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Abbas: Palestine no longer bound by agreements with Israel

President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority will not remain committed to agreements with Israel, referring to the Oslo Accords of 1993, while violations take place on a daily basis. Abbas told the General Assembly that Israel's refusal to commit to past agreements and release Palestinian prisoners, and continued Jewish settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, were destroying the possibility of a Palestinian state. "We therefore declare that we cannot continue to be bound by these agreements and that Israel must assume all of its responsibilities as an occupying power, because the status quo cannot continue and the decisions of the Palestinian Central Council last March are specific and binding." The Central Council meeting had called for an end to security coordination with Israel as long as it continued to violate signed agreements. Despite the call, security coordination with Israel has re

Mahmoud Abbas lists alleged Israeli violations before 'bombshell' UN speech

The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has circulated a hard-hitting critique of alleged Israeli violations of the 20-year-old Oslo accords and subsequent agreements ahead of his speech to the UN general assembly in New York later on Wednesday. The comprehensive matrix of claimed violations, seen by the Guardian, was compiled in July and has been shared with US and European officials, among others, and is expected to form the basis of Abbas’s speech. Covering issues from water rights, tax collections and transfer of monies, to settlement building, house demolitions and the continued Israeli military occupation which gives Israel “exclusive control of 62% of the West Bank”, the document argues that “Israel has failed to honour the accords as it has violated many of its provisions”. Western diplomats who have met Abbas recently report he feels exhausted and isolated, and say he will argue that he feels the Oslo agreements have been effectively gutted. A further flavour of what Abb

13-year-old shot by Israeli forces 'to undergo amputation'

The Palestinian Prisoner's Society said Wednesday that Israeli doctors had decided to amputate the leg of 13-year-old Palestinian Ahmad al-Muti after he was severely wounded by Israeli forces last week. The child was reportedly shot by Israeli forces during a protest in Bethlehem with a "dum-dum" bullet -- a bullet that expands inside the body on impact -- in his right leg on Sept. 18 before he was detained by Israeli forces, the prisoners' society told Ma'an. The Israeli army told the society that Al-Muti was shot and detained for throwing stones, but al-Muti's lawyer said that the 13-year-old was taking his brother to a nearby hospital when he was hit. The child was taken by Israeli forces to Hadassah hospital in Ein Kerem for treatment, where he was held under tight Israeli security and registered as a prisoner in the Ofer jail. When one of the society's lawyers visited Al-Muti in hospital on Monday he reported that the child was chained to his hosp

Israeli army bombs 4 sites in Gaza after rocket fire

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip early Wednesday after a rocket was fired from the besieged coastal enclave overnight, the Israeli army said. The army said in a statement that Israel's war planes "targeted four terror sites" in Gaza. Witnesses and Palestinian security sources said four training camps for Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, were hit in the strikes. They were empty at the time, and no one was injured. Three of the camps are located in Gaza City and the fourth in the north of the coastal enclave. The rocket fired from Gaza late Tuesday was intercepted by Israel's "Iron Dome" defense system, and caused no injuries or damage, the army said. It was claimed by a Salafist militant group, the Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade, which said on Twitter that it had been carried out in response to the killing of 18-year-old Hadeel Hashlomon in Hebron last week. It also cited Iman Kanjou, a Pa

Detainee Noureddin A'mar facing inhumane conditions in solitary confinement

The Palestinian Detainees' Committee said a Palestinian detainee, who has been in solitary confinement since September 20, is currently held in a cell that lacks basic requirements, in addition to constant fowl smells, bugs, roaches, and humidity. The Committee said Noureddin A'mar, 37 years of age, was forced in solitary in Ayalon Israeli prison, under direct orders from the Israeli Internal Security, and not the Prison Authority. It also said that the cell, where the detainee is held, is infested with roaches, bugs, in addition to humidity and constant foul odors. A'mar has also been denied the right to family visits for more than two years, and was moved a few weeks ago from solitary in Ramon Prison, to solitary in Majeddo. more

