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| ], a 13-year-old schoolgirl |
], was a 13-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl who was shot repeatedly and killed by ] (IDF) troops on ], ] in ], ], during '']''. The nature of this killing drew strong condemnation from Palestinians and raised questions in Israel as to the actions of the IDF as well as the army's ability to investigate Palestinian civilian casualties . | ||
| ==Documented evidence== | |||
| The events of the shooting were documented on video by an Israeli cameraman and screened on Israel's Channel 2 nationwide. According to the video, the soldiers of the Givati Brigade identified the victim as "a girl, about 10 years old" and that she was "scared to death". Another soldier is then heard saying "Our forces are attacking her", and a lookout says "One of the positions has taken her down." The Givati Brigade company commander "Captain R" is heard saying ""We operated on her. Yes, it seems she has been hit." He later states that he "verified" the killing, and then adds "Anyone that moves in the zone, even if it is a 3-year-old boy, should be killed" . | |||
| ==Palestinian Witnesses== | |||
| ⚫ | According to Omar Abu Khalifa, 25, a ] witness, "Israeli soldiers stormed the area, the girl left the bag and tried to run. Bullets hit the (girl's) bag and then soldiers opened fire on the girl." | ||
| The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that an ambulance had been called to evacuate an injured person, but Israeli forces had blocked it from entering the area. The body of a 13 year-old girl was later delivered by the IDF to another ambulance and taken to hospital. Palestinian ]s reported that 20 bullets had penetrated Al Hams' body, including 5 in her head. | |||
| ==Death Controversy== | |||
| Controvery has developed over ] (IDF) ] company commander Captain R's role in the killing, resulting in an investigation which him cleared of murder charges. The controversy originated from a statement by two company soldiers, who claimed that the commander killed Iman Al Hams as she was lying wounded on the ground, and then emptied an entire clip into her body in a banned IDF military convention unofficially known as "confirming the kill". | |||
| ==IDF investigation== | ==IDF investigation== | ||
| According to an investigation by the ]'s Southern Front Command, soldiers spotted a figure carrying a bag at 0700 on the morning of October 5, as it approached the IDF Girit outpost along the Philadelphi Road in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, an area banned to ]s by Israeli military authorities. Suspecting that the bag contained a bomb, soldiers fired and hit the figure. |
According to an investigation by the ]'s Southern Front Command, soldiers spotted a figure carrying a bag at 0700 on the morning of October 5, as it approached the IDF Girit outpost along the Philadelphi Road in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, an area allegedly banned to ]s by Israeli military authorities. Suspecting that the bag contained a bomb, soldiers fired and hit the figure. "Captain R", and members of his unit left the army post to "defuse the threat," only to discover that the threat was a young schoolgirl. | ||
| ]i soldiers testified that the commander knowingly shot the girl in the head at close range and then emptied his magazine of bullets into her body to "confirm the kill." One of the soldiers was quoted as saying: | |||
| Parallel to the Southern Front's investigation, a separate Military Police investigation was initiated. As a result of the MP investigation's conlcusions, an ]i military court indicted "Captain R" on five charges on ] ]; two counts of illegally using his weapon, and one count each of obstruction of justice, conduct unbecoming an officer, and improper use of authority. | |||
| ⚫ | :"We saw her from a distance of 70 meters. She was fired at and shot from the outpost. She tried to flee but was wounded badly. I understand she was dead. The commander walked toward her, he shot her with two additional bullets before returning to the outpost. Then he returned to the girl, put his weapon on automatic and -- ignoring our objections on the walkie-talkie – emptied his entire magazine into her body." | ||
| Another soldier reportedly testified, "Our hearts ached for her. Just a 13-year-old girl. How can anyone spray a girl from close range… The commander was hot for a long time to take out ]s and shot the girl to relieve pressure." | |||
| It was revealed later that soldiers who had testified about "Captain R" had lied to the investigators in order to frame their commander "because he was a tough commander and often handed out harsh punishments . They revealed that other soldiers had initially taken part in the shooting of Iman al-Hams, not just their commander, and that the commander had not, as reported earlier, shot the girl from close range. Said one soldier to Ma'ariv: | |||
| ⚫ | "We saw her from a distance of 70 meters. She was fired at and shot from the outpost. She tried to flee but was wounded badly. I understand she was dead. The commander walked toward her, he shot her with two additional bullets before returning to the outpost. Then he returned to the girl, put his weapon on automatic and -- ignoring our objections on the walkie-talkie – emptied his entire magazine into her body |
