Ref: 46/2006

Date:  30 May 2006

Time: 10:30 GMT 

An IOF Undercover Unit Moves into Beit Lahia, Killing 4 Palestinians and Wounding 4 Medical Personnel and 2 Journalists

On Monday evening, 29 May 2006, an undercover unit from the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) moved into Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip.  This operation, which continued until Tuesday morning, 30 May 2006, killed three members of the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, who engaged in armed clashes with the IOF unit.  A fourth Palestinian was killed when an IOF aircraft fired a missile at him.  In addition, four medical personnel and two journalists were wounded. 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 23:20 on Monday, 29 May 2006, an IOF undercover unit moved nearly 2,500 meters into Beit Lahia town in the northern Gaza Strip.  When IOF soldiers reached a position 400 meters away from the American International School, they clashed with a group from the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad.  The armed clash lasted for half an hour and killed three members of the al-Quds Brigades:

1.      Mohammed ‘Omar Khalil ‘Omar, 20;

2.      Yousef Khalil Abu al-Me’za, 24; and

3.      ‘Abdul Rahman Mohammed Abu Shanab, 27. 

A fourth member was also wounded in the clash.  The four members are all from al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. 

Approximately thirty minutes later, three Palestinian ambulances arrived at the scene of the attack in order to evacuate the bodies.  A number of Palestinian journalists were in the area reporting on the clashes.  As soon as the medical crew got close to one of the bodies, an IOF helicopter gunship fired a missile, which fell just 50 meters away from the ambulances.  Four medical personnel and two journalists were wounded as a result:

1.      Diaa’ al-Halabi, 25, a paramedic from al-‘Awda Hospital, wounded by shrapnel to the head, the chest and the right thigh;

2.      Rami al-Haj ‘Ali, 30, a paramedic from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, seriously wounded by shrapnel to the chest and back;

3.      Mohammed Shihda al-Muqayad, 25, a paramedic from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, seriously wounded by shrapnel to the chest;

4.      Nahid Saleh al-Shawa, 50, a paramedic from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, seriously wounded by shrapnel to the left thigh;

5.      Yahia Ibrahim al-Madhoun, 27, a correspondent from the local Shabab Radio station, wounded by shrapnel to the right leg; and

6.      Mahmoud al-Bayed, 32, a cameraman from Ramatan News Agency, wounded by shrapnel to the right leg.

At approximately 02:00 on Tuesday, 30 May 2006, an IOF aircraft fired another missile at Saber Mohammed Abu Qailaq, 22, a security man living in the area, while he was checking the area.  The missile killed him instantly.  A Palestinian civilian, 27-year-old Ashraf Sha’ban Dawas, was wounded by shrapnel to the head, while he was near his house. 

PCHR strongly condemns this latest attack and is gravely concerned over the escalation of Israeli attacks inside the OPT.  This latest attack further proves PCHR’s warning that IOF have not withdrawn from the Gaza Strip but have only redeployed around it.  They are, therefore, in a position to commit crimes whenever and wherever they wish inside the Gaza Strip, in complete disregard of international law and international humanitarian law.  PCHR calls upon the international community to immediately intervene to stop such crimes, and reiterates its calls for the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 to meet their obligations to ensure protection for Palestinian civilians in the OPT.

-End-