Field Update

On 16 May 2015, a girl was killed in Balatah refugee camp, east of
Nablus, as a bullet hit her in the head when a person celebrating the wedding
of his relative fired in the air. Moreover, a young man was killed in Majdal
Bani Fasel village, east of Nablus, during a family dispute, in which firearms
were used. These two incidents are part of the state of security chaos and
assaults 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 17:00 on Saturday, 16 May 2015, while
Alaa’ Ashraf al-‘Araj (16) was on the roof of her family’s in Balatah refugee
camp, east of Nablus, watching a wedding procession in
the camp, one of the attendants fired in the air out of joy. As a result, Alaa
sustained a bullet wound to the head. She was taken to Rafidiya Hospital in
Nablus, but doctors’ efforts to save her life failed and she was pronounced
dead half an hour later. According to PCHR’s investigations, the shooter
surrendered to the Palestinian police.

Additionally, a young man was killed during a family dispute in
Majdal Bani Fasel village, east of Nablus. At approximately 20:30 on Friday, 15
May 2015, a dispute erupted between two families in the said village, during
which over 20 persons sustained wounds by stones and sticks and their wounds
ranged between minor and moderate. However, the dispute developed into using firearms,
due to which Faisal Omer Ahmed Al Dabous Zaineddin (28) sustained a bullet
wound to the chest. He was taken to a health center in the nearby Aqraba
village, but doctors’ efforts to save his life failed. The police and security
services headed to the village to impose order and security. They controlled
the dispute and arrested about 30 persons from both parties and referred them to
investigation in Nablus.

PCHR condemns the two incidents and calls upon the Attorney General
to seriously investigate them and bring the perpetrators to justice.