At the end of last week, a woman from
Qabalan village, south of Nablus, and a child from al-Boreij refugee
camp in Central Gaza Strip, were killed in incidents related to the
misuse of weapons. These latest incidents are part of the state of
security chaos plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
According to investigations conducted by
the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR):
At approximately 20:30 on Thursday, 11
September 2008, a number of members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades,
an armed wing of Fatah movement, read a statement through the
loudspeakers of a mosque in Qabalan village. Through the statement,
the group requested those who are wanted for the Palestinian justice
to surrender to Palestinian security forces. Meanwhile, a number of
wanted persons fired into the air to express their rejection to the
statement. Soon after, the gunmen of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
also fired into the air. The aimless firing resulted in the instant
killing of Muna Hassan 'Abed, 48, who was hit by a gunshot to the
head. The body was taken to Qabalan healthcare center and then to
Rafidia Hospital in Nablus City. According to eyewitnesses, the
woman was hit by the gunshot when she looked from behind her home's
walls to explore the matter after she had heard the firing.
In another incident, at approximately
14:30 on Wednesday, 10 September 2008, 11-year-old Hassan Ali al-Shishneya
from al-Boreij refugee camp in Central Gaza Strip was killed. The
child was hit by a gunshot to the head while he was playing with his
father's firearm. The father, who is an police officer, informed
PCHR that they, the father and mother, were not at home at the time
of the incident and that Hassan was playing at home with his
9-year-old brother, Mustafa. The body was taken to al-Aqsa Martyrs
Hospital in Deir al-Balah and then to the forensic medicine
department at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
PCHR notes with grave concern that
casualties continue to be caused by the misuse of weapons. PCHR also
calls upon concerned authorities to make efforts to ensure the
non-recurrence of such incidents and to provide protection for
civilians.
