Field Update

In
Gaza City on Wednesday morning, 22 December 2010, Mohammed Mohammed al-Ashram,
28 was killed due to violence resulting from a family dispute. Additionally, in Jabalia refugee camp in the
northern Gaza Strip on Monday, 20 December 2010, Zohair Ibrahim al-Ghandour, 39
was killed due to violence caused by another family dispute. Such incidents are characteristic of the current
security chaos and the widespread misuse of weapons in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory (OPT).

According
to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR),
at approximately 08:00 on Wednesday 22 December 2010, the corpse of Mohammed
al-Ashram, a police officer in Gaza, was transported to Shifa Hospital in Gaza
City. He was shot and killed by a live
bullet to the chest during a family dispute this morning between the victim and
one of his family members. The quarrel took place inside the al-Ashram Tile
Factory in al-Toffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City and escalated to the
point where shots were fired resulting in the death of al-Ashram.

Prior
to this shooting, Zohair al-Ghandour was killed in a family dispute in Jabalia
refugee camp. According to
investigations conducted by PCHR and the testimony of the victim’s brother, Fakhri
Ibrahim al-Ghandour, at approximately 20:35 on Monday, 20 December 2010, Zohair
Ibrahim al-Ghandour was transported to Martyr Kamal ‘Odwan Hospital in Beit
Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, to receive necessary medical treatment for
the wound created by a live bullet to his neck. Upon his arrival, he was transported to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City
because of the seriousness of his wounds. He passed away later that
evening. Al-Ghandour was shot during a
family dispute that erupted between cousins in his family. The clash occurred
near his home located in Block 6 of the Jabalia refugee camp. This dispute originated from an existing
problem within the al-Ghandour family involving three brothers kidnapping a
relative of theirs in the area. As the
dispute escalated, members of the family involved with security services
intervened to help release the kidnapped person. This led to the exchange of
fire between both sides and the death of Zohair al-Ghandour.

PCHR
gravely condemns the use of weapons in resolving family disputes, a major part
of the current security chaos and widespread misuse of weapons in the OPT, and
calls upon the Attorney-General to impartially investigate both incidents and
bring the perpetrators to justice.