Israhell plots killings

[yankeedoodle]

100+ snipers authorized to use live fire during Gaza protests – IDF chief
https://www.rt.com/news/422618-idf-snipers-gaza-rallies/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Israel has created a sniper task force, authorized to use live fire, ahead of the upcoming mass protests in the Gaza Strip, IDF told local media. Palestinians won't be allowed through the border fence at any cost, it warned.

The rallies are expected to kick off Friday and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it's ready to opt for the worst case.

"We have deployed more than 100 sharpshooters who were called up from all of the military's units, primarily from the special forces," Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot Eisenkot said, as quoted by the Ynet news outlet. "If lives are in jeopardy, there is permission to open fire."

The Israeli soldiers will use "a lot of force" to prevent any possible infiltration from the Gaza Strip, but the force is also to "save lives."

Issuing a tough warning to the Palestinians, Eisenkot has said: "If the Palestinians think they will organize a march and it will pass the fence and they will march into our territory, they're wrong."

The rallies in question are dubbed the 'Great March of Return' and will take place on Land Day, an annual commemoration of the murder of six unarmed Arab citizens by Israeli forces during demonstrations over land confiscations in 1976. Palestinian organizations, namely Hamas, maintained that the event would be entirely peaceful and warned Tel Aviv against any "aggression." On Monday, the UN also urged Israel to "express restraint" during the upcoming demonstrations and avoid civilian casualties at all cost.

This year, Land Day coincides with the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Pesach, and Israel has been significantly ramping up security measures beforehand. On Wednesday, Israel announced a week-long closure of the West Bank's Judea and Samaria region, as well as the Gaza Strip, citing the "current situation" as a reason. The curfew takes effect at midnight on Thursday.

Tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians have been soaring after US President Donald Trump's move to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, effectively recognizing it as the capital of Israel. The decision sparked widespread protests in Palestine, as well as in other predominantly Muslim countries.

The violence that ensued after the US president declared his decision saw dozens of Palestinians killed and injured. The crisis has also taken its toll on the Israelis.

Trump's announcement to relocate the embassy has also been met with little support even among his closest allies, such as the UK, which said it would stick to the UN "two-state solution" plan. The EU and others also voiced concerns that the move would only create more unrest in the already volatile region.

[yankeedoodle]

Clashes have broken out between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops as thousands gather along the border of the Gaza Strip and Israel for a massive, six week-long protest.
The 'Great Return' got underway on Friday as Palestinians gathered to hold a mass rally to commemorate Land Day, which marks the killing of six unarmed civilians by Israeli forces in 1976.

Hamas said as many as 100,000 Palestinians will take part in Friday's massive demonstration. The protest coincides with the week-long Jewish holiday of Passover, which could lead to an increase in tensions in an already-volatile region.

Thousands of people had already gathered along the border on Friday afternoon and dozens of demonstrators were involved in clashes with Israeli troops. IDF troops fired tear gas at the protesters during the violence.

Palestinians clash with Israeli troops at huge #GreatReturn protest on Gaza border (WATCH LIVE)
https://www.rt.com/news/422763-great-return-palestine-israel/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Palestinian killed by Israeli tank fire amid mass protests on Land Day, local authorities claim
https://www.rt.com/news/422762-palestinian-killed-israeli-tank/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

[yankeedoodle]

sraeli forces have killed seven unarmed Palestinians in Gaza, including a 16 year old, as thousands march for freedom and to return to their homes.

The "Great March of Return" has been organized by civil society organizations and all political factions in the besieged enclave.

Israel has perpetrated an 11-year blockade against Gaza's 2 million men, women, causing malnutrition. Many are refugees and their descendants from the 1948 war of ethnic cleansing by which Israel was created and stole their homes and land.

Detailed article with photos and links here:
Israeli forces kill 6 unarmed marchers and a farmer in Gaza and injure hundreds.
https://israelpalestinenews.org/israeli-forces-kill-5-unarmed-marchers-and-a-farmer-in-gaza-and-injured-hundreds/

[yankeedoodle]

Tear gas from the skies: IDF targets Palestinian protesters with drones (PHOTOS, VIDEO)[/b]
https://www.rt.com/news/422800-idf-tear-gas-drone/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Israel declares 'closed military zone' around Gaza as Palestinians 'killed' in mass border protests
https://www.rt.com/news/422802-gaza-clozed-military-zone-israel/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

[yankeedoodle]

Palestinians grieve en masse after 17 killed in violent Gaza clashes (VIDEO, PHOTOS)
https://www.rt.com/news/422870-palestine-funerals-gaza-clashes/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

[yankeedoodle]

Erdogan calls Netanyahu 'terrorist' in wake of Gaza deaths
https://www.rt.com/news/422909-erdogan-netanyahu-terrorist-gaza/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has unleashed a blistering attack on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu calling him a "terrorist" and the "leader of a terrorist state" following the deadly shooting of protesters in Gaza.

