Israel has used unlawful lethal force against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, committing unlawful killings and displaying “a chilling disregard for Palestinian lives”, Amnesty International said.
The human rights organization said in a report released Monday that Israel’s actions in the territory have intensified during its war on Gaza and that its army and other forces are committing numerous acts of violence illegal acts which constitute flagrant violations of international law.
The world’s eyes are primarily on the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since the war began on October 7. But Israeli forces also commit unlawful killings in the occupied Palestinian territories, Amnesty said in the report.
The document was compiled from remote interviews with witnesses, first responders and local residents, as well as verified videos and photos.
“Under the cover of relentless bombings and atrocities in Gaza, Israeli forces have used unlawful lethal force against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, committing unlawful killings and displaying a chilling disregard for Palestinian lives,” it said. said Erika Guevara-Rosas of Amnesty. International Director of Global Research, Advocacy and Policy.
“These unlawful killings constitute a flagrant violation of international human rights law and are committed with impunity in the context of maintaining Israel’s institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination over Palestinians. »
Palestinians in the West Bank were already regularly subjected to deadly Israeli raids even before the war, but the number of Israeli attacks has exploded since October.
According to figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israel killed at least 507 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in 2023, including at least 81 children, making it the deadliest year since the The organization began registering victims in the occupied West Bank. 2005.
UN figures also show that 299 Palestinians were killed between the start of the war and the end of 2023, an increase of 50% compared to the first nine months of the year. At least 61 more Palestinians, including 13 children, were killed by Israeli forces in January, the UN said.
“Deliberate murder”
Amnesty International’s analysis of a 30-hour Israeli raid on the Nour Shams refugee camp in Tulkarem, which took place on October 19, demonstrates the tactics employed by the Israeli army.
During this raid, Israeli soldiers used a large number of military vehicles and stormed more than 40 homes. They destroyed personal belongings, punched holes in walls to accommodate sniper outposts, cut off water and electricity to the refugee camp and used bulldozers to destroy public roads, power grids. and hydraulic infrastructure.
By the end of the raid, they had killed 13 Palestinians, including six children, four under the age of 16, and arrested 15 Palestinians.
An Israeli Border Police officer was killed after an improvised explosive device was used against a military convoy.
Among those killed in the raid was an unarmed 15-year-old named Taha Mahamid, whom Israeli forces shot dead in front of his house as he went out to check whether Israeli forces had left the area, Amnesty said.
“They didn’t give him a chance,” said Taha’s sister Fatima. “In an instant, my brother was eliminated. Three bullets were fired mercilessly. The first bullet hit him in the leg. The second in the stomach. Third in his eyes. There were no clashes. … There was no conflict.
Taha’s father, Ibrahim, attempted to carry his son to safety without a weapon, but he was shot and suffered serious internal injuries.
“This unnecessary use of lethal force should be investigated as a possible war crime of intentional homicide and intentional causing great suffering or serious harm to body. or health,” Amnesty said.
But that was not the end of the Israeli operation against the family. About 12 hours after Taha’s killing, the Israeli army stormed his family’s home and locked his family members, including three children, in a room under the surveillance of a soldier for about 10 hours .
They also punched holes in the walls of two rooms to allow snipers to overlook the neighborhood. A witness said the soldiers searched the house, beat a family member and one was seen urinating on the doorstep.
Extensive damage caused by Israeli bulldozers in the refugee camp’s narrow streets prevented ambulances from passing through, hampering medical evacuation of the injured.
Targeting ambulances and killing protesters
Amnesty has also documented cases in which Israeli forces directly opened fire on ambulances and medical personnel.
Obstruction of medical assistance to Palestinians by Israeli forces is now “common practice”, the human rights organization said.
He documented a case in which Israeli soldiers blocked ambulances from reaching victims who eventually bled to death.
“The victims were later picked up by an Israeli military ambulance and their bodies have not yet been returned to their families,” Amnesty said.
The organization has also documented how the Israeli army suppresses peaceful Palestinian protests organized in solidarity with the people of Gaza, firing live ammunition and tear gas canisters into the crowds.