Qassam fighter killed in tunnel accident in Gaza

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, has reported that one of its fighters was killed, Monday, while working in one of its border tunnels. In a press release, the al-Qassam said Majed Sakani, from Shejaeyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City, died while working in the tunnel. On Saturday, August 29, the Al-Qassam Brigades said one of its fighters was killed in a tunnel accident, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Dozens of Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas or other armed resistance groups, have been killed and injured in tunnel accidents, while working to provide food for their families in the impoverished and besieged coastal region. more

New clashes as Israeli forces raid Al-Aqsa Mosque compound

Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday and deployed heavily in the courtyard, leading to clashes with Palestinian worshipers ahead of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Officials from the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Endowment told Ma'an that dozens of Israeli forces raided the holy site and fired stun grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets "haphazardly" in the area. Sources with the Jordanian-run organisation that administers the site, the Waqf, told AFP that police stun grenades provoked four fires inside the building that were brought under control. Around 15 snipers deployed on the roof of the southern mosque, while Israeli forces in riot gear were stationed in the main courtyards. Witnesses said Israeli forces closed the doors of the southern mosque with chains and forcibly evacuated worshipers from the area through the Hatta Gate. Locals also said that Israeli soldiers used hammer drills and oxy fuel wielding tools to remove several wind

Gas deal would make Jordan donor to Israeli apartheid

Activists in Jordan have put the state “on trial” for a $15 billion gas deal it is aiming to conclude with Israel. Dozens of organizations — including trade unions and political parties — have gathered under the Jordanian Campaign to Stop the Zionist Gas Deal, a coalition that was formed in December by several popular movements that began campaigning against the proposed deal in early September last year. The deal is being negotiated by the state-owned National Electric Power Company and a consortium led by US giant Noble Energy. If implemented, it would involve the extraction of more than 300 million cubic meters of natural gas from the Israeli-controlled Leviathan gas field in the Mediterranean Sea. On 5 September, members of the public took the Jordanian government and the state-owned company to task at a popular tribunal. Among the charges considered were that the deal would involve funding Israeli terrorism, threaten Jordan’s national security and aid war crimes against Palest

PA: Israel 'trying to kill' hunger striking Palestinian prisoners

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- The Palestinian Authority's committee for prisoners' affairs on Sunday said that Israeli authorities have thus far refused the committee'srequestsfor seven Palestinian hunger strikers to betransferredto hospitals for treatment. In a statement, the committee accused Israel of "trying to kill" seven hunger striking prisoners who have been on strike for 40 days, alleging that the“Israeli government is wearing down the prisoners onpurposein order to force them to end their hunger strike by depriving them of medical treatment and sending them to prison wards where criminal prisoners are being held.” The statement pointed out that the prisoners’ committee had submitted an emergency appeal to Israel’s High Court, asking the court to order the prisoners' hospital transfers. A spokesperson for the Israeli Prison Service told Ma'an over the phone on Sunday that the ISP could confirm the prisoners had not been transferred to hospitals, stating

PLO: Israel's new live fire law 'dehumanizes a whole nation'

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The PLO secretary-general said Saturday that new Israeli regulations authorizing forces to use live ammunition in occupied East Jerusalem served to "dehumanize" Palestinians. Israel's security cabinet on Thursday broadened the rules whereby stone-throwers can be targeted with live fire, allowing Israeli forces to open fire when they determine that the life of a third party is under threat. Arguing that the new law gifts Israeli soldiers with wide discretion for determining this "threat," PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat described the measures as "a mere pretext to justify the escalating Israeli crimes against the people of Palestine." He said the new laws would expand the level under which Palestinians may be directly targeted by Israeli forces. "The Israeli government continues to incite against Palestinian lives, with a culture of hate that dehumanizes a whole nation," Erekat said. Erekat said the PLO would hol

