Filed Update 

Over the last few days, 5 persons, including 2 children, were killed, and 4 others were injured in shooting incidents related to security chaos and proliferation of weapons. Four among those killed, including a child, fell victims to family disputes, while the fifth was a child killed in circumstances allegedly indicating “misuse of a weapon” in Nablus.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is alarmed by the recent escalating killings and assault on the rule of law and calls on the competent authorities to take the necessary action to end the state of proliferation of weapons and instantly impose the rule of law in order to maintain civil peace.On Saturday evening, 17 June 2023, 2 persons were killed, and a girl was injured after gunmen opened fire at them in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron.

The gunmen directly opened fire at a group of young men who were near a shop in al-Bayadah area in the village. As a result, (E. N. E.) (24) was shot with several bullets in the chest, neck, and abdomen, and (S. Z. E.) (26) was injured with bullets in the heart and lung. The two wounded were evacuated to al-Mizan Specialist Hospital in the city and immediately pronounced dead. Also, an 8-year-old girl (N. ‘A. E.) was shot with a live bullet in her thigh when she was with her family in a car parked near the street, where the incident occurred.

Following the incident, clashes broke out, where firearms were used, and vehicles belonging to one of the village’s families accused of being behind the shooting were set ablaze. Afterwards, Palestinian security services’ officers arrived in the village and imposed a curfew on the village to control the situation.Earlier on Friday evening, 16 June 2023, a 15-year-old child (A. A. M.) was killed after a bullet was unleashed from a pistol with his friend to hit his chest in the latter’s house in al-Makhfiyia neighborhood in central Nablus.

The police detained the suspect, who was a child as well, and opened an investigation into the incident. The Palestinian Police Spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Louay Zreiqat, said that: “investigations indicated that there was one suspect, who was detained, and the weapon used in the incident was seized.

Moreover, the suspect admitted that he mistakenly opened fire while mishandling a weapon inside his house.”In a separate incident, on Wednesday evening, 14 June 2023, (A. N. H.) (18), from Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip, was pronounced dead, succumbing to a bullet injury in the neck during a family dispute that took place near his house on 27 May 2023. At that time, (A. N. H.) was taken in serious condition to al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and underwent surgery.  He remained in the ICU until his death was announced. It should be noted that a family dispute erupted between (M) and (H) families in Beit Hanoun, where 3 persons, including (A. N. H.), sustained various injuries.Earlier, an 11-year-old child (E. M. H.) was killed after being shot with a bullet in his head during a dispute that occurred in Qatanna village, northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, on Sunday, 11 June 2023, between young men from the same village, where firearms were used. The child was injured when he was in front of a shop belonging to his family in the village, and he was immediately taken to Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah for treatment. The child remained in critical condition until his death was announced the next day at dawn.Afterwards, a dispute broke out between several families in the village, where firearms were heavily used.  As a result, several houses and vehicles were set ablaze.

In the morning, backups from the Palestinian security services arrived to restore calm and maintain order and security in the village.PCHR strongly condemns such crimes and stresses that authorities shall take necessary action and measures to end the phenomenon of possession and use of weapons to assault the rule of law.