||
| :"After we fired, the platoon commander went out to make sure she was dead. He fired only two bullets at her from a relatively distant point, fearing she was wearing a bomb belt. He then headed back to the outpost, but suddenly turned around and fired a long burst. I saw where the body was, and in which direction he fired. It wasn't even close . He fired towards Rafiah, in response to a burst of fire..." | |||
| A report in the Israeli daily "Yediot Aharonot" entitled "The video of the killing: Was the girl not alone?" claimed that, in the video that documented the shooting, another Palestinian can be seen in the distance. "Captain R"'s lawyer claimed it this was a militant who had sent the girl to the "No man's land" as a decoy or bait. | |||
| ⚫ | According to Omar Abu Khalifa, 25, a ] witness, "Israeli soldiers stormed the area, the girl left the bag and tried to run. Bullets hit the (girl's) bag and then soldiers opened fire on the girl." | ||
| ⚫ | ==Internal investigation conclusions== | ||
| Palestinian ]s later recovered 20 bullets from Al Hams' body. “Captain R” claimed that Palestinian ]s opened fire at his unit outside the post, hitting the weapon of one of his soldiers. The soldiers returned fire and the company commander fired "a number of shots aiming at the ground," reportedly to cover his units retreat to their post. | |||
| On October 15, 2004, the IDF cleared "Captain R" of any wrongdoing, and found no evidence of unethical behavior. | |||
| "Verification of the kill" is not a specific crime in Israeli military law so "Captain R" was charged with "illegal use of a weapon." The Israeli military prosecutor explained that there was no basis to charge "Captain R" with manslaughter because prosecutors could not prove the bullets that killed Iman al-Hams had been fired by "Captain R". | |||
| Israeli army radio, ], quoted one soldier as saying that the "Captain R" was "waiting impatiently to see an Arab pass by to kill him." | |||
| Prosecutors also decided not to charge the other soldiers at the outpost because the prosecutors accepted their claims that they believed they were shooting at a "terrorist" and not a young girl. | |||
| ⚫ | The investigation criticized "Captain R's" decision to leave the post and the failure of his men to see and identify the girl sooner. Yet, the ] investigation did not consider "Captain R's" behavior a breach of IDF ethical standards or sufficient cause for the commander’s dismissal. The IDF accepted Captain R's claim that he had fired his automatic weapon towards the ground, not at the dead girl as alleged earlier. | ||
| On ], ], a video tape from the event revealed a Palestinian man about 50 meters from the girl, walking away from the scene toward the houses of ]. "Captain R"'s lawyer claimed it was a militant, who had probably sent the girl to the "No man's land" as a decoy or bait. , | |||
| ⚫ | Nevertheless, "Captain R" was suspended after the investigation concluded he showed "a failure of leadership," citing violent and uncontrolled behavior among veteran soldiers in the company, a severely strained relationship between them and the company commander, and the commander's inability to control them. | ||
| Later, one of the key witnesses who testified that he saw "Captain R" shooting at the girl, admitted he lied in order to frame his commander. As a result, in February ], the military court agreed to the release "Captain R" to house-arrest and return his IDF-issued weapon to him. | |||
| Ehab Hams, an older brother of the slain girl, expressed his distrust of ]i military justice; "We demand the prosecution of Iman's killer (but) we do not trust the Israeli judicial system. My sister was an innocent little girl." | |||
| ⚫ | ==Internal investigation conclusions== | ||
| ⚫ | The investigation criticized "Captain R's" decision to leave the post and the failure of his men to see and identify the girl sooner. |
||
| ⚫ | ==See also== | ||
| ⚫ | Nevertheless, "Captain R" was suspended after the investigation concluded he showed "a failure of leadership," citing |
||
| ⚫ | ==See also== | ||
| * Geography | * Geography | ||
| ** ] | ** ] | ||
Revision as of 03:59, 20 July 2005
Iman Darweesh Al Hams, was a 13-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl who was shot repeatedly and killed by Israel Defense Force (IDF) troops on October 5, 2004 in Rafah, Gaza Strip, during Operation Days of Penitence. The nature of this killing drew strong condemnation from Palestinians and raised questions in Israel as to the actions of the IDF as well as the army's ability to investigate Palestinian civilian casualties .
Documented evidence
The events of the shooting were documented on video by an Israeli cameraman and screened on Israel's Channel 2 nationwide. According to the video, the soldiers of the Givati Brigade identified the victim as "a girl, about 10 years old" and that she was "scared to death". Another soldier is then heard saying "Our forces are attacking her", and a lookout says "One of the positions has taken her down." The Givati Brigade company commander "Captain R" is heard saying ""We operated on her. Yes, it seems she has been hit." He later states that he "verified" the killing, and then adds "Anyone that moves in the zone, even if it is a 3-year-old boy, should be killed" .
