TEL AVIV, April 30, 2008, (WAFA)-B'Tselem called on Israeli army’s Judge Advocate General, Wednesday, for opening a Military Police investigation into the circumstances of the death of five members of Abu Me'tiq family in Beit Hanun.
In its letter, B'Tselem pointed out that this investigation is required without regard to the inquiry currently underway by an investigating officer, and that it should also focus on the responsibility of the command echelon.
B'Tselem’s investigation indicated that 'an Israeli aircraft fired a missile at three armed Palestinians standing on a street in the northern section of Beit Hanun, wounding them and a nearby civilian. About a minute later, the aircraft fired a second missile, this one at a fourth armed man, who was about fifteen meters from where the first missile landed, and about one meter from the gate of the Abu Me'tiq family’s house. This missile killed the fourth armed man and the five members of the family.'
In its letter, B'Tselem stated that the material it has collected, including an analysis of the area, photographs of bodies and eyewitness accounts, raise doubt about the IOF Spokesperson’s contention that a secondary explosion is what killed the family.
