Btselem. INFORMATION SHEET (eng)

Following, is a report of some of the human rights violations carried out today in the Occupied Territories. The events included in this report are only those about which human rights organizations have been able to obtain information. The incidents listed represent only a minute portion of the human rights violations being committed throughout the West Bank. This report paints only a partial picture and does not necessarily reflect the worst of the human rights violations being perpetrated. Most of the information below was received by telephone, since fieldworkers are unable to reach the victims and eyewitnesses in order to collect testimonies in person. The information has been verified to the greatest extent possible given the current circumstances.

1. On April 9, 2002, after five days of curfew in Nablus, medical crewsand rescue teams were allowed to take bodies from around the city toRafidia hospital. Over the course of the day, 37 bodies were brought to thehospital. The morgue had enough space for only seven of the bodies. Medicalcrews had to lay the bodies down on the floor of a room. The hospitaldecided to use a refrigerator donated by a cheese factory to store thebodies, as the fact that many of them were in advanced stages of decaycaused a real danger of diseases spreading. One of the bodies was that ofMuhamad Abu Hatab. Parts of it had been eaten by dogs during the days theIDF would not allow its removal from the field where Abu Hatab was killed.Since the hospital does not have the capacity to store the bodiesappropriately, most of them were buried in a mass grave today. 18 morebodies were buried in the old city of Nablus in a temporary mass grave.(Source: B’Tselem)2. Yesterday morning, G.R. from Jenin refugee camp heard cries for helpfrom the rubble of the Abu Zeineh home in Al-Hawashin neighborhood. Ten ofthe camp?s residents arrived at the place and began to clear the rubble inan attempt to reach those trapped. IDF soldiers who were near the hospital,about 150 meters from the Abu Zeineh house, shot at the rescuers and drovein their direction accompanied by a tank. The rescuers fled the area.HaMoked – Center for the Defence of the Individual contacted the IDF andgave the exact location of the survivors. However, despite the military?spledge to rescue people about whom it received exact information, nomilitary representative arrived at the place. In the evening, under thecover of darkness, residents of the camp returned to the Abu Zeineh homeand rescued nine people alive. (Source: HaMoked – Center for the Defence ofthe Individual)3. The residents of Nablus? Damara neighborhood, north of Balata refugeecamp have been under curfew ever since the IDF entered the city. Theneighborhood is home to over fifty families. The residents have suffered asevere food shortage. Gas, electricity and water supply have been cut off.Since the curfew was imposed, several of the neighborhood?s residents havetried to leave their homes in order to get food. IDF soldiers shot at them.Only today, following over two weeks of curfew, did the IDF lift the curfewfor a few hours. (Source: B’Tselem)4. On April 15, at 4:00 AM, soldiers broke into the offices of a charityin the village of Dar Salah in Bethlehem District. The charity?s manager,who arrived at the offices the following day, discovered that the soldiershad broken the computer, photocopier and facsimile machine. They took foodsupplies which were meant for delivery, computer discs and photo albums inwhich the charity?s humanitarian activities had been documented. (Source:B’Tselem)5. On April 13, 2002, soldiers broke into the home of Hala Abu Hashash inRamallah. They searched the home and detained Abu Hashash?s husband. Afterthe soldiers left, she discovered that they took a gold watch that was in abox in the apartment. (Source: B’Tselem)6. The curfew imposed on different areas in the West Bank has paralyzedthe work of the regional health offices. As a result, many a