Excessive use of force: Tear gas is one of the main weapons used by the Israeli army in Aida camp, and the main weapon of crowd control used by Israel throughout the oPt.102 It is a chemical gas that severely irritates the eyes and the respiratory system of those who are exposed to it.103 The excessive shooting of tear gas has caused at least one death and several injuries from suffocation in the last few years in Aida, on top of material damage resulting from tear gas canisters igniting fires. Tear gas is sometimes used to disperse protests, but it has often been used as a form of collective punishment for residents of Aida camp. The excessive and illegal use of tear gas has made many residents of the camp make alterations to their homes ranging from changing the entrance or covering their windows with wood or plastic panels, to keeping their windows always closed, changing the setup of their homes to put their children in rooms less affected by gas, having tear gas masks in their homes, and so on.104 A substance known as ‘skunk water’ has also been used in excess in Aida Refugee Camp by the Israeli army. In August 2014, following the spraying of one of the main streets of Aida with a considerable amount of skunk water, four families had to be temporarily relocated because they were unable to remain in their homes due to the pungent chemical odor that stemmed from the skunk water.105 Rubber bullets are also commonly used against protesters, bystanders, and journalists documenting the protests. Between 2012 and 2016, several residents of the camp have been injured with rubber bullets, many of them gravely. In October 2014, 12-year old Tamer Abu Salem was shot in the head with a rubber bullet. This injury resulted in permanent brain damage.106 A journalist of Aida camp, Mohammad Alazza, was also shot with a rubber bullet in the face in April 2013 while taking photos of the Israeli incursion. His jaw, right cheekbone and right eye were severely damaged which resulted in three reconstructive surgeries following the shooting. The injury has caused permanent eye problems and facial scarring. Threats: The residents of Aida have also been threatened on numerous occasions by the Israeli army. In the late afternoon of 29 October 2015, following protests by residents inside Aida, an Israeli jeep exited the adjacent 102 B’Tselem, Crowd Control: Israel’s Use of Crowd Control Weapons in the West Bank, op. cit., January 2013 103 Ibid. 104 Information collected by BADIL from residents of Aida Refugee Camp 105 Ibid. 106 Ibid. 31

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