20 Palestinians Injured in Gaza, Rafah and Jabalya Due to Shooting in Celebration of Release of Prisoners

Field Update

On Tuesday, 18 October 2011, 20 Palestinians, including 6 children and 3 women, were injured due to shooting in celebration of the release of Palestinian prisoners. These incidents constitute a form of misuse of weapons and assaults on the rule of law prevailing in the Occupied Palestinian civilians.

According to information available to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), on Tuesday, 18 October 2011, 11 Palestinians, including 4 children and two women, were admitted into Shifa Hospital as they were injured by bullets and shrapnel during celebrations of the release of prisoners:

1) ‘Awni Zuhair Salah, 24, from al-Boreij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, seriously injured by a bullet to the head;

2) ‘Alaa’ Abu Salem, 14, injured by shrapnel to the left shoulder;

3) Hilal Samara, 24, injured by shrapnel to the hands;

4) ‘Abdul Rahman Sa’id Silmi, 28, injured by shrapnel to the right shoulder;

5) Sahar Mohammed ‘Amara, 41, injured by shrapnel to the right shoulder;

6) Saifuallah Fares Salama, 5, injured by shrapnel to the thigh;

7) Mohammed Khalifa, 24, injured by shrapnel to the right hand;

8) Shahd Nahidh Abu al-Kas, 7, injured by a bullet to the neck;

9) Karam Mahmoud Hammouda, 19, injured by shrapnel to the right hand;

10) Einas Ahmed Shahin, 23, injured by shrapnel to the shoulder; and

11) Rimas Hassan al-Jadba, 2, injured by shrapnel to the hand.

In Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, 3 Palestinians, including a child, were injured due to shooting in celebration of the release of prisoners:

1) Nader Hassan Abu Khousa, 24, seriously injured by a bullet to the neck;

2) ‘Ata Mohammed Khalil, 28, injured by a bullet to the right thigh; and

3) Du’a’ Wa’el Enmash, 2, injured by a bullet to the right foot.

In the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, 6 Palestinians, including a child and a woman, were injured due to shooting in celebration of the release of prisoners:

1) Ibrahim ‘Awad Qishta, 21, injured by a bullet to the right shoulder;

2) Ghadeer Suleiman al-Nahhal, 17, injured by a bullet to the face;

3) Mohammed Mohammed Salha, 21, injured by a bullet to the left leg;

4) Tariq Ibrahim al-Masri, 34, injured by a bullet to the left leg;

5) Rasga Sameer Kabaja, 27, injured by a bullet to the head; and

6) Khaled Hamdan al-Buhdari, 33, injured by a bullet to the back, and was transferred to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for additional medical treatment.

PCHR is concerned over casualties resulting from the use of weapons in celebrations, which constitutes a form of misuse of weapons and assaults on the rule of law. PCHR calls upon the government in Gaza and its security services to search for the perpetrators of such incidents and bring them before justice, and to take necessary measures to ensure the non-recurrence of such incidents.

Palestinian Center for Human Rights