Ref: 91/2020

Date: 23 September 2020

Time: 06:45 GMT

On Sunday, 20 September 2020, medical sources at Shuhada’ al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah announced the death of a woman from Nuseirat refugee camp, Central Gaza Strip, 30 minutes after she arrived to the hospital unconscious; the cause of death was a severe heart attack that she suffered in a police assault on her sons and attempt to arrest one of them. The police arrived at her son’s shop because he had opened his shop after curfew hours (20:00).

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) stresses that compliance with preventive measures is a legal and national responsibility; nevertheless, PCHR confirms that the police should abide by the law and impose new restrictions and measures cautiously and sensibly.

According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 22:00, on Sunday, 20 September 2020, a police force arrived at Rajab Husam Fayez Hamdan’s (22) minimarket, located on the ground floor of his house in Nuseirat camp. A member of the police force entered the minimarket and ordered Rajab to accompany him to the police vehicle for violating curfew rules and opening his shop after 20:00. Rajab was escorted to the police vehicle; meanwhile, his brother, Mohammed (23), arrived at the shop and as Rajab put his head out of the vehicle’s window, the policemen pushed his head in and physically assaulted him with clubs. Mohammed and the policemen quarreled, he pushed a policeman and several policemen proceeded to beat him with clubs. At this moment, Manal Abdul Fattah Hamdan (47), their mother who has breast cancer, came downstairs to aid her son Mohammed but the police pushed her.

Sources at the police informed PCHR that police investigation confirmed the woman was not pushed or assaulted by the police. The woman had collapsed to the ground soon after the police vacated the scene, taking her son Rajab and two of his cousins.

Sources at the police informed PCHR that police investigation confirmed the woman was not pushed or assaulted by the police. The woman had collapsed to the ground soon after the police vacated the scene, taking her son Rajab and two of his cousins. A group of relatives gathered and called a Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance, but it did not arrive.; therefore, 30 minutes later, she was transported in a private vehicle to Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah. She was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU); unfortunately, doctors declared her dead 30 minutes after he arrival. At approximately 10:00, on Monday, 21 September 2020, the woman’s body was

transferred to the Forensic Medicine Department at al-Shifa Hospital, which determined a severe heart attack as the cause of death. The Forensics Department wanted to perform an autopsy on the body, but the family decline and she was buried the following day.

PCHR stresses that the spread of the corona virus pandemic in the Gaza Strip requires the security services to impose special measures that should be adhered to by the population. The state of emergency gives the authorities exceptional powers, including restricting some rights and freedoms, provided that this restriction is within the limit of the declared goal of the state of emergency according to Article (111) of the Palestinian Basic Law.

PCHR also confirms that the police should address citizens with caution  and in accordance with standards, and that violations to such measures or the law do not justify inexcusable offensiveness and violence by the authorities.

PCHR also calls upon citizens to adhere by the preventive measures to combat the spread of the corona virus pandemic, including curfew decisions.