Field Update 

Yesterday evening, a woman from al-Shati’ refugee camp, west of Gaza city, was shot dead. This incident is part of the state of proliferation of weapons and assault on the rule of law in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately 17:30 on Monday, 22 August 2016, a corpse of a woman (H. Gh.), 28, who is mother of 5 children, was admitted to al-Shifa’ Medical Complex. She was hit with a live bullet to her head inside her house. PCHR learnt that the woman’s killer, who is her relative, turned himself in to the police immediately after committing the crime.

Sources in the Forensic Medicine Section stated that the dead woman was hit with a live bullet to her head which was fired from a very close range.

Lieutenant Colonel Ayman al-Batniji, spokesperson of the police in Gaza city, said that the reason of committing the crime is not clear yet as the police immediately arrived at the crime scene, inspected it and opened an investigation.

PCHR strongly condemns the killing of the abovementioned woman and is deeply concerned over the increasing number of victims due to the use of firearms. PCHR calls upon the competent authorities to take all necessary measures to put an end to the proliferation of weapons and maintain the security and safety of civilians.