Five year old girl terrified to death after Israeli forces arrest her father

Sunday February 25, 2007 07:23

by Palestine News Network

Late last night a five year old girl died in a southern West Bank hospital after weeks of struggling with her condition. The Palestinian Prisoner Society's Hebron branch issued the details on Saturday that cite the cause of her death as terror.

Child Ebtisam was terrified to death

As is a common occurrence during arrest campaigns, Israeli forces raided the family home as they slept. The soldiers were loud and violent, tearing through personal belongings, throwing furniture, shoving family members, holding them all at gunpoint.

PPS reports that during arrests Israeli forces generally use jeeps or tanks, break down doors, fire tear gas and bullets, bring in dogs and beat people.

The Director of PPS in Hebron, Amjad Najjar, is following the case. “The conduct of occupation soldiers is that of pirates. They engage in persecution and violate international law, human rights and religious values. These hostile operations crush people, particularly children.”

The invasions frighten even the toughest of adults who know they may not live through them, so it is well documented how psychologically damaging the night-time raids are for children.

At the beginning of the month Israeli forces broke into the Al Tardh family home. Five and a half year old Ebtisam was terrified as soldiers bellowed at her and her siblings, forcing them all outside into the cold. In front of the children, Israeli forces arrested their father. The young girl went into an apparent state of shock and was taken to the hospital. She never recovered.

Although his daughter is dead, Ibrahim Al Tardh remains in Israeli prison, suffering himself from heart disease and is in urgent need of health care.