Al-Jalazun Refugee Camp,north of Ramallah, is home to some 15,000 Palestinians, 5,000 of them children and teens. The settlement of Beit El was established nearby in 1977, on private land belonging to residents of the town of al-Bireh and the villages of Yabrud and Dura al-Qare’. The close proximity to the camp has led to regular military presence in the area. Soldiers are often involved in clashes with residents, usually near the schools at the entrance to the camp. The forces use crowd control measures in these confrontations, and in some cases also live fire. Over the past five years, soldiers entered the camp once a week, on average.
In July and August, B’Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad documented two military incursions into the camp. In these night raids, soldiers carried out arrests, fired live ammunition at residents, violently raided nine homes while damaging property, and confiscated documents from a cultural center that provides services for some 150 children and teens. During the raids, soldiers arrested seven residents, six of whom were released several hours later. Two other residents complied with the demand to turn themselves in. Of the three residents in custody, one was indicted for possession of arms and opening fire at a person near Beit El. B’Tselem does not know whether the other two have been indicted.
Military raids on Palestinian homes in the dead of night, with soldiers waking entire families and ransacking their property, have become a staple of the occupation regime in the West Bank. The forces are not required to present a search warrant and are sent in at any time and place their commanders see fit, in keeping with the military’s adoption of sweeping arbitrary powers. These actions, which are clearly designed to intimidate the population, are unjustified. This is yet another example of daily life under the occupation.
Soldiers during the raid on al-Jalazun Refugee Camp
Raid on al-Jalazun Refugee Camp, 15 July 2018:
On Sunday, 15 July 2018, at around 1:00 A.M., two civilian vehicles with Palestinian Special Forces’ license plates drove into the camp. At around 8:00 A.M., they were joined by an Israeli military force of more than 200 soldiers, about 20 vehicles and a bulldozer. The troops spread out in the camp and started searching homes and carrying out arrests. Snipers took up positions on roofs and fired at young men from the camp who were throwing stones at the soldiers, injuring six residents – three of them minors. Although the stone-throwing did not pose a risk to soldiers’ lives, the snipers used 0.22-caliber bullets (“two-twos”) that are tantamount to live fire, which is supposed to be permitted only in cases of mortal danger. The six injured residents were taken to hospital in Ramallah.
The soldiers used instruments to break into the homes, entering six of unannounced while the families were asleep, assaulting some of the inhabitants and arresting two in order to pressure others to turn themselves in. The homes were ransacked. In one instance, soldiers stated that if the residents wanted for questioning did not turn themselves in, the camp would be raided again.
Most of the troops left within two hours, but military vehicles continued to block both entrances to the camp, to the south and to the north, and search passing vehicles until midday.
Snipers shot legs of two camp residents who posed no danger, one of them a 14-year-old
Sharif Hamidat, 32, a married father of one, lives in the camp and works at a bakery in Ramallah. At around 8:45 A.M., he passed by the local grocery store on his way to work and saw some 20 soldiers standing there. They were holding a member of the Sharakah family, who lives about 50-80 meters from the store. Hamidat crossed the street into a nearby alley, where he met another resident, M.F.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem the following day, Hamidat described what happened next:
Sharif Hamidat in the hospital
My first thought was that I must tell my family to close the windows, in case the soldiers fired tear-gas. When I went into the alley I saw M.F., a 19-year-old guy from the camp who seemed as surprised as I was to see the military.
I called my wife to warn her. A soldier who was lying in a sniping position and apparently got suspicious of the phone call aimed his rifle at me. He was lying several meters away from the group of soldiers. As soon as I got off the phone, he fired and hit me in the left knee with a “two-two” bullet. I recognized the sound, which is different from regular live bullets. I shouted: “Ow, I’ve been shot in the leg”. At first, the pain wasn’t too bad and I managed to walk about twenty meters towards my parents’ house. I didn’t want to go home because I was afraid the soldiers would arrest me or do something to me. The soldiers didn’t follow me. When I got to my parents’ house, I called my wife again and told her I’d been hit.
I had a 0.5-cm bullet entry hole in the front part of my knee, with no exit wound. I bandaged the knee to stop the bleeding and wiped it off with a tissue.
About 15 minutes later, a soldier lying in a sniping position shot camp resident Riyad Alian, 14, in the leg. Alian had been hiding in a corner of the same alley.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem the next day, Alian related:
Riyad Alian at his home
When I peeked south out of the alley, I saw a lot of soldiers in front of the Sharakahs’ house. They were standing about fifty to eighty meters away from me. I guessed they were there to arrest one of the boys in the family. Every now and then I poked my head out of the alley and went back to hiding. At some point, I peeped out again and was shot in the right leg. I didn’t hear the gunshot, it was like it was fired with a silencer. I didn’t see who shot me, either. I just suddenly felt something explode in my leg. I started yelling “I’ve been hit, I’ve been hit” and limping as fast as I could back to my house, thirty-forty meters away.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem the following day, camp resident Q.S., 13, described what he saw of the incident:
I was woken at around nine o’clock in the morning by explosions. It sounded like the Israeli army had hurled two stun grenades or tear-gas canisters.
