workers. Several meters past the gap, I was shot in the right leg. I immediately started running towards Far’on because I was scared that the soldiers would grab me. Despite the intense pain and bleeding, I kept running away limping. After 300 meters, I found a parked taxi that drove me to the hospital in Tulkarm. I was x-rayed, and it turned out that two bullets had hit me. I was in a lot of pain, but luckily, the bullets didn’t hit a bone. I’m supposed to be discharged during the week, and the doctors say the wounds will heal soon. 1 February 2021, the injuring of two workers at the Separation Barrier, Barta’ah a-Sharqiyah: On Monday, 1 February 2021, at around 6:30 A.M., two workers from the Jenin area came to a gap in the Separation Barrier east of the Barta’ah a-Sharqiyah enclave. After they crossed, the two noticed a military jeep advancing towards them from about a hundred meters away. They began to flee, but the soldiers fired a live bullet at them, hitting one worker, ‘Araba resident Yazid Daoud (23), in the legs. In a testimony he gave on 7 February 2021, Daoud spoke about what happened that morning: On Monday morning, I went to a gap in the Separation Barrier with my friend, who also works in Israel. I passed through the gap, and suddenly, a military jeep arrived. We had just started running, and one soldier fired a bullet at me from about 100 meters away. The bullet hit my legs. At first, I didn’t feel I’d been hit because of the shock and panic. I ran with my friend for about 100 meters and then started feeling pain and bleeding heavily. Then my friend and some other guys who were there helped me get back through the gap and took me in a private car to a clinic in my village, ‘Araba. Sadly, the clinic was closed, so we called an ambulance that took me to the hospital in Jenin. At the ER, I was treated and x-rayed. I was discharged a few hours later, and the doctors ordered me to rest until I fully recover and scheduled a follow-up visit. Later that day, at around 3:30 P.M., Silat al-Harithiya resident Wasim al-Kheir (25) came back from his work in Israel with other workers. When he tried to pass through the gap in the barrier, soldiers lying in ambush fired at his leg from about 150 meters to the west. In a testimony he gave on 7 February 2021, he described what happened: On Monday, at around 3:30 P.M., I was coming home with a group of other workers working in Israel. I reached the gap in the barrier and didn’t see any soldiers around. As soon as I tried to pass through the gap, I heard four or five shots. It turned out that a group of soldiers, I don’t know how many exactly, ambushed us about 150 meters away from the gap where we’d passed and fired at us without warning. One bullet hit my left foot. I fell down immediately and workers who were near me picked me up and carried me through the gap. They brought me to a private car that was parked there and drove me to the government hospital in Jenin. At the hospital, they x-rayed me and took a bullet fragment out of my foot. There’s another fragment that the doctors preferred not to remove because they feared it would damage the foot. They put my leg in a cast and discharged me the same day to rest and recover. After the injury, I suffered from pain, and a doctor came to my house to monitor my condition. 10 February 2021 – the injuring of a 16-year-old at the Separation Barrier, Barta’ah a-Sharqiyah: On Wednesday, 10 February 2021, at around 4:30 P.M., two cousins from Ya’bad came to the gap in the Separation Barrier east of the enclave. The two, S.’A. (16) and A.’A. (17) saw a group of workers returning from Israel through the gap and decided to cross as well. Immediately after S.’A. crossed the opening, security forces shot him in the leg from a vehicle that was about 100 meters away from the teens. In a testimony he gave on 11 February 2021, S.’A. described what happened: I advanced towards the opening in the barrier, and my cousin was behind me. As soon as I crossed through, a bullet hit me in the left leg. I ran a few meters back, and then noticed I was bleeding heavily. I couldn’t run anymore and fell to the ground. Several soldiers got out of the vehicle and ran towards me, but luckily, some workers and drivers who were there picked me up right away and took me by private car to a clinic in Ya’bad. From there, I was taken by ambulance to the government hospital in Jenin. I was x-rayed at the hospital, and it turned out that the bullet had entered and exited through my left leg below the knee. My parents and family members came to the hospital. I stayed there for a few hours to receive treatment, and then I was discharged. The doctors didn’t want me to stay at the hospital, so I wouldn’t risk being infected with coronavirus.

9 March 2021

עובדים פלסטינים עוברים בפרצה בגדר ההפרדה ליד פרעון שבאזור קלקיליה. צילום: אלכס ליבק, 6.6.20.

