The Israeli Invasion of Ramallah- MASSACRES – MASSACRES - MASSACRES
hearpalestine, 31 Mar 2002
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HEAR PALESTINE
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Sunday, 31 March 2001
Official Palestinian sources are reporting that as many as 30 Palestinians
may have been executed in the area near to the Daraghmeh building on Irsal
street. Precise information on what took place is unclear, as access to
the area has been completely prevented. Additionally, there are fears that
similar massacres have taken place throughout the city, though residents
are fearful that this might only be the beginning.
Following are reports of what has taken place since
the invasion of Ramallah began at 3:00 am on 28 March. Please note that
under the circumstances, it has been extremely difficult to collect information
and as such the following report is the minimal information that Hear Palestine
has been able to confirm.
Additionally, it is important to point out that
Israel seems poised to invade and occupy all remaining Palestinian cities.
Major military concentrations have been reported surrounding Nablus, Bethlehem
(Beit Jala is already occupied), Qalqiliya (invasion already beginning
and electricity has been cut off), Hebron, Jenin and Tulkarem. At the beginning
of the invasion of Ramalllah, Sharon declared that an additional 20,000
reserve soldiers would be called up for duty to participate in Israel's
war on the Palestinian people.
Ongoing Israeli Military Occupation of Ramallah
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On 28 March 2002, the Israeli occupation army waged an unprecedented
military attack in most Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps,
while carrying out raids and wide-scale collective arrests within a campaign
of terror, barbarism and humiliation directed at the morale and determination
of the Palestinian people.
In Ramallah and al-Bireh, Israeli occupation soldiers
carried out wide-scale demolitions and destruction of official Palestinian
institutions and property in the surroundings of President Arafat's office,
which has been subjected to continuous military attacks since the invasion
of Ramallah.
Other residential buildings, official Palestinian
institutions and media offices have been attacked, homes occupied and a
large number of Palestinians arrested. Israeli tanks spread throughout
the city, isolating its residential quarters from one another and preventing
all movement.
Electricity and water have been cut off in most
areas in Ramallah, confining the civilian population to their homes.
At time of publication, it is difficult to obtain
an accurate number of casualties due to the inability of ambulances to
move.
Two security officers from President Arafat's personal
guards were killed in an attack on the compound yesterday, while a number
of others were wounded. Buildings and a large number of cars in the compound
were destroyed. Another two Palestinians were injured this morning, one
critically, during an attack that targeted President Arafat's office directly.
Ambulances have been prevented from rescuing them.
Additionally Israeli occupation forces have executed
9 Palestinian security force members since yesterday.
Attacks on President Arafat's office
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A large number of tanks and over 700 Israeli soldiers surround President
Arafat's personal office, while armored bulldozers continue to demolish
buildings in the compound.
A large number of occupation forces are based in
surrounding residential buildings including the wide dispersion of snipers.
The Israeli occupation forces, which have de facto
taken President Arafat hostage beneath the cover of "isolating" him, are
feigning attacks on President Arafat's office while incrementally getting
physically closer to the two remaining rooms where Arafat is located. Confrontations
intermittently break out between the few Palestinian fighters in the office
and the invading forces.
Israeli forces invaded and occupied the headquarters
of Ramallah's Mayor Abu Firas adjacent to President Arafat's office then
demolished a wall leading to one of the rooms of the President's office.
Israeli forces also attacked the office with heavy
machine gun fire, while continuing to besiege it with army tanks, heavy
armored machinery and a large number of soldiers.
US made Israeli Apache helicopters continued to
circle above Ramallah's skies throughout the morning, while more military
reinforcements were reported approaching the city from the direction of
the village of Rafat.
Occupation forces also fired an unknown gas inside
President Arafat's office.
Yesterday evening, Israeli occupation forces based
in President Arafat's compound warned through loud speakers that they would
invade Arafat's office within the coming hour to "arrest whoever they please".
A Palestinian source reported earlier that an Israeli
army official informed the Mayor of Ramallah Mustapha Issa Abu Firas by
telephone that the Israeli army will invade President Yasser Arafat's office
in less than an hour to arrest a number of "wanted people" and would open
fire at anyone who attempts to resist.
President Arafat had declared earlier that he would
resist any attempt to invade the office and would refuse to negotiate with
the besieging Israeli soldiers.
Earlier in the day, Arafat called on the international
community to put an end to Israeli brutality against the Palestinian people
in a message through an international solidarity team that managed to enter
his office and portray his message to the world.
Arafat praised Palestinian determination in the
face of Israeli racism and terrorism using all sorts of American weapons
to carry out aggression against the Palestinians.
Arafat told his people, "Together until a Palestinian
child raises the Palestinian flag over Jerusalem's walls, mosques and churches."
At 9:00 pm (30 March), the Israeli army waged a
continuous heavy military attack on buildings inside the compound. The
shelling targeted General Intelligence and Military Intelligence buildings
within the compound.
Military reinforcements are continuously being brought
into the location and its surroundings.
Two security officers were killed in the compound in yesterday's military attacks, after being wounded and left to bleed to death. These are:
- Ahmad Kallab, President Arafat's guard
- Shaher Abu Sharar, President Arafat's guard
Armored bulldozers continue to demolish all the buildings in the compound
apart from the building in which President Arafat is present, while snipers
point their guns at Arafat's office.
