Key Developments (June 6 – 8)
- At approximately 10:30 p.m. on June 7, and continuing into the dawn of Thursday, June 8, Israeli military forces invaded the Old City of Ramallah and blew up an apartment belonging to the family of Palestinian prisoner Islam Froukh, 26. Froukh is accused of carrying out the Jerusalem twin bus bombing in November 2022. Both Froukh and his family deny the allegations. During the military invasion, Israeli forces terrorized Ramallah residents as youth confronted Israeli forces with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Israeli army personnel threw sound grenades and high-velocity tear gas canisters directly at the residents of the building in which Frouk’s family home was located. The invasion ended by approximately 7 a.m., culminating with the detonation of the apartment, as part of Israel’s policy of punitive home demolitions, leaving destruction in its wake. Family members who spoke to Mondoweiss said that during his last hearing on June 6, Froukh and his legal team challenged the list of charges brought against him on the grounds that Froukh gave his confession under torture and duress.
- Two-year-old Mohammed Tamimi was laid to rest in his village of Nabi Saleh in Ramallah on Tuesday, June 6, a day after he succumbed to head wounds sustained by Israeli army fire. Israeli forces attacked mourners following the funeral, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at locals. Videos circulating on social media also showed Israeli forces engaging in physical altercations with residents, with one soldier documented kneeing a young woman in the abdomen. According to local media, at least one Palestinian was injured in the foot, and another sustained injuries to the face after being hit with a rubber bullet. Though Israel labels rubber bullets and tear gas as “crowd control” measures, the weapons have proven to be lethal and cause life-altering injuries.
- Israeli forces shot and injured at least six Palestinians in the Aqbat Jaber refugee camp in the Jericho district on Wednesday, June 7, during an army raid on the camp. Israeli forces raided the camp, sparking confrontations with locals. In addition to shooting live ammunition at residents, Israeli forces also fired tear gas and rubber bullets toward Palestinians in the camp. The Aqbat Jaber camp has been the target of increased Israeli military operations since the start of the year, with at least seven Palestinians killed in the camp in the past few months, and dozens of others injured and arrested.
- Israeli army forces rounded up and arrested at least 42 Palestinians from across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, between Tuesday, June 6th, and Thursday, June 8th. On Tuesday Israeli forces conducted raids in the Jordan Valley, Tulkarem, Jenin, Hebron, and Jerusalem areas, detaining 14 Palestinians. On Wednesday Israeli forces raided the Jenin-area town of Kufr Dan, injuring one Palestinian and detaining four others; a fifth Palestinian was detained from the village of Burqa, which has been the site of increased confrontations in recent weeks as Israeli settlers re-establish the illegal Homesh outpost on Burqa’s lands. On Thursday 23 Palestinians were detained across the West Bank, with 16 people arrested in the Nablus-area town of Beita alone, during a large-scale army raid on the town.
- Israeli settlers have continued to disrupt Palestinian life and take over Palestinian land and resources in several instances across the West Bank. According to local Palestinian media, In the Ramallah-area village of al-Mazra’a al-Gharbiyeh, Israeli settlers, under the protection of the Israeli military, closed off the village entrance before launching an attack on Palestinian homes in the town. Settlers set fire to Palestinian property in the town, destroyed a number of agricultural structures, and even uprooted some trees, according to Wafa. As the settlers went on their rampage, soldiers fired tear gas toward Palestinian residents who were attempting to defend themselves from the settler attacks. In the southern Hebron district, settlers from the illegal Carmel settlement set up tents on Palestinian land and seized a water well in Masafer Yatta. The settlers also reportedly chased Palestinian herders out of their own pastures. In the Salfit district in the central West Bank, settlers stole 14 sheep belonging to a Palestinian man from the village of Kufr al-Dik.
- On Tuesday, June 6 Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian home in the town of al-Mazraa al-Gharbiya, the same village that was attacked by settlers two days later. The home was built 20 years ago, according to the town’s mayor, and was allegedly demolished under the pretext of being located too close to a nearby illegal settlement The next day, Israeli forces delivered three demolition orders to homes in the Masafer Yatta area of the southern West Bank. If the demolitions go through, at least 20 Palestinians could be made homeless. Masafer Yatta has been the target of increased home demolitions and attacks by soldiers and settlers since May 2022, when the Israeli Supreme Court ruled to forcibly displace more than 1,200 Palestinians on the grounds that they were living in an Israeli army ‘firing zone’. On Thursday, June 8, Israeli bulldozers continued work on the outskirts of the Ramallah-area town of Sinjil, razing Palestinian lands in order to facilitate the expansion of the nearby Givat Haroeh settlement. Israeli forces also uprooted dozens of olive trees in the town of Hizma, northeast of Jerusalem.
Mondoweiss Highlights
Israel’s punitive home demolition policy, explained, by Yumna Patel
Important Figures
- 27 Palestinian children have been killed by Israel since the start of the year, according to Defense for Children International Palestine
- At least 156 Palestinians have been killed in 2023 in the West Bank and Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
- More than 4,200 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli forces in the West Bank since the start of the year, according to UN documentation.
- More than 300 Palestinians have been displaced due to home demolitions carried out by Israel
