Summary of the Israeli Colonial Violations, May 2021
Maher Abed
This report briefly summarizes the Israeli occupation violations of human rights against the Palestinian lands and people during May 2021. The report relies on information from the daily reports of the Palestinian Monitoring Group of the PLO’s Negotiations Affairs Circle, Monitoring Israeli Colonization Activists in the Palestinian Territories (POICA), We Watch Israeli Violations (wewiv) body, Israel and Palestinian human rights organizations, and live field following up.
The occupation forces launched a brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip during this month, which lasted for 11 days. They targeted with air, artillery and sea bombardment the homes of civilians, killing and wounding thousands of citizens. Groups of settlers also attacked Palestinian citizens in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the territories occupied in 1948. We documented thousands of injuries and dozens of martyrs of Palestinian civilians. Below we review the details of the violations of the occupation and its settlers during May 2021.
Table: The Israeli occupation and settlements and violations during May 2020
| The Violation | Figure |
| Martyrs | 299 martyrs |
| Wounded | 26744 wounded |
| Detainees | 753 detainees |
| Retention | 5 people |
| Displacement from the Al-Aqsa Mosque | 4 people |
| Storming into Palestinian residential areas | 295 cases |
| Abrupt Military Checkpoints | 332 checkpoints |
| House demolitions | 3 houses |
| Demolishing agricultural, industrial and commercial facilities | 3 establishments |
| Completely destroyed homes by aerial bombardment – Gaza | 258 buildings including 1042 residential and commercial units |
| Severely damaged by the aerial bombardment – Gaza | 769 houses |
| Partially destroyed houses – Gaza | 14,536 houses |
| Damaged hospitals and medical centres – Gaza | 6 hospitals and 11 health centers |
| Damaged educational facilities – Gaza | 54 facilities |
| Displacement of citizens – Gaza | 77,000 people have been displaced in Gaza |
| Shooting at Palestinian civilians | 1066 cases |
| Aerial bombing in the Gaza Strip | 1191 cases |
| Destruction and confiscation of property | 21 cases |
| Attack on holy places | 17 cases |
| Settlers’ terror | 187 cases |
| Cutting and burning | 500 trees |
| Settlement activities | 12 activities |
| New settlement units | 650 new units |
Martyrs and Injured:
The Israeli occupation forces killed 299 Palestinian citizens this month, 263 in the Gaza Strip. They were killed by targeting their houses with warplanes and artillery shells. Among these killed were 66 children and 38 women, including four pregnant women. Other 34 Palestinian citizens (including women and children) in the West Bank were shot by the occupation forces at the checkpoints or during storming Palestinian villages and cities. Two other people were killed in Lod and Umm al-Fahm in the occupied territories in 1948.
More than 1950 Palestinians were injured in the escalation on the Gaza Strip, including 610 children and 398 women, and three pregnant women. Other 6,794 citizens, including 718, were wounded by live bullets in the West Bank. One thousand seven hundred thirteen people were hit by metal and rubber bullets. Four thousand fifty-four people were injured by gas canisters.
Arrest, detention, storming of residential areas, and deportation of citizens from Jerusalem:
The Israeli occupation arrested 753 citizens in the West Bank this month, including 34 children, nine women citizens, two students, three journalists. The detainees are distributed according to the governorate as follows: 311 Jerusalem, 66 Ramallah, 51 Jenin, 20 Tubas, 46 Tulkarm, 22 Qalqilya, 61 Nablus, 14 Salfit, 17 Jericho, 47 Bethlehem, 98 Hebron.
The occupation forces also detained five citizens while storming Palestinian villages and cities at the occupation checkpoints in the West Bank. In addition, during this month, the occupation forces deported four citizens of Jerusalem from Al-Aqsa Mosque for different periods.
This month witnessed 295 cases of incursions by the occupation army into Palestinian residential communities, and the following is the distribution of these incursions by governorate: 22 Jerusalem, 35 Ramallah, 43 Jenin, 8 Tubas, 26 Tulkarm, 10 Qalqilya, 47 Nablus, 12 Salfit, 7 Jericho, 42 Bethlehem, 38 Hebron.
Erecting military checkpoints and shooting at Palestinian citizens:
During the month, the occupation army set up 332 sudden checkpoints to disrupt the movement of citizens throughout the West Bank. These checkpoints were distributed over the governorates as follows: 17 Jerusalem, 45 Ramallah, 3 Jenin, 2 Tubas, 2 Tulkarm, 40 Qalqilya, 39 Nablus, 55 Salfit, and 30 Jericho 58 Bethlehem, 41 Hebron.
Meanwhile, the occupation army shot Palestinian civilians in 1,066 cases, including 613 in the West Bank and the rest in the Gaza Strip. The occupation also bombed locations in the Gaza Strip in 1,191 cases.
Destruction and displacement in the Gaza Strip:
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing, the occupation forces, through aerial and ground bombardment in the Gaza Strip, destroyed 258 buildings, consisting of 1,042 residential and commercial units, and severely damaged 769 housing units, rendering them uninhabitable, while various damages occurred in 14,536 housing units.
Six hospitals and 11 primary health care centres were damaged as well, and 54 educational facilities were damaged during the escalation.
According to UNRWA, more than 77,000 people took refuge in its 58 schools during the aggression on Gaza.
Home and infrastructure demolition and property destruction:
During this month, the occupation demolished 3 Palestinian residential buildings in the West Bank in the village of Al-Fardis, east of Bethlehem and in the Al-Masafer area, east of Hebron. The occupation forces also demolished 3 facilities in the Palestinian area.
The Israeli forces also destroyed furniture of more than 13 houses; damaged citizens cars; uprooted olive trees; destroyed institutions; and confiscated eight cars and Palestinian personal properties.
Violation of sanctities:
The Israeli army and the settlers assaulted the Al-Aqsa mosque 17 times, the worst took place on the 7th of May, where they invaded the mosque and cut the speakers lines. They also assaulted the worshipers and injured 205 of them.
Terror of the occupation army and settlers:
During this month, the Israeli settlers assaulted 187 Palestinian citizens. They ran over the Palestinians, threw stones at their houses and cars, cut their trees, and burned their lands.
Settlement Activities:
On May 1, the occupation forces razed Palestinian lands in Yasuf-Salfit village, near Kfar Tapuah settlement.
On May 4, near the eastern entrance to the town of Tekoa in Bethlehem, the Israeli forces confiscated one dunum of the citizens’ lands to expand the military site located at the entrance of the city.
On May 5, the occupation forces razed an area of the citizens’ agricultural lands to expand the settlement.
On May 19, the occupation forces razed behind the apartheid wall a piece of land belonging to Jayyous village in Qalqilya, owned by Fakhri Shamasneh.
On May 20, a group of settlers from Ibi Hanahel, and under the protection of the occupation forces, razed an area of the citizens’ lands in preparation for the construction of about 20 new settlement housing units.
On May 25, the occupation forces issued a military order to confiscate hundreds of dunum of agricultural lands belonging to Bidya, Broqin, Masha, Sarta, and Haris in Salfit Governorate to build a water pipeline linking Al-Kana and Berkan Industrial settlements.
On May 25, a group of settlers from the Nevih Nehiya settlement razed the citizens’ lands near the settlement to expand the outpost.
On May 26, a group of settlers near Al Rashaida village seized an old building with a total area of 400 square meters used as a headquarters for the Jordanian army before 1967. They cleaned it, connected electricity and water to it, installed lights on it, and put beds inside it in an attempt to establish a new settlement.
On May 26, the occupation authorities approved the construction of 90 new settlement housing units in Ibi Hanahel, which was built on citizens’ lands in the village of Kisan in Bethlehem.
On May 27, the occupation authorities approved the construction of 560 new settlement units in the Masada settlement, which is built on citizens’ lands in the villages of Kisan and Rashida in Bethlehem.
On May 28, a group of settlers in the area between Ma’ali Amos settlement and Ibi Hanahel settlement outpost of Kisan village in Bethlehem seized a 3-acre piece of land and a water well owned by Muhammad Abu Jalgaif, a resident of the village Kisan in an attempt to turn it into a tourist settlement area.
On May 29, a group of settlers, with the protection of the occupation forces, seized an area of the citizens’ lands belonging to Al-Shuyoukh and Sa’ir towns and placed many caravans on it.
Settler Terrorist Attacks:
On May 1, a group of settlers protected the occupation forces, stormed the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem, and held a provocative party in the neighbourhood.
On May 2, a settler in the Ras al-Amoud neighbourhood in Jerusalem attacked the citizen Rami Jamjoom while he was near the settlement established in the neighbourhood.
On May 3, a group of settlers were present on the bridge of Madama village in Nablus and threw stones at cars passing by, injuring a citizen.
On May 3, a group of settlers from the Shilo settlement threw stones at Palestinian vehicles passing on the main road of Ramallah/Nablus. A woman was wounded.
On May 4, A group of settlers in Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem threw stones at vehicles of citizens passing by.
On May 6, a group of settlers in Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem attacked citizens participating in a sit-in demonstration against the displacement of 7 families of citizens from their homes and handing them over to the settlers in the neighbourhood by spraying pepper gas on them while they were eating Ramadan breakfast.
On May 6, a settler near the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem stabbed with a sharp object and sprayed pepper gas on a citizen while returning from his workplace near the neighbourhood.
On May 7, a group of settlers in Jerusalem severely beat a citizen.
On May 8, a group of settlers attacked with stones the houses of citizens in the village of Al-Tawani, east of Yatta in Hebron. A citizen was injured as a result.
On May 9, an Israeli settler ran over many people on the street side, injuring many of them before he managed to escape with his vehicle.
On May 12, a group of settlers entered the outskirts of Burin village in Nablus and set a Palestinian house on fire.
On May 12, a settler in the Old City of Jerusalem assaulted Sahar Abdeen while leaving the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On May 12, a group of settlers in the Al-Tur and Al-Sawwana neighbourhoods in Jerusalem attacked the Abu Al-Hawa and Abu Al-Lahm families’ homes and smashed the windows of a number of citizens’ vehicles.
On May 12, A group of armed settlers attacked a number of citizens in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem.
On May 13, a group of settlers near Umm al-Khair and al-Tawani, located east of Yatta town in Hebron, fired at civilians, wounding four civilians, and smashed solar panels in the area.
On May 14, a group of settlers in the Old City of Jerusalem assaulted Mahmoud Moanes with batons.
On May 15, a group of settlers was present on Line 90 in the northern Jordan Valley and threw stones at the port vehicles, injuring Mahmoud Sawafta.
On May 15, a group of settlers attacked the homes of citizens on the outskirts of Asira al-Qibliya village in Nablus and set fire to the homes of Qassem Muhammad Salih and Majdi Ibrahim Makhlouf.
On May 16, a group of settlers threw stones at vehicles of citizens passing on Hawara Street, resulting from which three women were injured and bruised.
On May 16, a group of settlers in the Old City of Jerusalem severely beat the citizen: Issa Miteb.
On May 16, a settler opened fire near the junction of Beit Ainun village, towards the citizen: Iyas Younis Al-Salameen, a resident of Al-Sammou’ town and wounded them.
On May 20, a group of settlers attacked Heba Abu Yahya, a resident of Qabatiya near the settlement of Ariel, causing her bruises.
On May 25, a settler rammed his vehicle near the Beit Lid-Tulkarem junction with a motorcycle driven by Thabet Jaber, a resident of Shweika Suburb in Tulkarm, as a result of which he was injured and bruised.