Israel broadens rules on use of live fire against stone-throwers

JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel's security cabinet on Thursday broadened the rules under which stone-throwers can be targeted by live fire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said. "The security cabinet has decided to authorize police to use live ammunition against people throwing stones and Molotov cocktails when the life of a third person is threatened and no longer only when the police officer is threatened," a statement said. Netanyahu publicly "declared war" on Sept. 16 against those who throw rocks and petrol bombs after an Israeli motorist died in a fatal car accident reportedly caused by Palestinian stone-throwing. The use of .22 caliber bullets -- long used as a crowd control method in the occupied West Bank -- will be allowed in occupied East Jerusalem in circumstances that Israeli forces determine are life-threatening. The security cabinet met to decide on measures to strengthen enforcement against demonstrators throwing stones and incendiar

Pharrell Williams faces BDS protests from thousands of demonstrators in South Africa

R&B superstar Pharrell Williams could face thousands of pro-Palestine protesters at a concert in Cape Town tonight (21 September). Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) South Africa – which campaigns against Israel's presence in Palestine – was given the go-ahead by Western Cape High Court for supporters to demonstrate against the singer's partnership with South African retailer Woolworths (no relation to the former British store of the same name), which it accuses of stocking agricultural produce from the disputed territories. The court decision, which was handed down on 18 September, paves the way for 16,000 Palestine supporters to protest until 4pm local time outside the Grand West Casino. The ruling reversed efforts deemed as unconstitutional by Cape Town authorities to limit the number of demonstrators to just 150. Earlier this year, the Happy singer was appointed style director for the retailer, who says that less than 0.1% of its food products are sourced from I

Hamas accuses Egypt of flooding Gaza border

Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Hamas on Thursday accused Egypt of further besieging the Gaza Strip by flooding the border area to the south of the Palestinian enclave, which is already under an Israeli blockade. Egypt has been carrying out digging work in the area for several weeks that Palestinians believe is intended to flood the last remaining tunnels between Gaza and the Sinai, where jihadist fighters have been battling Egyptian forces. Palestinians fear such moves will further isolate Gaza, where more than 100,000 were left homeless in last summer's war with Israel and which is blockaded by the Jewish state. Egyptian officials have declined to comment on the work criticised by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, where residents have reported water seeping over the border. "Why are they digging those trenches and those water pipes around Rafah?" Hamas's chief in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, said during a speech to commem

Hebron teen laid to rest as world outrage at murder spreads

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of 18-year-old Hadeel al-Hashlamon on Wednesday, a day after the teenager was shot dead by Israeli forces at a checkpoint in Hebron, as a key eyewitness refuted claims she had attempted to stab Israeli soldiers. Crowds of mourners carried the teenager's body through the city for her burial, condemning her killing and vowing revenge for the shooting. Participants raised the flags of Palestinian political factions during the funeral, calling for unity in the face of Israel's military occupation. She was then laid to rest in the martyrs cemetery in the city. Israeli forces had transferred al-Hashlamon's body to her family late Tuesday. The 18-year-old was shot at a checkpoint at the entrance of Hebron's central al-Shuhada street, after allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier, according to the Israeli army's official account. No Israeli soldiers were injured during the incident, and Israeli aut

Palestinian university student shot dead by Israeli soldier in Hebron

A Palestinian teenager has been shot dead by an Israeli soldier at a West Bank checkpoint. The girl, believed to be 18-year-old university student Hadeek al-Hashlamon, was photographed in the dramatic moments leading up to the confrontation in the city of Hebron. It is alleged Ms al-Hashlamon attempted to stab the soldier at around 8.30am on Tuesday, as tensions continued to simmer ahead of major Muslim and Jewish religious holidays. "The attacker attempted to stab a soldier," an Israeli army spokeswoman told Al Jazeera, explaining the unidentified soldier – who was not injured – then opened fire. An IDF spokesperson for the unit told the Jerusalem Post the woman had received medical care from nearby forces. However, contradictory videos have emerged – neither of which can be independently verified – one which appears to show the student lying unattended on the ground before being dragged off camera. Another video, from Shehab News Agency , shows three soldiers brief