Open-Fire Policy

In chilling procedure, soldiers ambush Palestinian laborers, shoot them and break arm of 15-year-old

Since the beginning of May 2020, B’Tselem has documented five incidents in which soldiers lay in wait for Palestinians trying to enter Israel for work through gaps in the Separation Barrier near Far’on, a village south of Tulkarm. In four cases, the soldiers shot the workers and injured five of them. In the other case, the soldiers beat a 15-year-old until his arm broke and he suffered abdominal hemorrhaging. In most of the cases, the soldiers then treated the wounded and an Israeli ambulance took them to the nearby al-Kafriyat checkpoint, where soldiers took photographs of them and of their ID cards. They were then transferred to a Red Crescent ambulance, which took them to hospital in Tulkarm. Thousands of Palestinian laborers enter Israel every day without permits, as they have no other choice. For many, obtaining a permit requires overcoming a series of insurmountable obstacles that Israel has instated as a matter of policy while also preventing the development of an independent Palestinian economy. Since the coronavirus broke out, Israel has imposed additional restrictions on laborers wishing to enter Israel, such as reducing the number of permits issued and requiring workers who enter to stay in Israel for lengthy periods without going home. The state is well aware of this reality and benefits from the cheap, disempowered workforce. Shooting Palestinians who try to cross the barrier is not a new practice, nor is it unique to the area of Far’on, as B’Tselem’s documentation shows. In the last three months of 2019 alone, in the same district, soldiers shot at the legs of at least 17 Palestinians trying to enter Israel through gaps in the barrier, and fired a rubber-coated metal bullet at the legs of another. There is no way to justify beating a minor or shooting at the legs of laborers who are not endangering a soul. The soldiers who did this were lying in wait, knowing full well where Palestinians would try to cross the barrier, awaiting the moment they could injure them. An important point is that this practice is not the choice of a single soldier, but part of a well-oiled policy. That is why no one will be held accountable for this latest series of incidents, either – for opening fire on the ground or for leading the policy that allowed it. B’Tselem field researcher Abdulkarim Sadi collected testimonies from area residents, some of whom were injured by the shooting. Soldiers severely beat 15-year-old, breaking his arm and causing abdominal bleeding, 7 May 2020 On Thursday morning, 7 May 2020, at around 6:30 A.M., two cousins from the village of Far’on – A.Y., 15, and L.F., 18 – planned to cross through an opening in the barbed wire that makes up the section of the Separation Barrier in the area, in order to search for temporary work in Israel. They were standing on the eastern side of the barrier, watching the spot, when a jeep drove up and stopped on the security road, about 15 meters away. Three soldiers got out, shouted at the youths to stop and fired several shots in the air. L.F. managed to run towards the village, but A.Y. fell. The soldiers ran over to him and one started to kick him, while the other hit him with a rifle butt. A.Y. blacked out for a few minutes, and the soldiers stood around him. At that point, several residents who had witnessed the incident came over and carried A.Y. to a resident’s car, with no objection by the soldiers. The resident drove A.Y. home, and from there to Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarm together with two family members. Examinations and X-rays found abdominal hemorrhaging and a fractured right arm. A.Y. remained in intensive care until 12 May, when he was transferred to the pediatric surgery ward. He was discharged on 14 May. In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Abdulkarim Sadi on 9 May 2020, A.Y. described the attack: On 7 May 2020, my cousin and I were planning to cross through the fence to find temporary work in Israel for the day, so we could afford new holiday clothes. We got to the fence around 6:30 in the morning and stopped a few meters away. Suddenly, a military jeep drove up and three soldiers got out. They started shooting and yelling at us to stop. I was terrified, especially when I saw they were chasing us. I got a real fright. My cousin and I started running east, towards the village, but after three or four steps I tripped over a stone and fell flat on my face. It hurt a lot. I started shouting and couldn’t move or breathe. My cousin managed to get away, but the soldiers caught up with me. While I was still lying face down, one of them kicked me in the back and another hit me in my right shoulder with the butt of his rifle. I was in so much pain from the fall and the beating that I didn’t know what was happening around me. I blacked out. The resident who came over and drove A.Y. away in his car described what he witnessed: I saw a military jeep screech to a halt near one of the gaps in the fence. Three soldiers got out. They shouted at the young guys, ordered them to stop and fire live rounds in the air. I was about 30-40 meters away from the gap. I saw the two young guys run. One of them got away, but the other tripped over some rocks and fell. I saw the soldiers reach him. I had gotten out of my car at that point to watch. Later, I learned that the guy who fell down was called A.Y.. I started making my way over to him. He was lying on the ground, surrounded by soldiers. A few other young guys joined me. We picked him up and helped him get to my car. The soldiers didn’t object. I drove A.Y. home. He was crying and screaming in pain the whole time. When we got there, his mother and brother got in the car and I drove them to Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarm. Then I went home. Not only assault, but live fire: Soldiers lying in wait by gap in barrier shoot.’I.H in the leg, 3 May 2020: On Sunday morning, 3 May 2020, at around 6:45 A.M., three Palestinians from the village of Dhinnaba in Tulkarm District arrived at an agricultural gate in the barrier west of the village of Far’on. The three, W.H, 55, and his two adult sons, have agricultural permits to enter their land, which lies west of