- The Israeli army has begun investigating the death of
a 13-year-old Palestinian girl said to have been shot dead by soldiers
then riddled with bullets by their commander.
-
- On television and in newspapers soldiers claimed that
the officer shot her in the head and emptied a magazine of bullets into
her body.
-
- Iman el Hamas was walking to school last week when she
strayed near an Israeli army post in Rafah. Soldiers opened fire and killed
her.
-
- The company commander then approached the body and fired
two bullets at her head before switching his gun to automatic, the soldiers
alleged. Doctors found more than 20 bullets in her body.
-
- The soldiers were so disgusted by the slow pace of an
army investigation that they approached the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth
to demand the officer's dismissal.
-
- One told the paper: "The company CO who sprayed
the girl with bullets turned us all into vicious animals and besmirched
us all.
-
- "As far as we are concerned, it is either him or
us. If he is not dismissed, we will not agree to serve under him.
-
- "It is a disgrace that he is still in his position.
We want him to be kicked out in a legal fashion."
-
- The soldiers said the officer shot the girl even though
he was told by members of his unit not to.
-
- One said: "We spotted her at a distance of 70 metres.
Shots were fired at her from the positions of the outpost, she ran away
and was hit. I realised she was dead.
-
- "The company CO approached her, shot two bullets
into her, walked back towards the force, turned back to her, switched his
weapon to automatic and emptied his entire magazine into her.
-
- "He pumped her full of holes. We were in shock,
we grabbed our heads. We couldn't believe what he was doing. Our hearts
ached for her."
-
- At first the army said the soldiers had suspected that
the girl was carrying a bomb. Later it said the girl was being used by
gunmen to lure them from their post.
-
- Yesterday an army source said an investigation had begun,
but it was "too early to speak of criminal charges".
-
- The girl's family insist that she was going to school
and carrying only her schoolbooks. "We demand the prosecution of Iman's
killer, [but] we do not trust the Israeli judicial system," her elder
brother, Ehab, said.
-
- "We know that this area where the outpost was located
is off limits, but no one can control kids all the time. Iman got up and
had breakfast with five of her nine brothers, and took leave of her parents
as she does every day on the way to school.
-
- "Even if someone used the child, and I am certain
it did not happen, she presented no danger to anyone," he said.
-
- * The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, survived
two no-confidence votes in parliament yesterday after he vowed to continue
with his plan to withdraw settlers and troops from some occupied territory.
-
- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2004 http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1325307,00.html
|
