Four Palestinians Killed and Six Injured, including One Child, in Armed Clan and Personal Disputes

Palestinian Center for Human Rights 2 July 2006

Four Palestinians were killed and another six injured, including one child, during armed clan and personal disputes, which took place over the past 24 hours in Salfit, Beit Lahya and Rafah.

The latest incident occurred at approximately 12:30 on Sunday, 2 July 2006, and resulted in the death of Zahir Salman Maharieqa (27) from the town of Deir Esteya near Salfit. Zahir was an activist in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. He was in a barber shop in the El-Zaytoona building in the center of Salfit when Tha’er Suliman Madi, a 26-year-old resident of Salfit, fired at him, hitting him with a bullet to the head that killed him instantly. The incident was motivated by a personal dispute. Immediately after the incident, gunmen from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades arrived and chased Tha’er in the building. They fired at him and hit him with several bullets to the chest that killed him. In addition, two bystanders were injured, one of them a child. The injured are:

  • Ra’ed Eshtayya (25-year-old resident of Salfit), who was hit by several bullets to the abdomen and legs. His condition is serious;
  • Mohammad Saleh Abu Salmeyya (15) was injured by shrapnel to the hip. His injuries are minor.

    In a related development, members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades headed to the Salfit Hospital, where Zahir Maharieqa’s body was being kept. They found Fa’iq Ata Madi (50), Tha’er Madi’s uncle, inside the hospital. They fired at him, hitting with several bullets to the chest that killed him instantly.

    At approximately 10:00 on Saturday, 1 July 2006, Basel Mahmoud Thari, a 40-year-old resident of Beit Lahya, was hit by two bullets to the chest and died instantly. At the time, he was in his car near the western square in Beit Lahya. His brother, who works in the Preventive Security, had shot him as result of a personal dispute. The body was taken to Kamal Odwan Hospital in Beit Lahya.

    At approximately 12:30 on Saturday, 1 July 2006, a clan clash erupted between the Foujo and El-Arja clans in the Amer Housing Project in the eastern part of Rafah. The clash escalated and weapons were used. Four men were injured:

  • Sa’di Mohammad Foujo (21) was hit by two bullets to the right leg;
  • Mohammad Awad Foujo (60) was hit by a sharp object to the head;
  • Mo’een Ahmad El-Arja (22) was hit all over the body with a sharp object; and
  • Yaser Ahmad El-Arja (30) was hit all over the body with a sharp object.

    The first two men were taken to the European Hospital for treatment and the other two were taken to Mohammad Yousef El-Najjar Hospital for treatment. All the injuries were listed as moderate.

    PCHR is concerned about the continuation of internal violence, including the use of weapons in personal and clan disputes, which perpetuates the current state of security chaos in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The Centre calls upon the PNA, represented by the Attorney-General, to investigate these attacks and to 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.