"I do not need to tell the world how cruel the Israeli army is. We can see what this terror state is doing by looking at the situation in Gaza and Jerusalem," Erdogan said, according to the Daily Sabah.

"Israel has carried out a massacre in Gaza and Netanyahu is a terrorist," he continued. "We will continue to expose Israeli terror all the time and on all platforms."

The comments came after Netanyahu suggested that Erdogan was playing an April Fool's Day prank when his spokesman described Friday's killing of protesters in Gaza as "inhumane".

More than 1,400 people were injured and 17 were killed when the Israeli military opened fire on Palestinian protesters on the border between Gaza and Israel on Friday. The IDF also used rubber bullets and tear gas on the demonstrators.

Taking to Twitter to describe Israeli forces as "the most moral army in the world" Netanyahu accused the Turkish military of bombing civilians. 

"The most moral army in the world will not be lectured by those who have indiscriminately bombed civilian populations for years," Netanyahu said. "apparently this is how April Fool's Day is celebrated in Ankara."

Netanyahu's tweet came in response to Ankara's criticism of the IDF's use of lethal force on the Gaza protesters which it described as a "disproportionate use of force". In a statement following the clashes it demanded that Tel Aviv "immediately stop resorting to force, which further exacerbates the tension in the region."

[yankeedoodle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icYyCBI-brY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFT7s0EkBFo

[rmstock]

15 Shot dead in Gaza on Good Friday
by Ryan Dawson , Published on Mar 31, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LlIMXljmEo
   "Israel is just disgusting "

[yankeedoodle]

Israeli defense minister threatens death to Palestinians coming to border
https://www.rt.com/news/423203-israel-palestinians-protesters-warning/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Days after the bloodshed along the border with Gaza, Israel's defense minister, Avigdor Liberman, has vowed a lethal response to those who approach the border fence again.

"Anyone who comes close to the fence will endanger their lives," Liberman said in a video message for the Jerusalem Post from Kibbutz Holit, close to the southern Gaza Strip. Liberman emphasized that all protestors would face Israeli snipers.

The warning came just hours after a Palestinian man, Ahmad Arafeh, fell victim to Israeli gunfire along the Gaza border, bringing the death toll to 18 since Friday when around 30,000 Palestinians started rallying. A six-week campaign called 'The Great Return March' is a protest against Israeli settlements on the former Palestinian territory which is now Israel. A number of protesters approached the border, some throwing stones, and Israelis responded with tear gas, gunfire and tanks.

The bloodshed elicited international concern and condemnation. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, and human rights group Amnesty International called for an "independent and transparent investigation."

However, all calls for an independent probe into the incidents along Gaza's border were dismissed by Liberman. The minister said troops acted appropriately and fired only at Palestinian protestors who posed a threat. The IDF claimed all of the Palestinians who were shot dead at the border were Hamas fighters.

Human Rights Watch defined such claims as attempts "to justify otherwise unlawful killings." Palestinians said the protestors were unarmed and defenseless refugees, as some of them were demanding the right to return home to the territory presently occupied by Israel, which was lost during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The territory was occupied by the State of Israel since the moment of its formation.

Ahead of looming protests this Friday, Israel's Foreign Ministry released a video in which it warned Hamas was "preparing for violent riots and armed combat on the Israeli border this coming Friday."

The video is in addition to a Foreign Ministry message that Palestinians "are violent rioters, not peaceful demonstrators."

During his visit to the border of the Gaza Strip, the defense minister said that protestors were "not innocent civilians who came to protest." Liberman told the Jerusalem Post: "Most of those who were killed are well-known terrorists who are active in Hamas' military wing or in Islamic Jihad."

Human Rights Watch deputy director for the Middle East, Eric Goldstein, said: "Israeli soldiers were not merely using excessive force, but were apparently acting on orders that all but ensured a bloody military response to the Palestinian demonstrations."  The organization called on the Israeli government to recognize that "even in the absence of serious domestic oversight, officials who order unlawful lethal force may become subject to prosecution abroad as a matter of universal jurisdiction or in international judicial forums."

[yankeedoodle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn5zRvQhb9M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eS4oCIqxTI

[yankeedoodle]

'Willful killing': UN warns Israel not to shoot at Palestinian protestors
https://www.rt.com/news/423431-gaza-un-israel-killings/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

The use of live fire by the Israeli security forces against Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border may amount to willful killing and a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the UN warns.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Liz Throssell has condemned the "deplorable" killing of Palestinians during the Great Return March, and harshly warned Israel against further use of violence.

One man has already been killed and dozens wounded during the Friday protest, Palestinian Red Crescent told RT. It followed a major outbreak of violence a week ago, when 18 Palestinians were shot dead and hundreds injured as Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) snipers were instructed to fire at anybody who approached the border fence.

