Key Developments (April 18-April 20)
- Israeli special forces raided the Jenin refugee camp on Tuesday, April 18. At least eight Palestinians were injured during the raid, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health; no fatalities were reported. Among those injured with live ammunition was a 68-year-old Palestinian woman who was shot in the hand, Wafa news reported. A paramedic was also reportedly injured with shrapnel, and Israeli forces reportedly prevented paramedics from entering the camp, even shooting at an ambulance. According to Israeli media, three Palestinians were arrested during the raid on “suspicion of possessing weapons.”
- Two Israeli settlers were injured in a shooting in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on Tuesday April 18. CCTV footage released by Israeli police show a gunman approaching a vehicle before opening fire on it and fleeing the scene. Following the shooting Israeli forces embarked on a widespread manhunt, searching the homes of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah. According to Israeli media, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy allegedly suspected of carrying out the shooting was arrested by Israeli forces on Wednesday, April 1. The teen, a resident of the Askar refugee camp in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, had his remand extended by an Israeli court until April 27.
- Israeli forces conducted raids across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, arresting 17 Palestinians. Among those detained were Palestinian journalist Usama al-Aiasa, 60, and his son, Jamal, 26, when their home in the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem was raided. Israeli night raids in Palestinian towns and villages are extremely frequent, occurring on a near nightly basis. When Palestinians are arrested, they are often taken to interrogation centers inside illegal Israeli settlements, where they are questioned and interrogated without the presence of a lawyer or a guardian in the case of minors.
- Israeli forces raided the Palestinian town of al-Zawiya in the northwestern part of the occupied West Bank, outside of Salfit, and delivered “stop work” orders to 19 homes and buildings in the village. Stop-work orders are typically soon followed up with Israeli-issued demolition orders. Israeli forces also delivered five stop work orders to the Ramallah-area village of Ni’lin. The body in charge of demolishing Palestinian homes is the Israeli Civil Administration, which also plays a role in the promotion of illegal Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank. As of this year, the Civil Administration is now under the purview of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a hardline settler, and ultranationalist with a history of anti-Palestinian racism.
Important Figures
- Since the start of 2023, Israeli forces have demolished 290 Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank.
- At least 98 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers so far this year
Mondoweiss Highlights
Portrait of a grieving father: Amin Khazem mourns his son and resistance fighter, Nidal, by Mariam Barghouti
