Ref: 156/2007

Date: 08 November  2007

Time: 12:00 GMT

3 Palestinians Killed and 11 Others Wounded in Gaza Strip since the Beginning of This Week

Since the beginning of this week, two Palestinians have been killed, another one has died from a previous wound and 11 others have been wounded in Rafah and Gaza City. Unknown persons also detonated a bomb in a fast meal restaurant in the west of Gaza City. 

According to investigations conducted by PCHR:

At approximately 10:30 on Wednesday, 7 November 2007, Tahseen Khader al-Bouji, 23, was killed by a gunshot to the chest and 3 others were wounded, when a militant opened fire during the funeral procession of Rami al-Haj Ahmed (Salama) in Tal al-Sultan neighborhood in Rafah. Two of the wounded are still in a serious condition. Al-Haj Ahmed (Salama), 31, a member of the al-Quds Brigades (the armed wing of Islamic Jihad), died at approximately 01:30 on Wednesday from a wound he had sustained on 21 October 2007 during armed clashes between members of Islamic Jihad and those of Hamas in Rafah.

In another incident, at approximately 18:30 on Monday, 5 November 2007, armed clashes erupted between militants from al-Wadiya clan and those from al-Sharbassi clan in al-Shojaeya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. The police intervened to end the dispute. During the police’s intervention, a policeman, 20-year-old Hamada Mousa Bahloul, was killed by a gunshot to the chest, and 8 persons, including another policeman, were wounded.

In a third incident, unknown persons detonated a bomb at the entrance of Big Bite Restaurant for fast meals in Jamal Abdul Nasser (al-Thalathini) Street in the west of Gaza City. The restaurant was damaged. Windows of nearby houses were also broken. No casualties were reported.

PCHR is deeply concerned from the increasing numbers of casualties caused by the state of security chaos and proliferation of weapons in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. PCHR calls upon the Palestinian National Authority, represented by the Attorney-General, to investigate these incidents, to bring the perpetrators to justice, and to take effective measures to ensure their non-recurrence.