"There are strong indications that security forces used excessive force" due to the high number of casualties and the fact that those killed or wounded by Israeli fire were unarmed, Throssell said. The spokeswoman pointed out that an attempt to approach the fence by the demonstrators "certainly does not amount to a threat to life or serious injury [to the Israeli security forces] that would justify the use of live ammunition" by the IDF troops, who had "protective gear and defensive positions."

"In the context of a military occupation, as is the case in Gaza, the unjustified and unlawful recourse to firearms by law enforcement resulting in death may amount to a willful killing, a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention," which states that civilians in a war zone are to be protected, Throssell said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged "Israel to exercise extreme caution with the use of force in order to avoid casualties" in a separate statement. He reminded the Jewish State that "civilians must be able to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully," also calling upon the Palestinians to refrain from provocative acts.

Israel expected up to 50,000 Palestinians to protest along the border on Friday, deploying tanks and snipers to the fence. "The IDF will not allow any breach of security infrastructure or the security fence, which protects Israeli civilians. The IDF will act against those who are involved in these attacks," according to a statement on Twitter, as the rules of engagement for Israeli troops remains unchanged.

The protesters threw stones and set thousands of car tires on fire in five hotspots along the fence. The IDF said that the black smoke from burning tires was used by the Palestinians as cover for terrorist attacks, which were prevented "with riot dispersal means... and fire in accordance with the rules of engagement."

Washington has blamed the violence on the Palestinians. US envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt said the protesters "should remain outside the 500-meter buffer zone; and should not approach the border fence in any way or any location."

"We condemn leaders and protestors who call for violence or who send protestors — including children — to the fence, knowing that they may be injured or killed," Greenblatt said.

The six-week-long March of Great Return marks the appropriation of Palestinian territories by Israel and the killing of six unarmed civilians by Israeli security forces on March 30, 1976. The leader of Gaza-based Hamas radical group, Khaled al-Batsh, said that the Palestinians were desperate to return to the land taken from them. Batsh added that the rally was also a message to US President Donald Trump that the Palestinians won't give up their rights in Jerusalem, despite the US' decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

[yankeedoodle]

IDF's tweet threatening children with sniper fire enrages social media users
https://www.rt.com/news/423441-idf-sniper-kids-tweet-adraee/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman has tweeted an image of a group of Palestinian children seen through a sniper's lens, along with an ominous warning.
Avichay Adraee, the IDF Arabic spokesman tweeted the image on Friday, which appeared to be stamped with red letters reading, "We see you very well."

https://twitter.com/AvichayAdraee/status/982269464040189952/photo/1

"Whoever thinks he can evade the lens of our forces is wrong, we see you clearly, and we will not allow anyone to threaten security of #Israel and the citizens of it. Enough with your naivety and self-endangerment," Adraee wrote.

Adraee's tweet was met with disbelief and outrage on social media, particularly in light of the current violence at demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel border.  Since the Great Return March protests started last Friday, more than 20 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds reported injured. The IDF was ordered to open fire at protesters who got too close to the border fence.

[yankeedoodle]

Murtaja, 30, was hit despite wearing a blue flak jacket marked with the word "press", indicating he was a journalist.

Palestinian journalist dies after being shot by Israeli forces
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/palestinian-journalist-yasser-murtaja-dies-shot-israeli-forces-180407054201619.html

A Palestinian journalist shot by Israeli forces during a mass demonstration along the Gaza border has died of his wounds.

Yaser Murtaja, a photographer with the Gaza-based Ain Media agency, was shot in the stomach in Khuza'a in the south of the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Murtaja, 30, was hit despite wearing a blue flak jacket marked with the word "press", indicating he was a journalist.

Hosam Salem, a photographer at the scene of the incident, told Al Jazeera on Friday that he witnessed Murtaja drop to the ground after being shot by Israeli forces.

"Yaser was filming with his camera next to me when we heard the sound of gunfire," Salem said. "He just fell on the ground and said, 'I've been shot, I've been shot.'"

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said seven other reporters were injured in Friday's protest, in what they described as "deliberate crimes committed by the Israeli army".

The union posted photos of journalist Khalil Abu Athira, who was shot during his coverage of Gaza's protest on Friday.

It also called for mass participation in the funeral of Murtaja, and for a protest to be held at 12pm (09:00 GMT) at the Manara Square in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

They also called for the United Nations to protect journalists and to implement UN Resolution 2222 into concrete steps.

In a statement, the Israeli army said that it "does not intend to shoot at journalists, and the circumstances in which journalists were allegedly injured by [the Israeli army] gunfire are unknown and are being investigated".

March of Return rallies
In addition to Murtaja's death, the health ministry announced on Saturday the killing of another man, 20-year-old Hamza Abdel Aal, bringing the number of those killed during Friday's protests to nine.

A total of 31 Palestinians have now been shot dead since the start of the protests on March 30, when tens of thousands took to the border area with Israel, demanding the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullet and tear gas fired at the rallies by Israeli soldiers, wounded at least 1,400 thus far.

