Ref: 151/2022

Date: 03 December 2022

Time: 14:30 GMT

A Palestinian was killed in a cold-blooded execution after an Israeli Border Police officer opened fire at him from a gun on the main Street in Huwara village in Nablus, yesterday in the afternoon.

This incident is a blatant example of the policy of summary execution and unjustified killing triggered by the lenient shooting standards and impunity that increased killings in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), where 10 Palestinians were killed, including 7 civilians, within less than 80 hours.

According to PCHR’s investigations, at around 16:00 on Friday, 02 December 2022, an Israeli Border Police officer executed ‘Ammar Hamdi Nayef Mefleh (23), from Nablus, after directly opening fire at him point-blank on the main street in Huwara village, southeastern Nablus, after they quarreled during ‘Ammar’s attempt to free himself from the officer’s grasp as the latter was grabbing his neck trying to arrest him.  The officer had forced ‘Ammar to stand as he was lying on the ground after being wounded with shrapnel when a settler driving a car in the area opened fire at him. IOF did not allow any person or ambulance crews to approach ‘Ammar and left him to bleed for 20 minutes before an Israeli ambulance evacuated him.  Around an hour later, the Palestinian Liaison was officially informed of his death.

Tha’er Khaled ‘Abed Raboh Abu Salhiya (36), from Nablus, said to PCHR’s fieldworker that:

“When I was on the main street in Huwara village, I noticed a young man standing next to where I was knocking on the right window of a settler’s car, where a female settler was sitting in the front seat.  Immediately and without opening the car windows, the settler fired from a gun 3 bullets that penetrated the window.  I then saw the young man falling on the ground with blood on his face.  Moments later, one of the Israeli Border Police officers rushed alone from the western side to the street leading to Nablus and pulled the wounded young man from the ground trying to arrest him.  Therefore, a number of young men intervened trying to release him from the officer’s grasp as the latter was grabbing the young man’s neck and pushing him 2 or 3 meters back.  The young man was trying to free himself and attacking the officer to flee.  Meanwhile, the officer’s riffle fell, and the young man could release himself.  Straightway, the officer pulled his gun from his holster and fired several bullets at the upper part of the young man’s body while none was allowed to approach the wounded young man, who was left to bleed for 20 minutes before an Israeli ambulance evacuated him and IOF withdrew.”

The official spokesperson of the Israeli Police claimed to the Arab media that a Palestinian armed with a knife tried to break into a car with an Israeli settler and his wife in at Huwara using a stone. At the time, the settler shot and wounded him.  The wounded Palestinian stepped forward, later stabbed one of the Border Police officers in the area and tried to grab the commander’s weapon, so he was neutralized.

However, PCHR’s investigations and the eyewitnesses’ testimonies as well as the footages documenting the incident have refuted the Israeli claims and emphasized that the shooting at the Palestinian was unjustified.  The first footage showed the Palestinian lying on the ground with blood covering his face after being shot and wounded by the settler.  A later footage showed one of the soldiers grabbing the Palestinian young man’s neck while 2 other young men trying to pull him free from the solider, who pushed the young man several steps, and the soldier and the wounded were quarrelling. Meanwhile, the soldier’s riffle fell on the ground, so he pulled his gun and directly shot the young man.

PCHR reiterates its call upon international community to take immediate action to stop the Israeli crimes and double standards when it comes to the international law. PCHR also reiterates its call upon the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to fulfil their obligations as per Common Article 1 of the Convention, “undertake to respect and to ensure respect for the present Convention in all circumstances,” and their obligations under Article 146 of the same Conventions, i.e., to hold accountable persons accused of committing grave breaches of the Convention.