Nine Injured in Attacks Targeting the Preventive Security Compound and Preventive Security Personnel in the Gaza Strip

Over the past 24 hours, nine people were injured, including three members of the Preventive Security Apparatus and six civilians, in two separate armed attacks in Khan Yunis and Gaza.

At approximately 12:00 on Tuesday, 6 June 2006, unknown assailants fired three rockets at the headquarters of the Preventive Security in the Tal El-Hawa area of Gaza City. Six members of the Preventive Security were injured and were taken to Shifa Hospital for treatment. Information released by the Preventive Security about the incident stated that a number of gunmen fired three 60 millimeter mortars at the headquarters from the east, injuring two Preventive Security personnel and four maintenance workers in the compound. Preventive Security personnel fired at the assailants, who managed to flee the scene.

Dr. Baker Abu Safeyya, the Director of the Emergency Ward at Shifa Hospital, informed PCHR’s fieldworker that five injured people had been admitted to the hospital as a result of the attack on the Preventive Security Headquarters. He indicated that their condition is stable. The injured are:

  • Naser Ibrahim Hussein, a 32-year-old resident of the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City, injured by shrapnel to the back and left knee;
  • Zahed Shehda Touman, a 29-year-old resident of the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City, injured by shrapnel to the neck;
  • Mohammad Abu El-Amrein, a 30-year-old resident of the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City, injured by shrapnel to the shoulder;
  • Husam Abdel Rahman Abu Draz, a 34-year-old resident of Khan Yunis, injured by shrapnel to the back; and
  • Bassam Mahmoud Abu Soboh, a 20-year-old resident of Khan Yunis, injured by shrapnel to the abdomen.

    It is not clear who was behind the attack on the Preventive Security Headquarters or the motives behind the attack. After the incident a number of journalists and cameramen went to the scene to cover the incident. However, Preventive Security personnel refused to allow them to come close to the compound and cover the event.

    And at approximately 18:00 on Monday, 5 June 2006, masked gunmen traveling in two cars in Khan Yunis fired at officer Sobhi Mahmoud El-Breim, who works in the Preventive Security, as he was about to get out of his car near a store in Bani Suheila, east of Khan Yunis. was injured by a bullet to the lower abdomen. In addition, two civilians in the area were injured:

  • Atef Khalil El-Fojom (26) injured by a bullet to the abdomen; and
  • Fawzi Mustafa El-Fojom (36) injured by shrapnel to the hands.

    One of the gunmen’s vehicles broke down as they attempted to leave the area. They then took the injured officer’s car and fled the scene. Later, people in the area burned the car that had been left behind by the gunmen.

    It is noted that the current state of high tension in the Gaza Strip is the result of repeated clashes between Preventive Security and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades on one side and members of the Interior Ministry Executive Force and the Izzedeen El-Qassam Brigades on the other. Several people have been killed and injured in these clashes.

    PCHR is gravely concerned over the continued escalation in the use of arms by groups and individuals, which is further aggravating the current state of security chaos in the OccupiedPalestinian Territory. . The Centre calls upon the PNA, represented by the Attorney-General, to investigate these incidents 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 Fédération 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.