The Palestinian health ministry reported that on Friday 491 people were injured by live ammunition after Israeli forces fired on protesters who had gathered near the Israeli border in the besieged Gaza Strip.

At least 33 of the injured have been described by the ministry as "critical cases".

Friday's demonstration was the second in as many weeks of a planned, weeks-long sit-in dubbed the Great March of Return.

Its main message is to call for the right of return for Palestinian refugees who were driven from their homes in the territories taken over by Israel during the 1948 war, known to Arabs as the Nakba

Around 70 percent of Gaza's two million population were forced from their homes and now live in a territory of about 360sq km, which has been described as "the world's largest open-air prison".

Israel has drawn sharp criticism for its open-fire orders along the border, including its warnings that those approaching or trying to damage the fence would be targeted.

On March 31, a day after the first protest took place, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Israel's troops for "guarding the country's borders".

"Well done to our soldiers," he wrote in a statement.

On April 1, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman rejected any independent investigation into the killings. "There will be no such thing here. We shall not cooperate with any commission of inquiry," he told Israeli public radio.

Lieberman warned on April 3 that protesters who approach the border between Gaza and Israel will put "their life in danger".

[yankeedoodle]

Price of safety? IDF snipers ordered to shoot at any 'threat,' even if it is child – ex-general
https://www.rt.com/news/424921-idf-snipers-palestine-minors/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Anyone, including children, who gets close enough to the Israeli-Gaza border poses a "threat" and could be considered a legitimate target by IDF forces, a retired general said, adding that such a policy ensures Israel's safety.

"At the tactical level, any person who gets close to the fence, anyone who could be a future threat to the border of the State of Israel and its residents, should bear a price for that violation," Israeli Brigadier General Zvika Fogel told the local Kan radio, as cited by the Electronic Intifada website.

He then argued that a "child or anyone else" can "hide an explosive device or check if there are any dead zones ... or to cut the fence" to allow infiltrators into the Israeli territory, if this person gets close enough to the border. In all such cases, the punishment for what he called "a violation of our border," which cannot be "tolerated," would be "death."

The general, who was the chief of staff of IDF's Southern Command, which controls the 65km (40 miles) border with Gaza, justified the military's firing on Palestinians at the fence, noting that the Israeli forces do not necessarily shoot to kill in all such instances.

He then argued that the IDF snipers are not just randomly shooting Palestinians at their own discretion, as each target is allegedly carefully selected and assessed. "I know how a sniper does the shooting. I know how many authorizations he needs before he receives an authorization to open fire. It is not the whim of one or the other sniper who identifies the small body of a child now and decides he'll shoot. Someone marks the target for him very well and tells him exactly why one has to shoot and what the threat is from that individual," he said. Fogel added, however, that fatal injuries can be inflicted if one "shoots at a small body."

He then brushed off any criticism by saying that, even though the "picture is not a pretty" one, it is "the price that we have to pay to preserve the safety and quality of life of the residents of the State of Israel."

The controversial interview came just days after the killing of a 15-year-old Gaza boy, Mohammed Ayoub, who was hit last Friday by a live bullet during the 'March of Return' protest in Gaza. A local cameraman who captured the shot, Abdul Hakim Abu Riyash, told RT that the teenager was nowhere near the frontline and was not carrying any sort of weapon.

The so-called 'March of Return' protest is being staged as Palestinians claim their former homes, appropriated from them by Israel in 1948. The protests began on March 30 and are expected to continue up until May 15, which for Palestinians marks the forced mass exodus from their land during the establishment of the state of Israel. Israelis celebrate it as Independence Day.

The bloody crackdown on the protesters launched by the IDF has already taken its toll on Palestinians. Since the start of the protests, almost 40 people have been killed and more than 1,400 injured by live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas used by Israeli forces against the demonstrators near the Gaza border, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Tel Aviv's actions provoked angry reactions from international rights groups, who repeatedly condemned the use of force by Israelis against unarmed protesters.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) blasted the "calculated" killings and said Tel Aviv presented no evidence "that rock-throwing and other violence by some demonstrators seriously threatened Israeli soldiers across the border fence."

Amnesty International also accused Israel of the use of "excessive, deadly force against protesters, including children." In early April, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also urged Israel to ensure security forces do not use excessive force against Palestinian protesters.

[yankeedoodle]

Palestinian teen 'executed' by IDF was unarmed, far from fence – witness & parents
https://www.rt.com/news/424840-palestinian-executed-idf-witness/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

The fact that a 15yo Gaza boy was unarmed and rather far from a border fence didn't stop Israeli snipers from shooting him, a witness who filmed the act told RT, as grieving parents called the killing of their son an "execution."

