Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms

Misuse of Weapons by Armed Groups and Security Forces

Field Update

29 June 2006

Three Palestinians Killed, including a Woman and an Infant, and Five Injured by Weapons Stored in Civilian Areas and Mishandled Weapons

Qasem Mohammad Qasem Mas’oud (20) and his 18-month-old niece, Maysam Eyad Mas’oud, were killed when a locally produced rocket exploded prematurely.  Qasem was a member of the Ahmad Abu El-Riesh Brigades and had stored the rocket in his father’s house.

PCHR’s preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 15:15 on Wednesday, 28 June 2006, a locally produced rocket exploded in the house belonging to Mohammad Qasem Mohammad Mas’oud (53), in Bloc E of Khan Yunis Refugee Camp.  The house owner’s son, Qasem, had stored the rocket inside the house.  The explosion killed Qasem, an activist in the Ahmad Abu El-Riesh Brigades, affiliated with Fatah, and his niece Maysam.  Both were killed by shrapnel to different parts of their bodies.  Another four members of the family were injured in the blast:

–         Ma’zouza Hasan Mas’oud (53), Qasem’s mother, sustained shrapnel injuries to the chest and left leg.

–         Asma Mohammad Mas’oud (23), Qasem’s sister, sustained shrapnel injuries to different parts of the body.  

–         Ola Mustafa Mas’oud (30), Qasem’s sister-in-law, sustained shrapnel injuries to different parts of the body.

–         Abdel Rahman Qasem Mas’oud (48), Qasem’s uncle, sustained shrapnel in the right thigh.

The injured were taken to Naser Hospital for treatment, where their conditions were described as moderate.

At approximately 18:30 on the same day, Taheyya El-Jerjawi from Maghazi Refugee Camp was killed by a bullet to the chest.  The shot was accidentally fired from a firearm her husband had been cleaning.  She was killed instantly.  The body was taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir El-Balah, where the cause of death was determined to be a bullet that had entered the chest and left the body through the back.

PCHR is gravely concerned over the continued number of deaths and injuries resulting from the misuse of weapons, which has become a prominent feature of the ongoing security chaos in the region.  The Centre calls upon the Palestinian National Authority to take preventive measures to prevent such incidents and safeguard the safety of citizens.