HRW accuses Egypt of 'mass home demolitions' on Gaza border

CAIRO (AFP) -- Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused Egypt's military of having "violated international law" through mass home demolitions and evictions over the past two years along its border with Gaza. Egypt's army in October created a wide buffer zone in the border town of Rafah in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, where it says tunnels have allowed militants and weapons in from the Palestinian enclave. "The large-scale destruction of at least 3,255 buildings in Rafah to counter the threat of smuggling tunnels was likely disproportionate and did not meet Egypt's obligations under international human rights law or the laws of war," HRW said. Since July 2013 "the military has arbitrarily razed thousands of homes in a once-populated buffer zone on the border with the Gaza Strip, destroying entire neighborhoods and hundreds of hectares (acres) of farmland," the New York-based rights watchdog said. Egypt has stepped up its battle against mil

Palestinian killed during clashes with Israeli forces in Hebron

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- A 21-year-old Palestinian was killed during clashes with Israeli forces in the southern West Bank overnight Monday, with contradictory reports of how he died. A local popular committee spokesman,Ratib al-Jubour,said that Israeli forces shot dead Diyaa Abdul-Halim Talahmah, 21, during an Israeli raid near the southern Hebron village of Khursa. The young man was initially incorrectly identified as Muhannad Masharqa. The Israeli army alleged that he died after throwing an improvised explosive device that exploded prematurely. An Israeli army spokesperson said Israeli forces received reports of a road which had been blockaded with rocks near the village of Khursa, and that when Israeli forces arrived at the scene they heard an explosion nearby and went to investigate, finding a body. "Initial inquiries suggest the suspect attempted to hurl an IED at an army vehicle when it detonated," the spokesperson said. Dozens of Palestinians have been injured, and

Israeli army carries out a incursion into northern Gaza

Several Israeli military vehicles, and bulldozers, carried out on Monday morning, a limited invasion into Palestinian lands east of Jabalia town, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said the soldiers advanced dozens of meters into Palestinian lands, close to the border fence, and bulldozed them. The army conducts frequent limited invasion into border areas in the coastal region, bulldozes and uproots lands, in addition to firing on homes, farmers and workers. On Saturday at dawn, the army fired several missiles targeting different areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, causing excessive damage to homes and structures, while one Palestinian was injured. more

Army: Rocket fired from Gaza lands in southern Israel

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel overnight, Israel's army said, with no reported injuries. The rocket landed in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council overnight, with Israeli forces conducting searches in the area. Sirens did not sound before the rocket fire, Israeli media reported. No Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Israeli warplanes attacked several targets across the Gaza Strip on Friday night after rockets were fired at an Israeli town bordering Gaza. Friday’s rocket fire marked the eleventh such attack to hit Israel since January, according to the Israeli army, with no injuries caused. more

Seven prisoners join hunger strike against administrative detention

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Seven Palestinian prisoners on Sunday joined an open hunger strike against their administrative detention, bringing the total number of Palestinian hunger strikers to 14, thePrisoners' and Former Prisoners' Affairs Committeesaid in a statement. The committee said the seven new hunger strikers have joined seven others who have already been on an open hunger strike for 31 days. The committee identified the 7 new strikers as Muath Abu-Nassar, Odai Bayumi, Muhammad Hawarin, Mutasem Raqban, Ahmad Adawi, Ashraf Ezeghari, and Hassan Ezeghari. The statement added that "many more" Palestinian prisoners have threatened to join the open strike on Oct. 10, if the Israeli government does not meet the demands of prisoners currently on strike by stopping their administrative detention. Administrative detention is a controversial Israeli policy in which prisoners can be held without trial or charge for renewable six-month periods, indefinitely. Prisoners askin

