23 jan 2017
Ahmad Hassan Shubeir 17
A 17-year-old Palestinian died last week after Israeli authorities refused to allow him to leave the besieged Gaza Strip to undergo treatment for a congenital heart defect, the Gaza-based al-Mezan Center for Human Rights said in a report on Sunday.
Israeli authorities had denied Ahmad Hassan Shubeir from Gaza City, permission to cross into Israel to receive life-saving medical treatment from a hospital after the teen “refused to serve as a collaborator for the Israeli authorities, a coercive measure regularly employed on Palestinian patients in need of permits,” according to the center.
After being repeatedly denied permission by Israel to cross, despite securing a number of appointments at Israeli hospitals as his health declined, Ahmad died at approximately 4 a.m. on Jan. 14.
Ahmad’s father told al-Mezan that his son had been suffering from a congenital heart defect since birth. The father said that he accompanied Ahmad several times to Israeli hospitals, including Tel Hashomer Hospital, Schneider Children’s Medical Center, as well as al-Makassed Hospital in the occupied West Bank, and that Ahmad’s condition remained relatively stable throughout the treatment.
After Ahmad fell into a critical condition, his family applied for a crossing permit in February 2016 with supporting medical documents attached.
According to the report, Israeli authorities responded to the request by attempted to blackmail and coerce Ahmad’s mother into cooperating with the authorities in exchange for her child’s permit during an interview at the Erez crossing.
Though she refused, authorities ultimately allowed her and Ahmad to pass after being held several hours.
A subsequent permit request in September received no reply from authorities, and after the family obtained a new hospital appointment, the applied again in October, again without reply.
In November, Israeli authorities replied to another permit application with a refusal.
“The Israeli security services then summoned Ahmad for an interview at the crossing; during the interrogation, he was pressured to serve as a collaborator for the Israeli authorities in exchange for his permit. The child refused and was denied a permit,” al-Mezan’s report continued.
Finally, the family again obtained an appointment at a hospital for Jan. 30, 2017, as Ahmad’s health continued to decline. He died two weeks before the appointment.
“Al-Mezan strongly condemns Israel’s ill-treatment of Palestinian patients of Gaza and expresses remorse at the death of Ahmad Shubeir,” they wrote in their report.
The group warned of the continued “abuse” of critically ill Palestinian patients sealed inside the enclave, where health care services are crippled due to Israel’s ongoing blockade of the small territory that will enter its tenth year this coming June.
“The denial of adequate medical care, which amounts to ill-treatment, is in violation of treaty and customary international law, and amounts to a prohibited collective punishment,” al-Mezan stressed, noting that the Israeli hospitals Palestinians are attempting to reach are in close proximity to Gaza.
According to the center, 2016 represented a steep decrease in the number of permits granted to Palestinian patients wishing to pass through the Erez crossing: In 2015, 77.66 percent of patients were granted access, whereas 61 percent were granted in 2016.
Israeli authorities have also expanded the age group of those subjected to increased security checks from 16 to 35 years old to 16 to 55 years old, "which subsequently expanded waiting times and resulted in increased rejection of permits."
Between 50 and 60 percent of the patients who were refused permits in 2016 by Israeli authorities were people with cancer, with al-Mezan noting a trend that developed over the year, "whereby cancer patients were granted up to three permits, but not more, resulting in unfinished cancer treatment, and greatly diminished effectiveness of cancer care."
Furthermore, Palestinians who were finally granted permits were nevertheless subjected to measures that al-Mezan said amounted to “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment,” including long-waiting periods, intense interrogations, invasive searches, blackmail, and coercion, all of which that were greatly strenuous for the sick patients who were not given sufficient rest amid the procedures.
The center further noted that obtaining a permit did not even guarantee a successful crossing for Gazans, reporting that Israeli forces arrested at least nine patients in addition to five Palestinians accompanying patients at the Erez crossing in 2015 and 2016.
A 17-year-old Palestinian died last week after Israeli authorities refused to allow him to leave the besieged Gaza Strip to undergo treatment for a congenital heart defect, the Gaza-based al-Mezan Center for Human Rights said in a report on Sunday.
Israeli authorities had denied Ahmad Hassan Shubeir from Gaza City, permission to cross into Israel to receive life-saving medical treatment from a hospital after the teen “refused to serve as a collaborator for the Israeli authorities, a coercive measure regularly employed on Palestinian patients in need of permits,” according to the center.