Palestinian Witnesses
According to Omar Abu Khalifa, 25, a Palestinian witness, "Israeli soldiers stormed the area, the girl left the bag and tried to run. Bullets hit the (girl's) bag and then soldiers opened fire on the girl."
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that an ambulance had been called to evacuate an injured person, but Israeli forces had blocked it from entering the area. The body of a 13 year-old girl was later delivered by the IDF to another ambulance and taken to hospital. Palestinian pathologists reported that 20 bullets had penetrated Al Hams' body, including 5 in her head.
IDF investigation
According to an investigation by the IDF's Southern Front Command, soldiers spotted a figure carrying a bag at 0700 on the morning of October 5, as it approached the IDF Girit outpost along the Philadelphi Road in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, an area allegedly banned to Palestinians by Israeli military authorities. Suspecting that the bag contained a bomb, soldiers fired and hit the figure. "Captain R", and members of his unit left the army post to "defuse the threat," only to discover that the threat was a young schoolgirl.
Israeli soldiers testified that the commander knowingly shot the girl in the head at close range and then emptied his magazine of bullets into her body to "confirm the kill." One of the soldiers was quoted as saying:
- "We saw her from a distance of 70 meters. She was fired at and shot from the outpost. She tried to flee but was wounded badly. I understand she was dead. The commander walked toward her, he shot her with two additional bullets before returning to the outpost. Then he returned to the girl, put his weapon on automatic and -- ignoring our objections on the walkie-talkie – emptied his entire magazine into her body."
Another soldier reportedly testified, "Our hearts ached for her. Just a 13-year-old girl. How can anyone spray a girl from close range… The commander was hot for a long time to take out Arabs and shot the girl to relieve pressure."
It was revealed later that soldiers who had testified about "Captain R" had lied to the investigators in order to frame their commander "because he was a tough commander and often handed out harsh punishments . They revealed that other soldiers had initially taken part in the shooting of Iman al-Hams, not just their commander, and that the commander had not, as reported earlier, shot the girl from close range. Said one soldier to Ma'ariv:
- "After we fired, the platoon commander went out to make sure she was dead. He fired only two bullets at her from a relatively distant point, fearing she was wearing a bomb belt. He then headed back to the outpost, but suddenly turned around and fired a long burst. I saw where the body was, and in which direction he fired. It wasn't even close . He fired towards Rafiah, in response to a burst of fire..."
A report in the Israeli daily "Yediot Aharonot" entitled "The video of the killing: Was the girl not alone?" claimed that, in the video that documented the shooting, another Palestinian can be seen in the distance. "Captain R"'s lawyer claimed it this was a militant who had sent the girl to the "No man's land" as a decoy or bait.
Internal investigation conclusions
On October 15, 2004, the IDF cleared "Captain R" of any wrongdoing, and found no evidence of unethical behavior.
"Verification of the kill" is not a specific crime in Israeli military law so "Captain R" was charged with "illegal use of a weapon." The Israeli military prosecutor explained that there was no basis to charge "Captain R" with manslaughter because prosecutors could not prove the bullets that killed Iman al-Hams had been fired by "Captain R". Prosecutors also decided not to charge the other soldiers at the outpost because the prosecutors accepted their claims that they believed they were shooting at a "terrorist" and not a young girl.
The investigation criticized "Captain R's" decision to leave the post and the failure of his men to see and identify the girl sooner. Yet, the IDF investigation did not consider "Captain R's" behavior a breach of IDF ethical standards or sufficient cause for the commander’s dismissal. The IDF accepted Captain R's claim that he had fired his automatic weapon towards the ground, not at the dead girl as alleged earlier.
Nevertheless, "Captain R" was suspended after the investigation concluded he showed "a failure of leadership," citing violent and uncontrolled behavior among veteran soldiers in the company, a severely strained relationship between them and the company commander, and the commander's inability to control them.
Ehab Hams, an older brother of the slain girl, expressed his distrust of Israeli military justice; "We demand the prosecution of Iman's killer (but) we do not trust the Israeli judicial system. My sister was an innocent little girl."
See also
- Geography
- Related conflicts:
- Israeli terrorism
- Child suicide bomber
- Israeli violence against Palestinian children
- Muhammed al-Dura
- Ghadeer Jaber Mkheemar
- Military use of children
- Smuggling tunnels
External links
- Gaza girl death officer cleared (BBC News)
- Israeli troops probed for killing child (Al Jazeera)
- Ya'alon: officer who shot Gaza school girl 20 times acted properly (Palestine Information Center)
- Israeli Army Chief 'Emptied His Magazine' at Girl in Gaza (Common Dreams)