4 Palestinians and a Naval commando killed in Nablus

Israel & Palestine Forum

PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

PRESS RELEASE

Ref: 105/2004

Date: 06 July 2004

Time: 11:30 GMT

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/rdonlyres/D9993166-0ADE-450D-81E5-EB48917E283F/42231/C4278E8213CC4ACCB3EA0E2DF6E2C09F.jpgKhalid Salah is the latest of many Palestinian-American victims

4 Palestinians, Including a University Lecturer and His Son, Killed by Israeli Troops in Nablus

In another attack illustrating blatant disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians, on Tuesday morning, 6 July 2004, Israeli troops shot dead a lecturer and his son in Nablus, while those troops were chasing 2 Palestinian militants who were also killed. One of the militants was instantly killed, while the other one attempted to escape and was killed later. Israeli occupying forces claimed that the lecturer and his son were killed as one of the militants went into the building where the lecturer lived. An Israeli helicopter gunship launched a missile at the building. The lecturer, his son and the militant were killed by shrapnel from the missile. Preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR refute this claim and prove that the lecturer and his son were killed by live bullets and the militant was killed by shrapnel from the missile.

According to PCHR's preliminary investigations, at approximately 02:00 on Tuesday, Israeli occupying forces moved into Nablus. They opened fire at Palestinian houses. Then, they surrounded an under-construction building at al-Sikka Street near 'Ein Beit al-Maa' refugee camp, west of the city, to arrest 2 allegedly wanted Palestinians. The two Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops. The clashes left one of the two Palestinians dead, Amjad 'Arad Hanani, 26, from Beit Fourik village east of Nablus, who was hit by several live bullets in the chest and the abdomen. Israeli troops chased the other Palestinian who attempted to escape. They broke into a 4-storey apartment building owned by 'Omar al-Kattout. Israeli troops knocked on the door of a flat belonging to Khaled Salah Mousa Salah, 52, a university lecturer who lives on the first floor. As soon as Salah started to open the door, Israeli troops opened fire at the door. Salah was instantly killed by a live bullet in the head. His son Mohammed, 16, was also killed by a live bullet in the mouth. According to eyewitnesses, Israeli troops fired at the flat's door from a distance of less than 3 meters. The other wanted Palestinian escaped to a neighboring olive field. An Israeli helicopter gunship fired a missile at him. He was instantly killed by shrapnel in the head. He was later identified as Yamen Tayeb Faraj, 26, from Madama village south of Nablus.

PCHR strongly condemns this attack and points out that this lecturer was the second one to be killed by Israeli troops this year, as on 23 April 2004, Israeli troops shot dead Yasser Mohammed Ahmed Abu Laimoun, 33, from Tallouza village north of Nablus. They later admitted that they killed him by mistake.

PCHR strongly condemns this willful killing by Israeli troops and the continuous escalation of attacks perpetrated by these troops against Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. PCHR calls upon the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to immediately intervene to ensure protection for Palestinian civilians and their properties.


Naval commando killed in Nablus

By Haaretz Service and Agencies

http://www.haaretz.com/hasite/images/iht_daily/D060704/moran_girlfriend147e.jpgCaptain Moran Vardi, 25, of Binyamina who was killed early Tuesday in Nablus, pictured here with his girlfriend. (Reproduction: David Ratner)

An Israel Defense Forces officer in the elite naval commando unit Shayetet 13 was killed early Tuesday, and three other soldiers were wounded, in a gun battle with wanted Palestinian militants in a West Bank refugee camp.

Captain Moran Vardi, 25, of Binyamina, was identified as the Shayetet team commander killed in the shootout with the wanted men. Three other Shayetet commandos were wounded and are listed in serious, moderate and light condition.

Vardi will be laid to rest on Wednesday evening at 6.30 P.M. in his home town.

Sources :

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights - http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/Press...004/92-2004.htm

Haaretz - http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/447745.html

Al'Jazeera - http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exe...B48917E283F.htm

PCHR

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

PRESS RELEASE

Ref: 104/2004

Date: 06 July 2004

Time: 11:00 GMT

A Sleeping Palestinian Child Killed by Israeli Shelling in Khan Yunis

On Monday evening, 5 July 2004, Israeli troops shelled Palestinian residential areas in Khan Yunis. A Palestinian child was killed by a heavy caliber bullet while he was sleeping inside his house.