After being repeatedly denied permission by Israel to cross, despite securing a number of appointments at Israeli hospitals as his health declined, Ahmad died at approximately 4 a.m. on Jan. 14.
Ahmad’s father told al-Mezan that his son had been suffering from a congenital heart defect since birth. The father said that he accompanied Ahmad several times to Israeli hospitals, including Tel Hashomer Hospital, Schneider Children’s Medical Center, as well as al-Makassed Hospital in the occupied West Bank, and that Ahmad’s condition remained relatively stable throughout the treatment.
After Ahmad fell into a critical condition, his family applied for a crossing permit in February 2016 with supporting medical documents attached.
According to the report, Israeli authorities responded to the request by attempted to blackmail and coerce Ahmad’s mother into cooperating with the authorities in exchange for her child’s permit during an interview at the Erez crossing.
Though she refused, authorities ultimately allowed her and Ahmad to pass after being held several hours.
A subsequent permit request in September received no reply from authorities, and after the family obtained a new hospital appointment, the applied again in October, again without reply.
In November, Israeli authorities replied to another permit application with a refusal.
“The Israeli security services then summoned Ahmad for an interview at the crossing; during the interrogation, he was pressured to serve as a collaborator for the Israeli authorities in exchange for his permit. The child refused and was denied a permit,” al-Mezan’s report continued.
Finally, the family again obtained an appointment at a hospital for Jan. 30, 2017, as Ahmad’s health continued to decline. He died two weeks before the appointment.
“Al-Mezan strongly condemns Israel’s ill-treatment of Palestinian patients of Gaza and expresses remorse at the death of Ahmad Shubeir,” they wrote in their report.
The group warned of the continued “abuse” of critically ill Palestinian patients sealed inside the enclave, where health care services are crippled due to Israel’s ongoing blockade of the small territory that will enter its tenth year this coming June.
“The denial of adequate medical care, which amounts to ill-treatment, is in violation of treaty and customary international law, and amounts to a prohibited collective punishment,” al-Mezan stressed, noting that the Israeli hospitals Palestinians are attempting to reach are in close proximity to Gaza.
According to the center, 2016 represented a steep decrease in the number of permits granted to Palestinian patients wishing to pass through the Erez crossing: In 2015, 77.66 percent of patients were granted access, whereas 61 percent were granted in 2016.
Israeli authorities have also expanded the age group of those subjected to increased security checks from 16 to 35 years old to 16 to 55 years old, "which subsequently expanded waiting times and resulted in increased rejection of permits."
Between 50 and 60 percent of the patients who were refused permits in 2016 by Israeli authorities were people with cancer, with al-Mezan noting a trend that developed over the year, "whereby cancer patients were granted up to three permits, but not more, resulting in unfinished cancer treatment, and greatly diminished effectiveness of cancer care."
Furthermore, Palestinians who were finally granted permits were nevertheless subjected to measures that al-Mezan said amounted to “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment,” including long-waiting periods, intense interrogations, invasive searches, blackmail, and coercion, all of which that were greatly strenuous for the sick patients who were not given sufficient rest amid the procedures.
The center further noted that obtaining a permit did not even guarantee a successful crossing for Gazans, reporting that Israeli forces arrested at least nine patients in addition to five Palestinians accompanying patients at the Erez crossing in 2015 and 2016.
22 jan 2017
At least 11 Palestinians, including children, were kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) from the West Bank and Jerusalem at predawn time Sunday.
The occupation army claimed, in a statement, responsibility for the abduction of four Palestinians on allegations of involvement in anti-occupation activities.
The campaign targeted Palestinians from Jerusalem’s northwestern towns of Beit Anan and Qatna, along with others from Bethlehem’s towns of Husan and Beit Fajjar, in the West Bank.
Prior to the abduction sweep, the IOF wreaked havoc on the arrestees’ family homes.
Local sources said the IOF rolled into Bethlehem province and kidnapped the ex-prisoner Mahmoud Thawabta from Beit Fajjar.
Another ex-prisoner—Anas Taqatqa—was kidnapped from Umm Salamouna village, in Bethlehem. The IOF reportedly seized Taqatqa’s private car.
14-year-old minor Mohamed Abu Yabis was kidnapped by the occupation soldiers from his own family home in Husan village, to the west of Bethlehem.
Another Palestinian youth, from Nablus, was arrested at a military checkpoint pitched near Jericho city.
