On Monday, 3 July 2023, at around 2:30 A.M., some young Palestinian men gathered around the City Inn intersection in al-Birah to protest a military incursion into Jenin Refugee Camp. At around three o’clock in the morning, about 20 young men advanced toward the road leading to the checkpoint, chanting protest slogans, setting tires on fire and throwing stones from a distance of 150-200 meters at the soldiers at the checkpoint, who, at this point did not respond. On the road south of the checkpoint, there was a military jeep with several other soldiers standing next to it.
Some other young men, including Muhammad Hasanein (21), who had a disability after being shot in the leg by Israeli forces in 2019, arrived in the area in their cars and watched the clashes from a distance. Hasanein parked near al-Birah’s main square (al-Balu’ square), about 400 meters away from the checkpoint, and moved to his friend’s car, which was parked behind his. Meanwhile, more young people joined the clashes.
At 3:30 A.M., another military jeep arrived, stopping on an unpaved road about 200 meters north of the road where the young men clashed with the military, between the fence of the Beit El settlement and the checkpoint. Several soldiers got out of the jeep, and some lay on the ground, taking up sniper positions. Soldiers who were at the checkpoint began chasing the young men, who fled in the other direction, and then shots rang out. It is not clear if the shots were fired by the soldiers chasing the young men or those who near the settlement fence.
The IDF Spokesperson said that “the forces used crowd control weapons and fired in the air. a Palestinian was later reported dead.” Except, firing in the air cannot kill a person, and the statement was designed to hide the wanton shooting by soldiers who stood at a considerable distance from the stone-throwers as well as Hasanein’s location and whose lives were in no way in danger.
B’Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad collected testimonies from Hasanein’s friends on 5 July 2023:
J.R. said:
Muhammad Hasanein, who was nicknamed Abu Samrah, was a childhood friend of mine. A few years ago, he was shot by soldiers and has had a limp ever since. We saw each other almost every day. On Sunday evening, we ran into each other at City Inn Square at 10:00 P.M. He got into my car, and we sat and talked. Everything was quiet and normal, and there were no incidents in the area. At 11:30 P.M., we said our goodbyes, and we each went home. I stayed up and followed the situation in Jenin Camp on Telegram.
Around 2:30 in the morning, I went to City Inn Square, where there are usually demonstrations. I ran into Muhammad there. He was in his car, which was standing at the intersection that leads to the DCO checkpoint. It was quiet. We decided to go for a drive in our cars. I went with a friend, and Muhammad followed us in his car. We drove around Ramallah for 20 or 30 minutes.
At around 3:00 A.M., we went back to City Inn Square and parked on the same road we had parked on before, which leads to the DCO checkpoint. By then, the square was full of people and cars. I saw about 20 young men marching towards the checkpoint, which is about 400 meters away from where we were. We parked on the sidewalk with the front of the cars facing the square so we’d be ready to flee toward Ramallah if the situation got dangerous. Muhammad parked in front of me. He got out of his car and got into mine. His two brothers and a friend, who were driving with him, got out of the car and went to the square to see what was happening there. Muhammad and I stayed in my car. We were talking and watching what was happening outside. Behind us, some of the young guys were protesting and banging on dumpsters to attract the soldiers in the jeep over to them and get into a confrontation with them.
At around 3:30 A.M., one of Muhammad’s brothers stopped by my car and talked to me. Just then, we heard the demonstrators shouting that the soldiers were chasing them. Everyone started running towards the square. The cars also went the same way, and we got stuck and couldn’t leave because of the traffic jam. At that moment, live fire started. Muhammad got out of my car and limped towards his car, with his brother following him. The distance between our cars was only two meters. As soon as he reached the door and opened it, the shooting resumed. I heard something like ten shots. I was inside the car, so I didn’t see where the shots were coming from, the soldiers who were chasing the young guys or the snipers who are usually on the hill outside Beit El, about 150-200 meters north of us.
I saw Muhammad fall down. At first, I didn’t even realize he’d been hurt, but then I heard shouting. I got out of the car right away and ran to him. Some young people had already picked him up, and I saw a big bloodstain on the road. They took him to a car, which took him to the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah. My friend and I followed them. After 20 or 30 minutes, he was officially announced a martyr. I lost one of my closest friends, a childhood friend. I’m still in shock. I can’t believe he’s gone. The memories keep flashing in my head over and over again like a horror movie.
M.A. recounted:
After the army entered Jenin camp, I saw lots of reports of dead and wounded on social media. I saw a protest march was being planned at the City Inn square at 2:30 A.M. At 2:45 A.M., a friend came to pick me up for a drive in his brother Muhammad’s car. Another one of their brothers was in the car. We drove to City Inn Square, where we met up with a friend of Muhammad’s, who was in his car with another guy. We drove to Ramallah, one following the other. We hung around there and bought drinks and chocolates, and then we went back to City Inn Square. It was about 3:30 A.M. There were lots of people in cars and also young guys protesting and burning tires on the road that leads to the DCO checkpoint.
At first, we stopped at the edge of the DCO road, with the front of the car facing Ramallah. Muhammad’s friend parked behind us. One of Muhammad’s brothers and I went to the convenience store at the gas station, bought a few things and started walking back towards the car. We saw an army jeep near the hill, outside the fence of the Beit El settlement, 100-150 meters away from us. Three or four soldiers got out of it and lay on the hill in a sniper’s position. At that moment, we heard some young guys shouting, and I thought soldiers were chasing them. It was hard to understand what was going on because of the darkness and commotion.
Suddenly, there was gunfire. I don’t know how many bullets were shot. My friend walked in front of me, filming, and then I heard him yelling, “My brother! my brother!” I asked him what was going on, and then I saw Muhammad lying injured next to his car. There was a pool of blood on the ground. I immediately realized that he had been hit in the head. The young guys took him in a car to the Palestine Medical Complex, and we drove there after them. We waited 20 or 30 minutes, and then they announced he had been martyred.
Source: B’Tselem. 1 Aug 2023