On Sunday 30 November 2003, at around 12:00 midnight, I woke up from my sleep by the sounds of Israeli military vehicles and the shooting of live ammunition directed at Al Ama'ri refugee camp. I could not sleep during that night and at around 2:00 am on 1 December 2003 [2 hours later], I heard Israeli soldiers impose a curfew through their loudspeakers until further notice. They came back at around 4:00 am and confirmed the curfew. Throughout that period I heard showers of live bullets in the eastern side of the camp.
After I made some phone-calls to inquire, I found out that the Israeli soldiers were besieging Al Ramahi building which is on the eastern side of the Jerusalem - Ramallah Road (the camp being on the western side). At around 8:00 am, people were watching the proceedings of the Israeli military operation against Al Ramahi building. I intended to meet with a group of people in a neighborhood known as "Al Hadathiyah", and which is located in Al 'Odeh camp, in front of the eastern entrance to Al Ama'ri refugee camp. When I reached the street that is only 150 metres away from Al Ramahi building and the Al 'Adassi Brick Factory, I saw Israeli military vehicles, eight military jeeps, two military bulldozers, two dark olive green "border police" jeeps, a Hummer jeep and a GMC military car. There was random shooting of live and rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas grenades towards the young men and children who were throwing stones at the Israeli soldiers. After the news of the death of the two cadres from Hamas, Salah Al Talahmeh & Sayyed Sheikh Qasem, had spread, I saw a child standing next to Al Anwar supermarket on the main street get shot by a live bullet in his left foot.
At round 1:00 pm, I was standing near Al Hanash Gas Station in Al Hadathiyah neighbourhood, watching the movement of the Israeli occupying forces. In addition there were around 30 children in the whole area, and the situation was relatively calm with no stone-throwing and no shooting. In addition, the large number of soldiers and military vehicles were withdrawing form the area. A group of four to five children standing on the sidewalk of a small road directly opposite Al 'Adassi Brick Factory where two Israeli "border police" jeeps were located, 130-150 meters away form the children. One of these children was Mo'ayad Hamdan (9) from the camp, and he stood there facing the Israeli soldiers. When the sound of gunfire was heard, the child Mo'ayad, fell to the ground on his back, bleeding from his head. Then I shouted as loud as I could: “Ambulance! Ambulance!” All the children surrounding him fled the area and while a man standing next to me called Sabr Mohammed Jibrin ran towards the child and carried him in his arms. I called an ambulance, which transferred him to the hospital. Twenty minutes later I learned that the child Mo'ayad has become a martyr.
Date: 4 December 2003