The Israeli military forces further stormed Nablus’s southeastern town of Ourata, in the northern West Bank, and ravaged civilian homes, before they subjected the residents to intensive questioning.
The campaign culminated in the abduction of two Palestinians from Beit Anan and Qatna towns, in Occupied Jerusalem.
Four minors, in their 17’s of age, were also kidnapped by the Israeli forces from Jerusalem’s eastern neighborhood of al-Tour.
On Saturday evening, 16-year-old Faysal Shabana was arrested by the occupation forces following clashes rocking al-Tour.
At nightfall on Saturday, the IOF also kidnapped the Palestinian ex-prisoner Majd Azem from Sebastiya town, to the north of Nablus, after they smashed his vehicle and subjected him to aggressive beating.
The occupation army claimed, in a statement, responsibility for the abduction of four Palestinians on allegations of involvement in anti-occupation activities.
The campaign targeted Palestinians from Jerusalem’s northwestern towns of Beit Anan and Qatna, along with others from Bethlehem’s towns of Husan and Beit Fajjar, in the West Bank.
Prior to the abduction sweep, the IOF wreaked havoc on the arrestees’ family homes.
Local sources said the IOF rolled into Bethlehem province and kidnapped the ex-prisoner Mahmoud Thawabta from Beit Fajjar.
Another ex-prisoner—Anas Taqatqa—was kidnapped from Umm Salamouna village, in Bethlehem. The IOF reportedly seized Taqatqa’s private car.
14-year-old minor Mohamed Abu Yabis was kidnapped by the occupation soldiers from his own family home in Husan village, to the west of Bethlehem.
Another Palestinian youth, from Nablus, was arrested at a military checkpoint pitched near Jericho city.
The Israeli military forces further stormed Nablus’s southeastern town of Ourata, in the northern West Bank, and ravaged civilian homes, before they subjected the residents to intensive questioning.
The campaign culminated in the abduction of two Palestinians from Beit Anan and Qatna towns, in Occupied Jerusalem.
Four minors, in their 17’s of age, were also kidnapped by the Israeli forces from Jerusalem’s eastern neighborhood of al-Tour.
On Saturday evening, 16-year-old Faysal Shabana was arrested by the occupation forces following clashes rocking al-Tour.
At nightfall on Saturday, the IOF also kidnapped the Palestinian ex-prisoner Majd Azem from Sebastiya town, to the north of Nablus, after they smashed his vehicle and subjected him to aggressive beating.
19 jan 2017
Affidavits released by Palestinian minors in Israeli jails provided shocking facts and proofs of harsh psycho-physical torture both during and prior to the detention phase.
17-year-old Mohamed Tahsseen Al-Dayem, held in Israeli lock-ups since August 15, 2016, said he was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces from his own family home at around 3 a.m.
“We bolted out of our beds as soon as the occupation army smashed the entrance gate of our family home and forced me out of my room after they handcuffed me with iron chains and blindfolded my eyes with a black ribbon,” said Mohamed.
“I was made to walk for dozens of meters, barefoot, to an army jeep, where an officer aggressively hit me on the back with his boots and forced me into the jeep,” the minor stated.
Mohamed added that he had been subjected to a strip-search in the Hawara camp before he was sent to custody.
“The occupation soldiers forced us to bow and bend our heads downwards while our hands were tied behind our backs for over 10 hours,” he noted.
Mohamed also said the soldiers refused the detainees’ appeals to allow them to go to the bathroom and to provide them with food and water.
“If one dares move an inch, he would be immediately beaten by an officer,” asserted Mohamed.
Another shocking testimony was provided by 15-year-old Omar Ahmad Abdat, locked up in Israeli jails since July 27, 2016.
“I had my heart in my throat when the occupation soldiers broke into my room and browbeat me,” said Omar. “They forced me out of the home, blindfolded and handcuffed. They even prevented me from putting on warm clothes before they made me walk on an arid road, where thorns and rocks were as countless as the stars in the sky.”
When Omar pleaded for water in the Hawara camp, an Israeli soldier brought a bottle and poured water on the minor’s body while he “burst into hysteric laughter.”
“I was later transferred to the Petah Tikva detention center, where I had been locked up for 11 days in an isolated cell. I had also endured exhaustive interrogations on a daily basis, while both my hands and foot were tied to an iron chair.
17-year-old Rami Maher Samar, held in jail since September 16, 2016, said he was kidnapped near the Salem military camp at around 4 p.m.
