Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns the attack on Karam Mansour, a 26-year-old lawyer, and Abdel Raouf Masnour, 36, at the hand of armed men in Gaza City yesterday. Abdel Raouf sustained gunshot wound in his left leg , and Karam was shot in his left shoulder and wounded in the head by a bullet shrapnel.  

The incident took place on Saturday, 14 March 2020, at around 8am. The five masked attackers were traveling in a navy-blue car, as reported by Al Mezan’s field investigation. They attacked Karam and Abdel Raouf, both residents of Beit Lahia, in front of Al Mansour bookstore on Al Wehda St in Gaza City. They fired live ammunition at the victims before proceeding to kidnap Karam to an unknown destination, which was later reported to be a land near the eastern perimeter fence, where they repeatedly  beat him before fleeing. Police officers arrived at the scene and opened an investigation later that morning.

Doctors at Al Shifa Hospital is Gaza, were both victims initially were hospitalized before being transferred to Al Awda Hospital in North Gaza for further medical care , said that their injuries ranged from moderate to severe.

This senseless violence act is reminiscent of a past period in Gaza characterized by rampant insecurity and vigilantism incidents. Al Mezan condemns all acts of violence and calls on the Public Prosecutor’s Office to undertake a thorough investigation and hold perpetrators to account. To uphold the rule of law and combat vigilantism, gun control laws that restrict firearm possession and use outside the confines of law enforcement must be thoroughly enforced, and violators must be penalized regardless of their political affiliation,  including law enforcement officers in the event of use of firearms outside warranted law enforcement operations.