Security Chaos and Misuse of
Weapons

Misuse of Weapons by Armed Groups
or Servicemen

Field Update

The last 48 hours witnessed several
internal explosions in Gaza city in a hardware store, a billiard hall, a police
vehicle and a private vehicle belonging to a member of the naval police. These explosions are a part of the state of
security chaos and misuse of weapons plaguing the occupied Palestinian
territories.

According to investigations
conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), the latest
explosion took place at approximately 02:40 on Thursday, 14 January 2010, when
unknown persons detonated a bomb near the entrance of a hardware store
belonging to Sami Abdul Qader al-‘Ar’ir in al-Shojayea neighborhood in the east
of Gaza City. As a result of the
explosion, material damages were caused to the entrance of the store and to the
glass windows of neighboring houses.

In a separate incident, at
approximately 02:30 on Thursday, 14 January 2010, unknown persons detonated a
bomb near the entrance of the “Friends Forum” billiard hall that belongs to
Rabi’ Saleh Jaber in al-Nasser street in the north of Gaza city. The entrance of the hall was damaged and
windows of neighboring houses crushed.

At approximately 20:10 on
Wednesday, 13 January 2010, unknown persons detonated a bomb under a police
vehicle while parking near al-‘Abbas police station in the west of Gaza
City. The vehicle was badly damaged and
no casualties were reported.

At approximately 05:00 on
Wednesday, 13 January 2009, unknown persons detonated a bomb in a grey Skoda
belonging to Mohamed Salam al-Ghussein while parking near his house in al-Daraj
neighborhood, east of Gaza city. Heavy
damages were caused to the car, but no casualties were reported. Al-Ghussein is
a captain in the marine police.

PCHR strongly condemns these
attacks that constitute a part of the state of security chaos and misuse of
weapons plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory. PCHR calls upon the Attorney General to open
serious investigations into these attacks and bring perpetrators to justice.