Khalil al-Mughrabi
Encyclopedia
Khalil al-Mughrabi, a Palestinian
boy aged 11, was killed on 7 July 2001, by shots fired from an Israel Defense Forces
(IDF) tank while Khalil was playing soccer with his friends in Rafah
. His two friends, aged 10 and 12, were also injured. Though internal documents indicated otherwise, the IDF said no investigation was warranted. This incident took place during the Second Intifada.
ian border. According to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA), the Rafah Camp houses 173,006 ((31 December 2008) Palestinian refugee
s since 1949., among them 98,872 are in the camp and 74,134 are living outside the camp.
The Israeli NGO B'Tselem
conducted an independent investigation. According to its findings, twenty to thirty children were playing in the Yubneh Refugee Camp that afternoon, and they The children reportedly saw an Israeli tank moving towards the Gitrit military encampment around 5PM. al-Mughrabi arrived at the site at 5:30 PM with a friend, 13 year old Suleiman al-Akhras. The two of them played soccer in the field until 6:45 PM. After the children had finished playing many sat near mounds of sand near the border fence, among them al-Mughrabi. At 7:10 PM, al-Mughrabi was shot in the head.
The children reported that the shots had come from the observation tower of the Gitrit encampment, approximately one kilometer from where the children had been playing. More shots were fired at the children, wounding another two children. Ibrahim Kamel Abu Susin, 10, was shot in the stomach and Suleiman Turki Abu Rijal, 12, was shot in the left leg. al-Mughrabi was evacuated the by civilians who had arrived on the scene. An ambulance took the two wounded children to the hospital.
The following testimonies were collected by B'Tselem:
of the 84th "Giv'ati" Infantry Brigade
, IDF's 366th (Reserve) Armor Division
, Israeli Southern Command.
According to Holi Moshe, Major Operations Directorate Officer of Division 6643 and the Summary of battalion and brigade
commanders' de-briefings dated 14 July 2001: "It is impossible to unequivocally determine that the child was killed by our forces' gunfire."
According to the Opinion of the Israeli Southern Command Judge Advocate
, Baruch Y. Mani, Lt. Colonel, dated 29 August 2001:
Einat Ron, Colonel Israel's Chief Military Prosecutor wrote to B'Tselem http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2010/04/07/judge-who-approved-kam-gag-order-perverted-justice-in-2003-palestinian-idf-shooting/ dated 31 October 2001 stating: "...we have not found any suspicion of criminal behavior on the part of the IDF soldiers, or that there is a just cause to open an investigation."
in Al-Hoda mosque
and told him the story. He started reading from the Koran and told me I had to pray and read the Koran all the time."
Another witness, Suleiman al-Akhras said: "The terrible sight that I saw in this incident shocked me so much that I couldn't speak for six hours."
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
boy aged 11, was killed on 7 July 2001, by shots fired from an Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
(IDF) tank while Khalil was playing soccer with his friends in Rafah
Rafah
Rafah , also known as Rafiah, is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,003 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees. Rafah camp and Tall as-Sultan form separate localities. Rafah is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate...
. His two friends, aged 10 and 12, were also injured. Though internal documents indicated otherwise, the IDF said no investigation was warranted. This incident took place during the Second Intifada.
Death
The incident occurred on 7 July 2001, in the Yubneh Refugee Camp (Rafah refugee camp), located on the outskirts of the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza Strip, near the EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian border. According to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to 5 million Palestine refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza...
(UNRWA), the Rafah Camp houses 173,006 ((31 December 2008) Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s since 1949., among them 98,872 are in the camp and 74,134 are living outside the camp.
The Israeli NGO B'Tselem
B'Tselem
B'Tselem is an Israeli non-governmental organization . It calls itself "The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories"...
conducted an independent investigation. According to its findings, twenty to thirty children were playing in the Yubneh Refugee Camp that afternoon, and they The children reportedly saw an Israeli tank moving towards the Gitrit military encampment around 5PM. al-Mughrabi arrived at the site at 5:30 PM with a friend, 13 year old Suleiman al-Akhras. The two of them played soccer in the field until 6:45 PM. After the children had finished playing many sat near mounds of sand near the border fence, among them al-Mughrabi. At 7:10 PM, al-Mughrabi was shot in the head.
The children reported that the shots had come from the observation tower of the Gitrit encampment, approximately one kilometer from where the children had been playing. More shots were fired at the children, wounding another two children. Ibrahim Kamel Abu Susin, 10, was shot in the stomach and Suleiman Turki Abu Rijal, 12, was shot in the left leg. al-Mughrabi was evacuated the by civilians who had arrived on the scene. An ambulance took the two wounded children to the hospital.
The following testimonies were collected by B'Tselem:
De-briefings by IDF
The incident occurred within the military designation zone of the 424 infantry battalionBattalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the 84th "Giv'ati" Infantry Brigade
Givati Brigade
The Givati Brigade is an infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, and serves as its amphibious force. Givati soldiers are designated by purple berets...
, IDF's 366th (Reserve) Armor Division
366th Division (IDF)
thumb|right|320px|Structure 366th Armor Division The Israel Defense Forces 366th Armored Division, also known as the "Pillar of Fire" - Units :* 460th "Bnei Or"/"Sons of Light" Armored Training Brigade* 84th "Giv'ati" Infantry Brigade...
, Israeli Southern Command.
According to Holi Moshe, Major Operations Directorate Officer of Division 6643 and the Summary of battalion and brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
commanders' de-briefings dated 14 July 2001: "It is impossible to unequivocally determine that the child was killed by our forces' gunfire."
According to the Opinion of the Israeli Southern Command Judge Advocate
Military Advocate General
The Military Advocate General assists the Israel Defense Forces in imposing rules of conduct through legal advice, legal instruction, maintaining the mechanisms for military prosecution and legal defense, and fulfilling special legal tasks...
, Baruch Y. Mani, Lt. Colonel, dated 29 August 2001:
(A) It appears that tank fire was used as warning shots, which the regulations prohibit. The de-briefing itself specifies that the tank fire was a mistake (for reasons unrelated to the regulations). There was no mention of what measures, if any, were taken with regards to this shooting.
(B) The de-briefings mention that warning shots were toward the children. The regulations do stipulate that no warning shots should be fired to get children away from restricted areas on roadsides (section 19 of the Ahuda [sic] Regulation).
(C) It appears that the IDF response given to the press, claiming that there was no use of heavy weapons, was wrong.
Einat Ron, Colonel Israel's Chief Military Prosecutor wrote to B'Tselem http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2010/04/07/judge-who-approved-kam-gag-order-perverted-justice-in-2003-palestinian-idf-shooting/ dated 31 October 2001 stating: "...we have not found any suspicion of criminal behavior on the part of the IDF soldiers, or that there is a just cause to open an investigation."
Reaction
Muhammad Salah, who witnessed the incident said: "I spent the entire night after that dreaming about the incident, and about Khalil's brain flying in the air and splattering on my body. The morning after, I went to the sheikSheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
in Al-Hoda mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
and told him the story. He started reading from the Koran and told me I had to pray and read the Koran all the time."
Another witness, Suleiman al-Akhras said: "The terrible sight that I saw in this incident shocked me so much that I couldn't speak for six hours."
See also
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- Iman Darweesh Al HamsIman Darweesh Al HamsIman Darweesh Al Hams , was a 13-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israel Defense Forces fire near a military observation post in a "no-man's" zone near the Philadelphi Route on 5 October 2004, in Rafah in the Gaza Strip.The IDF commander of the soldiers which shot her was accused by his...
- Partial List of Palestinian civilian casualties in the Second Intifada