Ref: 56/2021

Date: 12 May 2021

Time: 14:15 GMT

Coinciding with the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, Yesterday afternoon, 11 May 2021, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed a Palestinian and wounded another after targeting their car while crossing Za’tara military checkpoint, southeast of Nablus, north of the West Bank. IOF alleged that the 2 Palestinians refused to obey the soldiers’ orders and stop, raising suspicions that they would carry out an attack at the checkpoint. As a result, IOF opened fire at them, killing one of them and wounding another. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) refuted the Israeli claims, as the vehicle was moving very slowly before IOF directly opened fire at the driver and the person next to him for 3 minutes; additionally, IOF left them bleeding for 15 minutes without providing them aid.

According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 18:39, on Tuesday, 11 May 2021, IOF stationed at Za’tara military checkpoint, southeast of Nablus, opened fire from a close range at a Palestinian white Skoda car travelled by 2 persons while crossing the checkpoint from Ramallah heading to Nablus. As a result, the driver was seriously wounded and the person next to him was killed. When the driver was wounded, he opened the car’s door and stayed in his seat bleeding for 15 minutes until an Israeli ambulance arrived and took them to one of the Israeli hospitals.

Later, the targeted persons were identified as Ahmed Abdul Fattah Daraghmah (38), a father of 4 children, was killed when several bullets penetrated his head, chest, abdomen and legs, and Mohammed Ali al-Nobani (28), was wounded with 6 bullets in his shoulder and legs, and his condition was described as serious. Daraghmah and al-Nobani are from al-Lubban al-Sharqiya village, southeast of Nablus, and both were officers at the Palestinian Intelligence Services in Ramallah.

IOF claimed that the soldiers stationed at the checkpoint shouted at the driver and ordered him to stop but he did not obey their orders, which raised suspicions that they intended to carry out a run-over attack at the checkpoint.  As a result, IOF opened fire at them, killed Daraghmah and wounded al-Nobani. However, PCHR and eyewitnesses refuted the IOF’s claims.

At approximately 23:00, IOF handed Daraghmah’s body to a Palestinian ambulance at Za’tara checkpoint, and his body was referred to Rafidia Governmental Hospital in Nablus, while al-Nobani was still at Beilinson Hospital in Israel receiving treatment, and his health condidtion is serious.

PCHR condemned the killing of Daraghmah and injury of al-Nobani, and emphasized this incident is part of IOF’s recurrent policy to use excessive force and live ammunition in order to kill rather than to control the suspects, especially at the checkpoints and near the areas where IOF is usually stationed.

PCHR calls upon the international community to take immediate action in order to stop IOF’s crimes and reiterates its call on the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfill their obligations under Article 1; i.e. to respect and ensure respect for the Convention in all circumstances and their obligations under Article 146 to prosecute persons alleged to commit grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention. These grave breaches constitute war crimes under Article 147 of the same Convention and Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions, which guarantee Palestinian civilians’ right to protection in the oPt.