Israeli forces shot dead a 24-year-old Palestinian, Jihad Muhammad MusallamAn-Natour in Askar refugee camp in Nablus early this morning. Jihad waswalking through the camp waking the inhabitants so they could eat before thedaily fast of the holy month of Ramadan began. According to residents thearea was quiet and not under curfew – when at about 3am they heard Jihadcalling and then immediately after heard gunshots.
Dr. Muhammad Awadi, the director of the local Red Crescent hospital said,“Many people called for an ambulance, and recounted what had happened. Wesent out an ambulance but Israeli soldiers prevented it from reaching thearea in which Jihad had been shot. It returned to the hospital empty.”
At 4:30am the soldiers left the area and, despite the recently imposedcurfew, some of the residents managed to get to the body of Jihad and movedhim to the Ittihad hospital. Doctors at the hospital who examined Jihadbelieve he died instantly from shots to the chest and his heart, however hehad multiple bullet wounds all over his body.
In another incident, armed soldiers occupied a house in Kafer Qalil, nearNablus, for some hours before destroying it with bulldozers and dynamite.According to Subhi Salah Al-Qinna, the head of the local council, soldiersin jeeps came to the house at around midnight (Monday) and demanded to seeAdel Ahmad Hussein Qinen, who was not actually at home. Despite this thesoldiers threatened to destroy the house if he did not surrender.
His wife and 10 children, and his brothers’ family who also lived in thebuilding, were then forced from the house, wearing only their nightclothes,and not permitted to take anything with them. Midmorning yesterday troopsused explosives and bulldozers to completely destroy the house. Since thistime the Israeli military has designated the town a closed military zone,not permitting journalists or others to enter.
This is not the first time Israeli soldiers have destroyed the homes of thefamilies of those wanted by Israel. Since July this year, 61 Palestinianhomes have been demolished, leaving more than 500 people homeless, more than220 of them children in another example of collective punishment – incontravention of the Fourth Geneva convention.
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