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Razan Ashraf Abdul Qadir al-Najjar (11 September 1996 – 1 June 2018), the eldest of six children born to Ashraf al-Najjar (b. 1974), was a Palestinian nurse volunteering in the Gaza health ministry. She was a resident of Khuzaa, a village near the border with Israel.

She was allegedly fatally shot in the chest by Israeli soldiers as she tried to help evacuate wounded near Israel's border fence with Gaza. Israel denies any fire was directed at the nurse, however has not yet ruled out being hit by indirect fire.

Volunteer

Her formal training after volunteering was as a paramedic in Khan Younis at Nasser hospital and she became an active member of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a non-governmental health organization. She wore the white coat of the medics and a medics vest with bandages, and was attending those wounded during protests at the border fence between Gaza and Israel during Ramadan.

U.N. recognition

On June 2, 2018, a group of agencies at United Nations in New York City issued a press release expressing their anguish over her death, calling al-Najjar “a clearly identified medical staffer,” and it stated the killing of the nurse to be “particularly reprehensible.” The UN Envoy for the Middle East singled her case out for attention, tweeting '"Medical workers are notatarget".

Israeli military spokepersons responded but provided no official report on the shooting; they did say that the facts would be investigated. Israel had repeatedly warned that anyone approaching the fence risked death. The Gazans were calling this a peaceful protest while the Israelis referred to the protests as riots. The protests began March 30, 2018. On June 1st a UN Security Council resolution proposed condemning the state of Israel for use of “excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force” against Palestinian protesters at the border fence. It was vetoed by a permanent member of the UN security council and key ally of Israel, the United States.

Death

Razan was a first responder at the "Great March of Return" that resulted in the 2018 Gaza border protests. On the 1st of June 2018 while wearing her clearly identifiable white medics uniform with her hands raised in the air as a sign that she was unarmed, Razan ran towards an injured Palestinian protester in order to treat them but she only got as far as 100 meters away from the border before she was fatally shot by an Israeli sniper on the other side of the wall.

She was 21 years old at the time of her death. Iyad Abuheweila, a journalist, interviewed her during the protests. Ms. Najjar was a fixture at the Khan Younis camp and spoke about her role at the fence, relishing in the idea that a woman could brave the dangers.

“In our society women are often judged,” she said. “But society has to accept us. If they don’t want to accept us by choice, they will be forced to accept us because we have more strength than any man.

“The strength that I showed the first day of the protests, I dare you to find it in anyone else.” Thousands of Gaza's attended her funeral along with hundreds of medical personnel, with her body being wrapped in a Palestinian flag. Her father carried her blood-stained medical jacket, while other mourners demanded revenge.

Razan’s death came before she and her fiancé Izzat Shatat were to announce their engagement at the end of Ramadan.

On June 1, 2018, her cousin Ramzi al-Najjar was also shot and killed by Israeli forces after he hacked his way through Israel's border fence with Gaza.

References

1. Abunimah, Ali (2018-06-02). "Gaza medic killed by Israel as she rescued injured". The Electronic Intifada. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
2. "Protests resume after Palestinian paramedic's Gaza funeral". NBC News. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
3. https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/IDF-says-no-direct-fire-was-aimed-at-Gazan-nurse-killed-Friday-559222
4. ^ "A Woman Dedicated to Saving Lives Loses Hers in Gaza Violence". 1 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
5. "WHO EMRO - UN agencies deeply concerned over killing of health volunteer in Gaza - Palestine-news - Palestine". www.emro.who.int. Retrieved 4 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
6. O'Grady, Siobhán (2 June 2018). "A Palestinian medic was shot dead in Gaza. Now Israel says it will investigate". Retrieved 4 June 2018 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
7. Abunimah, Ali (2 June 2018). "Gaza medic killed by Israel as she rescued injured". electronicintifada.net. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
8. "IDF investigating shooting death of Palestinian nurse in Gaza protests". jpost.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
9. Lubell, Maayan. "Israeli military says to probe killing of Gaza nurse". reuters.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
10. "Medic who saved lives loses her own in Gaza". pressdemocrat.com. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
11. "Palestinian female paramedic killed in anti-Israel rally in eastern Gaza - Xinhua - English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
12. "U.S. Vetoes U.N. Resolution on Gaza, Fails to Win Second Vote on its Own Measure". 1 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
13. Times, IYAD ABUHEWEILA and ISABEL KERSHNER, New York (3 June 2018). "Razan Al Najjar: Palestinian medic who saved lives shot dead by Israeli sniper". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
14. "Gaza violence: Thousands attend funeral for Palestinian medic". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
15. "Medic who saved lives loses her own in Gaza". The Star. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
16. "Thousands in Gaza mourn Palestinian paramedic killed by Israel". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
17. "UN official condemns 'reprehensible' killing of Gaza medic". timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
18. "Rage at Israel's killing of unarmed Palestinians boils over in Gaza". The National. Retrieved 2018-06-07. {{cite news}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 17 (help)
19. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/6/5/headlines/israeli_soldiers_kill_cousin_of_slain_palestinian_medic_razan_al_najjar

• 1996 births
• 2018 deaths
• Palestinian nurses
• Palestinian war casualties
• People of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
• People from the Gaza Strip
• Deaths by firearm in the Gaza Strip