Israeli forces killed a woman and child during protests in the occupied Gaza Strip on January 11, while they were at a “significant distance” from the perimeter fence.
The findings were published yesterday by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.
Amal A-Taramsi, a 44-year-old resident of Gaza City, was attending a mid-afternoon protest on the day in question, helping those “hurt by tear gas inhalation by spraying their faces with a saline solution”, B’Tselem stated.
On 11 January, Israeli soldiers killed two protesters inside the Gaza Strip:
13-year-old child 'Abd a-Ra’uf Salahah, & Amal a-Taramsi, 44.
Both were hit while *150-200 metres* from the perimeter fence.
There will be zero accountability.https://t.co/wHSdqTkoW1 via @btselem
— Ben White (@benabyad) February 8, 2019
At around 4 pm, as she stood about 200 meters away from the perimeter fence, Amal was shot in the neck with a live bullet fired by an Israeli sniper. Sustaining a critical injury, Amal was pronounced dead by doctors at Al-Shifaa Hospital.
On the same day, B’Tselem continued, 13-year-old child ‘Abd a-Ra’uf Salahah, from Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, “attended a different demonstration held east of the camp”.
Israeli forces kill Amal a-Taramsi, 44, and 'Abd a-Ra’uf Salahah, 13, in March of Return protests on 11 Jan. 2019
https://t.co/W248FauG0W— Joe Catron ????? (@jncatron) February 7, 2019
At around 3 pm, ‘Abd a-Ra’uf “and some other teens approached the fence, hung a flag on it, and retreated to a distance of about 150 meters”. At that moment, the boy was struck in the head by a tear gas canister fired directly at protesters by Israeli forces.
‘Abd a-Ra’uf was taken to al-Shifaa Hospital, “where he remained in the ICU until the early hours of 14 January 2019, when doctors pronounced him dead”, B’Tselem added.
Israeli forces kill Amal a-Taramsi, 44, and 'Abd a-Ra’uf Salahah, 13, in March of Return protests on 11 Jan. 2019 https://t.co/D8FGlHaR19
— Aoude (@AoudeA) February 7, 2019
The human rights organization noted how both slain protesters
“Were hit at a significant distance from the fence. Clearly, neither posed a threat to anyone”.
According to B’Tselem, “the high number of casualties” amongst Palestinians since the start of the “Great Return March” protests in March 2018 “is a direct outcome of the open-fire policy that Israel is employing along the Gaza perimeter fence, including during demonstrations held nearby”.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
This is SO sad!!! Rest in peace, Amal and Abdul-Raouf. :'( </3
I believe the boy in the photo is Mohammad Mu'in Jahjouh – a 16-year-old from al-Shati RC killed right before Christmas, not Abdul-Raouf. (http://imemc.org/article/dcip-2018-reigned-deadly-force-on-palestinian-children/). Correct me if I'm wrong!
Anyway, thank you for writing this article! We need more voices like yours and we need to make these stories heard so that the whole world knows!