October 3, 2003

The IDF seals the West Bank and Gaza for the Yom Kippur holiday, which ends midnight on 10/6. In addition, the IDF closes the gates through the separation wall n. of Tulkarm, trapping residents of Baqa‘ al-Sharqiyya, Nazlat Abu Nar, Nazlat Issa—located btwn. the Green Line and the separation wall. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Qabatya; bulldozes 3 dunams of land in al-Maghazi r.c. An IDF soldier is found guilty of manslaughter in the deaths of 4 Palestinians (ages 5, 6, 13, and 56) and the wounding of 5 others in Jenin on 6/21/02, when he ordered at least 10 tank shells, machine guns fired at residential areas to enforce a curfew. (NYT, WP 10/4; HA 10/6; PCHR 10/9, 10/16)