Israeli warplanes strike Gaza after rocket attack

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – Israeli warplanes attacked several targets across the Gaza Strip on Friday night after rockets were fired at an Israeli town bordering Gaza. Israeli missiles reportedly hit a site in northern Gaza City which was used as the headquarters of the Civil Administration before Israeli forces disengaged from the Gaza Strip in 2005, destroying a radio tower. One person sustained minor injuries and was evacuated to Kamal Udwan hospital. Two missiles landed in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip and another landed in a military training ground called Abu Jarad located in the Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City. A witness and a security official in Gaza said the grounds were a base of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. Friday night an Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an that a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed adjacent to an empty bus in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, causing moderate damage to the vehicle. No injuries were repo

Clashes continue in different parts of Jerusalem; settlement bus burnt

Clashes resumed, on Thursday evening, in various villages and towns, and in a number of neighborhoods, in occupied Jerusalem, as part of the ongoing protests to the escalating Israeli attacks and invasions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Member of the Follow-up Committee in the al-'Eesawiyya town, in Jerusalem, Mohammad Abu al-Hummus, said dozens of soldiers invaded it, and fired many gas bombs and concussion grenades, leading dozens of residents to suffer the effects of tear gas inhalation. He added that several trees, located in a land inside a military base near the Hebrew University, were burnt during the clashes. Clashes also took place in the ash-Shayyah area, in Ras al-'Amoud neighborhood in Silwan, after local youths bunt an Israeli settlement bus. Israeli daily Haaretz has reported several Palestinians hurled stones on the bus, causing the driver to escape leaving the empty vehicle in the street, before the youths burnt it. Haaretz added that, on Thursday at night, an Is

Israel authorizes sniper fire against stone throwers

Israel has approved the use of sniper rifles against stone throwers in Jerusalem, Channel 10 reports on Thursday morning. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Attorney General to authorize sniper to target the stone throwers as part of his declared “war” on stone throwers in Jerusalem, PNN reported. Also approved was the arrest of minors and children under the age of 10 and 5 who throw stones, in addition to a fine up to 100,000 Shekels, about US $ 26,000. According to Days of Palestine, Netanyahu said that Palestinian children who throw stones at the Israeli occupation forces, deserve long-term imprisonment and their fathers must pay their fines. His remarks came after three consecutive days of Israeli violence against Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied city of Jerusalem. Despite international calls to calm down, Israeli forces stormed the site for the fourth day, prevented Palestinian worshipers from entering into it and giving chance for extremist Israeli settlers

Israel permits Gazans to access farm lands for first time in 15 years

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces on Wednesday allowed Palestinian farmers to access hundreds of acres of land along the Gaza border with Israel for the first time in 15 years, a spokesperson from the International Committee of the Red Cross told Ma'an. Suheir Zaqqut said the ICRC has been working to help Palestinian farmers regain access to the land since 2007, when the organization began "talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis." As a result of the talks, 500 farmers were given access to their fields, which amounts to 3500 to 4000 dunams (863 to 988 acres) of land. Salih Abu Haddaf, one of the farmers given access to his fields, told Ma'an that he "couldn't find words to express his happiness," as he watched tractors plowing his land in the east of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis. Abu Haddaf's son, 15, had never before been able to visit his family's land, he told told Ma'an. Abu Haddaf said he plans to plant whea

Israel’s bombs and blockade cause child labor to rise in Gaza

From the Electronic Intifada - Muhammad is only 12 yet he already has to work. Each morning at 7am he takes to Gaza’s streets, where he sells sandwiches from a little stall. “I have no choice,” he said. “Our house was completely destroyed in last year’s war.” Because of that destruction, Muhammad had to help support his family. Consisting of five girls, four boys and their parents, the family now lives in a rented flat. Muhammad earns approximately 30 shekels ($7.70) per day, all of which he hands over to his parents, who have no regular income. After working for a few hours in the morning, Muhammad goes to school. His older brother takes over the stall until Muhammad’s classes end. “I like my school,” said Muhammad. “I know that getting a good education is my surest way for a decent life. But this is life in Gaza. It’s a kind of living hell.” more

