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Photos:
Mohammed Hasan Mohammed ‘Assaf, 33. Published by IMEMC News

Israeli soldier takes aim with a rifle during a military operation in Jenin, the West Bank, on Tuesday. Credit: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP Published by Haaretz

Palestinians mourn the death of a friend who was shot dead by Israeli security forces in the city of Nablus on Wednesday. Credit: JAAFAR ASHTIYEH - AFP Published by Haaretz

Repair works underway in Joseph's Tomb on Wednesday. Published by Haaretz

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Israeli Soldiers Kill A Palestinian Lawyer In Nablus

by IMEMC News
April 13, 2022

Israeli soldiers killed, Wednesday morning, a Palestinian lawyer after firing many live rounds at his car in the Industrial Area in Nablus city, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.

The slain Palestinian, Mohammad Hasan Assaf, 34, was from Kafr Laqif village in Qalqilia, in the northern part of the West Bank. The soldiers shot him with a live round in the chest.

Mohammad, a father of three children, the oldest of them is only four years of age, was killed by the soldiers while returning home after driving his sons and nephews to school; he was returning from the Industrial Area in Nablus when the soldiers fired at his car and killed him.

Mohammad was killed when the Israeli soldiers were withdrawing from Nablus after a massive invasion into several areas, causing dozens of injuries; many were shot with live fire.

Eyewitnesses said the army fired dozens of live rounds at cars, homes, and streets while withdrawing from the area.

The soldiers stormed and ransacked dozens of homes in Beita town, the eastern area of Nablus city, and many villages and towns overnight.

Mohammad was a lawyer with the Wall & Colonization Resistance Commission and was a well-known figure and social activist who represented dozens of families in Israeli courts, filed appeals against the illegal Israeli annexation of Palestinian lands, and defended the rights of the Palestinians, especially the farmers and villagers.

Mohammad was also a known figure, not just to the Palestinians for defending their rights and lands from illegal Israeli annexation and colonies, but also by the Israeli occupation soldiers for his constant participation in the ongoing nonviolent processions against the illegal Israeli Annexation Wall, and the colonies.

He was also known in Israeli courts for representing the families and filing appeals to void illegal annexation orders of the Palestinian lands.

His corpse was moved from Rafidia hospital in Nablus to his home in Kafr Laqif town in Qalqilia.

Thousands of Palestinians participated in Mohammad’s funeral ceremony and burial while chanting against the escalating Israeli crimes and violations and calling for resisting the occupation until liberation and independence.
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Palestinian Killed by Israeli Fire in Nablus Amid Renewed Violence at Holy Site

by Jack Khoury and Hagar Shezaf for Haaretz
Apr. 13, 2022

A 34-year-old Palestinian activist was killed on Wednesday in clashes with Israeli forces in Nablus, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, and at least 16 others were wounded, amid a spike in tensions in the West Bank in the aftermath of a string of deadly attacks in Israel.

Mohammed Assaf was hit by live fire in the chest, the Health Ministry said. Assaf was a lawyer and acted against the separation barrier and the settlements. A source said that Assaf, a resident of Kafr Laqif and a father of two, was escorting his cousin to school in the vicinity of Joshep's Tomb and was not involved in the clashes.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said that 10 people were wounded by live fire and six by sponge-tipped bullets in the village of Beita and Joseph's Tomb. The Health Ministry mentioned further casualties in the area. The Israeli army later said in a statement that dozens of Palestinians rioted in the scene and that troops responded with riot-control measures and live fire.

Israel has sent troops to comb through Palestinians cities and villages in recent days, looking for suspects or accomplices tied to recent Palestinian attacks on Israelis. According to an IDF statement, 15 Palestinians were arrested in an overnight operation. Last week, a Palestinian gunman opened fire on a packed Tel Aviv bar, killing three and fleeing the scene, sparking an hours-long manhunt that culminated in his killing by police.

Meanwhile, Palestinians reported that in Tul Karm two were wounded by a special Israeli forces, one suffered a head injury. The force also detained a university official. Witnesses say that the detainee is a guard working for the university. A police statement confirmed the report adding that they shot the suspect as he was trying to flee the scene. Police also said that during the operation they identified a gunman and open fire at him.

