In the latest escalation by the Israeli military against
Palestinians, F16 fighter jets launched an air strike on police stations
in Nablus and Ramallah yesterday evening, Friday 18 May 2001. In Nablus
two fighter jets shelled the police station with a missile that totally
destroyed the eastern part of the building, killing 11 Palestinian
police officers and wounding 47, as well as a number of Palestinian
civilians. An eyewitness told LAW that he and his brother were in
a car returning from Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, approximately
50m from the police station when they heard a loud explosion. At first
they assumed it was just a sonic boom from an aircraft, but seconds
later a large cloud of heavy black smoke rose above the station. He
asked his brother to stop the car and rushed towards the station,
only to find it completely demolished with many National Security
Force (NSF) members lying on the ground and others aiding them. The
target in fact consisted of two buildings; Central Nablus Prison from
the west side and the police station from the east, the two buildings
separated by a large gate. The jets sent down a missile that totally
destroyed the eastern part of the building. Mahmoud Abu Hanood, a
Hamas activist detained in the targeted building, was among the injured.
The following are the names of the police officers killed in Nablus:
1. 21-year-old Khaled Sbaih from Tayaseer, Tubas 2. 25-year-old Ayman
Ma’ruf from Al Nakura, Nablus 3. 34-year-old Rif’at Rabay’a from Maythalun,
Jenin 4. 22-year-old Nasri Yacoub from Deir Al Hatab 5. 23-year-old
Mu’taz Al Khateeb from Boreen 6. 23-year-old Fadi Hamid from Biet
Dajan 7. 25-year-old Ahmad Khader from Biet Iba, Nablus 8. 29-year-old
Wa’el Abu Khader from Al Jadida, Jenin 9. 19-year-old Fahid Bani Odeh
from Tamoon, Jenin 10. 20-year-old Rami Yaseen, a cook at the post
from Aseera Al Shamaliya, Nablus 11. 19-year-old Nabeel Ismail, a
cook at the post from Deir Ighsoun, Tulkarem. Palestinian medical
sources at the Ministry of Health announced that the total wounded
as a result of the Israeli attack on the Nablus police station was
47, including 20 by shrapnel and others who suffered nervous breakdowns
and fainting. The following people were hit by shrapnel: · Ra’ed Ali,
19, from Tubas, shrapnel in the face. · Ayed Hassoun, 75, from Beit
Umrein, shrapnel in the chest and head. · Ali Shtayyeh, 22, from Tal,
shrapnel in the left foot. · Nasser Ali, 22, from Balata refugee camp,
shrapnel in the face. · Abdel Naser Shashtari, 23, from Nablus, shrapnel
in the face. · Fadi Al Habash, 27, from Nablus, shrapnel in the back
of the head. · Iyyad Al Qutob, 24, from Nablus, shrapnel in the left
leg. · Abdil Rahman Abu Areesheh, 20, from Gaza, shrapnel in the face.
· Muhammad Fares, 23, from Balata refugee camp, shrapnel in the right
hand. · Shadi Al Najami, 26, from Ein Beit Al Ma’ refugee camp, shrapnel
in the left foot. · Iyyad Sa’adeh, 24, from Tal, shrapnel in the back
of the head. · Na’el Qazeeh, 22, from Gaza, shrapnel in the back.
· Mustafa Muslim called Castro, 40, from Gaza, the head of the police
station in Nablus, shrapnel in the forehead and chest. · Mahmoud Abu
Hnoud, 26, from Aseerah Al Shimalyia, arrested at the Force, light
shrapnel wound in the hand. · Nahed Hamadi, 39, from Sibastyia, shrapnel
in the neck. · Hafeth Al Ghalayeeni, 27, from Nablus, shrapnel in
the head. · Ra’fat Wahdan, 30, from Tamoun, shrapnel in the head and
left leg. · Ahmad Masha, 21, from Balata refugee camp, shrapnel in
the left knee. · Munir Hatatbeh, 30, from Beit Fureek, shrapnel in
the chin and right hand. · Omar Lafi, 19, from Gaza, shrapnel in the
head. At around 5:15pm on the same day day, Israeli F16 fighter jets
rocketed the Force 17 headquarter in Al Masyoun in Ramallah, killing
24-year-old Ismail Abu Rafee’a from Gaza and completely demolishing
the building. The Israeli offensive injured 16 people with shrapnel,
nervous breakdowns and shock. Shrapnel hit 7 people: 1. Shireen Al
Bayari, 2, shrapnel all over her body. 2. Nadia Al Tarifi, 10, shrapnel
in the shoulder and limbs. 3. Omar Al Jimzawi, 9, shrapnel in the
mouth and forehead. 4. Mahmoud Ayyad, 15, shrapnel in the hand. 5.