Soldiers open fire on homes at ‘Aida Refugee Camp, in Bethlehem

Israeli soldiers fired, on Wednesday at dawn, several rounds of live ammunition on a number of homes in the 'Aida refugee camp, north of the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Media sources said the soldiers, stationed on the military tower of the Annexation Wall, overlooking the refugee camp, opened fire on the homes without any apparent justification. The attack caused property damage. In addition, soldiers invaded the northern part of Bethlehem, and drove through several neighborhoods before withdrawing. The army also installed roadblocks on the main entrances of several towns, south and west of Bethlehem, and invaded Harmala area, in addition to al-'Obeydiyya town, east of Bethlehem. more

Israeli forces storm Aqsa Mosque in third day of clashes

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound's southern mosque on Tuesday sparking the third straight day of violent clashes at the third holiest site in Islam. Dozens of Palestinians were injured in the clashes, during which Israeli forces fired stun grenades, tear gas canisters, and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinian worshipers, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said. The director of the society's office in Jerusalem, Amin Abu Ghazala, told Ma'an that 26 Palestinians had received treatment. He said that some of the Palestinians had suffered wounds and bruises after they were physically attacked, while others had suffered excessive tear gas inhalation, although he added that no one needed to be hospitalized. The director of Al-Aqsa religious school for boys, Nadir al-Afghani, said that a 14-year-old boy was hit in his head by a rubber-coated steel bullet and had received 10 stitches. Officials from the Palestinian Authority

Israeli forces exchange gunfire with Gazans near border, detain 2

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Sunday morning exchanged fire withPalestinian gun men,east of the town of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, and detained two men, witnesses told Ma'an. Witnesses said Israeli soldiers detained two Palestinians who tried to cross the border fence into Israel, then opened fire at Palestinians near the fence. Witnesses said Israeli troops were the first to open fire at Palestinian gunmen near the border. Palestinian gunmen who were in the area fired back at the Israeli troops, according to witnesses. An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed that "two suspects breached the security fence," adding that Israeli forces then "fired warning shots into the air, and the suspects were taken in for further questioning." The spokesperson did not comment on whether fire was exchanged between the Gazans and Israeli forces outside of the alleged "warning shots." more

Clashes rock Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for second day

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces and Palestinians clashed for the second consecutive day at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Monday, with Israeli troops firing stun grenades and rubber bullets which injured at least one Palestinian. Israeli police said they entered the hilltop compound to ensure that Palestinian youths did not harass Jews or tourists during the morning visiting hours. "As the police entered the compound masked youths fled inside the mosque and threw stones at the force," an Israeli police statement said. At least three Palestinians were detained and an elderly man sustained injuries to his eye during the clashes and was transferred to hospital for treatment. An AFP journalist outside the gate saw a Jewish visitor leaving the compound scuffle with Muslims outside. The clashes come a day after violent confrontations at the holy site on Sunday, during which witnesses said Israeli police entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque itself, Islam's third-holiest site,

Israeli forces fire at Gaza fishermen

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli naval boats on Thursday morning fired gunshots at Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian security officials said. No injuries were reported in the incident, but fishermen, fearing escalation, had to sail back to the shore An Israeli army spokesperson did not immediately respond for comment. Last week, Israeli forces shot and injured an 11-year-old Palestinian child identified as Bilal Abu Amr near the shores of the Beit Lahiya village in the northern Gaza Strip while he was on a fishing trip with his father, medics said. Palestinian fishermen, who try to make a living off the shores of the blockaded coastal enclave, face daily risks, including routine harassment from Israeli naval forces, confiscation of boats and materials, detention and live fire. Citing security concerns, Israeli forces prevent fishermen from accessing watersbeyond six nautical miles from Gaza’s shore, which amounts to less than one t

