Report from Balata Refugee Camp (14 Nov)

Evidence of IOF terror tactics against a defenceless civilian population was witnessed today by 2 ISM volunteers (Siama and Alison from the UK) in Balata Refugee Camp near Nablus. 2 nights ago Balata camp was woken at 2am by the Israeli soldiers invasion of the camp. For several hours machine gun fire, explosions and Apache helicopter fire could be heard all over the camp and city.

Today we witnessed more of what the soldiers had been doing. Going from house to house in at least one part of the camp they took the heads of the families, stripped them, beat them and left them outside their homes whilst inside they shot randomly. Families described how they crowded into a single room for protection, young, old, men and women huddled together unsure whether they would be the next to be shot at and why their home was being targetted. The devastation was plain to see with bullet holes peppering walls, ceilings and doors. In one house we visited an energy bomb cartridge and M16 cartidges are evidence of the destructive weapons used. This operation can only be seen as an effort to terrorise and traumatise an entire community.

The same night 4 homes in Balata were invaded by the military, entire extended families taken hostage and forced into a single room with no access to food, water or medication. Today we visited these homes, the soldiers having left during the night, and witnessed the vandalism they left behind. Furniture upturned and slashed, the contents of cupboards and wardrobes strewn all over, the remains of the food the soldiers had helped themselves to left all over the floor. In one house the soldiers had defaecated all over the bathroom floor. In 2 cases they stole 1000's of shekels of savings plus 2 mobile phones.

Last night 4 more families that we are aware of were taken hostage in their homes. Gaining access to one home this morning we saw with our own eyes the entire family of 10 forced into one small room, a tiny baby in the arms of its mother. The family begged us to bring milk for the baby but after just 1 minute of speaking with the family the soldiers told us to leave forbidding us to return. At another home the soldiers refused to even open the door to allow us to talk to the family.

With none of the world's media here to report on this terrorisation of a civilian community and no international peace keepers to intervene, who knows how many more families will become hostages and human shields to the IOF in an operation that the Israeli army claim is necessary for their national security.


Nablus, 14th November 2002

The IOF operation in Nablus started with gunfire and tanks moving into the city - especially around Old City and Ras Al Ein street - around 3:30 yesterday morning. The army was moving in from three different directions: Altour street, Amman stret and Beit Eiba. Explosions were heard in the area as well as shelling from tanks, apache helicopters and snipers?shots.

The following morning there were approxiamtely 50 tanks, apcs and military jeeps everywhere in the streets and snipers hidden in many houses. Palestinian and International volunteers could not reach certain areas because of constant rounds of live ammuniation, for instance the area next to the badly damaged Abidelmogeth Alansary School, which had been occupied by the IOF. One house was burnt down and the electricity cut in the southwest of the Old City because of the shelling, here a fire also destroyed five cars. At least 15 houses were occupied in the area, the families inside are being used as human shields. The use of human shields is strictly prohibited by the Fourth Geneva Convention.

International volunteers tried to speak with people inside occupied buildings yesterday but were not allowed to enter or phone calls were impossible because the families phones have all been confisicated. In other cases soldiers would simply not react to volunteers in front of the houses by pretending they were not in there at all.

Last night the operation continued. Several major explosions were heard towards the morning as well as F-16a d one apache flying over the city. Around 10:30 two tanks and two apcs opened fire at a group of kids, injuring three and killing 18-year-old Jalal Ewajan. More than 25 tanks and apcs are currently in different locations around the Old City. The people suspect that the operation will take long time and they are worried about what the IOF plane to do because they use occupied houses as bases for military operations.