“We were walking home and they shot at us”

2^nd December 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, al-Khalil team | Hebron, occupied Palestine

On the evening of the 1^st of December 2015, five Palestinian boys were shot at by Israeli forces with live ammunition on their way home to Tel Rumeida. The five boys – between the ages of sixteen and seventeen years – were on their way home, passing through the Jabal Al-Rahma neighbourhood at around 8pm when three soldiers shot at them with live ammunition without any reason. One of the boys managed to run away, while the other four were injured.

The Jabal Al-Rahma neighbourhood borders with the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood and thus marks the border between the H1 and H2 area in Al-Khalil (Hebron). Both the Jabal Al-Rahma neighbourhood and the neighbourhood of Tel Rumeida have been subjected to house raids and increased violence, harassment and closures since the beginning of October. The Tel Rumeida area has turned into lawless zone with the declaration of it being a “closed military zone” on November 1^st, in which heightened harassment, violence and humiliation increasing daily. On the evening of the 1^st of December “we were walking home and they shot at us” explains one of the boys. This happened in the Jabal al-Rahme neighbourhood, in the H1 area of Tel Rumeida – supposedly under full Palestinian control.

When the soldiers started shooting, some of the residents of the Jabal Al-Rahma neighbourhood reacted quickly and tried to help the injured boys. Two of the boys immediately had to be evacuated to Alia Hospital in Al-Khalil (Hebron) where they had to spend the night. Both of them were shot with live ammunition into the legs and foot respectively. One boy immediately had to be brought to Al-Ahli hospital with serious injuries to both his stomach and legs. He had to undergo two surgeries to remove four bullets and is still in critical condition. The fourth boy was shot into the chest and then taken by the soldiers, before anyone could offer any first aid and bring him to a safe area. So far, it is unclear how severe his injuries are and where the soldiers have taken him.

The soldiers made use of their fire arms without there being any threat to them or anyone else and thereby severely injuring minors and unlawfully kidnapping one of them. Despite these illegal and highly immoral actions, they don’t have to face any consequences for their actions, whereas the families of the boys have to deal with the additional hardships of the impunity of Israeli forces.