Israeli forces kill 7 Palestinians in two extrajudicial executions

Less than 24 hours following the assassination of 3 Palestinians in Tulkarm, on Friday morning, 23 April 2004, Israeli occupying forces assassinated 3 Palestinians in Qlqilya and injured a fourth one.  The four are members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of Fatah movement.  Israeli forces claimed that the four Palestinians attempted to escape form arrest, so Israeli soldiers fired at them.  However, investigations conducted by PCHR concluded that an undercover unit of Israeli occupying forces fired at the victims without any warning.  The victims were hit by live bullets from the front, which refutes the Israeli claim that they attempted to escape.   

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 01:00 on Friday, an undercover unit of Israeli occupying forces moved into Qalqilya using a civilian car.  The moved towards al-Saba’ Street in the west of the town.  Immediately, members of the undercover unit opened fire without warning at 4 Palestinians in the street, killing three of them:

Mohammed Kamel Mohammed Nazzal, 25, hit by a live bullet to the heart; Mohammed ‘Abdul Hafiz Salim Nazzal, 30, hit by a live bullet to the heart; and ‘Abdul Rahman Wasef Nazzal, 22, hit by several live bullets to the head and the abdomen. 

The fourth Palestinian, ‘Aatef Daoud Sha’ban, 30, was seriously wounded by several live bullets in the chest and the abdomen. 

Also on Friday morning, Israeli occupying forces shot dead a university lecturer in Tallouza village, north of Nablus.  They claimed that they fired at three armed members of Hamas movement, killing one and injuring another one, while the third was able to escape.  According to investigations conducted by PCHR, the victim was not armed and was not wanted by Israeli forces, and there was no one else injured in the attack. 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 10:00 on Friday, ‘Aamer Mohammed Ahmed Abu Laimoun, 33, from Tallouza village north of Nablus, and his sister, Samar, 30, were going from their home to piece of agricultural land belonging to the family, approximately 400 meters away from home.  When they walked nearly half of the distance, they were fired at from a neighboring olive field.  The man was killed by several live bullets to the head and the chest.  His body was moved in a civilian car towards the hospital.  Israeli forces positioned on Tallouza-Yassid road stopped the car and took the body out.  They put the body on the road until 13:45, when they allowed a Palestinian ambulance to transfer the body to Rafidya Hospital.  PCHR believes it was an undercover unit of Israeli occupying forces which fired at the victim.  It is worth noting that the victim was a lecturer at al-Quds Open University and the Arab American University.  He was not a member of any Palestinian resistance organization.  He was not armed.

On Saturday, 24 April 2004, Israeli occupying forces committed another extra-judicial assassination in Jenin, which killed 3 Palestinians, including a civilian bystander.  In addition, a journalist was injured. 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 12:45 on Saturday, an undercover unit of Israeli occupying forces moved into al-Jabriyat area in the southwest of Jenin using a civilian car with a Palestinian registration.  The car moved towards the Jenin-Nablus road.  Israeli soldiers opened fire at two Palestinians who were walking on a branch road in the area.  The two, who are members of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of Fatah movement, were instantly killed:

1.      Sa’id Ahmed Hardan, 30, hit by several live bullets to the face, the chest and the abdomen; and

2.      Kamal ‘Abdullah Masa’id, 28, hit by several live bullets to the face, the chest and the abdomen. 

A passing Palestinian civilian, Mohammed Mazen ‘Azzouqa, 19, was also killed by several live bullets in the upper part of the body.  In addition, ‘Ali Sadiq al-Samoudi, 38, correspondent of al-Quds daily local newspaper and al-Jazeera Satellite Channel, was injured by shrapnel in the chest, the face and the legs as he passed by the area. 

PCHR strongly condemns these crimes and calls upon the international community, particularly the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions, to immediately intervene to provide protection for Palestinian civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Related Links

  • BY TOPIC: Israel’s Assassination Policy
  • Palestinian Center for Human Rights