[News] Israeli sniper deliberately killed medic Razan al-Najjar, investigation finds

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israeli-sniper-deliberately-killed-medic-razan-al-najjar-investigation-finds 



  Israeli sniper deliberately killed medic Razan al-Najjar,
  investigation finds

Ali Abunimah <https://electronicintifada.net/people/ali-abunimah> - 17 
July 2018

------------------------------------------------------------------------

An Israeli sniper deliberately targeted Palestinian medic Razan 
al-Najjar, an investigation 
<https://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/20180718_paramedic_rozan_a_najar_killed_by_deliberate_fire> 
by the human rights group B’Tselem 
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/btselem> has found.

Al-Najjar, 21, was killed on 1 June 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/gaza-medic-killed-israel-she-rescued-injured>, 
as she and her colleagues treated Palestinians taking part in Great 
March of Return <https://electronicintifada.net/tags/great-march-return> 
protests in Gaza, near the boundary fence with Israel, east of Khan Younis.

According to B’Tselem, al-Najjar “was fatally shot by a member of the 
security forces who was aiming directly at her as she was standing about 
25 meters away from the fence, despite the fact that she posed no danger 
to him or anyone else and was wearing a medical uniform.”

Shortly before she was killed, al-Najjar was with several other 
paramedics, including Rami Abu Jazar, Rasha Qudaih, Rida al-Najjar and 
Mahmoud Abd al-Ati.

All were wearing clearly marked medical vests.

They were approaching the area of the fence with their hands in the air 
in order to rescue two young men who had passed out due to the heavy 
amounts of teargas the Israelis were firing.

“We got to the two young men, and when we started evacuating them, the 
soldiers started firing a heavy barrage of teargas canisters at us,” Abu 
Jazar told B’Tselem.

Razan al-Najjar and Qudaih began choking, and they withdrew from the 
area in order to receive treatment from their colleagues Abu Jazar and 
Abd al-Ati.

Abd al-Ati’s told B’Tselem how he had given Razan al-Najjar first aid to 
treat the tear gas inhalation and that shortly after, “We went back and 
stood northwest of the protesters, about 10 to 20 meters away from the 
concertina fence.”

Other colleagues managed to bring the two young men to safety.

“After we had moved away, we started feeling better and decided to go 
closer to the protesters,” Abu Jazar stated. “We stood about 10 meters 
away from them, which was about 25 meters away from the fence. There 
were no protesters near us.”

That is when an Israeli sniper deliberately targeted Razan al-Najjar.


    “Sniper stance”

“At around a quarter to six, we saw two soldiers get out of a military 
jeep, kneel and aim their guns at us, taking up a sniper stance,” Abu 
Jazar said. “Razan was standing to my right and Rasha was behind me. We 
were talking. Suddenly, they fired two live bullets at us. I looked at 
Razan and saw her point to her back and then fall down.”

Abu Jazar was also shot in the leg and Abd al-Ati was hit by shrapnel in 
the right hand and pelvis.

Then, according to Abd al-Ati, “two soldiers got out of a military jeep 
and pointed their guns at us. They fired two bullets at us.”

One hit Razan al-Najjar in the left side of the chest and exited from 
her back, while Abd al-Ati was hit by fragments from a live round.

Razan al-Najjar was taken to the European Hospital near Khan Younis and 
after 30 minutes of resuscitation efforts was pronounced dead.


    “Sham” investigation

B’Tselem notes how the Israeli military tried to clear itself of 
responsibility for al-Najjar’s death by offering varying accounts.

At first, the army claimed 
<https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/gaza-medic-killed-on-border-wasn-t-intentionally-shot-by-israeli-soldiers-army-finds-1.6153182> 
that soldiers did not fire directly at al-Najjar.

Then the army claimed the medic might have been killed by a ricocheting 
bullet <https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5281069,00.html>, and 
finally it resorted to a smear campaign, accusing 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/tamara-nassar/child-among-four-killed-israeli-forces-gaza> 
al-Najjar of offering herself up as a “human shield” for Hamas.

Al-Najjar’s killing, the human rights group states, “is a direct result 
of the open-fire policy Israel has been implementing since the protests 
began.”

Since the Great March of Return was launched on 30 March, Israeli forces 
have killed some 150 Palestinians in Gaza, the vast majority unarmed 
civilians killed during protests.

More than 4,000 others have been injured by live fire.

Al-Najjar was the second paramedic to be killed, two weeks after Mousa 
Jaber Abu Hassanein 
<https://electronicintifada.net/tags/mousa-jaber-abu-hassanein> was 
fatally shot in another incident of Israeli soldiers opening fire on 
clearly marked 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/listen-clearly-marked-gaza-medics-shot-israeli-snipers> 
rescue personnel.

In total, more than 350 medical staff have been injured since the 
protests began, including 26 hit with live fire, 12 hurt by shrapnel and 
nearly 40 directly hit by tear gas canisters, according to World Health 
Organization figures cited by B’Tselem.

Dozens of ambulances have been damaged.

Israelis snipers are under orders 
<https://www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/201804_if_the_heart_be_not_callous> 
to shoot directly at unarmed protesters, including children 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/snipers-ordered-shoot-children-israeli-general-confirms>, 
a policy that the International Criminal Court prosecutor has warned 
<https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/icc-warns-israeli-leaders-over-gaza-killings> 
could land Israeli leaders and commanders on trial.

The Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq had already dismissed 
<http://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/topics/gaza/1271-sham-investigation-by-israels-military-advocate-general-into-iof-killing-of-razan-al-najjar> 
the Israeli army’s self-investigation into al-Najjar’s killing as a 
“sham” that is “neither transparent or credible.”


    Dreamed of being a nurse

On the day she was killed, Razan al-Najjar was doing what she had always 
wanted to do – give medical care to people in need.

“She loved life and was always smiling. She dreamed of studying nursing 
at the university, but our finances wouldn’t allow it so she made do 
with first aid courses,” Razan’s mother Sabrin al-Najjar told B’Tselem.

But the courses at a local hospital were rigorous and al-Najjar worked 
hard, earning the respect of doctors and other colleagues.

“Razan was driven to prove herself in the nursing field and make up for 
not being able to go to university,” her mother added.

Her killing has left behind a devastated family unable to come to terms 
with losing her.

“Sometimes I call her when it’s time to eat, because I feel that she’s 
with us and she hasn’t died. The whole family is having a really hard 
time,” Sabrin said.

Razan’s younger siblings are struggling and can’t understand why she’s 
never coming home.

“My husband is broken,” Sabrin said. “He cries all the time and misses 
her badly.”

“I keep praying for her to receive the grace of God and go to heaven. 
Losing her is terrible,” Sabrin said. “What wrong did Razan commit that 
she had to be killed?”


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