I went outside to see what was happening. I saw about seven kids hiding in the neighboring alley. They were looking towards the Sharakahs’ house. I realized it was a raid. I joined the other kids and they warned me: “Hide from the army, watch out”. I kept peeking out to watch the soldiers at the end of the road. I saw more than thirty of them spread out near the Sharakahs’ house. Some were on rooftops and others were on street corners, about eighty to ninety meters away from us. I saw a few snipers. One of them was lying on the ground closer to us, next to a house about sixty to seventy meters away.
I didn’t see anyone throwing stones in our neighborhood. Maybe they did in other areas. A few minutes after I got there, the sniper shot my neighbor, Riyad Alian, after he poked his whole body out of the alley. Riyad was hit in the right leg and ran off home, limping.
Raids on homes:
Several camp residents described the raids on their homes in testimonies they gave B’Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad:
The Sharakah home, 8:00 A.M.:
Soldiers broke through the door of Siham (52) and Jamal (50) Sharakah’s home, where they live with four of their children, in the Shahid ‘Ali Safi neighborhood. Jamal and one of the sons, Ahmad (27) had already left for work, while Siham and daughters Sundus (23) and Sarah (19) were still asleep. Nasser (22), returned home and was assaulted by soldiers who beat him severely, while others searched the house, damaging the family’s property. After about an hour, the soldiers arrested Nasser and left the house with him.
THE MESS LEFT BY THE SOLDIERS AT THE HOME OF THE Sharakah FAMILY. photos COURTESY OF THE FAMILY
Siham Sharakah described the incident in a testimony she gave B’Tselem on 18 July 2018:
On 15 July 2018, at eight o’clock in the morning, a military force broke through the door to our house. My husband, Jamal, and my son Ahmad had already left for work. My son Nasser had just come home and both my daughters were still asleep. The soldiers, who were armed and masked, jumped Nasser and the girls woke up with a fright. I was scared, too.
I saw the soldiers grab Nasser in a chokehold and start dragging him out of the house. I begged them to let him go but they yelled “Be quiet, be quiet”. They ordered me to go sit with the girls in their room and took Nasser outside, beating him with their rifle butts and kicking him. Every time I tried to say something, one of the soldiers silenced me and another threatened to spray gas in my face.
Meanwhile, other soldiers searched the house. They turned it upside down and made us sit there without saying a word. After about twenty or thirty minutes, they led Nasser into the bathroom and kept on hitting him there. He was calling out for help and I begged them to stop. I told them he was sick, that he had the flu. I asked them to have mercy, but it didn’t help.
After another ten minutes or so, they moved us into the bedroom and searched the kids’ room. About fifteen minutes later, they handcuffed and blindfolded Nasser and left, taking him with them.
They left a total mess behind. They disrupted our lives for no reason. They could have arrested my son or sent him a summons without causing all this injustice.
The Abu Sharefa home, 8:45 A.M.:
Soldiers broke through the door of ‘Abir (43) and Saleh (45) Abu Sharefah’s home. The couple have nine children between the ages of 8 and 28. About seven soldiers came into the apartment, which is located on the third floor of the extended family’s home in the market neighborhood. They handcuffed Yusef (14), who was sleeping in the living room, and refused his father’s requests for an explanation. Saleh Abu Sharefah told the soldiers that his wife was in the bathroom and, when he tried to prevent them from going in there, they attacked him. The soldiers arrested Abu Sharefah’s brother and 16-year-old son and questioned both about the whereabouts of his eldest son, ‘Alaa. Both were released several hours later, at around 1:00 P.M., after ‘Alaa turned himself in.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem on 17 July 2018, Saleh Abu Sharefah described the raid on his home:
Saleh Abu Sharefah. photo by: Iyad Hadad, B'Tselem, 17 July 2018
I have six sons and three daughters. Our eldest, ‘Alaa (28), was in prison (in Israel) twice, for seven and a half years altogether. Seven months ago, he got out after serving four and a half years.
Two days ago, on 15 July 2018, at a quarter to nine in the morning, I was having coffee and getting ready to leave for work in Ramallah. Suddenly, armed soldiers burst through the door. They must have used instruments to open it. I didn’t hear any knocking before they came in. All the kids were asleep apart from ‘Alaa, who hadn’t slept at home. When the soldiers came in, I ran to block the door to the bathroom because my wife had just woken up and was in there.
Some of the soldiers went straight to the living room and handcuffed my son Yusef (14), who was sleeping there. The others went into the hallway. I went over to them and asked: “Where are you going? What do you want?” I explained that my wife was in the bathroom, but they just shouted “Shut up, shut up” in Arabic.
