Da
www.palestinemonitor.org
Elisabetta
Israeli forces shoot Briton in the head in Rafah:
the continued targeting of foreign peace activists
12 April 2003
Israeli forces yesterday shot Thomas Hundall, a 22 year old Briton from
Manchester and member of GIPP/ International Solidarity Movement. The
shooting occurred when Thomas was joining his international fellow activists
in Yebna, Rafah, to perform their regular activities to protect Palestinians
in areas in which they face severe harassment from Israeli troops.
According to other activists, the group were planning to erect a protest
tent in a local neighbourhood, but cancelled their plans when Israeli
snipers began to fire on the area. Witnesses say that as the group was in
the process of leaving the area Tom saw a small child stranded, trying to
hide from the indiscriminate shooting, so went to bring him out of the range
of fire; he was apparently doing the same thing for two small girls when he
was shot in the back of the head. Tom was immediately transferred to the Abu
Yussef An-Najjar hospital in Rafah, where two different doctors declared him
brain dead.
At all times Tom and the other activists were wearing unmistakable
reflective vests and were clearly visible to the shooting soldiers.
This is not the first time Israeli soldiers have killed foreign peace
activists; on March 16th, American Rachel Corrie was run over by an Israeli
bulldozer as she and other ISM activists were trying to prevent house
demolitions in Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Last week 24 year old Bryan Avery,
also from the USA, was shot in the face by soldiers in an armoured personnel
carrier (APC) in another unprovoked attack. Six months ago British UN worker
Ian Hook was shot dead by soldiers in Jenin, and GIPP/ISM activist Caoimhe
Butterly was shot in the leg.
GIPP coordinator Bahiya Amra believes this latest killing is one more
regrettable incident to be viewed in the same light as all the other recent
cases of foreign activists being killed or maimed: a message to those from
overseas who choose to live, work and visit the occupied Palestinian
Territories, telling them that like Palestinians you are not safe, and will
be targeted.
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