Field Update

In the
past few days, a civilian was killed and 5 others, including a woman, were
injured in 4 separate incidents in Rafah, Qalqilya and Nablus due to the use of
firearms in family and personal disputes.

According
to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR),
at approximately 19:00 on Saturday, 03 May 2014, the body Bashir Naser Soliman
Abu Sneimah (35) from al-Nasser village, north of Rafah, was brought the
European Gaza Hospital in Khan Yunis as he was hit by 2 bullets to the head and
chest.  The body was transferred to the
Forensic Department in Gaza to identify the cause of death.  According to investigations conducted by the
police and the testimony of the victim’s brother, Jihad Abu Sneimah, the victim
was shot by a person traveling a motorbike near his house adjacent to
al-Masmiyah School in al-Nasser village, north of Rafah.  The police suspect that the crime was
committed on the grounds of a 10-year-old family revenge as Bashir was accused
of murder, but was later acquitted by a Palestinian court.

In
another incident on 02 May 2014, two civilians were injured as firearms were
used in a family dispute between members of Jarghone family in al-Anwar Wedding
Hall in al-Mashrou’ neighborhood in the east of Rafah during a wedding party:
.  Tamer ‘Ali Jarghone (34); seriously
injured by a bullet to the chest; and ‘Atallah Mohammed Jarghone (32), from
Khan Yunis, injured by 3 bullets to the legs and scratches in the face by a
sharp tool and he is in a moderate condition. 
The aforementioned wounded persons were taken to Martyr Abu Yousif
Annajar Hospital in Rafah and then transferred to the European Gaza Hospital in
Khan Yunis.  The quarrel was due to
financial disputes as well as a prior attack that occurred two months ago in
the same family.

In a
separate incident, at approximately 23:50 on Thursday, 01 May 2014, a gunman
wearing a helmet stored al-Aneeq tailor shop in Ghayaza neighborhood in
Qalqilya in the northern West Bank, fired from a gun at the shop’s owner,
Saddam Ibrahim Abu al-So’oud (28) and immediately fled.  As a result, Abu al-So’oud was wounded by two
bullets in the right side of the waist and the right elbow.  Abu al-So’oud said that he knew the identity
of the gunman who committed the crime, which is on the grounds of a personal
dispute between them.  He added that the
Palestinian police arrived at the hospital to take his testimony and open an
investigation into the incident.

On 30
April 2013, Ahmed Mohammed Khalifah (27) was injured by 3 bullets to both legs,
and Fadwa Ahmed Shihab (45) was injured by a bullet to the right hand as a
gunman fired during a personal dispute in al-‘Ein refugee camp in Nablus.  Kalifah said to a PCHR fieldworker that at
approximately 14:00 on the aforementioned day, the two injured persons
intervened to break up a quarrel between a child and a young man, who is the
son of a General Intelligence officer. 
The officer saw the quarrel from the window of his nearby house and then
fired several bullets from his gun at them injuring Khalifah and Shihab.  The two injured persons were then taken to
Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where they received medical treatment, while the
police opened an investigation into the incident.

PCHR
condemns the continued killings due to the use of firearms in familial and
personal disputes, which is part of the state of proliferation of weapons and
assaults on the rule of law in the oPt. PCHR calls upon the Public Prosecution
to seriously investigate these incident and bring the perpetrators before
justice.