Mohammed Ayoub was shot dead by an Israeli sniper on Friday, as the heated protests along the heavily fortified Israeli border with Gaza went into their fourth week. The so-called 'March of Return' protest is being staged as a desperate Palestinian claim to their former homes, appropriated from them by Israel in 1948. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, thousands of protesters have so far been injured – and almost 40 killed – as the rules of engagement allow the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) to use live fire against any rioters they deem dangerous.

The moment Ayoub was hit "with an explosive bullet in the head" was captured by a local cameraman, Abdul Hakim Abu Riyash, who told RT the teenager was nowhere near the frontline and rather "far away from the Israeli fence – about 200-300 meters."

"He was not a threat to the Israeli army and he was not making any movement that can be considered as a threat," the cameraman said, emphasizing that the 15-year-old "was participating in the march like everyone else."

"He wasn't carrying any sort of weapon – not a stone, neither a slingshot, which my video proves," Riyash said.

Mohammed's grieving parents recall warning him that "the Israelis are threating and targeting people," but despite their attempt to forbid their son from taking part in the protests on Friday, he disobeyed them.

"He asked to go play outside, when he left he told his aunt that he is going to the demonstration for one hour only, and as soon as he got there they targeted and executed him... it happened in less than an hour," the boy's mother said.

The father of the killed teenager added that Mohammed was an "innocent child," who only wanted to "to take a look at his taken lands and to know that he got rights." The Israeli soldier who took his son's life must be a person "with no conscience," the bereft father told RT. "But not him alone, him and his state and president, those people are unethical."

While Mohammed's death caused international outcry, he was not the first Palestinian teenager to be killed by Israeli security forces, the man said. "Did they prosecute the soldiers who killed those children?" he wondered.

"I demand the UN and all countries to stand with us and punish the despicable [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and the terrorist, shameless soldier," the father added.

After the footage of Mohammed's killing emerged online, the EU condemned the Israeli actions and demanded a "full investigation" of the incident. "As we once again mourn the loss of lives, the EU calls on the Israel Defense Forces to refrain from using lethal force against unarmed protesters. As stated repeatedly, the priority now must be to avoid any further escalation of violence and loss of life," the bloc's statement said.

The chorus of outraged voices was joined by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov, who urged a thorough investigation and wondered on Twitter: "How does the killing of a child in Gaza today help peace? It doesn't! It fuels anger and breeds more killing."

Meanwhile, the IDF in its statement casually shunned any responsibility for the teenager's death and put all the blame on Palestinian radical group Hamas.

"Unfortunately, the Hamas terror organization deliberately places civilians in danger, when every week it places young children and women on the front line of the riots, sending them to the security fence and using them as a 'human shield' for the realization of its goals," the IDF statement read.

The IDF said it "again warns civilians against approaching the security fence and participating in the violent activities and terror attacks" despite witnesses saying that Mohammed wasn't involved in any of those activities. It added that the 15-year-old's death will be "thoroughly checked" just like all other cases when "it is claimed that an individual was killed by IDF fire."

[yankeedoodle]

Update: "Israeli Army Kills Three In Gaza, Injures 995"
April 28, 2018 12:46 AM
http://imemc.org/article/israeli-forces-gun-down-palestinian-protesters-in-gaza-killing-3-and-wounding-611/

The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that Israeli soldiers killed, Friday, three young Palestinian men, and injured more than 995, including at least 178 who were shot with live fire.

It stated that the first Palestinian who was killed by Israeli army fire, Friday, has been identified as Mohammad Amin al-Moqyd, 21, from Gaza city. His body was moved to the Shifa Medical Center.

The Ministry added that the soldiers also killed Abdul-Salam Bakr, 29, from Khuza'a town, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The third Palestinian who was killed by army fire has been identified as Khalil Na'im Atallah, 22, from Gaza.

In addition, the Health Ministry said the soldiers injured 995 Palestinians, including many who suffered serious wounds.  It added that 178 of the wounded were shot with live fire.

175 of the wounded Palestinians were injured in Northern Gaza, 251 in Gaza city area, 200 in Central Gaza, 146 in Khan Younis and 183 in Rafah.

On Friday at night, Israeli war jets fired missiles at a side, believed to be run by a Palestinian resistance group, west of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

The army also fired missiles at two Palestinian fishing boats in Gaza port. Media sources in Gaza said the boats are parts of preparations for welcoming an upcoming flotilla to challenge the illegal Israeli siege on Gaza.

The ongoing 'Great Return March' protests which started on Palestinian Land Day (March 30th) are meant to bring attention to the fact that millions of Palestinians are imprisoned in the Gaza Strip, unable to return to their homes in what is now Israel. Palestinians make up the largest refugee population on earth.

Israeli troops again opened fire on the unarmed protesters, as they have done each Friday since the protests began on March 30th.

Since March 30th, Israeli forces have killed forty-three Palestinian protesters, and wounded more than five thousand.

An international outcry against the continued shooting of civilian protesters has not reached the US, where politicians have been largely silent on the issue.