the barrier. Soldiers were supposed to open the gate at 7:00 A.M., but none arrived. At 7:30, the three men gave up and decided, along with other Palestinians waiting there, to try and cross the barrier through a nearby opening. As soon as they did so, soldiers lying in ambush opened live fire at them with no prior warning. They shot one of the sons,.’I.H, 31, in the right leg. An Israeli ambulance took him to the nearby al-Kafriyat checkpoint, and from there a Red Crescent ambulance drove him to Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarm. The soldiers did not allow his father and brother to go with him and ordered them to leave. In a testimony he gave a B’Tselem field researcher over the phone,’I.H, a married father of four, related: We waited for the soldiers, who were supposed to come and open the gate at 7:00. Meanwhile, four other people joined us. By 7:30, the soldiers hadn’t arrived and we decided to enter the ‘seam zone’ through an opening in the fence near the agricultural gate. I went first. I managed to cross the fence and take a step or two before I noticed two soldiers hiding among the olive trees west of the fence, about 10-15 meters away. One of them fired four or five shots and one of the bullets hit my left foot. I fell down. One of the soldiers shouted at us to stop, and everyone stopped and stood still. The two soldiers came over to me and one of them gave me first aid. In less than two minutes, an Israeli ambulance showed up and I was treated on the spot. Then the ambulance took me to al-Kafriyat checkpoint, where the soldiers took photographs of me and of my ID card. A Palestinian ambulance that was waiting there took me to hospital in Tulkarm, where they examined and X-rayed me and took the bullet out of my foot. I was sent home three days later, with my foot in a cast. Soldiers lying in wait near gap in barrier shoot I.’A. in the leg, 7 May 2020: On Thursday morning, 7 May 2020, at around 6:00 A.M., I.’A., a 39-year-old building contractor and married father of four from Tulkarm Refugee Camp, went to the agricultural gate near Far’on. As his entry permit required that he stay in Israel throughout the month of Ramadan, he decided not to use it, but rather try and enter Israel through one of the openings in the barrier where several dozen Palestinians were waiting. After he crossed through, soldiers lying in ambush on the other side opened fire at him with no effective warning, and injured his right leg. An Israeli ambulance then took.I.’A. to al-Kafriyat checkpoint, where soldiers took photographs of him and of his ID card. From there, a Red Crescent ambulance took him to Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarm. In a testimony he gave on 9 May 2020, I.’A. recounted what happened: I went over to one of the gaps in the fence and saw dozens of workers waiting to go through. I climbed through the concertina wire and the fence, walked a few steps and reached the security road. Suddenly, two soldiers came out from among the olive trees. They fired one shot in the air and another that hit me in the right calf, below the knee. I felt searing pain and fell down. I didn’t hear them shout any warning. The two soldiers, one of whom was masked, came over to me. Then other soldiers arrived. One of them told another soldier, in Hebrew, to handcuff me. I showed them my new permit and they didn’t cuff me. One of them tried to stop the bleeding from my leg. Another soldier called for an ambulance, which showed up a minute or two later. I was given first aid and after about ten to fifteen minutes, the ambulance took me to al-Kafriyat checkpoint, where soldiers took photos of me and of my ID card. Then a Palestinian ambulance that was waiting for me took me to hospital in Tulkarm. At the hospital, they examined me and put my whole leg in a cast, from thigh to foot. Three hours later, at my request, they transferred me to a private hospital in Tulkarm. I was discharged from there in the evening, with orders to rest and not stand on the leg. Soldiers lying in ambush near barrier opening shoot S.S. and H.Q. in the legs, 10 May 2020: On Sunday morning, 10 May 2020, at around 7:00 A.M., two Palestinians crossed through an opening in the barrier: S.S., 21, from Tulkarm, and his uncle H.Q., 58, from al-Far’a h Refugee Camp northeast of Nablus. When the two men reached the security road between the fences, soldiers emerged from among olive trees west of the barrier and fired shots at them, injuring both men in the legs. In this case, too, the men were given first aid by the soldiers, taken by Israeli ambulance to al-Kafriyat checkpoint, where soldiers photographed them and their ID cards, and then taken by a Red Crescent ambulance to Thabet Thabet hospital in Tulkarm. In a testimony he gave on 20 May 2020, S.S. related: I went first. I crossed through one of the openings and got to the middle of the security road. My uncle followed me. I didn’t see any soldiers in the area until suddenly, about four bullets were fired at us with no warning or any shouts to stop. I was hit in the left ankle and near the right knee. I didn’t see the soldiers who fired the shots, but after the shooting I heard them about ten or fifteen meters away. I ran a few meters and fell down. Immediately, about six soldiers gathered around me and one of them tried to stop the bleeding with pieces of cloth. I was losing a lot of blood and in incredible pain. I couldn’t stand. The soldiers lay my uncle down next to me, and I saw he’d been hit in the leg too. A few minutes later, the soldiers carried us on stretchers to the Far’on agricultural gate, about 100 meters away. Within five minutes, an Israeli ambulance arrived and the team gave us first aid and drove us to al-Kafriyat checkpoint. There, soldiers took photos of us and of our ID cards, and a Red Crescent ambulance took us to hospital in Tulkarm. At the hospital, the doctors examined and X-rayed me. They found the bullet’s entry and exit wounds in my left leg and an injury under my right knee. My uncle had a bullet lodged under his right knee. I was in the hospital for about six hours, and then they discharged me with medication and referred me for further treatment at the orthopedic department. I’m currently not working and using crutches to get around the house.

18 June 2020