HAMAM MOHAMMED MOHSEN (12th grade at Abu Dis Boys' School)

Report from Abu Dis 29th December 2008

Hamam Mohammed Mohsen 17 years old was shot in Abu Dis yesterday by Israeli soldiers. He was on a peaceful demonstration against the Israeli massacre in Gaza.

According to eye-witnesses, Hamam was shot in the middle of the street near the Water Society. An Israeli soldier who was hiding behind Abdullah Awad's shop shot him from a distance of 2 metres. Hamam was hit with three bullets before he fell down in the middle of the street no body was allowed to reach him. Two soldiers pulled Hamam's body and put him near one of the shops. He was bleeding till the ambulance arrived after 20 minutes. At first the soldiers refused to allow the Doctors of the ambulance to help him and they were not able to move him from the ground until they had been there for 40 minutes.

They took him to AlMaqased Hospital where he had a 10 hours surgery last night. There were two robber bullets in his brain and anther one was in his face. The surgery last night was just to clean the brain because there was also pieces of his skull smashed and they entered the brain. Because he was shot from so close, even if they were rubber bullets they were deadly.

Hamam who was supposed to start his tawjehi test exams today is now lying in the hospital with a very little hope to survive and even if he does, according to his doctor he will never speak, think or move again because the bullets destroyed most of his brain.

Today in the morning Hamam's father and mother managed to reach the hospital and they are still there waiting for any sign of life in their son. His class room friends have refusd to start their exams with out him. There is a general strike in Abu Dis as well as all the West Bank and things are getting worse.