Ra’ed Al Salhi, 25, shrapnel in the legs. 6. Abdul Rahman Marar, 21,
a Force17 member from Gaza, shrapnel and fainting. 7. Rami Abed Rabbo,
18, from Al Am’ari refugee camp, shrapnel in the face, right hand
and leg. In addition, shelling caused severe damage to many civilian
establishments: 1. The Grand Park Hotel, all the windows were smashed.
2. The Rocky Hotel, all the windows were smashed. 3. The 3-storey
Palestinian Communication Company offices, all the windows were smashed
and doors destroyed. 4. A 4-storey residential building, lived in
by the families of: Amer Al Tarifi (11 inhabitants), Ali Al Bayari
(9 inhabitants) and Saleh Al Bayari (9 inhabitants), window and door
destruction. At 8.40 pm Israeli fighter jets shelled three Palestinian
security posts in Gaza, including the Palestinian Security headquarters
in Ansar, Gaza city, and the Navy offices in Al Sudaniya, Beit Lahia
(north Gaza). The shelling destroyed the targeted buildings and injured
19 people including civilians. At 8.45 pm three Apache helicopters
shelled the Force 17 headquarters in Tulkarem. According to LAW documentation,
the gunships hit the building, which had been evacuated an hour before
the Israeli offensive, with six missiles, destroying it completely.
Israeli reinforcements took place at entrances to Palestinian towns
such as Al Bireh, Ramallah, Hebron, Khan Younis and Rafah, and overnight
Israeli forces made three attempts to break into Al Bireh, Dier Nitham
and Beit Reema in the district of Ramallah. At 6:30am on Saturday
19 May, while a number of Force 17 members were on patrol in the area
of Beitunya cemetery, west Ramallah (under PA control), Israeli soldiers
opened fire from a Palestinian residential building (confiscated 6
months ago) at the patrol car members who were 300m away from the
building. As a result, 18-year-old Ahmad Jibreel from Salfit was critically
hit in the right shoulder by gunshot that settled directly over his
heart. At around 7:15 am, the Israeli military committed a new cold-blooded
crime similar to the murder of the five NSF members at Beitunya checkpoint
on Monday May 14, 2001. An Israeli military force in civilian clothes
infiltrated a PNA Security checkpoint at the western entrance to Selit
Al Harthiyeh, south-west Jenin. Having done so, they opened fire at
the checkpoint from a distance of 200m. 35-year-old first lieutenant
Fawaz Damaj from Jenin was hit in the chest by three bullets, one
of which settled in the heart killing him instantly, and 26-year-old
Muhammad Daloub from Selit Al Harthiyeh was critically hit by a bullet
in the shoulder. A LAW researcher from Jenin stated that at that time
there were absolutely no clashes taking place, and the members of
the Palestinian checkpoint were not actively on duty. He added that
the Israeli force withdrew after the shooting and went to the Israeli
Civil Administration post at Salem checkpoint, around 1,500 metres
from the Palestinian National Security checkpoint. At noon today (Saturday),
three Israeli Apache jets shelled the PA headquarters in Tulkarem,
targeting the Palestinian Liaison post, police station, security apparatus
officials meeting room, restaurant and the waiting hall with 6 missiles.
67 apparatus members were injured, including 37 by shrapnel and the
rest from shock and nervous breakdowns. 28-year-old Palestinian Liaison
member Marwan Nour from Anabta was critically hit by shrapnel in the
right thigh. The shelling caused severe damage to the walls, roofs
and contents of these installations, smashing the windows and destroying
the doors as well. At 12:15 pm today, during the funeral of first
lieutenant Fawaz Al Damaj, four Israeli Apache jets fired 11 missiles
at the 2-storey Force 17 headquarters, destroying four military cars
parked in front of the building, which itself sustained broken roofs,
cracked walls and furniture damage. Following the funerals of the
11 victims, clashes broke out between Palestinian demonstrators and
Israeli forces at the southern checkpoint in Nablus (Kufur Qalil),
where Israeli soldiers opened fire at demonstrators and instantly
killed 20-year-old Hammam Abdil Haq from Nablus with a bullet in the
eye that penetrated his head. LAW Society demands the following: 1.
The Israeli government to immediately stop its crimes and collective
punishment against Palestinians. 2. An international investigation
committee to be set up, working according to UN Resolution 1322. 3.
The Security Council to set up an international tribunal and bring
the Israeli war criminals to justice, such as the case with the war
criminals of ex-Yugoslavia. 4. Placing Palestinians under international
protection. 5. The international community to put an end to these
crimes and to the Israeli occupation.