Mujahed al-Samadi had been carrying a toy gun, which was being held together with black tape, when he was shot twice in the chest and once in the Abdomen. An ambulance was unable to get to the scene and when a neighbour was finally able to take the child to the hospital, Mujahed had already died.

Local residents described Mujahed al-Samadi as being well known, harmless and inoffensive. One witness to the murder, confirmed that Mujahed was; “no danger to anyone.”

Why did the soldiers kill this child? It appears that the Israeli army had been searching for a member of a militant Islamic group, when they got fired upon, by teenagers throwing stones.

Palestinians encourage their children to participate in violence; it’s the usual slur we hear. Mujahed was carrying a plastic, sprayed painted gun. “Everyone in the town knew he carried this thing – even the (Israeli) army did…I don’t think any one could have confused the gun for a real one.” Said a Palestinian security officer.

A relative was able to confirm, that the young man had previously been left “unmolested” by soldiers and that he was regularly seen in public, with his toy gun.

After his death, Mujahed’s father produced a document from the Palestinian Ministry of Health and apparently, Mujahed was “unable to finish his studies, was unfit for work and the document described him – in English – as suffering from “mental retardation”.

What more can be said for Mujahed Al-Samadi, before we hear that another child’s body, is riddled with bullets.

The Middle East Cultural Association.
PO Box 202, Manchester,
M21 7WD, The UK.

e-mail:  baqaarefugeecamp@yahoo.co.uk
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