Irish and South African politicians have been leading the call for justice for Palestinians, calling the Israeli government an 'apartheid state' much like South Africa in the 1980s.

In response to Israel's fifth straight week of attacking unarmed demonstrators at the border, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, issued a statement that, "The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators – not once, not twice, but repeatedly."

Thousands of Palestinians gathered at the Gaza-Israel border today in several locations in the north, east and south of Gaza, for the fifth week of Friday protests.

Three Palestinians were killed today, and 611 injured by Israeli forces stationed at the border firing both live ammunition and so-called 'less-than-lethal' weaponry.

Of the 611 wounded, 154 were struck by live ammunition fired by Israeli soldiers at the border. No Israeli soldiers were wounded.

According to Ashraf al-Qidra of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 18 medics and medical personnel were among those wounded on Friday.

al-Qidra added that Israeli forces  specifically targeted medical service points twice with an unidentified gas east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. This appeared to be a new type of gas that caused those who inhaled it to suffer from severe convulsions. A number of these victims had to be hospitalized.

Palestinians make up the largest refugee population on earth.
Israeli troops again opened fire on the unarmed protesters, as they have done each Friday since the protests began on march 30th.

Since March 30th, Israeli forces have killed forty three Palestinian protesters, and wounded more than five thousand.

An international outcry against the continued shooting of civilian protesters has not reached the US, where politicians have been largely silent on the issue.

Irish and South African politicians have been leading the call for justice for Palestinians, calling the Israeli government an 'apartheid state' much like South Africa in the 1980s.

In response to Israel's fifth straight week of attacking unarmed demonstrators at the border,  the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein,  issued a statement that, "The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators – not once, not twice, but repeatedly".

[yankeedoodle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iljqXybA37c

[yankeedoodle]

IDF have 'enough bullets for everyone' – Senior MK from Israeli ruling party after Gaza violence
https://www.rt.com/news/426747-israel-bullets-for-everyone/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome

Israel Defense Forces have enough bullets for everyone, a senior lawmaker party said, according to local media. Over 50 Palestinians, including children, were killed by Israeli gunfire on Monday during a wave of protests.

Avi Dichter, a senior member of Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud Party, made the controversial comment when speaking to Hadashot TV news on Monday afternoon.

"The IDF has enough bullets for everyone," said former director of Shin Bet internal security service and Minister of Internal Security Dichter, as cited by the Times of Israel.

"I think that ultimately, the means that the IDF prepared, whether non-lethal, or if needed, lethal, in cases where it's justified by the open-fire regulations — there's enough ammunition for everyone."

The politician, who currently serves as a chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset claimed that the IDF "won't let anyone put soldiers, and certainly not civilians, in danger."

At least 52 Palestinian protesters, including seven children, were killed by Israeli fire during demonstrations on the day of the US Embassy's inauguration in Jerusalem, according to the latest data from the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 2,400 protesters were injured in what is considered the most violent day of the six-week-long Great March of Return.

Amnesty International called the situation in Gaza "another horrific example of the Israeli military using excessive force and live ammunition in a totally deplorable way." A United Nations committee also called on Israel to stop using "disproportionate force" against demonstrators.

[yankeedoodle]

Notice the number of Palestinians shot in the head, and the number of medics that were injured.

Health Ministry: "Israeli Army Killed 112 Palestinians, Injured 13190 Since March 30th"
http://imemc.org/article/health-ministry-israeli-army-killed-112-palestinians-injured13190-since-march-30th/

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip, has reported Sunday that Israeli soldiers have killed 112 Palestinians, and injured 13190 since the Great Return March protests started on the Palestinian Land Day, March 30th, 2018.

Dr. al-Qedra said that the soldiers killed 13 Palestinian children, and injured 2096 others, in addition to wounding 1029 women.

He added that 332 of the wounded Palestinians suffered life-threatening injuries, 3422 suffered moderate wounds, 9436 suffered mild injuries, and 5572 suffered the effects of teargas inhalation.

Dr. al-Qedra said that:

⇒ 502 Palestinians were shot in the head and neck.

⇒ 283 were shot in the chest and back.

⇒ 225 were shot in the abdomen and pelvis.

⇒ 938 were shot in their arms.

⇒ 325 were shot in their legs.

⇒ 1117 suffered various cuts and bruises to several parts of their bodies.

He also said that 27 of the wounded Palestinians suffered amputations in their legs, one in his arm, and four others had some fingers severed by Israeli fire.

Dr. al-Qedra added that the soldiers also shot and killed one medic, and injured 323 others with live fire and gas bombs, in addition to causing damage to 37 ambulances.

