GAZA, (PIC)
The white flag raised by the elderly Palestinian woman, Hala Khreis, did not save her from the Israeli snipers, as they opened fire at her, killing her in front of her grandson and a number of displaced people in the northern Gaza Strip.
The crime, which shook the conscience of the world after a video documenting it was circulated, took place on November 12th, when dozens of people were trying to leave northern Gaza Strip while raising white flags, following instructions from the Israeli army.
In the video footage, an elderly woman is seen raising a white flag, with a child in her hand who is also holding a white flag. She was leading a group of displaced Palestinians when suddenly an Israeli soldier fired at her. She fell on the ground, drenched in her own blood.
In their testimony, the family said that the Israeli occupation army deliberately fired at the martyr Hala, who was at the forefront of the convoy of displaced people who received sudden field instructions from the army, contradicting the nature of coordination with the Red Cross regarding the movement and routes of displacement.
On the morning of November 12, 2023, the Khreis family received a phone call informing them of coordination between the Red Cross and the Israeli army to facilitate their displacement to the southern Gaza Strip. There was a movement of displaced people carrying white flags in the Nasr Street area, heading towards the presumably safe corridors leading to the southern Gaza Strip.
This is how the crime occurred
Malak Al-Khatib, the niece of the martyr Hala, who was accompanying her within the convoy of displaced people, said, “We had already come out carrying white flags, and when we saw the Israeli vehicles, we saw the first tank and there was no gunfire, so we felt reassured due to the presence of coordination.”
She continued, “We kept walking, and my aunt Hala was in the front. At that moment, I heard a call from the Israeli army to the displaced people asking them to walk to the left, although the coordination was originally for us to continue walking forward on Wehda Street,” according to a testimony published by Al Jazeera.
She mentioned that she then called on the displaced people to head to the left, explaining that her aunt was about to change her direction but she was quickly shot by Israeli snipers and killed.
She said, “The scene was extremely difficult for me and our family. We always saw these scenes on the internet, but we never expected to experience them in reality.”
Malak confirmed that the firing continued on the displaced people after her aunt was shot, and she still cannot comprehend that they are still alive.
The child, Taiem
She pointed out that the child who was with her aunt is her grandson, Taiem, 5 years old, who was also carrying the white flag. His mother lost contact with him, and they later found out that he went to the south of the Gaza Strip.
She explained that they do not know the fate of Taiem after his displacement to the central and southern provinces of the Gaza Strip, and she called on the international community to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Malak mentioned that her aunt was extremely saddened before her martyrdom due to the loss of relatives in this war, and they did not expect her to become a martyr the following day.
She appealed to human rights organizations and the Red Cross to return Taiem to his parents and called for an international investigation into the murder of her aunt, which is considered an explicit execution.
Testimony of the child’s mother
As for Taiem’s mother, Heba Khreis, she said that she intended to join her family when they left the house. Suddenly, after their departure, she heard the sound of gunfire and the screams of the residents. When she went out, she found a neighbor carrying her mother after she was shot.
She added, “My mother was martyred, and my son Taiem was holding her hand, and I don’t know the fate of my son after that.”
She said that they tried to provide first aid and care for her mother at home, but she passed away due to severe bleeding.
She pointed out that she along with her husband searched for their son in the streets, despite the presence of Israeli vehicles, but they were unable to find him.
Later, Taiem’s family learned that he was with a family that managed to flee to the south of the Gaza Strip, but since the incident on November 12, they have not been able to meet him until this moment.
Taiem’s mother called on international institutions and human rights organizations to intervene to recover her child from the south of the Gaza Strip.