Clashes erupt in Jerusalem after death of slain infant's mother

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Clashes erupted in occupied East Jerusalem overnight Monday following the death of Riham Dawabsha, the mother of an 18-month-old toddler who was burned alive in an arson attack carried out by Israeli settlers in July. The East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Wadi al-Joz, Silwan and al-Tour witnessed clashes, as Palestinians also marked a year since the death of Muhammad Sunuqrut, a teenager who was killed by Israeli police in Wadi al-Joz last year. Witnesses told Ma'an that Israeli forces deployed across Wadi al-Joz around noon on Monday, and during the night they reportedly raided Sunuqrut's family home. Israeli forces reportedly fired a stun grenade, and locals responded by throwing stones and firing fireworks. Separately, in the neighborhood of Silwan, clashes erupted in the Beir Ayoub area. A local monitoring group, the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, said that Israeli forces fired stun grenades indiscriminately, injuring two Palestinians. The infor

Israeli forces cross Gaza border, level lands

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli military vehicles on Tuesday morning crossed the border into the southern Gaza Strip and leveled Palestinian land, witnesses told Ma'an. Witnesses said that four bulldozers leveled land on the Palestinian side of the border fence in the eastern outskirts of Khuzaa town east of Khan Younis. Israeli soldiers used smoke grenades to conceal the movement of bulldozers and Palestinian farmers left their fields fearing possible shootings. Israeli forces have made repeated incursions into the Gaza Strip over the past year and have frequently opened fire on Palestinians who approach the border "buffer zone." more

Egypt to open Rafah for 3 days allowing Gazans to make holy pilgrimage

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – The Egyptian authorities on Sunday notified the Gazan Ministry of Interior that the Rafah border crossing would be open for three days starting Monday to allow Gazans to leave for the holy Muslim Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia's Mecca, Gazan officials said. The Hamas-run Ministry of Interior said in a statement that the Egyptian authorities would only allow pilgrims access through the terminal. The Rafah crossing, Gaza's only connection to the outside world, has been virtually closed since October 2014, allowing only a fraction of Gazans to leave or enter the blockaded enclave. Last month Egyptian authorities opened the crossing for four days, allowing 2,579 humanitarian cases to leave Gaza while 3,178 people were permitted entry to the coastal enclave. In late June, Egyptian authorities agreed to keep the crossing open for a week, the longest period so far this year. The 1.8 million residents of the Gaza Strip have lived under a strict Israeli blockad

UK petition calling for arrest of PM Netanyahu hits 100,000 target

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A petition to the UK government and parliament requesting that the government arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "for war crimes when he arrives in London," reached its targetSaturday afternoonwith 100,341 signatures. The petition calls for the arrest of Netanyahu on the grounds of alleged war-crimescommittedby Israel during its 51-day 2014 Gaza offensive, which killed more than 2,200 Palestinians, withmany more wounded in the 139 square mile strip. Around 20,000 Palestinian homes, 148 schools, 15 hospitals and 45 primary healthcare centers, and asmany as 247 factories and 300 commercial centers wereseverelydamaged or completely destroyed in the violence. The creator of the petition, UK resident Damian Moran, asks potential signatories to participate in demanding the arrest of the Israeli PM "under international law," which they claim lays grounds to detain the leader "for war crimes upon arrival in the U.K for the mass

Israeli forces shoot, injure child of fisherman in Gaza

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian child near the shores of the Beit Lahiya village in the northern Gaza Strip, medics said. Medics told Ma'an that Bilal Abu Amro, 11, was shot in the thigh while he was with his father, a fisherman. He was taken to Kamal Adwan hospital for treatment. An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an they were unaware of the incident. more

