IDF kills 65-year-old Palestinian man during raid on Hamas cell in Hebron
IDF raided Hebron to re-arrest six Hamas members originally arrested after September's drive-by shootings against settlers in area, which killed four Israelis and left two injured.
By Haaretz Service, Reuters and DPA Tags: Israel news West BankA Palestinian resident of the southern West Bank city of Hebron was killed early Friday during an Israel Defense Forces raid on the city to arrest Hamas members, security and medical sources said.
The IDF raided Hebron to re-arrest six Hamas members that the Palestinian Authority had released only the day before following an intervention from the emir of Qatar.
Medical sources said a 65-year-old Palestinian, who was reported to be an unarmed civilian, was brought dead to hospital with several bullet wounds to the upper part of his body. They said the man had been shot in a building the soldiers had raided to arrest one of the Hamas members.
The man who was killed, Amr Qawasme, was asleep when soldiers broke into his home before dawn. His wife, Sobheye, said IDF troops brushed past her into the bedroom, where she heard several shots fired. When she went in, she found her husband in a pool of blood.
"I was praying when they entered. I do not know how they opened the door. They put their hand to my mouth and a rifle to my head," she told Reuters after Qawasme's body was removed.
"I was shocked. They did not allow me to talk. I asked them, 'What did you do?' They asked me to shut up."
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The wife of Amr Qawasme, the 65-year-old Palestinian killed by IDF troops in Hebron on January 7, 2011. |
| Photo by: AFP |
The IDF confirmed the arrests and the mistaken killing of the man, whom they say was "in one of the terrorist's homes." In a statement released after the arrests, the IDF said that Wael Mahmoud Said Bitar, a senior memebr of the Hamas armed infrastructure in the Hebron Region, was one of those arrested.
"Bitar was the assistant of Shehab Natshe, who planned the suicide bombing in Dimona of 2008, in which an Israeli woman was killed and ten civilians were injured," the IDF said.
Reuters Television footage showed Qawasme's sodden bed and bullet casings on the floor.
Israeli Arab MK Ahmed Tibi responded to the IDF raid on Friday, calling it a "cold-blooded murder of an elderly man."
Tibi demanded that those responsible be put on trial so it would be made clear that Palestinian blood cannot be spilled without consequences.
The PA had taken the six into custody in September in a campaign to arrest Hamas activists after a drive-by shooting against Israeli settlers in the area. In September of 2010, four Israelis were killed and two injured in two separate shooting attacks in the West Bank.
Hamas' military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, took responsibility for both shootings, one of which occurred on the eve of the start of direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations in Washington.
The six Hamas members, all Hebron residents, were first held in a PA prison in Bethlehem, south of Hebron, but went on hunger strike, demanding to be moved to Hebron so that their families could visit them.
The PA moved only five to Hebron after about 40 days of the hunger strike and following coordination with Israel. The sixth remained in Bethlehem.
PA officials said Thursday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered their release after direct appeal from the emir of Qatar.
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... sent by there handlers to spill more Palestinian blood.
Obviously if he had multiple gunshot wounds he acted threateningly. They came to arrest the 6 murderers that the Palestinians had released from jail, and they did so, and none of them were killed. If they intended to kill them, we would have had 6 bodies, not one. And so what if he was 65? The lesson here is that murderers should be kept in jail, and if their society allows these people to run free in their midst, then the victims of their murders will come to get them, even if their families are in the line of fire. Too bad--they bring all this misery on themselves, then they come howling to the world.
Presumably the Israeli government and IDF will justify the shooting in some way, since they always do. Anyone know how many Israeli soldiers have ever been seriously punished for killing an Arab?
If this man was unarmed in bed,no matter who he was or what he had done or was thought to have done,a civilised country and army simply does not act like this! If there was evidence against him for anything,he should have been tried.So either an individual in the IDF was acting wrongly,OR the people who sent them on the mission are to blame.Another nail in the coffin of our reputation as a people who wrongly regard themselves as more civilised than anyone else in this region.
