Violations Bulletin

May 2011
May 2011
Two children killed and one maimed during Nakba demonstrations Two children attacked by settlers in Hebron Children injured by unexploded ordnances in the West Bank Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International call on Israel to investigate killings during Nakba protests DCI-Palestine launches new English website its Milad Ayyash (17), killed in East Jerusalem,
I

Khamis Habib (17), killed in Gaza

May 2011 - Overview

On 7 May 2011, two six-year-old children were attacked by Israeli settlers in the Old City of Hebron. According to UN figures, three Palestinians have been killed and 85 others have been injured in settlerrelated incidents since the beginning of 2011.

Release of OneWorld video Freedom for Palestine RECENT MEDIA REPORTS - Haaretz child killed in East Jerusalem - Haaretz Obamas speech - The Guardian child injured by UXO - The Guardian Former Israeli soldiers break the silence - Aljazeera Nakba clashes - The Guardian Nakba day

During the month of May, demonstrations marking Nakba Day resulted in a high number of casualties and injuries. DCI Palestine documented the killing of two children during Nakba demonstrations: a 17-year-old boy from East Jerusalem, shot during protests in Silwan on 13 May 2011, and a 17-year-old boy from Gaza, killed by shrapnel from an artillery shell on 15 May 2011.

CONTENTS
Child fatality figures Case summaries In the spotlight

On 20 May 2011, two children were injured by unexploded ordnance while grazing goats near Hebron. Both children Also in May, DCI Palestine suffered burns. documented 13 cases of child injuries as a result of Nakba day At the start of June, DCI-Palestine protests, including the case of a 16- launched the new website, year-old boy who was shot in the providing easy access to genitals as he watched the information on DCIs areas of demonstration in Gaza at the Erez work and advocacy initiatives. border crossing with Israel.
Number of Palestinian children killed as a result of Israeli military and settler presence in the OPT

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

TOTAL

94

98

192

130

162

52

124

50

112

315

10

1347

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DCI-Palestine Violations Bulletin, Issue 9 May 2011

VOICES FROM THE OCCUPATION Voices Human shield Voices Human shield Voices Children of the Gravel Voices Children of the Gravel Voices Children of the Gravel Voices Soldier violence Voices Settler/soldier violence Voices Fatalities and injuries Voices Settler violence Voices Settler violence Voices Fatality Voices Soldier violence Voices Settler violence Voices Settler violence Voices Fatality Voices Fatality Voices Injuries Voices Settler violence

Case summaries
Khamis Habib (17 years) - On 15 May 2011, a 17-year-old boy with a mental disability is killed in Gaza by artillery shells fired during demonstrations commemorating Nakba day. Khamis (17) lived with his parents and six siblings in Jabalia camp in northern Gaza. He was mentally disabled. Since he was a little child, says his father, Salah, Khamis wasnt allowed to go far from the house because he would get lost if he went beyond half a kilometre... On 15 May 2011, Salah went down to his garage to work. Khamis went with him, but left after 15 minutes. At noon, Salah started to look for Khamis but could not find him. He started to worry that Khamis had gone to the Nakba demonstrations and that he would get lost. Salah headed to Erez border crossing with Israel, where protests were being held, but couldnt find Khamis. After reporting to the police in Jabalia and Gaza City, Salah went home to continue searching. At 8:00 pm he heard on the news that an unidentified body had been found near the border, and that he had been transferred to Shifa Hospital, in Gaza. Salah rushed to the hospital, and found his sons body in the morgue. He had died as a result of shrapnel wounds from an artillery shell. Why was Khamis killed? Salah laments. He had an intellectual disability and was small. He looked like a small child. B.B (16 years) - On 15 May 2011, a 16-year-old boy is shot in the genitals as he watched the Nakba day demonstrations at Erez Border Crossing with Israel. B.B lives with his family in Jabalia Camp, North Gaza. On Sunday, 15 May 2011, he went to the Nakba day demonstrations near Erez Crossing. Before we made it to the crossing, firing started and I heard three artillery shell explosions coming from the sandy lands west of Erez At around 12:00pm, I felt tired from standing and watching youths getting injured and carried away by others. There were two soldiers in the tower nearest the checkpoint, and they were shooting and deliberately targeting the youths. Soldiers in next observation tower were also shooting and targeting the youths. Suddenly, B.B. was shot. I felt something hitting me in the genitals; my testicles specifically. I felt so much pain I started screaming. B.B. was carried to an ambulance which rushed him to hospital. The doctors told him that the bullet had hit his right thigh and pierced his right testicle, finally lodging in the left one. I was taken to the operating room at around 7:00 pm. I woke up two hours later to find three quarters of my right testicle and one quarter of my left testicle had been removed. I was hospitalised for three days, then I came home to be confined to bed. Marwan (6 years) and Wad (6 years) - On 7 May 2011, two six-year-old children are attacked by Israeli settlers in the Old City of Hebron. Marwan and Wad live in Shuhada Street in the Old City of Hebron between two Israeli settlement compounds. Settlers pass constantly through the land where they play. At 4:00 pm on 7 May 2011, Marwan and Wad were playing when their neighbour, Abed, heard the sound of stones landing on our roof. He went out to see what was happening and heard Wad screaming and crying from the patch of land behind our house. The settlers beat us, she was saying. When Abed reached the land, he saw around 20 settlers, aged 12 to 18, of both sexes. Some of them were still throwing stones at our house and the neighbouring houses. Abed shouted at the settlers to go away and tried to get the Israeli soldier stationed nearby to help, but he didnt intervene to stop the settlers from throwing the stones and intimidating the two children. Eventually the settlers left. Abed found Marwan hiding behind an abandoned house. He was terrified, crying and unable to speak.' Marwan was taken to the hospital in a state of shock after the attack.
DCI-Palestine Violations Bulletin, Issue 9 May 2011

