Current Situation
The month of September has been dedicated to the Jewish festivities in Israel, resulting in the closure of checkpoints and the Ben Gurion airport during the Yom Kippur day.
Notwithstanding the growth of Covid-19 cases, the Government did not increase the restrictions, carrying on the vaccine campaign for the third dose and allowing the use of public spaces to all those in possession of a Green Pass.
On September 6th, six Palestinian detainees escaped from Gilboa high-security prison located in the north of the country. The escape put Israel on high alert and so most of the checkpoints between the West Bank and Israel were closed to recapture the fugitives.
Several clashes occurred especially in Jenin, the hometown where most of the fugitives come from. In Jenin Israeli forces closed also the Jalama checkpoint, which delimits the city.
On September 10th, two fugitives were caught near Nazareth and other two in Umm al-Ghanam. Eventually, a few days later, the last two fugitives were also recaptured near Jenin. All of them will be brought to trial after being tortured during questioning.
A spoon - the tool used by the fugitives to dig the tunnel that enabled them to escape from prison - has become a symbol for Palestinian resistance.
On September 10th, a 15 years old Palestinian boy reported a brutal attack committed by Israeli settlers: the young boy was beaten with wooden sticks and metal tubes before being tied to a tree, where the settlers burned his soles of the feet with firebrand and then left him there all night long.
On September 13th, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet met the Egyptian President al-Sisi in Egypt after the relations between the two countries restart. Among the issues, the increasing instability in the Middle-East was discussed.
On September 23rd, the Palestinian prisoner Hussein Masalmah, sadly known for his worsening health conditions, died. When he entered prison in early 2000, he was diagnosed with leukaemia but for years he did not receive appropriate treatment. He died after excruciating suffering in the hospital.
After the escape of the six Palestinian prisoners, several clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army took place. On September 26th, five Palestinians were killed at dawn in Jenin, Beita and Jerusalem, followed by two more on September 30th in Jerusalem and Burqin.
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On September 7th, the Israeli army violently repressed a Palestinian nonviolent demonstration on the South Hebron Hills, near Havat Ma’on outpost. After declaring the area a closed military zone, the army detained five demonstrators, releasing them only at the end of the protest.
On September 17th, another nonviolent demonstration was violently repressed, leading to the arrest of seven activists and the declaration of a closed military zone in the At-Tuwani village.
On September 28th, not less than 60 Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian villages of Mufaqqara and At-Tuwani. During the attack, several people were hurt and tens of cars and private properties were destroyed before the Israeli army’s eyes. A three-year-old boy was also seriously wounded in the head during the assault when he was hit by a stone thrown into his home. The child, who suffered a serious haemorrhage, was immediately taken to the hospital and he is fortunately out of danger. In the morning of the same day, the army also arrested some Israeli and Palestinian activists who were monitoring the Israeli escort engaged to accompany the children from Tuba and neighbouring villages to the school in At-Tuwani. The activists were released during the night.
OPERAZIONE COLOMBA
