Briton critical after Israel shooting
"He was trying to pull two girls
out of danger when he was hit in the
head by a bullet.
"At first they were firing several metres over the children's heads but it
was getting very, very dangerous so Tom went to help them."
news.bbc.co.uk
A British peace activist shot and
wounded during a
demonstration in the Gaza Strip
is in a critical condition.
Thomas Hurndall was shot in the
head after Israeli soldiers opened
fire from a tank-mounted
machine-gun.
It is thought the 22-year-old
member of the pro-Palestinian
International Solidarity Movement
(ISM) was trying to protect civilians
under gunfire from troops.
Mr Hurndall, from Manchester, is believed to be brain-dead but still
breathing.
The Foreign Office confirmed his family had been informed of the
incident.
The ISM organises demonstrations against Israeli army demolitions of
Palestinian homes.
Mr Hurndall is believed to have been
among a group of nine activists who
had to abandon their planned protest
at a refugee camp in Rafah when
shooting started.
Tom Wallace, of the ISM, said the
incident happened in a residential
area where local children had come to watch the activists' protest, as
they often did.
He said shots were being fired over the protesters' heads from one of
two Israeli watch-towers nearby.
"The activists and all the women and kids decided to move away from
the area," said Mr Wallace.
"They were moving very slowly and he was standing in front of the
women and kids to protect them while they were moving.
"They were trying to evacuate the
area and that is when he was shot."
Briton Rafael Cohen, also of the ISM,
said: "He was trying to pull two girls
out of danger when he was hit in the
head by a bullet.
"At first they were firing several metres over the children's heads but it
was getting very, very dangerous so Tom went to help them.
"He was at ground level when they shot him directly in the head."
Mr Cohen, 37, said Mr Hurndall had been wearing a fluorescent jacket
clearly labelled "ISM".
The BBC's James Rodgers in Gaza said the ISM group frequently act as
human shields to try to prevent the Israeli army demolishing Palestinian
houses - which the Israelis claim double as firing positions by Palestinian
fighters.
Peace activists
The Israeli army has so far made no comment on the shooting.
It follows a series of incidents involving foreign peace activists in the
Palestinian territories:
5 April, a 24-year-old American, Barry Avery, suffered a serious
gunshot wound to the face and a Dane, 35-year-old Lasse Schmidt, was
wounded in the leg by shrapnel during clashes in the West Bank city of
Jenin.
16 March, American activist Rachel Corrie, 23, was run over and killed
by an Israeli army bulldozer in the Gaza Strip. The army said its driver
had not seen her in time to stop. |