I stood in front of the bathroom door and wouldn’t budge, to protect my wife. The soldiers asked: “What’s in there?” I said my wife was inside. They told me to get out of the way so they could break through the door and started pushing me violently.
My wife heard the soldiers shouting and came out of the bathroom wrapped in a sheet. She screamed and hurried into her room. Meanwhile, the soldiers beat me up, including one who looked like he was the commander.
At some point, they called for reinforcements and more soldiers came, making about fifteen of them altogether. They surrounded me and hit me from every direction with the butts of their rifles.
My son Sameh (22) tried to intervene and get the soldiers off me, but one of them kicked him very hard in the behind and dragged him into the bedroom, where the soldiers were holding the little ones and my son ‘Abd a-Rahman (16). Then they handcuffed Sameh and ‘Abd a-Rahman. They tried to tie my hands, too, but I resisted. They went on hitting me for some time, while other soldiers searched the house with a metal detector. Before they left, they let Sameh go, because we told them he has a heart condition. They took ‘Abd a-Rahman and my brother ‘Abd al-Hafez (28). The soldiers let them go later that day, but only after ‘Alaa went to Ofer Prison and turned himself in.
I stayed home. My whole body hurt terribly, and I had trouble breathing. When I couldn’t take it any longer, we called a Red Crescent ambulance that took me to the Mujama Falastin medical center in Ramallah. They examined me and took x-rays. I had severe bruising in the neck, back and chest. I was given an IV and released at around midday.
The soldiers caused a lot of damage to the house. They ruined the cylinders of the front door and of the door leading to the roof, as well as the building’s intercom. They bored a 30X30 centimeter hole in a wall in one of the rooms and broke an aluminum window frame. They also broke a window frame in the living room.
Damage LEFT BY THE SOLDIERS AT THE HOME OF THE Sharefah FAMILY. PHOTOs by: Iyad Hadad, B'Tselem, 17 July 2018
Raid on al-Jalazun Refugee Camp, 6 August 2018:
On the night of Monday, 6 August 2018, at around 3:00 A.M., dozens of soldiers and Border Police officers raided al-Jalazun Refugee Camp. The forces hurled stun grenades and intimidated the residents. They broke through the doors of three homes, waking up the occupants and treating some in a degrading fashion, including forcing one to undress. The soldiers searched the homes and took over a rooftop. The troops also broke through the door of the al-Manajel cultural center, damaging furniture and equipment there and confiscating documents.
The Khatab home, 3:00 A.M.:
Dozens of Border Police officers raided the home of Salwa (44) and ‘Adnan (45) Khatab, where they live with their six children between the ages of six and 24. The officers gathered the family in a hallway and spread out in the house and yard, as well as on the roof. They searched the family’s belongings, causing damage in the process. The officers also forced Zidan (20) to undress, strip searched him and threatened to come back and arrest him.
In a testimony he gave the next day, ‘Adnan Khatab described the raid on his home:
‘Adnan Khatab
Yesterday, 6 August 2018, at around 3:00 A.M., I was woken by noises coming from our driveway. I also heard knocking on the back door to the kitchen and on the front door. I went to the back door. A group of Border Police officers ordered me to open it and barged in without asking permission or giving a reason. They had two commanders with them. I asked them: “Where are you going? What do you want?” One of them shouted at me: “Quiet, army”. He pushed me and went inside. They ordered me to wake my adult sons and detained me, my wife and our son ‘Awab in the hallway. Then they spread out through the house, on the roof and around the house. My son Rayan woke up while they were searching the house. He was scared and I held him. We woke our little daughter, Hala, so she wouldn’t suddenly wake up and get a fright. The kids stayed by our side.
One of the commanders took my son Zidan (20) out into the stairwell. I later learned that they made him strip naked and searched him. Then they took him out of the building and questioned him about his friends and whether he had thrown stones. They told him they didn’t have enough time or an arrest warrant for him this time, but that next time they would take him.
My son Islam (24) wanted to use the bathroom, but the officers wouldn’t let him. After about an hour, they moved us from the hallway to the living room, and left two officers to stand guard over us, pointing their rifles in our direction.
The officers took photos of me and of Islam, Awab and Zidan. They also filmed all the rooms in the house on video. At about 4:15, when they were done damaging the house and roof, they left without telling us why they had come in the first place. They turned all the bedrooms upside down and damaged one of the closets. On the roof they removed the tops from the water tanks and threw them on the floor.
I think the whole point of the raid was to scare Zidan, even though he works from morning to evening for the electricity company and has never been involved in political activity. After the forces left, we all stayed home to tidy up. My sons couldn’t go to work. They turned our lives upside down for no reason and left us worried over the threat to Zidan.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem the next day, Zidan Khatab related:
Zidan Khatab
I was woken by knocking on the front door. My parents were already awake, and my father opened the door. About ten to fifteen Border Police officers came in, with black paint on their faces. The moment I stepped out of my room, a commander said to me: “Stop, stop, are you Zidan? What’s in your pockets?” He asked me to empty my pockets. I took out a watch, my identity card and cigarettes. He told me to put them on the table and then led me into the living room and sat me down there with my parents and two brothers, Islam and Awab. While they were holding us there, the commander called for me and asked: “Where’s your room?” He made me show him the room and then I went back to the living room. Meanwhile, the Border Police officers searched my room, which is actually in the stairwell because our house is small. Then he called me over again and asked: “What do you do for a living?” He left me alone for a while and then came back and asked me more questions.