At 12:30 in the afternoon yesterday, Israeli occupation
soldiers besieged the Preventive Security headquarters in Betounya using
seven tanks, an armored bulldozer and three Apache helicopters.
Later in the day, Hussein al-Ashqar, 27 years old,
from Qalqilya, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers.
Collective Arrests – Collective Executions
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Invading Israeli soldiers have arrested at least 200 civilians since
yesterday though precise figures are expected to be much higher.
Occupation soldiers announced through loudspeakers
that Palestinian inhabitants aged between 15 and 60 must come out of their
homes and collect in given gathering locations (usually school yards and
public spaces). Many of these people are later arrested them beneath humiliating
conditions including the use of blind folds, plastic handcuffs and no warm
clothing provided in the cold weather.
There have been reports that PA police and security
members have been separated from other detainees and are being concentrated
in separate locations. There are widespread fears that collective summary
execution of these detainees could be taking place, akin to the collective
massacre that took place in the Taboun building yesterday where five Palestinian
security officers were found dead. Israeli occupation soldiers had taken
over the building earlier and executed the five security officers. All
five appear to have been shot in the head from short range while on their
knees as signs of blood on the walls reveal. These are:
- Khaled Awadallah, 32 years old, from Jericho
- Ismail Lib, 56 years old, from Deir Ghassan
- Sa'id Mahdi, 60 years old, from Gaza
- Abdelrahman Abdallah, 58 years old, from Nablus
- Omar Moussa, 54 years old, from Jericho
Additionally, four PA police officers had been shot and left to bleed
to death in the Islamic Club in old Ramallah. The identity of those killed
remains unknown.
Attack on al-Natsha building, central Ramallah
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At dawn yesterday Israeli occupation forces invaded al-Natsha building
in the center of Ramallah. Several civilian and political institutions
are present in the building. Occupation forces opened heavy machine gun
fire and fired gas bombs.
Dozens of people in the building were wounded as
a result, some critically. Israeli occupation military forces arrested
over 30 people present in the building, among them Sakher Habash, a member
of Fateh Central Committee.
Attacks on Hospitals and Medical Teams
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Israeli invading soldiers this morning held one ambulance while attempting
to rescue some of the injured and arrested the medics and driver after
opening machine gun fire at the ambulance.
Israeli occupation forces have consistently prevented
ambulances from movement. The army has confiscated 7 ambulances and 10
emergency medical team members have also been arrested. Their present location
is unknown. Several people have been injured in various areas of Ramallah,
especially in the area near to the Arab Bank, Qadoura refugee camp, Um
al-Sharayit and Old Ramallah areas, however ambulances are unable to reach
them and thus it is difficult to estimate their number.
Al-Ri'aya Children's hospital was raided by a large
number of occupation forces yesterday using police dogs in their raid.
Additionally, Ramallah hospital was raided today
and several of its medical personnel arrested.
A women's medical center on Irsal street was also
subject to machine gun fire. Medical personnel inside the hospital reported
to Al Jazira that at least two PA Security members were killed near the
hospital and that medical personnel have been unable to attend to them
because they are consistently shot upon when they approach the bodies.
Attacks on Media Institutions
-----------------------------
Al-Jazira and Abu Dhabi satellite station buildings were raided by Israeli
occupation forces today.
Israeli occupation soldiers raided and confiscated
a number of local Palestinian television channels, namely al-Watan, and
forced those inside the buildings to leave under the threat of weapons.
Occupation forces then broadcasted pornographic movies.
Israeli soldiers yesterday kicked out of Ramallah
city a large number of foreign and Arab journalists. Israeli forces aggressively
raided a media building (Imarat al-Ighatha al-Zira'ya) and kicked out all
the journalists present inside the building. Several media offices belonging
to various media channels have offices in the building.
It has also been reported that an American cameraman
was shot and injured today. Yesterday, a cameraman for the Egyptian Nile
satellite station was also shot in the neck and is in critical condition.
In recent hours, Israeli military forces have declared
Ramallah a closed military zone and demanded that all foreign journalists
leave the city.
Buildings Set on Fire
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Invading Israeli soldiers attacked and set fire to the four-story Chamber
of Commerce building, while preventing the fire brigades and ambulances
from reaching the location.
Al Asra' building, where a number of local Non-Governmental
Organizations and Human Rights groups have their offices was also set on
fire yesterday.
Military Attacks on Old Ramallah
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Israeli occupation forces waged attacks on residential areas this morning
in the Old Ramallah and Muntazah neighborhoods, inflicting severe material
damage. House to house raids and arrests were made in the area and wide
material damage was reported.
There have been reports of injuries but no exact
numbers were known due to the inability of movement and lack of communications.
Theft
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Increased reports are emerging of Israeli occupation forces breaking
into supermarkets and stealing products, which are then taken into armored
personnel carriers, presumably to be fed to the invading Israeli army.
Witnesses have also reported Israeli occupation
forces stealing at least 12 cars in Ramallah.
Cutting off electricity and water
---------------------------------
Israeli occupation soldiers since yesterday cut off electricity and
water from the city, including President Arafat's office where telephone
lines were also cut off.
Ramallah city has been transformed into a war zone.
Streets and basic infrastructure have been veritably destroyed while occupation
tanks roam the deserted streets and snipers have overtaken strategic buildings
throughout the city opening fire at anything that moves.
Given that this is the third day of the Israeli
invasion, one must presume that basic necessities are beginning to run
out, if they have not run out already.
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