According to a statement by the IDF spokesperson unit, three Hamas operatives were arrested near Qalqilyah after clashes began. An IDF soldier was ightly wounded.

Yahya Sinwar, the head of the Palestinian Hamas movement, is expected to meet Wednesday with leaders of Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip to discuss "Israeli aggression."

The Arabic daily Al Ra'i, published in London, said Egypt is working to prevent the violence from further escalating citing Palestinians sources.

According to the report, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have warned that if violence in the West Bank continues they would have to also engage.

In a military raid in the Jenin area, in the northern West Bank, shots were fired at an Israeli force, but no casualties were reported. While the army confirmed it was operating in the area, witnesses said the force apprehended Musab Hanaisheh, a student leader affiliated with Hamas.

Joseph's Tomb

Clashes were also reported near the Jewish holy site of Joseph's Tomb, located in the Nablus area, which was vandalized and torched on Saturday. Residents said that military forces were deployed in big numbers around the flashpoint site as repair works were underway, and two Palestinians were reported wounded by rubber-tipped bullets in clashes that erupted at around 6 A.M., according to reports Palestinians have hurled stones, set tires ablaze and even open fire at the site, however, the tomb suffered no damage. The Israeli army is currently responding with riot-control measures as people are making their out of the site after the repair works.

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Ran Kochav said that some 100 Palestinians marched toward the site, rioted and then torched the tomb before they were dispersed by Palestinian security forces. Images on social media showed parts of the tomb inside the shrine smashed and charred. The army confirmed that it's activity across the West Bank in a statement it had released later on Wednesday.

The incident drew condemnation from Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who said that Israel is taking action to capture the vandals and said: "We will not accept such an attack, in a holy place, on the eve of Passover, and we will get the rioters."

Israel's government has sought to lower the flames by moving ahead on its plan to ease restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the holy month. But, with two of the attackers in the recent violence from Jenin and the surrounding area, Israel has tightened restrictions on movement in and out of the city.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)
April 13, 2022

On Wednesday morning, 13 April 2022, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed a Palestinian lawyer, Mohammed Hasan Mohammed ‘Assaf, 33, without any justification while their troops withdrew from Nablus after conducting a wide-scale incursion into the city.

During the incursion, IOF attacks resulted in several injuries among Palestinians and killed the lawyer who was in the area dropping off his nephews to their school.

According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and eyewitnesses’ statements, at approximately 05:30 on Wednesday, IOF backed by military vehicles moved into eastern Nablus, near Joseph’s Tomb.

In the meantime, a number of Palestinians gathered in the area and threw stones at IOF vehicles. IOF immediately fired rubber and live bullets, sound bombs, and tear gas canisters at them.

As a result, 3 Palestinians, including a child, were shot and injured in the feet. At approximately 09:00, IOF began their withdrawal from the city; meanwhile, the lawyer Mohammed Hasan Mohammed ‘Assaf (32), who lives in Kafr Laqif village in Qalqilya and works in the Nablus office of Settlement and Wall Resistance Commission, arrived along with his 3 nephews at al-Ghawi area in eastern Joseph’s Tomb via an SUV to drop them off to their school, north of al-Ghawi roundabout, near Askar refugee camp. When the lawyer arrived at the roundabout, he could not enter the area due to clashes there between Palestinians and IOF.

He drove back towards the eastern area between al-Hesba and al-Ghawi roundabout and parked his SUV in a safe place.

Then, he and his nephews stepped out of the SUV and stood next to a building while IOF withdrew.

In the meantime, an Israeli soldier, who was inside a military vehicle, fired 4 live bullets from a distance of 40 meters at the lawyer. One of the bullets penetrated his chest. The lawyer fell to the ground and bled from his mouth.

Afterward, a Palestinian ambulance arrived and took him to Rafidia Governmental Hospital in Nablus, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Since the beginning of the year, IOF killed 26 Palestinians, including 6 children and 2 women, in separate incidents in the West Bank; most of them were victims of excessive use of force that accompanied the suppression of peaceful protests and gatherings.

PCHR reiterates its call upon the international community to take immediate action to stop the Israeli occupation’s crimes and upon the High Contracting Parties to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention, noting that these breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons and Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Convention to guarantee Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).
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