[yankeedoodle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=I4UTEjiiyFs

IDF snipers: choosing who to shoot
http://mondoweiss.net/2018/06/snipers-choosing-shoot/

Editor's note: In recent weeks Israeli forces killed at least 118 Palestinians and wounded more than 13,000 in confrontations at the fence that divides the Gaza Strip from Israel. The sheer number of shots fired at demonstrators has raised questions about the Israeli military's rules for using live-fire. Stephen Shenfield writes that in recent years the rules were stricter.

Snipers (sharpshooters) constitute about a quarter of all soldiers in the IDF's combat units. The standard course for the training of snipers lasts five weeks. The best snipers, however, are Russian immigrants who fought in Chechnya.

Snipers are organized in teams that form part of infantry battalions. Snipers are equipped with special rifles of various makes. Since 2010 the best rifle at their disposal has been the HTR 2000, which has a range of over 1,000 meters. Older makes have somewhat shorter ranges — several hundred meters.

The locator
Each team of snipers contains a specialist called the locator, who plays a key role in choosing targets. On April 10 a former locator by the name of Nadav Weiman talked on Israeli television to Channel 10 about his experience in a sniper team of the Nahal Reconnaissance Platoon on the Gaza border. (He now works for the organization Breaking the Silence as head of its education department.)

Here is how Weiman describes his work as a locator:
"I would sit with binoculars and an electro-optic lens during the day and a thermal lens at night. I would identify a figure, see if he was armed, then I would measure the distance with a laser meter and check the wind with an electronic weather vane. Then I would give the snipers correction data and count down 3, 2, 1, fire!"

It is of interest to compare this account of the pre-firing procedure with that given on April 1 by Major General Haim Cohen, commander of the Shaked Battalion near the southern end of the Gaza Strip, on the Galatz military radio station. Cohen omits the technical detail provided by Weiman but emphasizes two steps that Weiman fails to mention: (1) obtaining authorization to fire from a commander; and (2) warning the targeted individual by means of a PA system. According to Cohen, there was a commander next to each sniper team and it was he who gave the order to fire. But Weiman says that when he was in the army it was he, the locator of the team, who gave the order.

The open fire regulations
Both Weiman and Cohen say that the choice of targets is in principle guided by the open fire regulations. These are the regulations that Israeli human rights NGOs tried but failed to challenge before the Supreme Court on April 30. The precise regulations are classified, yet the Israeli network i24 reports they are "widely known in a country where most Israelis perform compulsory military service."

The open fire regulations, especially in their current form, mandate the shooting not only of armed but also of unarmed individuals who have been assigned to certain categories. One such category is the "main inciter" who "inflames" those around him.

How do you identify a "main inciter"? That, says Weiman, is "the million dollar question." It is left to the judgment of the locator or commander on the spot. It cannot be based on what the suspect is saying because the decision maker cannot hear him (and is also unlikely to understand Arabic). He can only observe him visually. In practice an "inciter" is probably just someone who stands out in some way.

Another category mentioned by Weiman — albeit in a different context, namely, that of Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip in 2014 — is the "scout". Weiman and his fellow soldiers were ordered to shoot any Palestinian, even if unarmed, carrying an object — it could be a cell phone or binoculars — that he might be using to direct or assist combatants.

The radio interviewer asks Cohen about the relationship between permission to shoot and distance from the fence. Is there a forbidden zone and how far does it extend? Cohen's answer is not very clear but he does refer to a 100-meter-wide "perimeter zone". However, many demonstrators in his sector were at distances of 70–80 meters, i.e., well within the perimeter zone, and were not shot solely for that reason — unlike those who approached very close.

Weiman concludes that the open fire regulations impose no effective constraints. Category definitions are so vague that they can be used to justify practically any target. This makes it very difficult to prove that a specific shooting violated the regulations. At the same time, IDF spokesmen constantly cite the existence of the regulations — their content, as you will recall, is a military secret — as a reliable safeguard against abuses. Catch 22.

Gaza — a free fire zone
However, perhaps Weiman exaggerates a little. Permissive as the regulations may be, it is doubtful whether, for instance, they allow the shooting of medical personnel wearing distinctive uniforms and holding their hands up like the nurse Razan al-Najjar. Another factor must be at work.

That factor is the perception of the Gaza Strip as a free fire zone where anyone can be shot and killed with impunity. This perception has developed within the IDF over the years in the course of successive punitive operations. At an earlier stage in the process some kinds of target were still off limits, such as women and people holding a white flag. But in recent years the situation has reached a point where soldiers are permitted to shoot at anyone they see.

As a result, many killings lack even the most tenuous security rationale. In Operation Protective Edge, for example, one tank gunner was told by his commander to fire a tank shell at any target as commemoration for a fellow soldier who was killed. As a sort of game, he and his buddies tried to hit cars moving along one of the Gaza Strip's main north-south roads. It may therefore be presumed that many of the Gaza demonstrators who have been maimed or killed were shot just for fun, to alleviate boredom, or to express hatred of the "enemy population".

