Field Update
On Saturday, 22 October 2016, a man was shot dead by gunmen in al- Zawayda village in the central Gaza strip. This incident is part of the state 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 Center for Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately 21:00 on Saturday, 22 October 2016, gunmen opened fire at Tariq Ali al-‘Awawdah (48) from al- Bureij refugee camp while walking in al- Zawayda village in the central Gaza Strip. As a result, al-‘Awawdah was hit with several bullets to the head and lower and fell on the ground. The Palestinian police immediately headed to the scene and open an investigation. Al-‘Awawdah was then taken to al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, where he was pronounced dead. His body was transferred to al-Shifa’ Hospital in Gaza city to be examined by the Forensic Department.
PCHR later knew that following the police investigation into the incident, Police sources said that the crime occurred on grounds of a family revenge.
PCHR condemns the killing of Tariq al-‘Awawdah and is concerned over the increasing number of victims due to the use of firearms. Furthermore, PCHR calls upon the competent authorities to take all the necessary measures to put an end to the proliferation of weapons and to maintain the safety and security of civilians.