April 29, 2018: Atiya Mohammad al-‘Ammawi, 20, was killed by Israeli forces stationed on the Gaza border when he and two other Palestinians were allegedly seen trying to damage the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The al-Mezan Center for Human Rights reported that the three Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire Sunday, and added that the soldiers also abducted three other Palestinians a day earlier.
In addition to Atiya, the other two slain Palestinians were identified as Yousef Ahmad al-‘Ammawi, 18, from Khan Younis, and Yousef Jasser Abu Jazar, 16, from Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army is holding their corpses and is refusing to transfer them back to their families for burial.
In addition, three Palestinians, identified as Ahmad Sami al-Ammawi, 26, Salim Younis Abu Thaher, 21, and Ibrahim Nabil Abu ‘Eid, were taken prisoner by the soldiers, on Saturday, after they reportedly crossed the border fence.
On the following day, on April 30th, Israeli soldiers shot a young Palestinian man with live fire in Khuza’a town, east of Khan Younis, and another young man east of the al-Boreij refugee camp in central Gaza, and two others east of Gaza City.
According to a statement issued by the Israeli army, the soldiers killed the three Palestinians in two separate incidents along the Gaza-Israel border, and arrested another Palestinian who was taken for interrogation.
Quoting a statement by the spokesperson of the Israeli army, Israeli daily Haaretz said the soldiers “shot two Palestinians, after they tried to cause damage to the border fence, killing one of them, and arresting the other.”
The Israeli paper stated that in the second incident, Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinians reportedly after they “managed to cross the border fence and hurl firebombs at the army.” No Israeli soldiers were wounded.
The soldiers also detained two Palestinians in a third incident after they reportedly “tried to damage the border fence with tools they carried,” in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Prior to the death of the three Palestinians, the Health Ministry had reported that Israeli soldiers have killed 44 Palestinians, including five children, and injured around 7000, including many who suffered life-threatening wounds, sine the “Great March of Return” protests started in the Gaza Strip on the Palestinian Land Day, March 30, 2018.
Atiya was from Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC