Israel committing extra judicial killings of Palestinians: Rights group

A report by a rights group has detailed the ongoing Israeli campaign of brutality against Palestinians, saying the Israeli regime has engaged, among other things, in the extrajudicial killing of Palestinians.

The report, published by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, documents the abuses carried out by the Israeli regime forces against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the besieged Gaza Strip between October 1, 2015 and January 8, 2016.

The number of arrests, and instances of harassment and executions committed by Israeli regime forces have been disproportionate and excessive since the beginning of a popular uprising across the occupied lands more than three months ago, the report said. However, proven Palestinian attacks often committed by lone youths are relatively small in numbers, it said.

The report, which relies on photos, videos and eyewitness testimonies indicates that at least 150 Palestinians, including 27 minors and seven women, were extrajudicially executed by Israeli forces over the mentioned period.

In addition, 15,759 Palestinians were wounded, including 103 emergency medical personnel and 58 reporters.

According to the group, two-thirds of Palestinian victims were shot dead during protests or immediately upon detention. It pointed out that several were also gunned down merely on “suspicion,” including those falsely accused of attempting to attack Israelis.

In mid-October last year, the rights group published a video showing eight Palestinians being arbitrarily executed by the Tel Aviv regime forces. The recording had prompted a UN special rapporteur to call on the world body to launch a special investigation into such extrajudicial killings.

The group has also documented 352 assaults on Palestinians and their properties by Israeli forces and extremist settlers. At least 92 homes were demolished by Tel Aviv regime forces as collective punishment of families with relatives accused of attacking Israelis.

The Israeli regime forces also stormed Palestinian cities, refugee camps, and villages 908 times and broke into al-Aqsa Mosque compound at least 74 times during the reporting period.

The group has detailed at least 314 cases of Israeli assaults on Palestinian medical staff and civilian hospitals. It also said that the behavior of the Israeli armed forces against Palestinians constitutes violations of international law.

The rights group has demanded that international organizations, including United Nations (UN), and governments put pressure on senior Israeli officials to halt the ongoing human rights violations.

It described the Israeli decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories as the real root cause of the ongoing unrest in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The territories have been the scene of heightened tensions between Palestinians and Israelis since August last year, when the Tel Aviv regime imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East al-Quds, angering Palestinians.

Since October 2015, at least 150 Palestinians, including children and women, have been killed in the clashes with Israelis. Some 25 Israelis have also been killed.

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