Israeli forces bomb Hamas military site in Gaza

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces launched an air attack early Thursday on a military site of the Hamas movement's armed wing in the northern Gaza Strip, local sources told Ma'an. Israeli forces fired two rockets at an al-Qassam Brigades military site known as Falasteen, causing damages. No injuries were reported. Israeli forces said the attack was in response to alleged sniper fire from the Gaza Strip, which hit a house in the Netiv Hatsra neighborhood, adjacent to the besieged territory. An Israeli army statement released early Thursday said shots were fired from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday and that "in response to the shooting, an IAF aircraft targeted a Hamas military post in the northern Gaza Strip, from where the shots were fired." The army could not say whether the shots from Gaza had been deliberate or stray fire from the Hamas position, identified in Israeli media as a training base. No group has taken responsibility for the alleged sniper fire, but t

Israeli forces shoot, injure Gazan 'after crossing border'

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian man near the Gazan border Wednesday morning after they said he crossed the border into Israel. An Israeli army spokeswoman said that soldiers went to the scene after they "identified a suspect infiltrating Israel from the sea." She could not confirm how he crossed the border, but said he reached the Israeli side. She said that soldiers fired warning shots and ordered him to halt. When he "did not comply," she said that they fired "at his lower extremities" and a hit was confirmed. She said the Palestinian "was evacuated for medical treatment in an Israeli hospital." Sources at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon told Ma'an that the Gazan had been brought to them. They said he had been hit in the leg and was in a stable condition. more

Erez border crossing closed after Gaza 'rocket fire'

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities Tuesday briefly closed the Erez border crossing into Gaza after a rocket was allegedly fired toward Israel from the coastal enclave but fell short of the border. The Israeli army said that rocket sirens sounded in southern Israel early Tuesday morning, but it was believed the rocket "fell short inside the Gaza Strip." An Israeli army spokeswoman said that Israeli forces were searching the border area. The Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) later closed the Erez bording crossing between Israel and the northern Gaza Strip, allowing only "humanitarian cases" to pass. A COGAT spokeswoman said that the crossing was closed between 8 and 10 a.m., "because the army had to search the place, because last night rockets were fired close to the Erez crossing." She said that Israeli soldiers "had to check that there was no danger." She added that Palestinian fighters "

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Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of  the novel coronavirus  spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with  some joking  that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario.  But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned.  "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible

Boycott of New York diamond dealer launched to protest settlement construction

Members of Adalah NY call for boycott of Leviev for its crimes against Palestinians and South Africans New York, NY, May 9 – On the day before Mother’s Day, 40 New York human rights advocates gathered at the Leviev jewelry store on Madison Avenue and called on throngs of weekend Madison Avenue shoppers to boycott Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev over his companies’ construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in West Bank villages including Bil’in and Jayyous. Mother’s Day is one of the biggest jewelry shopping periods in the US annually. The New York protest came as controversy is growing in Norway over Norwegian government investments in Leviev’s company Africa-Israel . The New York protesters also commemorated Bassem Abu Rahma from Bil’in who was shot to death by Israeli soldiers last month during a peaceful protest against the construction on Bil’in’s land of Israel’s wall and of the Mattityahu East settlement by a Leviev company. Thanks to vivapalestina.us (not co

Support striking Palestinian quarry workers demanding their rights from Israeli employer

On 16 June, 35 Palestinian workers at Salit Quarries in Mishor Adumim (in area C, east of Jerusalem, in the Occupied West Bank) began a strike. The workers, organized with the independent union WAC-Ma'an, are demanding an end to exploitation and humiliation, and insist on signing a first collective agreement. Salit Quarries’ main customer is Readymix Industries (Israel). The total reliance of Salit Quarry on Readymix as their biggest and by far the most important customer puts responsibility on Readymix to make sure that their clients abides by labour laws and safeguards elementary rights for the workers of Salit. We call upon Readymix to urge the Salit management to terminate this unnecessary strike by signing the collective agreement with the workers and WAC-Ma’an. Click this protest link to send your message. The text of the message is as follows: I write to you to express my grave concern about the failure of Salit management to sign a collective agreement with the workers of