The following is an account of how a few 'human rights observers' found a boy in a mountain - dead. It might be daily life in Palestine but for most of us it was shocking. I don't think many people are prepared for this kind of stuff
At around 5pm. We receive a phone call that tells us that there are some military movements up the north mountains of Nablus. There seem to be two injured men, and one missing. We all come to the ISM place to take torches and necessary things, like cameras, and from there we take taxis to the mountainous place where the movements have been happening. Once there, we learn that the two injured men have been taken to hospital and that the missing man could be injured.
We get off the taxis and find the place in quietness, no movement, no vehicles, no one seems to be around. We continue up through a short cut, always up, up, and we keep calling the man's name, “Mohammed!” and “Internationals!” or “International medics!” We decide it is not a good idea to use lights that could attract soldiers' attention, as we are not sure if there are still around or not. The moon illuminates the way.
When we get to the end of the road we decide to split into two groups; one will continue the way up following the path and the other will go down the hill, where there is some vegetation and he could be hiding. I go with the group that goes up and after a few minute, a man joins us from the dark. He is the missing man's uncle – actually the man is a boy of 14. He joins us in the search and after a turn in the path plus another 100 metres or so, one of the group sees some one. A few men, including the uncle, identify the boy and start shouting and crying. Some one says, “check his pulse” but some one else replies, “he is well dead”. As they lift him, his head is hanging and still heavily bleeding. One takes him down and another phones the other group; the ambulances are already waiting there at the point where they can not advance any more because of road block made of rocks.
Some of us then go back to the mountain because we have learnt that there could be another man hiding in the area, maybe also injured. After about fifteen minutes we learn that he is injured and already in hospital.
The name of the boy Mohammed Abusalha and is fourteen years old. The funeral will be tomorrow here in Nablus at 10am.
The army says he's a terrorist and that he was planting a bomb, and that they shot him as he was running. The shot on his head is too big and bloody to have been shot from other than close range. There is a lot of blood on his knee as if he has put his head on his knee as he was dying. There would not be blood there if he had been running, as the army says.
There is no bomb, he was a child. He has been executed.
We get off the taxis and find the place in quietness, no movement, no vehicles, no one seems to be around. We continue up through a short cut, always up, up, and we keep calling the man's name, “Mohammed!” and “Internationals!” or “International medics!” We decide it is not a good idea to use lights that could attract soldiers' attention, as we are not sure if there are still around or not. The moon illuminates the way.
When we get to the end of the road we decide to split into two groups; one will continue the way up following the path and the other will go down the hill, where there is some vegetation and he could be hiding. I go with the group that goes up and after a few minute, a man joins us from the dark. He is the missing man's uncle – actually the man is a boy of 14. He joins us in the search and after a turn in the path plus another 100 metres or so, one of the group sees some one. A few men, including the uncle, identify the boy and start shouting and crying. Some one says, “check his pulse” but some one else replies, “he is well dead”. As they lift him, his head is hanging and still heavily bleeding. One takes him down and another phones the other group; the ambulances are already waiting there at the point where they can not advance any more because of road block made of rocks.
Some of us then go back to the mountain because we have learnt that there could be another man hiding in the area, maybe also injured. After about fifteen minutes we learn that he is injured and already in hospital.
The name of the boy Mohammed Abusalha and is fourteen years old. The funeral will be tomorrow here in Nablus at 10am.
The army says he's a terrorist and that he was planting a bomb, and that they shot him as he was running. The shot on his head is too big and bloody to have been shot from other than close range. There is a lot of blood on his knee as if he has put his head on his knee as he was dying. There would not be blood there if he had been running, as the army says.
There is no bomb, he was a child. He has been executed.
Homepage:
