The story of 13 year old Iman Alhamas who was murdered by Israeli soldiers and then had several rounds of bullets emptied in her to “confirm the kill” is one that I have been following since the incident first happened. Most recently I wrote about my suspicion that the indictment of Druze Captain “R” in relation to this incedent, is just another example of Israeli xenophobia against Arabs.
One of my readers pointed out an Ha’aretz article (see below) that reveals more details about the incident. The revelations are truly depressing, as they indicate how low the moral standards of the Israeli army have sunk.
The soldiers clearly indicate that they knew a little girl was coming at them, but they shot her anyway. They contineu to shoot at her and kill her as she runs away in fear. The excuse to justify this act of murder — that she was sent as a “lure” to get the soldiers to get out of cover — far from excusing the soldiers, only heightens the depth of their barbarity.
The soldiers were in absolutely no danger. The girl, if she was truly acting as a lure, was the one who was in danger. The soldiers could have either let her come close enough to ascertain if she was strapped with a bomb (the fact that she was wearing a “tank top” would make that visibly obvious) and then grabbed her into safety. Or they could have shot in the air to scare her off and let her escape. But they shot her down in cold blood knowing she was a hamrless young girl. They continued to try and kill her even as she tried to run away. This is murder by any definition.
But are any of the soldiers under indictment for this act of barbarity? Not one. Only the Druze captain, who emptied his rifle into her after she was dead — standard army procedure — is facing charges. The message: if you are a Jewish soldier you can kill Arab children with impunity. If you are an Arab soldier in the Israeli army, you become the scape goat for the bad publicity such child murder engenders.
Last update - 17:56 12/12/2004 Likud MK praises IDF officer accused of ‘confirming kill’ By Gideon Alon and Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondents
Druze MK Ayoub Kara (Likud) on Sunday called for the Israel Defense Forces commander accused of “confirming the kill” of a 13-year-old Palestinian girl in the southern Gaza Strip to be given a medal, and referred to the teenager as a “terrorist.”
“Confirming a kill” is military slang referring to firing at combatants at close range after they have already been shot to the ground, ostensibly to assure that they present no further danger, but effectively to make sure they are dead.
The company commander, who has been indicted on five counts in connection with the October 5 killing of Iman Alhamas, was recorded during the incident saying he carried out a “confirmed killing” after another soldier told him the figure approaching the military post was “a little girl.”
Speaking after a meeting with Captain R and his father at the military base where he is being held, Kara called for the officer to be “released immediately and given a medal for bravery for wiping out a terrorist in the encounter.”
Kara also blasted the media for misrepresenting the facts in the affair, and said that the officer had been following orders.
The lawmaker said that he plans to bring up the matter at a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which will also be attended by IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon.
“I have some embarrassing questions for the [defense] establishment,” said Kara.
According to the prosecution, Captain R confirmed that the girl was dead by firing a burst of automatic fire into her prone body.
A spokeswoman for the court said the officer was charged with two counts of illegally using his weapon, and one count each of obstruction of justice, conduct unbecoming an officer, and improper use of authority.
According to the indictment, the officer approached the girl after she had been shot and fired two rounds at her from close range. He began walking away, but then turned and shot her again.
The tapes of the soldiers’ communications at the time of the incident indicate that one of the troops identified Alhamas by saying: “It’s a little girl. She’s running right now, heading east.”
After the first shots, another soldier said: “She’s behind the ditch and nearby pile of dirt, half a meter away. Scared to death. The [bullets] hit right near her, centimeters away.”
At a later stage, the commander reported to his base: “This is the situation: We fired shots and killed her. [She's] dressed in jeans and a tank top. She also had a kaffiyeh [Muslim head covering] on her head. I also confirmed the kill.”
According to the indictment, the officer emptied his magazine to make sure Alhamas was dead.
“The accused stood in a similar way to before, when he shot her twice, pointed his weapon downward and shot, this time on automatic, approximately 10 bullets until he emptied his magazine,” the indictment says.
Ayalon told a cabinet meeting last month that Palestinian militants had sent the child toward the nearby outpost to draw out the soldiers so that Palestinian snipers could fire at them, and that intelligence reports had forewarned of actions of this nature.
The case is believed to be the first time an officer is to be brought up on charges of the alleged practice of confirming a kill. Military law lacks a specific statute covering the practice.
The shooting occurred a week into the IDF Days of Penitence operation, aimed at stopping rocket fire from Gaza into Israel.