[yankeedoodle]

Israel targets Gaza's children, say witnesses
https://israelpalestinenews.org/israel-targets-gazas-children-say-witnesses/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=028aecdf-0784-402f-9213-0af528c7810a

An Israeli soldier was heard threatening the boy before he was shot dead.
By Sarah Algherbawi, reposted from Electronic Intifada, Oct. 24, 2018

Every Friday for the past few months, Nasir Musbah insisted that he accompany his two older sisters to the Great March of Return. Both women are medics; Nasir used to carry their first aid bags.

Nasir's mother, Samah, allowed him to go on the condition that he would stay at a tent east of Khan Younis city from where the medics worked. It was around 500 meters from Gaza's boundary with Israel.

On 28 September, Nasir was at that tent when Islam, one of his sisters, called over to him, asking for the first aid bag. Nasir did as requested, then ran back towards the tent. On his return, he suddenly fell to the ground.

Nasir had been hit in the head with a bullet fired by an Israeli sniper. He was only 11.

"I saw a laser beam passing us and directed at the child's head while he was running," said Yasser Abu Khater, a protester who witnessed the killing. "I'm sure that it wasn't random. Nasir was targeted directly."

Islam and her sister Duaa were busy tending to the injured at the time Nasir was killed. When his sisters went to the medical tent, they were concerned that they could not find Nasir anywhere.

His body had already been brought to the European Gaza Hospital. Two hours later, they had to identify his body in the morgue.

"My little man"
"Nasir didn't miss a day since the Great March of Return demonstrations were launched," said Samah, his mother.

"He was a child with a big brain, he memorized the Quran, did kung fu and played football, loved to talk to adults, and helped us with the housework. He was my little man."

"I have no idea why Israel killed him," she added. "He wasn't holding a weapon. All he did was to help people who had been injured."

Samah has a back complaint. "Nasir wanted to be a doctor so that he could help me get better," she said. "He was a very kind child."

Wisam, 12, used to sit beside Nasir at school. "I miss everything about Nasir," Wisam said. "He was like the scientist of the class. He used to explain the lessons to us and help everyone. He was everyone's friend."

Another child, 14-year-old Muhammad al-Hawm, was among the seven people shot dead during the Great March of Return on 28 September. In total, six children were killed in the boundary area between Gaza and Israel last month. A seventh died of injuries sustained in August.

Carte blanche to kill
At least 34 children have been killed by Israeli forces while participating in Great March of Return protests since they began on 30 March.

Amnesty International has criticized Israel's newly announced "zero tolerance" approach to Palestinian protests in the boundary area.

Saleh Higazi, an Amnesty representative, expressed alarm that the policy would give Israeli forces "carte blanche authorization to carry out large-scale, unlawful killings escalating the bloodshed."

Higazi noted that Israel has already "repeatedly used lethal force unnecessarily and excessively against unarmed protesters in shameless violation of international law."

Higazi added: "It is now time the international community shows 'zero tolerance' towards Israel's flagrant contempt for Palestinian lives and disregard for its obligations under international law."

The September killings took place shortly before the anniversary of another child victim: Muhammad al-Dura. Aged 12, Muhammad was shot dead in Gaza on 30 September 2000. Filmed by the television channel France 2, his killing became synonymous with the second intifada.

More than 2,000 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli armed forces or settlers in the past 18 years. Approximately 1,600 of those killings occurred in Gaza.

"I'll shoot you"
The bloodshed is continuing.

On 3 October, Israel killed 15-year-old Ahmad Abu Habil by firing a tear gas canister into his head.

Ahmad, a resident of the Jabaliya refugee camp, was the youngest child in his family. "Our mother spoiled him," said his sister Kifah. "He was funny. He loved to tell jokes."

Two days later, Faris al-Sarsawi became yet another victim of Israeli state violence. He was 13.

Faris hailed from the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City. His grandmother Mutia has watched ambulances pass her home since the Great March of Return protests began in late March.

A woman and man sit on a twin-sized bed with three children and posters honoring their slain son on the wall behind them
The family of Faris al-Sarsawi, killed by an Israeli sniper during a protest earlier this month. ( Abed Zagout)
She had seen a number of ambulances on 5 October and, as usual, said prayers for the people inside them. "I never expected that one of those ambulances would carry the body of my lovely grandson," the 74-year-old said.

Faris had been named after his uncle who died during an Israeli offensive against Gaza in 2004. "My son Faris was killed in 2004," said Mutia. "And now they have killed my other Faris."

Maher Zaqoul, a neighbor, was standing near Faris at the 5 October protests. They were about 200 meters from the fence separating Gaza and Israel.

"An Israeli soldier deliberately killed Faris," Zaqoul said. "The Israeli soldier said on a loudspeaker 'you, with the white T-shirt, I'll shoot you' – pointing at Faris."

Within minutes of that threat, Faris was shot in the chest. He died immediately.

"My son was innocent," said his father Hafiz. "He had a lot to do in his life but Israel ended it very early."