After about an hour, he called for me again and ordered me to get dressed. While I was putting a shirt on in my room, one of the Border Police officers yelled at me: “Stop. Stop. What did you put in your pocket?”, even though I hadn’t put anything in my pocket. He aimed his gun at my head and said: “Strip, strip!” I took all my clothes off and stayed in my boxers, but he ordered me to take them off, as well. I did as he told me. Then he ordered me to spread my legs. I felt so humiliated. Then the Border Police officer told me to get dressed and took me outside, where the commander questioned me about the neighbors, their houses and their cars. He asked me about my car and I answered that I don’t have one, but he insisted that I do.
The Border Police officer who was with me poked me with the barrel of his rifle and asked me irrelevant questions for about fifteen minutes. He shone a torch on a pile of stones opposite the house and asked how I was connected to it. I told him I wasn’t. He said: “We have photos of you and can prove that you take part in throwing stones.” I told him I have nothing to do with stone-throwing. He said: “Okay, we’re short on time and don’t have an order to arrest you this time round, but you can expect us to be back to arrest you.” He told me to stay outside until they left, which they did at around 4:30.
The army is only doing these things to provoke us and disrupt our lives. They act violently, condescendingly, and hurl accusations at people who aren’t strong enough to defend themselves.
The Nakhleh family, 3:00 A.M.:
Soldiers carrying work tools and ladders entered the home of Mariam (45) and ‘Abed (48) Nakhleh, where the couple live with their four children between the ages of thirteen and twenty, in the al-Mal’ab neighborhood. The soldiers went straight to the inner stairs leading to the roof and climbed them. They shut the door to the roof and used the spot to surveil the nearby al-Manajel center as soldiers raided it.
In a testimony she gave B’Tselem on 8 August 2018, Lara Nakhleh (19) described the anxiety that the raid caused her:
Lara Nakhleh
When they came, I was asleep in the bedroom with my sisters. I was woken by loud knocking on the door and wasn’t sure whether I was dreaming. I heard shouts: “Ya ‘Abed! Open up, ya ‘Abed.” I thought it was an acquaintance of my dad’s. I woke him up and he looked out the window and saw the soldiers. He asked them to wait for him to wake the family up so no one would get a fright, and they waited a few minutes.
Then my father opened the door and they came in carrying tools and ladders. They didn’t ask permission and didn’t show us any warrant, just marched straight over to the inner stairs that lead to the roof, as though they were familiar with our house. The soldiers told me to turn off the lights outside and shut the door. Then they holed up on the roof. We could hear them walking around but didn’t know what they were up to.
Later we learned that another group of soldiers had raided the cultural center next to our house. I was kind of in shock. My legs were shaking. I couldn’t move. I was terrified that the soldiers would come back down into our house and harass us.
The soldiers left at around 4:30 A.M., but even after they were gone I couldn’t calm down and go back to sleep. Every time someone comes in or out, I get scared and think the army is back. I’m in the middle of a hair design course but I couldn’t go to class. I’m still feeling shaken.
Raid on the al-Manajel cultural center, 3:00 A.M.:
Soldiers broke through the doors of the center and searched the premises. One of them called the director, Muhammad Safi (41), and ordered him to come there. When he arrived, Safi saw dozens of soldiers, some pointing their rifles at him. They did not respond to his questions as to the reason for the raid and left a short while later, leaving heavy damage in their wake.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem on 8 August 2018, Muhammad Safi related the events of that night:
Our center was established in 2008 to provide educational and social services for children and youth. We have a general assembly of forty social activists from the camp and we serve more than 150 kids a year, offering them courses, summer camps and volunteering opportunities. A day before the raid we wrapped up a summer camp with 110 kids from al-Jalazun.
On Monday, 6 August 2018, at 3:00 A.M., an Israeli officer called me. He didn’t state his name and told me to come to the center. About ten-fifteen minutes later, as I was getting ready to leave, he called again and threatened that they’d demolish the center and my home if I didn’t show up.
I got to the center at around 4:00 A.M. There were dozens of soldiers there. About ten surrounded me and pointed their weapons at me. It was dark, and they shone torchlights on me as if I was a criminal or terrorist. I asked them: “What’s wrong? What do you want? I’m Muhammad Safi, the director. You asked me to come here, so I did!” No one replied. I guess the raid was over by then. They let me go and left without explaining why they’d come. I asked who was in charge, but no one answered. They left at about 4:15.
