The Israeli military has been escalating military operations in Jayyous throughout the last weeks, in an attempt to break any kind of resistance, be it against the further confiscating of village land and freedom of movement or be it a family resisting their houses being turned into military outposts.
Israeli military vandalizes houses, terrorizes family, shoot one with live ammunition and severely injures several people in Jayyous village.
Around noon around 20 Israeli soldiers entered Jayyous village from the southern gate. At this time no residents were in the area and the planned demonstration had not yet started.
The soldiers immediately proceeded to occupy two houses next to the southern gate. International human rights activists were already in the houses to provide protection from military occupation. The Israeli army frequently holds the families hostage in their homes and use their roofs as sniper positions.
Soldiers occupied one house whose family is temporarily out of the country several times during the previous night, imposing a curfew on the village. ISM activists witnessed the damage the soldiers had caused throughout the night.
Other troops entered a home located next to the entrance to the village. The family of that home has been resisting it’s continued use by Israeli troops as a staging location for the last several weeks. This time the soldiers beat and threatened the family members and ISM activists with weapons. Fifteen soldiers blocked the entrance of the house forcing some family members inside and others out.
International and Israeli human rights activists and villagers nonviolently protested the violence and occupation of the family’s home, preventing the military from taking full control of the building. One activist was severely hit on the back of the head with a rifle and kicked in the back and kidneys while sliding down a stairway. While resisting that arrest another activist was struck by a rifle causing a severe wound and bleeding to their forehead. One Israeli activist was arrested after being beaten by soldiers. Their location remains unknown.
As soldiers managed to push their way into the family home, screams where heard from inside. A large number of Israeli and international activists entered through the backdoor and witnessed family members being beaten, including two young girls, a young boy. The families mother and elderly father were singled out and beaten severely. The activists and neighbours attempted to protect the family by pushing the soldiers out of the house. They were then confronted by more soldiers entering the house. Cupboards and shelves where dumped over, destroying the plates and cups inside.
A concussion grenade was set off inside the living room of the home causing the father, who suffers from a heart condition and high blood pressure, to lose consciousness. The soldiers refused to allow an ambulance team to treat or evacuate the unconscious man.
While medics were refused entry the soldiers proceeded out of the interior living space, occupying the stairwell and roof of the family home. They left behind a terrified family, an unconscious father, and severely damaged and ransacked home. As the father was evacuated his smallest son fell into shock, hyperventilating and needing evacuation too.
Jayyous residents marched toward the homes from the center of the village. The people gathered in front of the occupied houses singing and chanting, demanding the army’s withdrawal. Without clashes the demonstrators held their non-violent gathering and marched back into the village where the demonstration was finished.
Despite the nonviolent nature of the demonstration, the soldiers entered the village on foot, firing plastic-coated steel bullets indiscriminately.
Human rights activists circled the soldiers. Confused soldiers found themselves nonviolently escorted out of the village. Activists called to the soldiers remaining on the two houses roofs to withdraw and stop firing on the village. Activists delivered a symbolic bill of “The Hotel Palestine” to the soldiers in the empty family’s house, for the “cost” of the nine soldiers spending the night before there.
As the soldiers were leaving the village one turned back and fired his rifle, hitting a man in his thigh.
About one hour later, soldiers positioned themselves just outside the gate to re-enter the village. 20 of them entered the village by foot targeting the international and Israeli activists with teargas and rubber coated steel bullets.
They then proceeded to go through the village in small groups randomly targeting civilians. The activists followed and the soldiers immediately started to target them. After half an hour they withdrew from the village.
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