“The Israeli soldiers brutally beat me up all over my body before they shackled my hands with plastic chains while I was lying on the ground” said Rami.
The Israeli soldiers beat him again with rifle butts on his head and face on claims that he was holding a knife.
Shortly after, the Israeli soldiers dragged him to the ground by his leg while his body slammed into stones and thorns for dozens of meters until he reached the jeep.
Rami was later forced to bend downwards while soldiers spilled out cold water all over his body as they guffawed feverishly.
“Every time I attempt to take a nap, I just get my back hit with the boots of an Israeli soldier,” the testimony proceeded.
Human rights groups have often raised alarm bells over the harsh psycho-physical torture endured by Palestinian children in Israeli penal complexes.
Signs of trauma and psychosis are often the direct aftermaths of Israel’s tormenting policies against Palestinian minors.
17-year-old Mohamed Tahsseen Al-Dayem, held in Israeli lock-ups since August 15, 2016, said he was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces from his own family home at around 3 a.m.
“We bolted out of our beds as soon as the occupation army smashed the entrance gate of our family home and forced me out of my room after they handcuffed me with iron chains and blindfolded my eyes with a black ribbon,” said Mohamed.
“I was made to walk for dozens of meters, barefoot, to an army jeep, where an officer aggressively hit me on the back with his boots and forced me into the jeep,” the minor stated.
Mohamed added that he had been subjected to a strip-search in the Hawara camp before he was sent to custody.
“The occupation soldiers forced us to bow and bend our heads downwards while our hands were tied behind our backs for over 10 hours,” he noted.
Mohamed also said the soldiers refused the detainees’ appeals to allow them to go to the bathroom and to provide them with food and water.
“If one dares move an inch, he would be immediately beaten by an officer,” asserted Mohamed.
Another shocking testimony was provided by 15-year-old Omar Ahmad Abdat, locked up in Israeli jails since July 27, 2016.
“I had my heart in my throat when the occupation soldiers broke into my room and browbeat me,” said Omar. “They forced me out of the home, blindfolded and handcuffed. They even prevented me from putting on warm clothes before they made me walk on an arid road, where thorns and rocks were as countless as the stars in the sky.”
When Omar pleaded for water in the Hawara camp, an Israeli soldier brought a bottle and poured water on the minor’s body while he “burst into hysteric laughter.”
“I was later transferred to the Petah Tikva detention center, where I had been locked up for 11 days in an isolated cell. I had also endured exhaustive interrogations on a daily basis, while both my hands and foot were tied to an iron chair.
17-year-old Rami Maher Samar, held in jail since September 16, 2016, said he was kidnapped near the Salem military camp at around 4 p.m.
“The Israeli soldiers brutally beat me up all over my body before they shackled my hands with plastic chains while I was lying on the ground” said Rami.
The Israeli soldiers beat him again with rifle butts on his head and face on claims that he was holding a knife.
Shortly after, the Israeli soldiers dragged him to the ground by his leg while his body slammed into stones and thorns for dozens of meters until he reached the jeep.
Rami was later forced to bend downwards while soldiers spilled out cold water all over his body as they guffawed feverishly.
“Every time I attempt to take a nap, I just get my back hit with the boots of an Israeli soldier,” the testimony proceeded.
Human rights groups have often raised alarm bells over the harsh psycho-physical torture endured by Palestinian children in Israeli penal complexes.
Signs of trauma and psychosis are often the direct aftermaths of Israel’s tormenting policies against Palestinian minors.
16 jan 2017
The Israel Ofer Court sentenced Monday the Palestinian child Ayham Odey, 14, to three months imprisonment for an alleged stone-throwing attack, rights group revealed.
A fine of 3,000 shekels was also imposed on the child, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said.
Odey was detained on Nov. 11, 2016 while leaving his school along with his 13-year-old friend.
A fine of 3,000 shekels was also imposed on the child, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said.
Odey was detained on Nov. 11, 2016 while leaving his school along with his 13-year-old friend.
Mohamed Nabeel Buseila 17
A Palestinian prisoner was proclaimed dead in Israeli custody late Sunday in mysterious circumstances.
Local sources identified the prisoner as Mohamed Nabeel Buseila, 17, who was jailed for long time under criminal charges.
The prisoner was transferred to hospital late yesterday after suffering sharp pains where he was proclaimed dead.
