» Israeli Military Claims to Open Investigation into Killing of Palestinian Medic
IMEMC News - October 31, 2018 12:34 AM
▻http://imemc.org/article/israeli-military-claims-to-open-investigation-into-killing-of-palestinian-med
The Israeli military announced Tuesday that they have opened an investigation into the Israeli sharpshooters who targeted and killed 21-year old Palestinian medic Razan Ashraf al-Najjar during a massacre of civilians protesting at the Gaza-Israel border in May.
This is a re-opening of the initial military probe, which claimed that she had not been shot intentionally. The Military Advocate General, Brig. Gen. Sharon Afek, said that the Israeli Military police should re-open the investigation. The initial investigation involved only interviews with the soldiers who were on duty at the border the day she was killed – no interviews with Palestinian eyewitnesses, no ballistics or physical investigation, no autopsy.
Palestinian officials have called for independent, outside investigations into not only the killing of Razan, but all of the over 200 deaths by Israeli gunfire and the more than 20,000 injuries caused by Israeli forces firing into crowds of demonstrators at the border each Friday since March 30th.
Razan Ashraf Najjar, 22, was a female volunteer medic who was shot and killed by Israeli forces while helping treat wounded protesters at a ‘Great Return March’ protest on Friday June 1st, 2018. On the same day, Israeli forces injured 100 Palestinians, including 40 who were shot with live fire.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said the soldiers resorted to the excessive use of force against Palestinian protesters, participating in the Great Return March, and marching for breaking the ongoing deadly Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, stated that the Razan was killed by live Israeli army fire after the soldiers targeted five medics providing treatment to wounded Palestinians in the “Return Camp,” east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Prior to her injury, Razan, managed to render aid to many wounded Palestinians, including an elderly man who suffered the effects of teargas inhalation.
Razan, who was wearing a clearly-marked medic vest, was at least 100 meters away from the eastern border fence when she was shot while providing aid to wounded Palestinians and attempting to evacuate them to the field clinic.
Razan was killed when an Israeli sniper shot her in the back, and the bullet went through her heart.
Dr. Rasha Abdul-Rahman Qdeih said she was with Razan when they were trying to help wounded Palestinians, but five army jeeps came close to the fence, before two soldiers left one of the vehicles and pointed their sniper scopes at them.
“I shouted at my colleagues to take cover and remain alert,” she said, “The soldiers fired several rounds, and some minutes later, we managed to evacuate the wounded, before the soldiers started firing gas bombs.” (...)