According to PCHR's preliminary investigations, at approximately 22:00 on Monday, Israeli troops positioned in military posts in the vicinity of "Gadid" settlement, west of Khan Yunis, shelled Palestinian houses in Baten al-Samin area, nearly 700 meters to the east. Two artillery shells and several live bullets hit the western and southern façades of Hamada Mohammed al-Sha'er's house. One heavy caliber bullet penetrated the southern wall of a hall on the first floor of the house and hit the owner's son, 'Aala' in the head. The live bullet smashed the skull and settled in the chest. The child was sleeping in his bed when he was hit by the bullet. PCHR's field worker in Khan Yunis who went to the place of the incident reported that the child's bed was covered with his blood. The child's family was not able to evacuate him to the hospital for at least one hour due to the Israeli intense gunfire.

Thus, the number of Palestinian children killed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt) by Israeli troops since the beginning of the current Intifada in September 2000 has mounted to nearly 540, including about 280 killed in the Gaza Strip. At least 170 of these children have been killed by Israeli shelling that targeted civilian residential areas.

PCHR strongly condemns this attack, which is a further indication of the IOF disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians. PCHR reiterates its calls for the international community to effectively intervene to stop crimes perpetrated by Israeli occupying forces against Palestinian civilians in the oPt, especially against children.

Haaretz Daily Version :

Palestinian teen said killed in Gaza

By Haaretz Service and Agencies

IDF troops shot dead a 14-year-old Palestinian boy in the Gaza

Strip late Monday, shortly after an Israeli man was lightly wounded by mortar fire at the nearby settlement of Neveh Dekalim, Palestinian officials and medics said.

Palestinian security officials said the teenager, Ala al-Shaer, was shot dead as he stood in a street in the Khan Yunis refugee camp.

A total of three mortar shells were fired into Neveh Dekalim on Monday evening, and damage was also caused to a number of homes and vehicles.

The settlement's security coordinator, Ilan Terteks, 33, was wounded in the chest by mortar fragments after he heard an explosion from the first mortar shell and ran to the scene.

Sources :

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights : http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/Press...004/91-2004.htm

Haaretz - http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/447745.html (scroll down)

Thanks for the article. I wanted to read about this incident and see which side is lying... now I see that both of them do!
I've heard the incident from the brother of one of the Naval soldiers who was in the operation. I also heard them talk on the phone for the first time after the incident.

The soldiers chased a militant when one of them (the one whose brother later told me the story) saw somebody's head, looking through the window of a house nearby (or of a house they were closing on), instinctivly he thought it was a militant and fired a few rounds towards the target. After entering the house, they found out it was an unarmed civilian (or both the father and the boy were killed by his fire)

It's hard to judge whether the soldier's to blame. When you chase militants who've fired on you and killed your officer and wounded your friends, you've no time to think and it all happens fast. The soldier says he thought it was a militant who was standing near the window.

Curiousity kills. If I were him, I would find a shelter and hide there or put my hands up and go out to the soldiers.

Good to see you back.

Well Anti-Jihad, i really dont like the IDF, and seen them lie tons of times, i dont think that i would actually believe those guys, but now that i hear this, if anyone asks about it, im going to bring up both sided of the story.

I do not rule out the possibility that the press was lied to, but I do not agree that the IDF itself lies. As I said before, the army's ideology is to be as just and as humane as possible.

I do agree though, and I've come around more and more cases in which soldiers commit crimes or use more force than needed. Most of them blame the army for causing stress and damaging their psychology, thus putting all the blame on the army.

Another problem is the fact that the soldiers are being judged in a military court and the sentences (I believe, most of them) are considerate and merciful towards the soldiers, because if they hadn't been in the army this wouldn't have happened and so the army takes a partial guilt for the act.

I believe the sentence should be the same as in civilian court, soldiers should be looked after in order to reduce stress and increase confidence in their actions.

"Whoops, I killed a Palestinian. He looked like a militant to me."

or

"I was being fired at, so I returned fire but to a different direction, cause I was nervous, so I killed a young Palestinian woman"

Just made-up examples of soldiers' mistakes that could happen. Remember, it's mostly mistakes. They must be prevented.

I do agree that they are mistakes, but mostly, im not really sure if i would actually agree to that.

There been tons of cases of soldiers opening fire on civilians for no reason, most of the time, injuring them, and some times, killing them and nothing is done to them.