After they’d gone, I checked the center and discovered a lot of damage. They destroyed the front door, which is made of iron, as well as two wooden doors, three Scouts’ drums, two study desks and three chairs. They tore the shelves out of the bookcase and took all kinds of documents and money. The repairs will cost 5,000-10,000 shekels (USD 1,380-2,750). With the damaged equipment we will have trouble carrying out all our usual activities. The whole think shook us up.
The mess left by the soldiers at al-Manajel culture center. Photo by: Muhammad Safi
Since the current Israeli government took office at the end of 2022, and even more so since October 2023, Israel has dramatically escalated its assault on all aspects of Palestinian life in the West Bank. At any moment, Palestinians may be exposed to violence by soldiers or armed settler militias, arrested and imprisoned, subjected to abuse and humiliation, and sometimes even killed.The Elimination Project draws on more than 2,000 testimonies B’Tselem collected from Palestinians since October 2023 and over three decades of documenting the Israeli apartheid regime’s human rights abuses in the West Bank. The report looks at the current reality not as a collection of isolated incidents or specific harms, but as part of a comprehensive mechanism of elimination that works to dismantle the conditions for continued Palestinian existence in the West Bank, while deepening Jewish control and supremacy in an irreversible manner. An examination of the current reality in the West Bank reveals that the project of elimination is now being implemented more openly, directly and violently than before, and increasingly relies on cooperation between official state authorities and settler militias operating in the West Bank with state backing and support.
During the days of fighting in the Gaza Strip, residents of the villages of Bil'in and Kafr Ni'ma held several demonstrations in protest of the war in Gaza, the violence at the al-Aqsa Mosque, and the planned evictions in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. In the first two demonstrations, on 10 May 2021 and 15 May 2021, soldiers standing on the other side of the Separation Barrier west of the village fired live ammunition at the protesters as soon as they reached the barrier and dispersed the demonstration from the very beginning. In the protest held on 15 May 2021, soldiers also used rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters, injuring a 14-year-old boy in the leg with live fire. On Tuesday, 18 May 2021, a third demonstration took place. At around 4:00 P.M., about half an hour before the convoy left the village center, a group of about 15 to 20 villagers, mostly children and teens, came to an area by the Separation Barrier. Some of them brought tires to burn during the protest, while others threw stones with a slingshot at two soldiers standing on a hill on the other side of the barrier, about 100 to 150 meters away from them. One of the soldiers fired a tear gas canister at the youths and fired in the air. Several officers stood about 150 meters north of the two soldiers, near a military jeep. Furthermore, in front of the area where the protesters were standing, about 20 to 30 meters away from the Separation Barrier, stood a tent where two soldiers were hiding. At around 5:00 P.M., when the first protesters from the village center arrived in the area, the two soldiers suddenly emerged from the tent. They immediately opened fire at a group of four protesters who were about 40 meters away from them. Some of the protesters dropped to the ground, and others hid behind trees. A few seconds later, the protesters got up to throw stones at the soldiers who came out of the tent, and then one soldier fired at them, hitting Islam Dar Nasser (16), who was masked, in the back of the head. Several protesters tried to evacuate Dar Nasser, but the soldier continued firing at them. He was evacuated only after a few minutes to an ambulance standing a few hundred meters away. Dar Nasser was rushed to hospital in Ramallah, where doctors performed CPR on him, transferred him to an operating room, and pronounced him dead about an hour and a half later. The soldiers the military had placed in the ambush used live fire even though the protesters posed no danger. They initially fired at residents who were throwing stones at other soldiers from a great distance without endangering them, and, after being exposed, fired at 16-year-old Islam Dar Nasser, who was throwing stones from about 40 meters away, without endangering any of their lives. Placing soldiers in ambush – a few dozen meters on the other side of the Separation Barrier – and using lethal live fire against stone-throwers is not a legitimate course of action. The fatal shots at Dar Nasser's head were also illegal, as live fire is permissible only in cases where there is a real and immediate danger to life and when other means of removing it have been exhausted. The shooting in this case is but another expression of the Israeli military's open-fire policy in the Occupied Territories, in which any threat, real or imagined, is met with deadly live fire. According to media reports, an MPIU investigation has been launched. Yet, as B'Tselem has learned from years of experience, this investigation will wind up drawn out and shut down, as its purpose is whitewashing the killing and its result is the continued lethal firing at Palestinians. A.Y, a 19-year-old resident of Bil'in, came to the area of the demonstration at around 4:30 P.M. In a testimony he gave B'Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad, he described what happened next: : I sat with a group of about 15 youths and waited for the protesters. At around 5:00 P.M., the first protesters started coming to the area above us, and then we went up to the barrier. I saw Islam there with a group of young guys and children but didn't recognize him because his head was covered with a shirt. They were throwing