WE ARE CONCERNED BY THE FACT THAT ISRAEL USES EXCESSIVE MILITARY FORCE AGAINST PALESTINIANS, MANY REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE ISRAELI FORCES USE UNJUSTIFIED FORCE.

JOHN KERRY, US VICE-PRESIDENT

The poor girl had to watch in terror as the soldiers yelled at her father in a language she couldn’t understand. He tried to respond, but one of them slapped him, pushed him, dragged him into a jeep and took him away.

She cried after him, but to no avail. Too distraught to care that she'd wet herself, all she could think about was the possible fates which lay ahead of him.

Palestinians under Israeli occupation experience military violence throughout their lives. It starts from when they're born and continues until they die.

When heavily-armed soldiers enter a civilian area, Palestinians either run, hide or confront them with stones. If they confront them, they are likely to face live fire in response. If they run or hide, then their lives grind to a fearful halt until the soldiers leave. Everyone will feel completely helpless and some may still get hurt, killed or abducted.

During night time raids (used to arrest people including children, ‘map neighborhoods', 'demonstrate a presence' or simply for training), the experience is much more traumatic.

The everyday checkpoint encounters that Palestinians experience can also escalate into arbitrary detentions, attacks and abductions. Trying to bypass checkpoints can lead to detention, assaults and death.

Attempts by Palestinians to conduct non-violent protests are also met with violence. It starts with tear gas, permeating the air and burning the lungs of protesters. Concussion grenades follow on, making fireballs and terrifying noises. Heavy projectiles are launched straight at people causing contusions, broken bones and sometimes death. Live and rubber bullets are also used. 

Palestinians marked for death by Israeli authorities can be assassinated at any time. These usually happen as bombings from the air, often on busy roads, resulting in the death, injury, and terror of innocent Palestinians in the vicinity.

And if all this wasn't traumatic enough, Palestinians suffer from Israeli military onslaughts of massive unimaginable violence with deceptive names like Defensive Shield, Cast Lead or Pillar of Defense. In its 2014 onslaught on Gaza, named ‘Protective Edge’, over 2,000 Palestinians were killed, most of which were civilians of which 500 were children. More than 10,000 Palestinians were injured, many maimed for life and approximately 60,000 were left homeless. Gaza’s already-decimated infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and its sole power plant, was decimated even further.

All of this is because Israel's occupation of Palestinian land can only be maintained through military violence. It creates physical harm, mental harm and life-long trauma. It affects all Palestinians even though most have never done anything violent themselves.

The missile fell on my family with no warning. I assume they wanted to hit ‘Abd al-Hafez, but what did the rest of the family do wrong? Why did they kill an entire family?

Muhammad Hamad

I was shot with a bullet in my shoulder and it started bleeding uncontrollably. I didn't lose consciousness until they beat me to the ground and kicked me with their feet. I couldn't handle the pain and, in that moment, I wished for everything to stop.

Natalie Shoukha

The soldier pulled me roughly toward her by the shoulder and forcibly pushed my head down. She began to feel my body using force. When she reached my (pregnant) stomach she pressed hard and pushed in, making circular motions as if she was kneading dough. She repeated this several times and then moved on to other parts of my body before again pressing on my stomach. She behaved brutally.

Hadil Al-Faqih