September 1^st, 2008

August 2008 CASUALTY STATISTICS

 

 (1)       17 year old Palestinian was killed by Israeli Security Forces.  

 (1)         Honor Killing.

(19)       Palestinians killed by Palestinian gunfire.

Altogether 20 Palestinians were killed by Palestinians. One Palestinian was killed by Israeli Security Forces. No Israelis were killed by Palestinians. So far the Palestinian Authority is doing nothing to end the unlawful internal killings.

                      THE PHRMG SUMMARY REPORT FOR August 2008

11 Palestinians, Including 8 Members of the Helles Clan and 2 Police Officers were  killed and 103, including 17 children and 6 Women, were Wounded in Armed Clashes between the Police and the Clan in Gaza

 

On Saturday, 2 August 2008, security services launched a wide scale operation in al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, aimed to arrest wanted members of the Helles clan. A large force of the police and the internal security service besieged al-Turkman quarter in the east of al-Shojaiya neighborhood and armed clashes erupted between them and gunmen from the Helles clan. These clashes continued until 20:00 on the same day, during which time 11 persons, including 2 police officer and 8 members of the Helles clan, were killed, and 103 others, including 17 children and 6 women, were wounded. Eight of the wounded have been admitted into the intensive care unit at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

 

Several civilian bystanders, who were forcibly caught in the line of fire, were wounded. For instance, at approximately 07:15, a mortar shell fell near a chicken shop belonging to Maher Shukri Esleem in al-Ghalatha Street. As a result 9 civilians, including Esleem and his son, were wounded. Another shell hit a house belonging to Isma’il Ya’qoub Halasa in Baghdad Street. As a result, 6 members of the family, including 3 children and woman, were wounded.

 

The Dispersion of a Peaceful Assembly of the Hizb Attahrir by Security Services in Tulkarm

 

On Saturday, 2 August 2008, a peaceful demonstration organized by the Hizb Attahrir in the center of Tulkarm on the anniversary of the fall of the Islamic Khilafa took place. Immediately, members of Palestinian security services dispersed the demonstrators using force. Security officers violently beat the demonstrators. As a result, 4 demonstrators were injured. Security officers also attacked Sami al-Sa’ei, a reporter, and Mo’ayad al-Ashqar, a photographer, both working for the local Ma’an News Agency. They also confiscated the two journalists’ cameras.

 

 

Violence at al_Azhar University in Gaza 

On Sunday, 24 August, supporters of the Islamic Bloc, the student body of the Hamas Islamic Residence Movement, took over a room at al-Azhar University that is used by the Students' Union Council. Islamic Bloc supporters hung posters on the walls and distributed leaflets within the university campus, breaching an administrative decision to freeze political activities by student bodies within the university campus. Some students, including members of the Student Youth Movement, the student body of Fatah movement, subsequently removed the posters hung by the Islamic Bloc, and attempted to take them out of the room. Violence broke out between the two groups, followed by gunmen in civilian clothes entering the university. The gunmen attacked the students indiscriminately. The university evacuated the university in order to contain the violence. The police also intervened.  

 

Attacks on Civil Society Organizations and the Continued of Arrests against Hamas Members in the West Bank

In the evening of Wednesday, 6 August, Palestinian security services raided 4 benevolent associations and 2 printing houses in the Hebron Governorate, and confiscated their belongings. The security forces raided the “Mujama’ Islami” Headquarters in El-Thahiriya (south of Hebron), the Islamic Cultural Center in Taffouh (west of Hebron), Benevolent Islamic Society in Beit Ola (northwest of Hebron), and Islamic Orphanage in Beit Ommar (north of Hebron). The security forces confiscated 2 student buses belonging to the Benevolent Islamic Society School in Beit Ola as well as files and computers from the offices of all the targeted organizations.

In the city of Hebron, security services raided El-Huda Printing House owned by Azzam Azmi Hassouna and Lujayn Printing House owned by Nidal Emran El-Qawasmi, who is detained by Israel.

Security forces also raided Lujayn Printing House in Salam Street in Hebron. They confiscated files and computers. In addition, the Preventive Security detained Mu’taz El-Ja’ba (25), an employee at the printing house, after he was summoned for questioning on Friday, 8 August.

The arrests against Hamas members in the West Bank, Palestinian security services detained Walid Mohammad Sobhi El-Sayyed (28) and Islamboli Reyad B’deir (20) from Nablus. Both were detained on 7 August 2008.

Girl Murdered by Relatives in Khan Yunis to “Maintain Family Honor”  

On Saturday, 30 August 2008, Hussein Mustafa Kaware’, 67, from Jourat al-Lout area in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yuonis, went to a police station in the town and confessed murdering his 24-year-old daughter, Hala, and burying her in land belonging to the family. Immediately, the police moved to the area and took the body out. The girl’s hands and feet were tied and her mouth was muzzled. The body was evacuated to Nasser Hospital in the town and from their to the forensic medicine department at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. According to police sources, the father confessed murdering his daughter “to maintain the honor of his family.” The police also arrested 4 of his sons.