Volunteer paramedic Razan al-Najjar, 21, centre, is seen before being shot by Israeli troops while running to take cover from teargas. (Photo: Adel Hana/AP)
Jun 02, 2018
"We have one goal to save lives and evacuate people. And to send a message to the world: Without weapons, we can do anything." --Razan Al-Najjar, nurse killed by the IDF on Friday in Gaza
On the same day the U.S. vetoed a resolution at the U.N Security Council demanding an end to Israel's practice of firing on unarmed demonstrators in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Gaza strip, outrage was again heightened after a nurse attempting to attend to injured protesters was shot and killed by IDF snipers near the Gaza border.
The killing of Razan Al-Najjar--the 21-year-old nurse and volunteer medic who witnesses say was "shot as she ran toward the fortified border fence, east of the south Gaza city of Khan Younis, in a bid to reach a casualty" on Friday--made her the latest victim of Israeli's "shoot to kill" policy that has been used against Palestinians since weekly protests began earlier this year.
Ms. Najjar, reports the New York Times, "was the 119th Palestinian killed since the protests began in March, according to Gaza health officials." Other outlets put the total number of people killed by the IDF at more than 120.
Having spent time with Najjar during earlier reporting in Gaza, the Times spoke with family members and witnesses after her death and added:
The eldest of six children, Ms. Najjar did not score well enough in her high school exams to attend university, Mr. Najjar said. Instead, she trained for two years as a paramedic at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis and became a volunteer of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a nongovernmental health organization.
Mr. Najjar, 44, said his daughter rose before dawn on Friday to eat and pray before the start of the daily, sunrise-to-sunset Ramadan fast. That was the last time he saw her.
When we met her at a protest camp in Khan Younis last month, she said her father was proud of what she did.
"We have one goal," she said, "to save lives and evacuate people. And to send a message to the world: Without weapons, we can do anything."
On Friday, she was less than 100 yards from the fence when she was bandaging the man struck by the tear gas canister, Ibrahim al-Najjar said. The man was taken away in an ambulance, and other paramedics tended to Ms. Najjar, who was suffering the effects of the tear gas.
Then shots rang out, and Ms. Najjar fell to the ground.
Ibrahim carried her away, with the help of two others, and accompanied her in the ambulance.
"Razan was not shooting," Ibrahim said. "Razan was saving souls and treating the wounded."
According to Reuters, Gazan medical officials said at least 100 Palestinians were wounded by army gunfire during Friday's mass demonstrations, Razan's was the only registered fatality.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
"We have one goal to save lives and evacuate people. And to send a message to the world: Without weapons, we can do anything." --Razan Al-Najjar, nurse killed by the IDF on Friday in Gaza
On the same day the U.S. vetoed a resolution at the U.N Security Council demanding an end to Israel's practice of firing on unarmed demonstrators in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Gaza strip, outrage was again heightened after a nurse attempting to attend to injured protesters was shot and killed by IDF snipers near the Gaza border.
The killing of Razan Al-Najjar--the 21-year-old nurse and volunteer medic who witnesses say was "shot as she ran toward the fortified border fence, east of the south Gaza city of Khan Younis, in a bid to reach a casualty" on Friday--made her the latest victim of Israeli's "shoot to kill" policy that has been used against Palestinians since weekly protests began earlier this year.
Ms. Najjar, reports the New York Times, "was the 119th Palestinian killed since the protests began in March, according to Gaza health officials." Other outlets put the total number of people killed by the IDF at more than 120.
Having spent time with Najjar during earlier reporting in Gaza, the Times spoke with family members and witnesses after her death and added:
The eldest of six children, Ms. Najjar did not score well enough in her high school exams to attend university, Mr. Najjar said. Instead, she trained for two years as a paramedic at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis and became a volunteer of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a nongovernmental health organization.
Mr. Najjar, 44, said his daughter rose before dawn on Friday to eat and pray before the start of the daily, sunrise-to-sunset Ramadan fast. That was the last time he saw her.
When we met her at a protest camp in Khan Younis last month, she said her father was proud of what she did.
"We have one goal," she said, "to save lives and evacuate people. And to send a message to the world: Without weapons, we can do anything."
On Friday, she was less than 100 yards from the fence when she was bandaging the man struck by the tear gas canister, Ibrahim al-Najjar said. The man was taken away in an ambulance, and other paramedics tended to Ms. Najjar, who was suffering the effects of the tear gas.
Then shots rang out, and Ms. Najjar fell to the ground.
Ibrahim carried her away, with the help of two others, and accompanied her in the ambulance.
"Razan was not shooting," Ibrahim said. "Razan was saving souls and treating the wounded."
According to Reuters, Gazan medical officials said at least 100 Palestinians were wounded by army gunfire during Friday's mass demonstrations, Razan's was the only registered fatality.
"We have one goal to save lives and evacuate people. And to send a message to the world: Without weapons, we can do anything." --Razan Al-Najjar, nurse killed by the IDF on Friday in Gaza
On the same day the U.S. vetoed a resolution at the U.N Security Council demanding an end to Israel's practice of firing on unarmed demonstrators in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Gaza strip, outrage was again heightened after a nurse attempting to attend to injured protesters was shot and killed by IDF snipers near the Gaza border.
The killing of Razan Al-Najjar--the 21-year-old nurse and volunteer medic who witnesses say was "shot as she ran toward the fortified border fence, east of the south Gaza city of Khan Younis, in a bid to reach a casualty" on Friday--made her the latest victim of Israeli's "shoot to kill" policy that has been used against Palestinians since weekly protests began earlier this year.
Ms. Najjar, reports the New York Times, "was the 119th Palestinian killed since the protests began in March, according to Gaza health officials." Other outlets put the total number of people killed by the IDF at more than 120.
Having spent time with Najjar during earlier reporting in Gaza, the Times spoke with family members and witnesses after her death and added:
The eldest of six children, Ms. Najjar did not score well enough in her high school exams to attend university, Mr. Najjar said. Instead, she trained for two years as a paramedic at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis and became a volunteer of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a nongovernmental health organization.
Mr. Najjar, 44, said his daughter rose before dawn on Friday to eat and pray before the start of the daily, sunrise-to-sunset Ramadan fast. That was the last time he saw her.
When we met her at a protest camp in Khan Younis last month, she said her father was proud of what she did.
"We have one goal," she said, "to save lives and evacuate people. And to send a message to the world: Without weapons, we can do anything."
On Friday, she was less than 100 yards from the fence when she was bandaging the man struck by the tear gas canister, Ibrahim al-Najjar said. The man was taken away in an ambulance, and other paramedics tended to Ms. Najjar, who was suffering the effects of the tear gas.
Then shots rang out, and Ms. Najjar fell to the ground.
Ibrahim carried her away, with the help of two others, and accompanied her in the ambulance.
"Razan was not shooting," Ibrahim said. "Razan was saving souls and treating the wounded."
According to Reuters, Gazan medical officials said at least 100 Palestinians were wounded by army gunfire during Friday's mass demonstrations, Razan's was the only registered fatality.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.