Ref: 60/2016

A group of armed persons opened fire at a civilian car carrying three brothers from Abu-Meddin family. As a result, two of the three brothers were immediately killed while the third was transported to Shifa Hospital seemingly on grounds of revenge according to the preliminary police investigations.

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns this heinous crime, follows up its consequences with concern and calls upon the security services to immediately bring the perpetrators to justice. PCHR further points to the importance of respect to the rule of law and dignity of civilians in the security operation launched by the security services yesterday to catch the accused persons. Therefore, protection should be offered to both of the families to prevent any reprisals.

According to information available for the PCHR’s fieldworker, at approximately 15:39 on Thursday, armed persons opened fire at a black Hyundai car in the south of Sheikh Ejleen area, south of Gaza City. As a result, the two brothers Nasser and Abdul Malek Abed Rabbu Khalaf Abu-Meddin (49) and (40) were killed while their brother Hatem (47) was wounded and then taken to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where his health condition was classified as serious.

In a later development, a statement was released by Doghmosh Family in Gaza City, as a number of its members were accused of carrying out the murder. The statement reads the following: “The collective arrests launched by the Internal Security Service (ISS) against Doghmosh Family without showing respect to elderly persons and public figures from the family, in addition to raiding a mosque and arresting all who were inside from Doghmosh Family, raiding and searching their houses, opening fire and wounding some of the family members “.

According to what was published on media and the ISS website concerning the revenge crime, the murder was carried out in revenge of the murder of a Doghmosh member by an Abu-Meddin member, whom is imprisoned and has been still in the trial process. Furthermore, Abu-Meddin’s family was dismissed from the area they used to live in according to the tribal customs. The murderers chose their victims from Abu-Meddin family randomly although the three brothers had nothing to do with that crime.

PCHR is concerned that the revenge crime in its cruelest forms has come to the surface again in the Gaza Strip, targeting any innocent person just because he is a member of a family one of its members committed a killing crime.

This form of revenge is the most brutal concerning the security and stability of any society because it leads the whole society to a vicious cycle of endless killing and counter-killing. The victims of this crime are mainly innocent as the murderers in this form of revenge choose victims who are the best family members. This situation and mentality take us back to the dark ages.

PCHR, thus, believes that an iron fist should be used against all those tampering with the lives of innocents, highlighting the importance of the security services’ respect to the rule of the law when dealing with the suspects.

PCHR stresses that containing crimes and enforcing the rule of law cannot be achieved by violating the law itself or committing other crimes. The security services should take in consideration the principles of proportionality and non-excessive use of force to spare the innocent victims.

These legal measures do not hinder or prevent enforcing the law, it rather enhance respect for the law and those enforcing it.

PCHR condemns this crime and calls upon all parties to self-control and let justice prevail and security services enforce the law for the security and stability of the society.

Additionally, PCHR calls for protecting both of Doghmosh and Abu-Meddin families to prevent any reprisals or consequences.