The Center’s preliminary investigation indicates that during the 8-hour span from 00:00 till 8:00 on Tuesday, 4 September 2007, an armed group suspected of belonging to Izzedeen El-Qassam Battalions abducted 7 Fatah activists in Khan Yunis, some of them security officers, and took them to an undisclosed location. Some were abducted from their homes, from the street, or from their workplace. The abducted activists are:
1- Mohammad Ahmad Ismail Kullab (26) from Khan Yunis refugee camp.
2- Wa’el Mohammad Timraz (28) from Khan Yunis refugee camp.
3- Tamer Nayef El-Shaqra (25) from Khan Yunis refugee camp.
4- Mohammad Adnan El-Masri (20) from Khan Yunis.
5- Ahmad Abdallah Kh’reis (22) from Khan Yunis refugee camp.
6- Hazem Mousa El-Faq’awi (22) from Khan Yunis refugee camp.
7- Ehab Ibrahim El-Jalous (27) from Khan Yunis refugee camp.
The abductees were released a few hours later in different parts of Khan Yunis. Some of them informed PCHR that the abductors subjected them to interrogation and torture.
The abductee Hazem El-Faq’awi, a student at Al-Quds Open University, stated that masked gunmen wearing the slogan of Izzedeen El-Qassam Battalions disembarked from a car and abducted him from in front of his house at 6:45 a.m.. They blindfolded him and took him to an undisclosed location. They interrogated him about activities related to Fatah. He added that the gunmen beat him severely using the “Falaka” (beating at the bottom of the feet), forcing him to jump, and beating him with a whip on his arms and legs. He said that the gunmen released him at 8:50 near Mubarak Hospital in Khan Yunis.
Ahmad Kh’reis, an officer in the Naval Police, stated that he was walking with a friend in Hawouz Street in Khan Yunis refugee camp at about 7:00 a.m. A car with gunmen inside stopped near them. Two of them abducted him; and he was taken to an undisclosed location. Kh’reis stated that he was interrogated on previous activities related to Fatah. He said that he was forced to sit in a reversed position on a chair with his hands and legs tied. He was beaten by a plastic hose and a stick for an hour and half. Kh’reis said that the gunmen forced him to jump a few times after the beating. He was released near Khan Yunis cemetery after two and half hours.
Mohammad El-Masri, a plumber, said that gunmen in a car abducted him at approximately 1:30 near his house. They blindfolded him, and took him to an undisclosed location. The gunmen interrogated him on his activities in Fatah. He was severely beaten on the back and abdomen. He was tied to a chair and beaten with a coiled rope. Then he was hanged to the ceiling of the room for about an hour. El-Masri stated that he was released at 5:00 in the center of Khan Yunis. Abd El-Qadir, the abductee’s brother, stated that the family took Mohammad to Naser Hospital after his release, but that the Executive Force guarding the hospital refused to allow him to enter. Thus, he was taken to the military hospital in Khan Yunis, where his injuries were diagnosed as bruises due to beating.
In light of these developments, PCHR:
- Calls for investigating the abduction of the 7 activists and to prosecute the torturers.
- Views these actions as a continuation of the security chaos and attacks on the rule of law in the OPT.
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