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Press Release
A new assassination by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza
Ref: 50/2001
Date: 1 September 2001
This morning, Israeli occupation forces assassinated a prominent Palestinian security officer of the General Intelligence Service (GIS), Dr. Tayseer Zayed Khattab, 42, from Gaza City, director of the office of Major General Amin El-Hindi, Head of GIS in the Gaza Strip. This crime further increases the record of extra-judicial killings committed by Israeli occupation forces, which are carried out according to an official Israeli government policy of targeting those whom they describe as “Intifada activists.”
According to initial investigations by PCHR, at 08:17 local time a white Volkswagen Golf was traveling from Gaza City to the headquarters of the headquarters of GIS north of the city, through Al-Jala’ Street. The car was driven by Dr. Tayseer Khattab accompanied by his bodyguard, Ahmed ‘Omar Abu Ghalyoun, 30. As the car passed 30m beyond Sheikh Radwan-‘Ebad Al-Rahman junction, an explosion occurred in the car. When the car stopped, Abu Ghalyoun, who was injured, jumped out of it. Dr. Khattab was seriously injured and evacuated to Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza City, where he was pronounced dead. Palestinian security forces and civil defense arrived at the place of the incident and initiated an investigation.
According to initial information, the blast resulted from a bomb that had been placed in the front of the car. Palestinian security sources held Israeli occupation forces responsible for the crime. In addition to the death of Dr. Khattab and the injury of his bodyguard, three passing civilians were injured:
1) ‘Abdel-Karim Mahmoud Abu Hulayel, 28, from Jabalya refugee camp;
2) Mohammed ‘Abdel-Karim Abu Hulayel, 9, from Jabalya refugee camp; and
3) Bassam Rajab Khureis, 23, from Al-Remal neighborhood in Gaza City.
PCHR strongly condemns this criminal act by Israeli occupation forces, which was carried out according to a declared policy of assassination adopted by the Israeli government, in violation of international law and international humanitarian law. This crime was in all likelihood committed after a deliberate decision taken by the Israeli government, headed by the war criminal Ariel Sharon, to escalate tension in the whole region. In light of continued escalation of Israeli aggression, PCHR reiterates its call for the international community, through its organizations and agencies, to immediately intervene to prevent further deterioration of the situation in the region. PCHR also calls upon the international community to provide protection for the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
