Military incursions in Balata refugee camp are ongoing since Friday evening, 17/2/2006. Thursday, 23/2/2006, the IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces) reinvaded Balata refugee camp in a search for armed resistance fighters. During the invasions the IOF continued damaging civilians’ properties and injuring civilians, also firing on first aid teams and journalists trying to work inside the camp.
The IOF took over several civilian homes, occupying them, locking its inhabitants in one room. PMRS first aid teams and ambulances were present at the site trying to give assistance to the camp inhabitants.
The IOF fired life ammunition to the medical teams present, injuring several people, including medical staff from PMRS.
* Jarir Zakaria Qanadilu, ambulance driver for PMRS: he got shot by two bullets, one in his hand and one in his left leg. Currently he is still in surgery.
* Ahmad Arabat, first aid staff for PMRS: shrapnel in the chest.
* Ihab Mansour, first aid staff for PMRS: shrapnel in his head. Ihab, while being injured, was also arrested from the ambulance, and is currently held in detention for reasons that are unclear.
* In addition 2 international volunteer were injured: one Dutch volunteer was hit by shrapnel in the shoulder and an American volunteer was hit by a bullet in the hand.
It should be clear to everybody that these current military invasions are part of a new line of Israeli provocations and are aiming for more collective punishments against the Palestinian people.
Therefore Palestinian Medical Relief Society is calling the international community and its international donors to pressurize Israel to stop attacking medical personnel and to hold Israel accountable for these new war crimes, demanding an immediate halt to the continuous Israeli military invasions in Nablus (Balata refugee camp), the killing and injuring of innocent civilians and medical personnel.
These acts are a violation of 4th Geneva Convention (International Humanitarian Law), leading uptil now to the death of at least 8 people and injuring 45.
Israeli Violations Threaten the Truce
