On Thursday at dawn, 29 September 2005, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in two separate incidents in Jenin. Two of the victims were killed in Bourqin village, while the third was killed in the old town of Jenin. According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 00:30 on Thursday, 29 September 2005, Israeli forces moved into Bourqin village, west of Jenin. They surrounded a number of greenhouses located to the west of al-Shuhada Street, a branch road of Jenin – Nablus road. They turned off the lights of their vehicles. Soon, sounds of explosions and intense gunfire were heard in the area.

An hour later, IOF turned on the lights of their vehicles and moved towards Yahia Saber al-Shalabi’s house. They forced the owner’s son, 30-year-old Saher, out and took him to the place of the incident, which is 500 meters to the south of the house. They used him as a human shield to search a greenhouse belonging to his family. At approximately 05:20, IOF withdrew from the area and arrested Saher. Soon, a Palestinian ambulance moved towards the area of the greenhouses. The medical crew found two bodies in the area. The two bodies were transferred to Dr. Khalil Suleiman Hospital in Jenin. The victims were identified as: Nidal Mohammed Ibrahim Khallouf, 32, hit by several live bullets to the head and the chest; and Samer Yahia Saber al-Shalabi, 24, hit by several live bullets to the head, the chest and the left hand.

At approximately 07:00, IOF released Saher, who stated that IOF used him as a human shield to discover the destiny of the persons who were inside the greenhouse. One of the victims was his brother.

In another incident, at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into al-Saibat neighborhood in the old town of Jenin. A number of Palestinian gunmen clashed with IOF. One of the gunmen was killed during these clashes, Samer Ahmed al-Sa’di, 30, from Jenin refugee camp, who was hit by several live bullets to the head and the chest.

PCHR strongly condemns this serious escalation in attacks by IOF, which proves that IOF continue to substantially occupy the Gaza Strip, despite the recent evacuation of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank. PCHR is gravely concerned that a green light given to IOF by the Israeli government, allowing them to launch wide scale attacks, including extra-judicial killings and incursions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, will result in more casualties among Palestinian civilians.

PCHR also warns that the campaigns of arrests waged by IOF in the West Bank constitute an intervention into the coming Palestinian elections. Consequently, PCHR calls upon the international community and the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to immediately intervene to stop further deterioration and to protect Palestinian civilians from military operations conducted by IOF in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

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Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

BY TOPIC: Israel’s Assassination Policy