Occupied Palestinian territory: Protection of Civilians Report | 22 September - 5 October 2020

Biweekly highlights

• On 5 October, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian, aged 28, near Beit Lid village in Tulkarm. According to Israeli media sources, the man was part of a group of three who were throwing Molotov cocktail at soldiers close to Enav checkpoint; the other two fled the scene. The fatality brings to 20, the number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the beginning of the year.

• A total of 27 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces across the West Bank during the reporting period. In the town of Hizma (Jerusalem), Israeli soldiers shot and injured a 15-year-old boy in the head with live ammunition, in unclear circumstances. Near Qusra village (Nablus), Israeli forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters, injuring eight Palestinians, after they intervened to stop a clash between settlers and farmers. The clashes erupted when the settlers attacked farmers working their land. Seven Palestinians were injured in the weekly protest in Kafr Qaddum (Qalqiliya), and another two were injured while Palestinian farmers and activists were ploughing land and planting trees in an attempt to prevent settlers taking over the land, in ‘Asira al Qibliya village. In addition, four injuries were sustained in ad-hoc clashes with Israeli forces in the refugee camps of Jenin and Ein as Sultan (Jericho), and in Surif and Beit Ummar villages (both in Hebron). Three other Palestinians were injured in unclear circumstances in Kafr Malik village (Ramallah) and Jenin City. The remaining two Palestinians were injured while they were attempting to enter Israel through breaches in the Barrier in Tulkarm and Jenin governorates. Overall, 14 were injured by rubber bullets, nine by live ammunition, and the rest were physically assaulted or treated for tear gas inhalation.

• Israeli forces carried out 226 search-and-arrest operations and arrested at least 180 Palestinians across the West Bank, which represents an 87 percent increase above the 2020 biweekly average so far. As in previous weeks, the majority of the operations (42) occurred in the Jerusalem governorate, particularly in Al ‘Isawiya neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, followed by the Hebron (35) and Qalqiliya (31) governorates. Overnight, on 1 October until noon the next day, a large-scale operation took place in Al ‘Isawiya, with at least 18 Palestinians arrested. Intense police operations have been ongoing in Al Isawiya since mid -2019, resulting in heightened tensions and disruption of the lives of at least 18,000 residents.