stones with their hands and a slingshot at soldiers standing on the hill, but none of the stones reached them because they were 100 to 150 meters away. I also saw a tent under a large tree, beyond the barrier, about 30 meters south of the children. There are usually soldiers in this tent who disperse the protesters, but it was closed and didn't seem to have soldiers in it. About 15 minutes later, I was with Islam and two other young guys about 15 to 20 meters away from the fence. One of the soldiers on the nearest hill was moving his rifle from side to side. Suddenly, I heard S., one of the young guys who were with me, shouting, "Ambush! Ambush! From the tent!". He barely finished talking, and immediately several shots were fired in a row by two or three soldiers who suddenly came out of the tent. Some of us hid behind the trees, and others dropped to the ground. Islam and S. were five meters away from me, towards the tent. The soldiers were in a lower place than us, so they couldn't hit anyone lying on the ground. After the first burst, the shooting stopped for a few seconds. Islam and the others apparently thought that the soldiers had returned to the tent, and they got up. Suddenly, the soldiers near the tent fired a bullet that hit Islam's head from behind. He fell down right away, didn’t make a sound, and didn't move. In a testimony he gave B'Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad on 26 May 2021, S.S. (23), a resident of Bil'in, recounted what happened that afternoon: When Islam was killed, I was by his side. We were four young guys. We stood about 20 meters away from the barrier. At 5:15 P.M., I saw two soldiers leaving the tent beyond the barrier. I started shouting, "Ambush! Ambush!" to warn the others so they'd have time to escape. The soldiers fired two or three shots, and we all dropped to the ground or hid behind the trees. Then we got up to throw stones at the soldiers, and then one of the soldiers fired two more consecutive shots. At that moment, Islam was in their firing range, but he didn't see them. He was hit in the head from behind and fell without making a sound. I heard him taking one deep breath and then his body went limp. I dropped to the ground again and crawled over to him to pick him up and take him to the ambulance, but the soldiers fired again. The soldier on the hill also fired at the protesters and at us to stop them from advancing. His bullets hit the rocks next to us. After a few minutes, the shooting stopped, and I could come near and pick up Islam. I carried him in my arms because he didn't weigh much. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and after a few steps, other guys took him from me. I didn't go on with them since my legs gave out because I was so scared and confused. They took Islam to an ambulance, and I fell to the ground and burst into tears. Several guys continued confronting the soldiers, and they continued firing intermittently, only live fire. In a testimony she gave B'Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad, Islam's mother, Janat Dar Nasser (36), recalled: On the night before the protest march, Islam asked me if I'd attend. I didn't want to disappoint him and answered we would go for sure. He loved participating in these marches because he'd see friends, and they'd spend time together. That night, Islam spent time with us until late and woke up the next day at 10:00 A.M. He came to the kitchen and helped me make breakfast. He loved cooking and especially making French fries that he and his little brothers like. One of his dreams was to become a famous chef. He always asked me to call him Chef Islam. I was happy about that, and it made me laugh a lot because boys his age always want to become ordinary things like doctors, engineers, pharmacists, and accountants. It's rare to hear of someone like him dreaming of becoming a skilled chef. After breakfast, he wanted to help me clean up, but I refused and asked him to go get ready for his final exams. Islam pressured me to leave early for the march, and in the end, he left the house at 2:30 P.M. Around 5:00, while the kids and I were getting ready to leave for the march, my brother Rani's wife arrived. Rani has been suffering from partial paralysis since the Israeli military wounded him during a protest in 2000. She was confused and worried and asked me to help her prepare his wheelchair and car because he wanted to get to Ramallah quickly. I suspected something was wrong and pressured her to find out what happened exactly. I had a feeling that something bad had happened to Islam or someone else in the family. But she wouldn't tell me. While we were preparing the wheelchair, my nephew Mahmoud (12) arrived. He was crying and said that Islam had been hit in the head and that he'd been taken to a hospital in Ramallah. I went into shock. I started screaming and crying, "My son Islam, my darling. What happened to you? Where are you? God save you, my son. God have mercy. I have nothing but him in the world." Janat drove to the hospital with a relative, where she waited to hear about her son, who was in the operating room. In her testimony, she further recounted: At around 6:30-7:00 P.M., Islam was transferred to the ICU. While I was waiting for reassuring news about his condition, I was informed that he had been killed. I collapsed. I felt like I was blacking out. The doctors and my family gave me sedatives, and I slowly came to. I said goodbye to my son in the cold chamber. He looked like he was smiling at me as usual and saying to me, "Don't take it to heart, Mom. Don't cry. I love you very much. Watch over my brothers and take care of them." I prayed that he would receive Heaven's mercy and forgiveness. We're a small family, and our financial situation is tough, but we dreamt of raising our children, giving them a good education and providing everything that wasn't possible for us. We wanted them to study in good schools, to ensure they have a better future and a