Buseila’s family called for an independent probe, describing the circumstances of his death as "mysterious."
A Palestinian prisoner was proclaimed dead in Israeli custody late Sunday in mysterious circumstances.
Local sources identified the prisoner as Mohamed Nabeel Buseila, 17, who was jailed for long time under criminal charges.
The prisoner was transferred to hospital late yesterday after suffering sharp pains where he was proclaimed dead.
Buseila’s family called for an independent probe, describing the circumstances of his death as "mysterious."
15 jan 2017
The Israeli Ofer military court on Sunday evening sentenced a 13-year-old Palestinian child to 31 days in jail and a fine of up to 3,000 shekels.
Lawyer Mondher Abu Ahmad, from the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), said the Ofer court sentenced the Palestinian child Jabr Rebhi Badawi, a native of al-Khalil’s northern camp of al-Arroub, to 31 days in jail and a bail of 3,000 shekels on charges of hurling stones at the occupation army.
Badawi was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation soldiers on January 11, 2017 on his way back home from school. 14-year-old Ayham Mohamed Adawi was also kidnapped in the process.
Lawyer Mondher Abu Ahmad, from the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS), said the Ofer court sentenced the Palestinian child Jabr Rebhi Badawi, a native of al-Khalil’s northern camp of al-Arroub, to 31 days in jail and a bail of 3,000 shekels on charges of hurling stones at the occupation army.
Badawi was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation soldiers on January 11, 2017 on his way back home from school. 14-year-old Ayham Mohamed Adawi was also kidnapped in the process.
14 jan 2017
12 jan 2017
Israeli court of Ofer on Thursday extended the detention of two Palestinian minors, Jaber Badawi, 13, and Ayham Adawai, 14, to Sunday, January 15. Both are from al-Aroub refugee camp in al-Khalil.
Lawyer of Palestinian Prisoner Society, Munther Abu Ahmad, said in a statement that Israeli authorities extended the detention of the two boys for the continuation of investigation procedures.
Israeli forces arrested both juveniles Wednesday morning while they were going home after school.
Lawyer of Palestinian Prisoner Society, Munther Abu Ahmad, said in a statement that Israeli authorities extended the detention of the two boys for the continuation of investigation procedures.
Israeli forces arrested both juveniles Wednesday morning while they were going home after school.
The Israeli occupation authorities have deprived a 15-year-old Palestinian girl of her right to be visited by her parents in an Israeli jail.
The father of the jailed Palestinian minor Natali Shouka said the IOA allowed him to visit his daughter, detained since April 28, 2016, only once in jail and during court trials, under the security pretext.
In December 2016, an Israeli occupation court sentenced the Palestinian child Shoukha, a native of Ramallah’s town of Ramon, to actual imprisonment for one year and a half.
The child was shot and injured by the Israeli occupation army right before her arrest.
Dozens of other Palestinian families have been prevented by the IOA from visiting their sons and daughters in Israeli lock-ups.
The situation has gone far worse due to a Red Cross decision restricting the number of authorized visits down to once a month only.
The father of the jailed Palestinian minor Natali Shouka said the IOA allowed him to visit his daughter, detained since April 28, 2016, only once in jail and during court trials, under the security pretext.
In December 2016, an Israeli occupation court sentenced the Palestinian child Shoukha, a native of Ramallah’s town of Ramon, to actual imprisonment for one year and a half.
The child was shot and injured by the Israeli occupation army right before her arrest.
Dozens of other Palestinian families have been prevented by the IOA from visiting their sons and daughters in Israeli lock-ups.
The situation has gone far worse due to a Red Cross decision restricting the number of authorized visits down to once a month only.
Father of the youngest Jordanian prisoner in Israeli jails Mohamed Suleiman declared his intention to stage a sit-in outside the Jordanian Parliament next Sunday.
The father called for facilitating his legitimate right to visit his imprisoned son.
He appealed via social media for popular support, threatening to go on hunger strike in case his demand was not met.
Mohamed Suleiman is the youngest Jordanian prisoner in Israeli jails. He was detained in 2013 and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment over an alleged stone-throwing attack.
The father called for facilitating his legitimate right to visit his imprisoned son.
He appealed via social media for popular support, threatening to go on hunger strike in case his demand was not met.
Mohamed Suleiman is the youngest Jordanian prisoner in Israeli jails. He was detained in 2013 and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment over an alleged stone-throwing attack.
