American Shot in Face By Israeli Soldiers
Gaza Strip and the West Bank Update:
BBSNews - 2003-04-05 -- Today at about 6.30 pm Brian Avery, 24, of New Mexico was shot in the face by a burst of
machine gun fire from an Israeli Armoured Personnel Carrier. The circumstances surrounding his injury are as follows:
Today the Israeli army of occupation operating in the Jenin area imposed its second day of curfew on the people
of the city. Groups of young men and boys continued their resistance to the curfew by venturing out onto the
streets to throw stones at tanks and other military vehicles.
At about 6.30 pm Brian and another ISM activist were at the ISM’s Jenin headquarters when they heard the sound
of gunfire coming from the centre of the city, about two blocks away. They left the apartment to investigate
and had traveled about a hundred metres when they arrived at a major crossroad and saw two armoured personnel
carriers advancing towards them at low speed. There were no Palestinians on the streets in the area, armed
or otherwise.
At the sight of the armoured vehicles both activists stood still and raised their hands above their heads.
When the first armoured personnel carrier was 50 metres from them it fired a burst of machine gun
fire (an estimated 15 rounds) at the ground in front of them so that they were sprayed by a shower of
broken bullets and stones. Tobias, Brian’s companion, leapt aside. He had fled about three steps when he
looked back to see Brian lying face down on the road in a pool of blood.
Tobias and Brian were then joined by four other ISM activists who had arrived at the scene of the shooting
by a different route. All six of them rushed to help him as the two armoured vehicles rolled past without
stopping. He was conscious but when he raised himself from the ground they saw that his left cheek has been
almost totally shot off.
The activists then performed first aid on him and phoned for an ambulance which took him to the Martyr Doctor
Khalil Suleiman Hospital in Jenin where he was treated for shrapnel wounds to his face including bone fractures
below the eyes, lacerations of the tongue and lacerations of his left cheek. A specialist was called in to
examine his injuries and recommended that he be transferred immediately to a hospital in Afula in Israel but
his departure was delayed because the Israeli military refused to grant his ambulance safe passage for more than an hour.
From Afula Brian was transported to a hospital in Haifa by helicopter.
Under the Israeli Army’s own rules of engagement soldiers are not permitted to fire warning shots with
mounted weapons. They may fire warning shots with light hand held weapons and must aim away from the
people they are warning.
When he was shot Brian was wearing a fluorescent red vest with a reflective white cross on its back and front.
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The preceding report was provided to BBSNews by the International Solidarity Movement.
Michael Hess is the Editor of BBSNews in Charlotte, NC. Write to the editor here. Not all submissions are published. Or visit the completely new BBSNews Blog and Forum on our front page - Please Participate in BBSNews!
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