Ref: 50/2015
Date: 09 August 2015
Time: 11:00 GMT

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) expresses its deep concern over the deaths of 4 civilians, including a child, and injury of 40 others, including 18 children and 4 women, as well partial damage into 20 houses, due to an internal explosion in a house in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. PCHR calls upon the Attorney General in Gaza to open an investigation in the incident.

PCHR has conducted extensive investigations to find out the circumstances of the incident, through taking statements of witnesses, who were injured in the accident.

According to these investigations, at approximately 10:40 on Thursday, 06 August 2015, a heavy explosion occurred in a house belonging to Hassan Ahmed Abu Nakirah, 35, in al-Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Before the explosion occurred, the flames and smoke billowed from the abovementioned house, and the Abu Nkairah and a number of his relatives and neighbors tried to put out the fire, which continued for about seven minutes and was up about 20 meters high. As a result, the explosion caused partial damages to 20 houses and killed the house’s owner, his son Ahmed,17, and two of his relative were identified as: Abed al-Rahman Ayman Abu Nikirah, 18, and Baker Mohammed Abu Nikirah, 22. Additionally, 40 persons were injured, including 18 children and 4 women. The injured persons were transported to the hospital to receive medical treatment.

An eyewitness said to PCHR: “…I was near my house in al-Shaboura camp at approximately 10:35 on Thursday morning when I saw a black smoke rising from a house that is about 100 meters from my house. I went towards the place and crossed the street. Suddenly I heard a heavy explosion rocking the area and I fell onto the ground. I then got up and went to the house. After that, I knew that this house belongs to Hasan Abu Nikirah, and I saw 11 injured persons, including three one who were motionless”.

According to another witness, he saw flames rising from the home of his neighbor Hassan Abu Nikirah, so he went to help evacuate people from the area.
“I saw Abu Nikirah wearing a white galabia and a wet jacket over it. I entered the house in order to evacuate his family from it. In the meantime, I saw our neighbor Baker Abu Nikirah trying to enter the burning house through a window in the west wall. Then the explosion occurred. I fell onto the ground and the place was full of smoke and dust. As a result, I was injured my shoulder and back.

A third witness added: ‘I saw fire breaking out a motorcycle and a motor cart (toktok) in front of the house, and a heavy explosion then occurred and shook the area within minutes. Smoke and dust spread over the area. I fell onto the ground and saw a motionless young man was beside me. After that, I got up and ran. I saw injured persons exiting from their houses, including women and children. When I arrived at the main road, two youngsters put me inside a car with 5 injured, including a woman, and they transferred me to the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital, where I received first medical aid. The doctors found that I sustained injuries in my abdomen and left shoulder and a fracture in my right hand, and my teeth were broken.

Lieutenant colonel, Ashraf al-Sudodi, the chief of operation department in Rafah police station, stated that the house’s owner which had exploded, works in the military police in Gaza. Initial investigations conducted by the police found that the fire broke out in the house’s yard for 7 minutes, at high altitude. Moreover the explosion caused by the friction of highly flammable materials, that left a hole of 2 meters depth and 6 meters width.

In light of the above, PCHR;
• Calls upon the Attorney General to investigate the incident in Rafah and reveal the results of this investigation.
• Points out the seriousness of the continued storage of explosive materials by Palestinian armed groups in civilian populated areas, which poses a continuous threat to the lives of Palestinian civilians and constitutes a violation of human rights and international humanitarian law, and concerned authority take necessary measures to stop it.