Ref: 36/2011

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) calls upon the
Attorney General’s office in Gaza to open an investigation into the
circumstances of deaths of two wanted persons and the injury of a third one
during an armed clash with security services in Nussairat refugee camp in the
central Gaza Strip on Tuesday, 19 April 2011. PCHR emphasizes the importance of finalizing investigations into the
hideous murder of the Italian solidarity activist, Vittorio Arrigoni, to reveal
its circumstances and publishing the results of investigations. 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately
13:00 on Tuesday, 19 April 2011, many security officers, including ones in
civilian clothes, surrounded a house belonging to Khalil Mohammed Abu Goula,
51, near Thu al-Nourain Mosque in Nussairat refugee camp in the central Gaza
Strip, after security services had received information that 3 wanted persons,
who were accused of abducting and killing the Italian solidarity activist,
Vittorio Arrigoni, on 14 April 2011, were harbored in the house. The house consists of two floors, each of
which includes two flats. Four families
counting 17 individuals, including 5 children, live in the house. Security forces raided the house and arrested
3 of Abu Ghoula’s sons: Khaled, 28; ‘Aamer, 23; and Jamal, 22. Soon after, sporadic armed clashes erupted
between security forces and the persons hiding in the house. As a result of these clashes, Aamena Shihda
Abu Ghoula, 25, was lightly wounded by a bullet to the head. Residents of the house got out of it, and
security forces brought the mother of one the persons hiding in the house and
of another member of the same group, Hisham al-Si’aidni, in an attempt to
convince the three persons to surrenders. Security forces eventually seized control over the house. 

On Wednesday morning, the spokesman of the Ministry of Interior in
Gaza, Eng. Eihab al-Ghussain, stated in a press conference that the three
wanted persons did not obey instructions by security forces to surrender and
attempted to resist detention. They also
opened fire, wounding a security officer moderately, according to
al-Ghussain. He added that one of the
wanted persons, ‘Abdul Rahman al-Braizat, three a hand grenade near the other
two persons, and as a result, one of them, Bilal al-‘Omari, was seriously
injured and died later, while the other one, Mahmoud al-Salfiti, was lightly
injured. Al-Braizat then shot himself
dead with a pistol, according to al-Ghussain’s statement.

PCHR reiterates condemnation for the hideous crime that took the
life of the Italian solidarity activist, Vittorio Arrigoni, and calls upon the
Attorney General to investigate the deaths of two wanted persons and the injury
of a third one. PCHR further stresses
the importance of finalizing investigations into the abduction and killing of
Arrigini, and publishing the results of investigations.