Field Update

On Friday and Saturday, two
kidnappings were carried out against three members of al-Quds Brigades, the
military wing of Islamic Jihad, and al-Nasser Saladin Brigades, the
military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), in Khuza’a village,
east of Khan Yunis. The kidnapped
persons were also beaten. These
incidents are part of the state of security chaos and misuse of weapons
currently prevailing in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

According to investigations
conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), at approximately
23:00 on Friday, 19 August 2010, masked gunmen wearing al-Quds Brigades bandana
kidnapped two persons from the Qdeih family (believed to be members of Saladin
Brigades), while they were walking near the building Khuza’a Municipality. One of the kidnapped stated to a PCHR field
worker after he had been released that a group of masked members of al-Quds
Brigades stopped him, while he was walking with his relative near the building
of Khuza’a Municipality, and requested them to get into their car, but they
refused. The gunmen attacked them by
beating and stunning with an electric machine, blindfolded them and transported
them to Ma’an area, east of Khan Yunis. Qdeih added that the masked gunmen questioned them regarding shooting
that took place two days ago near Hamza Mosque in Khuza’a village. They were beaten and then released an hour
and a half later. The two persons headed
to the European Gaza hospital as they sustained bruises, and filed a complaint
to the police.

PCHR was informed that the police
initiated an investigation, and arrested and summoned number of suspected
persons.

Later on, apparently in response to
the abduction of two members of al-Nasser Saladin Brigades, at approximately
1:00 on Saturday, 20 August 2010,
a group of masked members of al-Nasser Saladin Brigades
kidnapped a member of Islamic Jihad from Abu Daqqa family in Bani Suhaila
village, east of Khan Yunis. He was
released about 10 minutes later. He
stated to a PCHR field worker that he was kidnapped after a meeting between
leaders from both parties to amicably settle the dispute, but no settlement was
concluded. Abu Daqqa added that he was
kidnapped when he was talking with the spokesperson of PRC near his house in
Bani Suhaila village. A Magnum car
arrived and masked gunmen got out of it. They transported him to the western area of Khan Yunis, where they beat
him. They released him 10 minutes later,
as they received a phone requesting them to return him home.

It should be noted that these
incidents took place on the ground of an armed dispute between Al-Quds Brigades
and National Resistance Brigades in Khuza’a village last Tuesday, in which two
civilians.[1]

PCHR strongly condemns the two
abductions between Islamic Jihad movement and PRC in Khuza’a village, and calls
upon the Attorney-General to seriously investigate these incidents and bring
perpetrators to justice.