Daily Information Sheet Palestine April 16

Daily Information Sheet Tuesday, April 16, 2002

Following, is a report of some of the human rights violations carried out today in the Occupied Territories. The events included in this report are only those about which human rights organizations have been able to obtain information. The incidents listed represent only a minute portion of the human rights violations being committed throughout the West Bank. This report paints only a partial picture and does not necessarily reflect the worst of the human rights violations being perpetrated. Most of the information below was received by telephone, since fieldworkers are unable to reach the victims and eyewitnesses in order to collect testimonies in person. The information has been verified to the greatest extent possible given the current circumstances.

1. Today, at around noon, 12-year-old Qossay Abu ‘Aisha, was playing in his yard in ‘Askar neighborhood in Nablus. The yard is surrounded by a two meter high tin fence. Soldiers who were passing by, opened fire into the yard. Abu ‘Aisha was hit by two bullets that penetrated the tin fence. He died instantly. His father, Farh Abu ‘Aisha called the Red Crscent for an ambulance. It arrived two hours later. The crew pronounced the child dead. (Source: B'Tselem)

2. On Sunday, April 14, 2002, the curfew in Nablus was lifted between 2:00 and 6:00 PM. 40-year-old Mustafa ‘Antar, married and father of four from A-Dahiya neighborhood went to visit his father and then bought some food supplies. ‘Anbar shared a taxi home with three other people. At 5:00 PM, a group of soldiers who was passing by opened fire at the taxi. ‘Antar was hit in the neck and taken to Rafidia hospital in Nablus where he is currently receiving treatment. According to his doctors, the injury will cause partial paralysis. (Source: B'Tselem)

3. 60-year-old Farhan a-Sa’adi and Lina ‘Abd a-Latif, who were reported to be buried alive under the rubble on the April 14 daily update, were rescue this afternoon by IDF soldiers. Four days after the military received information regarding their location, an IDF rescue team managed to find the two women and get them to hospital in Jenin. ‘Abd a-Latif and a-Sa’adi were believed to be dead until residents of the camp heard their cries and informed their families. The two are suffering from fatigue and are now in hospital.(Source: HaMoked - Center for the Defence of the Individual )

4. On Friday, April 5, 2002, Tahani ‘Ali ‘Asad Fatouh, a pharmacist from Al Msakan Ash Sha’abiya in Nablus District began having labor pains. Her husband, Dr. Ghassan ‘Ali Nashat Sha’ar called an ambulance to take his seven months pregnant wife to hospital. Due to the curfew imposed on the area, the ambulance could not make it to the house and Dr. Sha’ar had to deliver the baby with the help of his neighbor, Dr. Sulfeh. The delivery went smoothly. While the delivery was taking place, the ambulance crew tried to reach the couple’s home,as the newborn had to be placed in an incubator. All attempts failed. Some 30 minutes after the birth, the baby’s health started to deteriorate. Dr. Sha’ar managed to resuscitate his son twice. On the third attempt, the baby died. Tahani Fatouh became pregnant after four years of fertility treatments. The hospital is only two kilometers away from the couple’s home. (Source: B'Tselem)

5. Dr. H.H., a general practitioner from Bethlehem and her husband, Dr. H, a gynecologist share a clinic. Last night Dr. H.H. received a telephone call informing her that IDF soldiers had broken into the clinic. The Al Madabsa area, where the clinic is located, had been under constant curfew, which began when the IDF entered the city. Yesterday, when the curfew was lifted for a few hours for the first time, Dr. H.H. rushed to the clinic and discovered extensive damage. The clinic door and windows were broken and the waiting room was completely destroyed. Expensive equipment, including a $20,000 ultrasound machine was also destroyed. The computer monitor was shattered and the computer itself had been taken apart. The soldiers broke the telephones and the sterilization machine. They tore up medical files and books. In addition to the damage, many bullet holes and shells were found in the clinic, as well as feces on the floor. (Source: HaMoked - Center for the Defence of the Individual)

6. 18-year-old Ibrahim Jabarin from Al ‘Arrub refugee camp was in Bethlehem on April 2, 2002 when the IDF imposed a curfew on the city. Jabarin remained trapped in a building. Yesterday, the IDF lifted the curfew in that area for a few hours for he first time. Jabarin took advantage of the opportunity and attempted to return home to Al ‘Arrub refugee camp. At around 1:00, before curfew was reimposed, the soldiers shot Jabarin and other civilians who were out buying food supplies. Jabarin was hit in the right leg. Others were injured as well. About ten minutes later, Jabarin was taken to the government hospital in Beit Jala, where he is cared for in the orthopedic ward. (Source: B'Tselem)

7. Last night at 9:00, W.A. who was injured five days ago, was evacuated to Ha’Emek hosptial in Afula, inside the green line. Over those five days, his family made repeated attempts to coordinate his evacuation with the Red Crescent and the Jenin hospital. After all attempts failed, and W.A’s condition continued to deteriorate, the family finally turned to HaMoked - Center for the Defence of the Individual last night and requested their help. Only through the intervention of an Israeli organization, was W.A. finally evacuated. His evacuation was carried out by the military. (Source: HaMoked - Center for the Defence of the Individual)

8. Four children: two from Qalqiliya and two from the village of Qusra in Nablus District, are suffering from Thalassemia and need regular blood transfusions. Because of the curfew the IDF has imposed on Nablus and many other areas in the West Bank, the four children have been unable to reach Al-Watani hosptial in Nablus for treatment. The Civil Administration told Physicians for Human Rights Israel that the matter was being looked after. The children have not yet been taken to hospital. (Source: Physicians for Human Rights Israel)

9. Detainees update: Israeli security forces are currently holding 2,521 Palestinians in detention. Data provided regarding administrative detention has not been amended and the number remains, to the best of knowledge, 100. One of the new administrative detainees is 28-year-old Yasser Dissi, a human rights activist, who works for Al-Haq. Human rights organizations have learned that many detainees are transferred from Ofer camp to Megiddo prison and from there, “veteran” prisoners and detainees are transferred to Ketziot. (Source: HaMoked - Center for the Defence of the Individual)

10. At 9:45 this morning, a group of 15 soldiers entered the home of ‘Afif Sarhan in Jenin refugee camp. The building houses dozens of people and many more of the camp’s residents found shelter in it. The soldiers ordered everyone down to the ground floor. They forced one of the building’s residents, 23-year-old Hussein Sarhan, to accompany them while they searched the building. Sarhan said that some ten soldiers went to the top floor with him. They told him to empty the cupboards in all the rooms, and mess up the furniture. 30 minutes later, the soldiers left the building. When the residents returned to their apartments, they discovered that several thousands of shekels in cash, some gold jewelry (5 bracelets and a necklace) and 17 cigarette boxes had gone missing. (Source: B'Tselem)

B'Tselem: The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories is the leading Israeli organization monitoring, documenting and advocating to improve human rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Founded in 1989, B'Tselem publishes reports, engages in advocacy and serves as a resource center.

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