Field
update

On
Sunday evening, 19 January 2015, unknown persons detonated an explosive device
under a car belonging to a Palestinian police officer in Gaza City, due to
which the car was blown up, but no casualties were reported. This attack is
part of the phenomenon of the proliferation of weapons and assault on the rule
of law in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

According
to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR),
at approximately 23:45 on Monday, 19 January 2015, unknown persons planted a home-made
explosive device under a car belonging to Helmi Hamdi Shokri Khalaf (36), a lieutenant
colonel in the military police in Gaza City. The vehicle was parked in front of
his house, east of Abu ‘Elba intersection in al-Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in
the north of Gaza City. The explosion that rocked the area resulted in heavy
damage to the car, but no casualties were reported.

According
to Major Ayman al-Batniji, Spokesman of the Palestinian Police, the police
hurried to the scene and inspected it. They found that the explosion resulted
from a home-made explosive device weighing 500 grams under the car. The police initiated
an investigation and have been looking for the doers.

PCHR
is concerned over the state of security chaos and assault on the rule of law
prevailing in the oPt and calls upon the Attorney-General to seriously
investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators before justice.