less miserable and exhausting life. My son Islam was killed before he could fulfill his dreams. We hoped to see him grow up, study, fulfill his aspirations to become a chef and help his father support the family. I feel like there's no point in my life anymore. I feel alone in this world, without hope, without aspirations, and without a future. I quit my job, and now I sit at home, drained. I find a place to be alone and cry. The state of Islam's father and brothers is no better. They're all in heavy mourning. Since the incident, I've been having trouble sleeping. I move between the rooms and touch his bed, closet, and anything he left behind: clothes, games, books, and things he bought for himself. I remember every happy moment we had together with everything I touch, his sweet smiles, his laughter, and the beautiful things he said. Update: On 18 November 2021, media reports stated that the case was still under investigation. On 1 June 2022, the IDF Spokesperson informed B’Tselem that the case was still under investigation
On Monday, 17 December 2020, at around 8:00 A.M., Border Police and Special Patrol Unit (SPU) forces entered Qalandiya Refugee Camp, which is mostly located in the Palestinian Authority, outside Jerusalem's municipal boundaries. The forces turned towards the Hamad family home, where ten members live. Some of the officers spread out in the nearby streets and others on rooftops, and about 10 SPU officers entered the family’s home with a dog. They attacked Nasrallah Hamad (15) and locked the rest of the family in separate rooms. The officers then conducted a search of the house, during which they broke two doors and tore up furniture upholstery. About half an hour later, the officers left, taking two family members, Muhammad (28) and Mu’az (21). While the officers were in the house and after their departure, residents of the camp hurled stones and heavy objects at them. Several police snipers opened live fire, including 0.22-inch caliber bullets (two-twos), at residents in the camp — without distinguishing between those who took part in the clashes and passers-by — injuring four people. ‘Ali Hamad (25) was hit in the abdomen while on the family’s roof after the police arrested his two brothers; Ahmad Rum (29) was shot in the chest as he stood at an intersection near the Hamad family home; ‘Ali ‘Abd al-Qader (16) was hit in the hip near his grandmother’s house, about 100 meters from the Hamad home; and Muhammad Khalil (47) was hit in the leg below the knee as he tried to help the wounded ‘Abd al-Qader. Another resident was wounded by shrapnel. According to media reports, six officers were injured lightly. The violent raid the police conducted at the Hamad family home, which included assaulting one of its sons, breaking down doors, imprisoning the occupants, and destroying property, cannot be justified. Neither can the massive shooting by the officers who, according to the police, “felt their lives were in danger, opened fire and used crowd control weapons.” Yet, this explanation does not reconcile with the incident's circumstances, as B’Tselem’s investigation indicates. Armed officers in protective gear used live fire inside a crowded residential neighborhood, shooting bystanders and residents and injuring five people. Such shooting is also unjustifiable. In this case, as in hundreds of others, no one will be held accountable for the violence meted on the family or the wanton shooting — neither those who committed the acts nor the various officials up the chain of command or the legal advisors who sign off on such operations time and again. B’Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad collected the following testimonies. ‘Ula Hamad (47), the matriarch, described the police officers’ violent raid on her home, the arrest of two of her sons, and the injuring of a third son: On Monday, 7 December 2020, at around 8:00 A.M., I was asleep. Suddenly, I woke up from my son Nasrallah’s shouting from his room, “Mom, Mom.” I got up out of bed in alarm and heard police officers in the house. I got dressed quickly, woke up my husband, and went to my son’s room. There were about 10 officers there, armed and wearing black uniforms and protective gear with helmets and black masks. You could hardly see their eyes. They had a huge, muzzled dog that looked terrifying. Several of them pinned my son down to the floor. Poor Nasrallah was screaming and crying for help. He told me, “Mom, they’re hitting me. Mom, Mom.” I thought I was going mad. How can four armed men attack a child like that? I yelled at them, “What you’re doing is shameful. What did he even do? He’s a child.” I tried to release him from their hands, but they pushed me away at gunpoint. Only after I started begging did they agree to release him. Meanwhile, other officers arrested two of my older sons. Then they forced me, my husband, my daughters, and my mother-in-law two into one of the rooms. Through a slit in the door, I could see the officers destroying the doors of two rooms and heard them throwing some furniture to the floor. After they left, I saw that they’d torn the upholstery of nine seats in the living room furniture. About 20 minutes later, they left the house, taking away my sons, Muhammad and Mu’az, with their hands tied behind their backs. I tried to leave the room to stop them from arresting my sons and yelled at the officers, “Shame on you! Where are you taking them? What did they do?” But the officer who was by the door pushed me inside and blocked me from going out. After they left, I ran after the officers to the building's front door, but I stepped back because some of them were firing live rounds at stone-throwers outside. When I went back up the stairs, I saw my son ‘Ali (25) bent over with his hand on his stomach. He said, “I’ve been hit. I’ve been hit in the stomach.” I lifted his hand to see where he’d been injured. He was bleeding slightly. I later understood from him that he had gone up to the roof to see where the officers were taking his brothers, and then he got hit by a bullet one of the officers fired at him. We took ‘Ali out to my husband’s car, which was parked in a nearby yard, while the officers were still clashing with stone-throwers who were several dozen meters away from us. We drove ‘Ali to the Mujama Falastin Medical Center in Ramallah. We got there in less than 10 minutes. After a checkup at the ER, they took him in for an operation that lasted more than three hours. According to the doctors, his injury was severe. The bullet had penetrated his stomach, and they had to take out part of his intestines. The doctors tried to reassure us and told us that we don’t need to fear for his life. He was discharged, and now he’s recuperating at home, but he hasn’t gone back to his job yet, which helped us cover some of our living expenses. Ahmad Rum (29), a shared taxi driver from Ramallah, arrived at the refugee camp at 8:30 A.M., parked his vehicle, and advanced on foot to meet a friend. While he was standing at an intersection near the Hamad family home, he was injured by a 0.22-inch caliber bullet in the chest. In his testimony, he recounted: I parked my car and advanced carefully on foot into the camp to meet a friend. There were clashes near the Hamad family home between several young guys who were throwing stones from an alley, from behind the corners of homes and rooftops. Police officers were firing live rounds and “rubber” bullets at them. I could see two or three Border Police officers near the Hamad family home from where I was standing. About 10 more people were standing and watching from several dozen meters away. Suddenly, I felt something like a sting on the left side of my chest. I didn’t hear a shot. I only felt the bullet hitting me. Then I started bleeding and felt nauseous. A few young guys who were near me picked me up and carried me for 30 to 40 meters and put me in a private car that took me straight to Mujama Falastin Medical Center in Ramallah. There were already three or four injured people from the camp in the ER. I underwent surgery that lasted for about two hours, and then I was transferred to the surgical ward for further treatment. Apparently, the bullet that hit me was fired from top to bottom and exited from the left hip. I was discharged five days later on Saturday night. I’m not working right now because I can’t walk. My job supported my family of seven. It’s still unclear what the injury’s consequences will be, and I’m anxious about the future. ‘Ali ‘Abd al-Qader (16), a camp resident and 11th-grade student, returned to Qalandiya R.C. at around 8:30 A.M. after going to his school and discovering that classes had been canceled due to the coronavirus. When he was near the Khalil family’s bakery, a police sniper shot him in the thigh. Immediately after his injury, one of the bakery workers, Muhammad Khalil (47), came out and tried to help him get away, but he too was shot by a sniper, who hit him below the knee. In his testimony, ‘Abd al-Qader recalled: At 8:30 A.M., when I was close to my grandmother’s house and the bakery, I felt a very sharp sting in my thigh. I understood that I’d been hit in the middle of the right hip. I was terrified, bleeding a lot, and started screaming, “I’ve been hit, I’ve been hit.” I didn’t hear the gunshot and didn’t see the officer who injured me, but I think it was one of the officers in the street in front of the Hamad family home, about 80 meters away from me. I tried to run back towards the bakery to ask for help but fell down after a few steps and couldn’t move my leg. Muhammad Khalil came towards me from his bakery, which is about 10 meters from the spot where I’d been hit. He picked me up to help me, but suddenly, he was also hit by a bullet in the leg. I didn’t hear the shot that time, either. Several young guys and a paramedic who were nearby helped us get into a private car. The paramedic, who rode with us, wrapped a piece of cloth over my wound to stop the bleeding. In his testimony, Muhammad Khalil also described what happened: As the forces were on their way out of the camp, I looked out from the bakery and heard sounds of live rounds and “two-two” bullets. I saw ‘Ali ‘Abd al-Qader running and limping on one foot in my direction. He was bleeding and injured in the thigh. I went out of the bakery to help him. I advanced several meters, reached him, and supported him. At the same time, there was an officer near the Hamad family home about 80 meters away from me. While I was holding the wounded boy, I was hit in the left leg under the knee by a “two-two” bullet. I didn’t fall, and I kept trying to help the boy, but I couldn’t hold him anymore. A paramedic from the neighborhood reached us and helped me lift ‘Ali. We managed to get away from the officers’ firing range and hid in a corner until a private car took us to the Mujama Falastin Medical Center. When we got there, they took us straight to the ER, where they gave me an IV, disinfected the wound, and bandaged it. In the evening, I underwent surgery to repair the tendons and nerves damaged by the shooting. I was discharged six days later. At the hospital, it turned out that ‘Ali ‘Abd al-Qader’s femoral artery had been severed and that he was suffering from muscle tears and damage to the femoral nerves. He underwent surgery on his leg and was released six days later but may need further surgery to reconstruct the nerves and tendons. In his testimony, he further recounted: Now I’m bedridden and can’t move without help. The principal said they would consider my situation and organize online learning for me after I recover. I used to help out at my aunt’s restaurant, but now I can’t work anymore. My father passed away about nine years ago. I’m the eldest son and the only one who can work and support the family. We’re four people in our family, and we now receive support from relatives and social organizations. I don’t know how we’re going to manage and how long we can go on like this.
