Another victim of Israel’s open-fire policy: Soldiers fire live shots at passing Palestinian car, killing 25-year-old
8 March 2022
On 22 December 2021, at around 9:45 P.M., Muhammad Abbas (25), a resident of al-Am’ari Refugee Camp south of the city of al-Birah, arrived at a roundabout that lies between the city and the camp. Two of his friends, D.H. (23) and S.D. (28), were waiting for him there in a white Mazda SUV. A few minutes after Abbas got into the car, a Tucson SUV drove past the square, followed by a military vehicle. The driver of the Mazda decided to follow the military vehicle to see what was happening. After driving a few hundred meters, the military vehicle turned around and drove back to the roundabout along a parallel street, followed by the Mazda.
In video footage captured by several security cameras, the military vehicle is seen slowly driving out of one of the streets near the roundabout and stopping by a traffic island in a way that partially blocked the road. A few seconds later, the Mazda is seen driving out of the same street. As soon as it passes by the military vehicle, the two right doors of the military vehicle open and several shots are fired from it, hitting the rear part of the Mazda. Abbas, who was sitting in the backseat, was hit in the back. He was pronounced dead about an hour later.
Following the incident, the IDF Spokesperson claimed that while soldiers were searching on the outskirts of al-Birah for suspects who had approached the settlement of Psagot, shots were fired at them from a passing car and they responded by opening fire, which injured Abbas. However, B’Tselem’s investigation and video footage clearly indicate this claim is detached from the facts: the Mazda SUV had been standing in one spot for an hour before Abbas was shot. Clearly, the passengers could not have fired at the soldiers during that time. After that, the Mazda was driving behind the military vehicle the entire time. Finally, the military vehicle slowly emerged from the street in a way that is inconsistent with the claim it had been fired at a moment earlier. B’Tselem’s investigation indicates that the only shots fired near the roundabout at the time were the ones the soldiers fired at the Mazda, which killed Muhammad Abbas.
The soldiers’ decision to fire at a car that was not endangering them – and had posed no danger earlier – in the heart of a crowded area, was not made out of context. It is yet another manifestation of the open-fire policy Israel employs in the West Bank. This policy proves time and again – as in this case – how easily it is for soldier to fatally shoot Palestinians and how little it takes for Israeli officials to immediately back them and justify their actions.
In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad on 28 December 2021, D.H., who was driving the Mazda, recounted:
On Wednesday, 22 December 2021, at 8:30 P.M., I was waiting with my friend, S.D., for another friend, Muhammad Abbas, in a car that Abbas and I owned together. I parked the car next to a traffic island near the roundabout. S.D. was tired. He reclined the seat and fell asleep. I passed the time surfing online. After a little over an hour, at around 9:50 P.M., Muhmmad joined us and got in the seat behind me.
Three minutes later, I saw a white Tucson SUV driving fast from the direction of Jerusalem. Its hazard lights were on, probably to signal it was in a hurry or in an emergency. The SUV passed by the roundabout followed by a black Palestinian jeep, which was followed at a high speed by a vehicle the military uses for transporting soldiers, which we call a “Khanzira" (Arabic nickname for “wolf” armored vehicle). .
We decided to follow them out of curiosity. I wanted to understand what was going on. After about 250 meters, the military vehicle turned right and then turned around and drove back south through the neighborhood of Sateh Marhaba, near the settlements of Kochav Yaakov and Psagot. They’re used to driving into our area from there. I drove after it, at least 30 to 40 meters behind it. At first, there were two cars between us, but after a while they turned off and I was right behind the military vehicle. I was driving at a regular speed and maintained a constant distance from the military vehicle, which was also driving at a regular speed.
When the military vehicle reached the intersection where you turn left to Sateh Marhaba or right to go back to the roundabout at the entrance to the al-Am’ari camp, which is where we’d been before, it stopped, almost in the middle of the intersection. It was facing Sateh Marhaba. Just then, when we were several meters away from it, I saw the two doors on the driver’s side open. I was afraid the soldiers would do something, mainly because the car I was driving was unlicensed (Mashtuba) with an Israeli license plate, so I sped up. At that moment, several shots were fired straight at our car. I ducked so I wouldn’t get hit. I heard bullets hit the car in the rear and in the left side. Muhammad yelled, “I’ve been hit.” I looked in the mirror and saw his body was limp. I kept going and drove fast towards the Falastin Medical Center, which is a kilometer from the roundabout.
S.D. was sitting next to me in shock and didn’t know what to do. I talked to Muhammad to keep him awake and calm him down, but he stopped responding. When I was about 100 meters from the hospital, I heard him recite the Shahadatain prayer and then his body went completely limp. Within a few minutes, I arrived at the ER carrying Muhammad in my arms. He was completely limp and his eyes were closed. We waited outside while the doctors tried to resuscitate him, but they informed us he was dead after about an hour.
H.S. (35) was in a nearby store at the time. In a testimony he gave B’Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad on 28 December 2021, he recalled what happened that evening:
At 9:50 P.M., I saw a military vehicle arriving from the direction of Jerusalem. It drove quickly past the store I was in and headed towards the Eiffel bakery. I went outside and stood at the doorway of the store to see what was going on, because children usually throw stones at military vehicles there. A few young guys who were there tried to chase the military vehicle, but the stones they threw didn’t reach it.
I went back into the store. A few minutes later, I heard cars approaching the store honking. I went back to the doorway and saw the same military “Hanzirah” vehicle. Apparently, it had turned and driven back through al-Hadaithah Street. It stopped in the middle of the intersection with its front facing east, towards Sateh Marhaba. The right lane was clear. I saw the driver’s door and the one behind it open and saw a soldier cocking his weapon and getting ready to fire through the back door. At first, I thought he was going to shoot the young men standing on the street corner. I was scared and went back a step or two, but kept watching to see what was going on.
I went back into the store. A few minutes later, I heard cars approaching the store honking. I went back to the doorway and saw the same military “Hanzirah” vehicle. Apparently, it had turned and driven back through al-Hadaithah Street. It stopped in the middle of the intersection with its front facing east, towards Sateh Marhaba. The right lane was clear. I saw the driver’s door and the one behind it open and saw a soldier cocking his weapon and getting ready to fire through the back door. At first, I thought he was going to shoot the young men standing on the street corner. I was scared and went back a step or two, but kept watching to see what was going on.
Update: On 1 June 2022, the IDF Spokesperson informed B'Tselem that no decision had been made yet as to whether to launch an investigation into the incident.