Security Chaos and Misuse of Weapons

Attacks against Officials and Public Institutions

Field Update

2 June 2009  

Unknown Gunmen Set Fire to a Coffee Shop in Deir al-Balah City

In the dawn today, Tuesday 2 June 2009, unknown gunmen set fire to “al-Amir” coffee shop in al-Bi’a street in Deir al-Balah city. They damaged the contents of the coffee shop and assaulted the workers in the coffee shop.

According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), today, at approximately 03:30 am, five masked gunmen raided al-Amir coffee shop. They awoke the owner of the coffee shop, Mohammed Mohammed Abu Slim, 22, his brother Mahmoud, 18, and a worker employed in the coffee shop, Samir Khattab, 18. The gunmen beat the named civilians with guns’ butts. They also punched and slapped them. One of the masked gunmen poured benzene in the coffee shop and then set fire. In the meanwhile, one of the gunmen poured benzene on the three men and threatened them to set fire to them, and then he began destroying the stuff there.

The owner of the coffee shop said to PCHR that the gunmen took their mobiles and threw them in the fire and then left the place. According to Abu Slim, while leaving the scene, the gunmen threw a grenade towards the coffee shop but it did not explode.

Abu Slim added that he asked for help from his relatives who live near the shop. He extinguished the fire with his relatives and then telephoned to the police. The police arrived to the scene and checked it. The police asked Abu Slim to file a complaint in the police station, and he did so.

PCHR is concerned over continued attacks against private and public property, which are part of the state of security chaos and misuse of weapons plaguing the OPT.  PCHR calls upon concerned authorities to open investigations into this reported incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.