Five Killed and Seven Injured in Armed Clan Clashes in Khan Yunis

Palestinian Center for Human Rights 5 November 2006

Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms
Armed Personal and Clan Clashes
Field Update

On Saturday, 4 November 2006, five Palestinians were killed, including one woman, and seven others were injured, including a woman and a child, in renewed clashes between El-Masri and Abu Taha clans in Khan Yunis.

PCHR’s preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 9:40 on Saturday, armed clashes erupted between El-Masri and Abu Taha clans in Jamal Abdel Naser Street at the intersections with Jala’ and Bahar Streets in the city of Khan Yunis. The clashes erupted after Adnan Yousef Hosni Abu Taha (49) was beaten with a sharp object on the head by members of El-Masri clan. The clashes between both clans resulted in the death of 5 people:

  • Abdel Aziz Ahmad Shaker Abu Taha (18), killed by several bullets to the head and chest;
  • Bilal Ahmad Shaker Abu Taha (25), killed by several bullets to the head and chest;
  • Ashraf Abdel Sami’ Shaker Abu Taha (30), killed by several bullets to the head and chest;
  • Salim Mohammad Odeh El-Masri (21), killed by two bullets to the pelvis; and
  • Maha Nathmi Abdel Hafith Abu Shammala-Abdel Hadi (33), a bystander and a mother of 8 killed by a bullet to the chest.

    The clashes resulted in the injury of 6 others, most of them bystanders. They were taken to Naser Hospital for treatment:

  • Mohammad Jum’a Abu Taha (25), injured by several bullets in the legs;
  • Karam Mohammad Odeh El-Masri (29), injured by a bullet to the right leg;
  • Mustafa Abdel Naser Abdel Hadi El-Kefafi (7), injured by a bullet to the left foot;
  • Heba Bassam Barbakh (19), injured by a bullet in the right shoulder;
  • Mohammad Sa’id Safi (18), injured by a bullet in the left shoulder; and
  • Yousef Mousa El-Deiri (26), injured by a bullet in the right thigh. He was transferred to Shifa Hospital for treatment due to the severity of his injury.

    It is noted that armed clashes occurred between these two clan over the past few months. Several people were killed in these earlier clashes as well.

    PCHR is concerned over the continued falling of victims in armed personal and clan clashes, which is part of the security chaos plaguing the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The Centre reiterates the call to the Palestinian National Authority, represented by the Attorney-General, to seriously investigate these crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice.

    The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is an independent legal body based in Gaza City dedicated to protecting human rights, promoting the rule of law and upholding democratic principles in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It holds Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations and is an affiliate of the International Commission of Jurists, the Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Homme (FIDH), and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network. PCHR is a recipient of the 1996 French Republic Award for Human Rights.

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