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Unidentified Persons Open Fire on and Injure a Palestinian Nurse, a Doctor and Two Schoolgirls in Gaza

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8 January 2002 |Reference 5/2002

At approximately 7:10am Tuesday 8 January 2002 about twelve unidentified persons opened fire on Ahmad Sa’id Libad, a 36-year-old nurse from the ash-Shaikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City.
Libad was on his way to the UNRWA Health Center in ash-Shati refugee camp where he works when he was attacked.
According to Libad, he was surprised when a white GMC van blocked the road about twenty meters from the health center.
He said he tried to go back, but another group of persons blocked his way from behind and started shooting at him.
He was wounded in the posterior.
Two schoolgirls who were on their way to school sustained wounds as well.
Both Shaima’ Kamal Akila, age 8, and Muna Sa’id al-Rantisi, age 17, were wounded from live bullets in their left legs.
In addition, Dr.
Basam Na’im al-Qutati, age 27 from ash-Shati refugee camp was lightly wounded in his neck.
Al-Qutati said in his affidavit to Al Mezan that he was going to the UNRWA Health Center, where he works, when he saw a white van with an alarm on its roof.
“It looked like those vehicles used by Palestinian security forces”, he said.
“A group of gunmen opened fire on a blue Subaru,” he added, “there was one man in the car.
” Al-Qutati said he heard two girls screaming near the health center and he hurried to help them.
After he stopped a passing car to take them to hospital, he noticed that his neck was bleeding.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights is gravely concerned with this incident, especially as four innocent civilians were wounded in a populated area by militants.
The Center demands that an inspection committee investigates the incident immediately and brings those who perpetrated this crime to justice.
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