Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms

Misuse of Weapons by Armed Groups and Security Personnel

Field Update

13 April 2006

5 Citizens Injured, including 1 Pronounced Clinically Dead

Five citizens were injured, including two children, in the Gaza Strip and West Bank in incidents involving the misuse or mishandling of weapons by armed Palestinian groups.  One has since been pronounced clinically dead.  These incidents are a continuation of the security chaos currently plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

PCHR’s initial investigation indicates that at approximately 18:30 on Thursday, 13 April 2006, gunmen belonging to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (the armed wing of Fatah) fired at officer Ahmad Mahmoud Abu Khashan, a 35-year old resident of Gaza, who is working with the Military Intelligence Apparatus in Nablus.  The incident took place on the outskirts of Kufr Qalil village, southeast of Nablus, against the backdrop of internal disputes within Fatah.  Abu Khashan was hit by 23 bullets and was taken to an Israeli hospital for treatment, where sources indicated that the victim was pronounced clinically dead.

And at approximately 21:30 on the same day, masked gunmen traveling in 2 cars fired at Fadi Hani Abdel Fattah El-Desht, a 28-year-old resident of Nuseirat refugee camp.  He was hit by 3 bullets to the abdomen and thighs.  He was taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir El-Balah, where his condition was classified as moderate.

At approximately 18:00 on Friday, 14 April 2006, Suliman Hassan El-Darawsha, a 15-year-old resident of the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, was injured by a bullet to the abdomen.  He was injured, while he was near his house, by a stray bullet which came from a training complex for the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, located in the evacuated settlement of Neve Dekalim.  The child was taken to Naser Hospital in Khan Yunis, where his condition was classified as moderate to serious.  After the incident, the child’s relatives held a protest on the intersection leading to their homes near the training complex.  They demanded the closure of the training ground.

And at approximately 22:00 on the same day, Mohammad Abdel Salam Odeh, a 15-year-old resident of Beit Lahya, was injured by a bullet to the neck, while he was riding his bicycle near his home.  The bullet came from gunmen, who were firing in the air at a tent where people were gathering to mourn the death of Mohammad Adnan El-Amoudi.  The child was taken to Kamal Odwan Hospital in Beit Lahya and was later moved to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City due to the severity of his injury.

At approximately 19:00 on Saturday, 15 April 2006, gunmen belonging to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades shot Bassam Na’im Hawamda, a 40-year-old resident of El-Ein refugee camp near Nablus, while he was on his way to work in Nablus.  The victim is a member of the general secretariat of the Palestinian Teachers’ Union.  He was injured by several bullets to the legs.  The Fatah movement in Nablus issued a statement accusing the victim of corruption.  According to the statement, the victim is a member of the movement.

PCHR is very concerned over the continued number of deaths and injuries resulting from the misuse of weapons by armed Palestinian groups, which is part of the ongoing security chaos currently plaguing the OPT.  The Centre calls upon the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), represented by the Attorney-General, to investigate these crimes seriously and to bring the perpetrators to justice.