If the PA kept the murderers behind bars, instead of being bribed by some foreign dictator to unleash them, our troops would not even have been there and this person would still be alive. ( I have my serious doubts as to his innocence, though. I would hazard a guess that he was armed and tried to attack our soldiers...a stupid thing to do if you are innocent, or a desperate act if you are complicit.)
the old man wasn´t armed or dangerous, he was clearly shot by mistake !! enough killing i say to the IDF ! give the palestinians what the international law gives them, and live in security,.... Occupation= No security for Israel Palestinian State= Security for israel and the world !!
If this man was defending his land against illegal land squatters then he is surely a martyr for defending his land, people and dignity. Let's stop being hypocrits here, most label settlers 'illegal', so when they are armed and terrorizing Palestinians' lives why is any action against them termed 'terrorism'. It's not.
And whether you are 65 or 5 it makes no difference to the IDF.
time for abbas to go and no need to replace him, after all Israel is in charge of everything.
the emir should concentrate on his realm and on enjoying his life, rather than interfere in others' affairs. that way fewer would die and many more will live.
What death, destruction and misery Israel has brought upon the land of Palestine! What eternal tragedy this is. Another "misunderstanding", presumably?
If not for this incident would we have known the PA let these people out of jail so shortly after their arrest?
Hamas is the democratically elected govt, yet you people insist on calling them militants. u claim to be a democracy but the fact is your a dictatorship. so stop trying to pretend that ur the only democracy in the middle east, we all know thats a load of crap. Power to Hamas. for they fight for truth the truth always finds a way to come out and you will have to make up a new lie to continue this crime against the real people of those lands. God bless the pals and their fight for freedom.
What you called "unarmed civilian" was SLEEPING in his bed when he was shot and killed with cold blood!
What you called "unarmed civilian" was SLEEPING in his bed when he was shot and killed with cold blood!
The 2011 toll of dead Palestinians is mounting. Is this going to be another bumper year for the IDF?
Oh right: They were going to make them heroes, give them high positions, and name streets after them as they always do.
Probably to give the IDF a renewed chance to kill them upon arrest - assuming they were Hamas. And BTW, "murderers" - I haven't heard about any trial and conviction?
where does it say in the article they are murderers? In fact, the gunmen who killed the four Israelis have already been killed by IDF/PA and included Al-Karmi who was on Israel's most wanted list.
then israel has to put all its army in jail and not release them!!
there is a huge difference between being a suspect and actually doing a crime, the PA has been putting Hamas members in prison almost on daily basis, if they were the actual killers the PA is supposed to hand them over to Israel according to "peace agreements". Israel is killing Palestinian civilians almost on weekly basis now, i suspect they want things to get worse.
Good question. If they remained in jail the raid wouldn't have taken place. The PA should have done its job.
is that if you dont deliver proper justice to murderers (on a civilian family during proclaimed cease fire n less) is going to be brought to justice by israel, president or hebron resident... handle the security and israel wont have to enter your territory to do the job itself... outrageous, the emir of qatar invented his own justice!?
This Man was in his house and then IDF comes in and shoot him because they did go in to the wrong apartment. Lesson learn is what?
Murder is as murder does.
or was he just sort of there?
He as asleep in his bed and had numerous bullet-wounds to his face.
armed with a pillow for sure!!!
the idf will state he was a terrorist looking funny at a soldier or something ...
"Medical sources said a 65-year-old Palestinian, who was reported to be an unarmed civilian" "The dead man, Amr Qawasme, was asleep when soldiers broke into his home before dawn." But hey, Arab life doesnt matter to Israel.. they are all guilty, no such thing as an innocent Arab to them... they are guilty by virtue of their race.
and shot the man in the bedroom, aljazeera went to the house later and they videoed the bedroom, it's clear the old man was still in bed, splatters of blood on the wall above the bed. no weapons were found, and no suspects were found. offcourse he was killed in self defense.