URGENT APPEALS UA 4/10 Gravel collectors UA 2/11 Children of Silwan

MEDIA ARCHIVE 2010-2011 BBC Human shield Haaretz Gravel collectors The Guardian Gravel collectors Independent Gravel collectors AFP Settler violence BBC Human shield Haaretz - Human shield AFP - Human shield conviction AFP Gravel collectors CNN Gravel collectors BBC - documentary on extremist settlers - The Ultra Zionists BBC US veto of UNSC resolution condemning settlements UN 2011 increase in settler violence Haaretz Israeli airstrikes in Gaza Haaretz Israeli settler sentenced to prison BTselem - Video footage: Soldiers stand by during settler revenge attack The Guardian Members of UN mission on Gaza war defend the Goldstone report

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For information on child rights violations during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza read DCI and Al Mezans report: Bearing the Brunt Again

In the spotlight
Excessive use of force during demonstrations May 2011 saw a sharp increase in casualties as a result of demonstrations. 15 demonstrators were killed and 204 were injured during protests commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe). According to the UN, The Nakba demonstrations and clashes started on 13 May for a period of three days, with a significant escalation recorded on 15 May (the day of the anniversary). The clashes mostly involved stone throwing by the demonstrators and the firing of live ammunition, rubber coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters by Israeli forces. Two children were killed during the protests. Milad Ayyash (17) was killed in Silwan, East Jerusalem, when he was shot with live ammunition on 13 May 2011. It is still unclear who shot him. Local witnesses say the shots were fired by an Israeli settler or settler guard from the third floor of Beit Yonatan settlement building. The Israeli Association for Civil Rights in Israel ACRI has called for a full police investigation into the circumstances of Milads death. Khamis Habib (17), a mentally disabled boy, was killed by an artillery shell during demonstrations in Gaza. According to Human Rights Watch, demonstrators in Gaza posed no imminent threat to the lives of Israeli soldiers that would necessitate the use of lethal force. Both Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International have called on Israel to conduct prompt investigations into the killing of protesters by military forces.

*** For information on settler violence against Palestinian children read DCI-Palestines latest report: Under Attack: Settler Violence against Palestinian Children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

*** For information on Palestinian Child Prisoners read DCIs latest Detention Bulletin, or the report: Palestinian Child Prisoners, The systematic and institutionalised illtreatment and torture of Palestinian children by Israeli authorities

DCI-Palestine launches its new English website

DCI Palestine is pleased to announce the launching of its new English language website: www.dci-palestine.org.
Lawyers and fieldworkers for DCIPalestine collect sworn affidavits from victims and/or eye witnesses of human rights violations against Palestinian children. These affidavits are collected in Arabic and further reviewed by trained staff to determine appropriate follow up action. Additional case summaries are available on request. For further information contact an advocacy officer at ria@dci-pal.org

The new website provides information on DCIs areas of work and advocacy initiatives, as well as useful tools such as statistics, videos and relevant media reports covering issues related to the situation of Palestinian children in the OPT. To receive updates on the situation of childrens rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory please subscribe on our new main page. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve our website please contact us.
DCI-Palestine Violations Bulletin, Issue 9 May 2011

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