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Three Persons Killed (Including a Child) in Inter-Family Clashes in Gaza City and Khan Younis

At 6:30pm on Saturday, 17 November 2018, a clash broke out between members of two families in the Al-Tufah neighborhood in the east of Gaza City. The documentation by Al Mezan Center for Human Rights shows that the armed exchange resulted in the death of Shafiq Ktai’, 37, who was shot in the chest and stomach with live fire, and Abdulrahman Al-Ghoul, 10, who was shot in neck after apparently wandering into the area where the dispute was occurring. Two other persons were injured, one of them moderately, according to doctors at Al-Shifa Hospital. The police arrived at the location of the incident and announced the opening of an investigation.

In a separate incident, medical sources in Khan Younis reported the death of Mohammed Al-Dada, 27, after he was stabbed in the neck with a sharp object within a family dispute in eastern Khan Younis. The police announced the opening of an investigation into Al-Dada’s killing.

Al Mezan’s documentation shows that from the start of 2018, 63 persons have been killed in incidents of internal violence and misuse of guns in the Gaza Strip, including 17 killed in family disputes and revenge-related incidents. The violence reflects a worrying gap in the rule of law, in particular of citizens taking the law into their own hands in disregard for the justice system.

Al Mezan condemns the use of violence to solve family disputes and expresses its condolences to the families of Ktai’, Al-Ghoul, and Al-Dada. Al Mezan is alarmed by the continued, unlawful acts of violence and urges the competent authorities to take measures to better control guns and to promote security and public order in accordance with international and local law.