Murder of Tali Hatuel and her four daughters

Murder of Tali Hatuel and her four daughters
Part of the Second Intifada militancy campaign
The attack site
Location	Kissufim Crossing
Coordinates	31°22′40.93″N 34°21′27.22″E / 31.3780361°N 34.3575611°E / 31.3780361; 34.3575611
Date	May 2, 2004
Attack type	Shooting attack
Weapon(s)	AK-47 rifles
Death(s)	An 8 months pregnant woman and her 4 children (+ 2 attackers)
Injured	2 IDF soldiers, 1 Israeli civilian
Perpetrator	Two assailants (Ibrahim Hammad and Faisal Abu Maj'ra). The Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility

The murder of Tali Hatuel and her four daughters was a shooting attack which occurred on May 2, 2004, in which Palestinian militants killed five members of the Hatuel family in Gush Katif. Tali Hatuel, an Israeli resident who resided in Gush Katif, was eight months pregnant and was murdered along with four of her daughters: Hila (11), Hadar (9), Roni (7) and Merav (2).^[1] After shooting at the vehicle in which Hatuel was driving with her daughters, the militants approached the vehicle and shot the occupants at close range to make sure they were all dead.

The attack, which shocked the Israeli public, was classified by the Amnesty International organization as a crime against humanity.^[2]

Background

In 1992 David and Tali Hatuel settled in the Israeli settlement Katif located in the Gush Katif bloc of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip. Tali was a social worker and David was a principal at an Elementary School in Ashkelon. Tali was eight months pregnant, and was looking forward to the birth of her first son.

The attack

On Sunday, May 2, 2004, Hatuel picked up her four daughters from school and drove in the family Citroen station wagon, together with the children, towards her husband's workplace in Ashkelon to campaign against Israel's unilateral disengagement plan.^[3] While traveling in the vicinity of the Kissufim Crossing two armed Palestinian militants, whom prepared an ambush from apartment buildings located nearby the highway, opened fire at the car and managed to hit Hatual and force her off the road. Hatuel was seriously injured in the initial part of the attack. The attackers, who were armed with AK-47 rifles, approached the vehicle and fired their weapons from close range at Tali Hatuel and her daughters until they were all dead. An Israeli civilian from Ohad in southern Israel traveling in a separate car was also injured in the attack.^[4][3]

Israel Defense Forces killed both of the gunmen.^[5] A sniper stationed close by killed one of the men and soldiers sent to the scene charged the other attacker and shot him.^[6] Two soldiers from the Givati Brigade were injured during the battle.^[6][5] The Popular Resistance Committees and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.^[5]

Fatalities

Tali Hatuel, 34 – was eight months pregnant[3] Hila Hatuel, 11[3] Hadar Hatuel, 9[3]

Hatuel Roni, 7[3] Merav Hatuel, 2[3]

Aftermath

Related attacks

On May 9, 2004, a week after the attack, two gunmen dressed in women's clothing opened fire upon participants at a memorial service for Tali Hatuel and her daughters.^[7] There were no civilian injuries. The attackers were killed by the Israel Defense Force. An alliance of Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for the attack.^[5]

The following day, on May 10, 2004, the Israel Defense Force demolished some of the houses that had reportedly provided cover for the attack on Tali Hatuel and her daughters, and for the attack on the mourners at the memorial service.

2007 arrest

On June 6, 2007, the IDF arrested Jihad Salah Saliman Abu Dahar, a Palestinian member of Islamic Jihad, who admitted to his involvement in a number of acts of violence, including the attack on Tali Hatuel and her daughters.^[8][9]

Tributes

The funeral, held in Ashkelon the same day as the attack, was attended by thousands of mourners including Moshe Katsav, the President of Israel at the time.^[5][10]

On June 16, 2004, Ben-Gurion University in the Negev awarded Tali Hatuel a posthumous Masters of Arts degree in Social Work. Her husband, David Hatuel, accepted the degree on her behalf.^{[citation needed]}

On July 25, 2004, Tali's husband David Hatuel was given a place of prominence near the Western Wall in the human chain from the Gaza Strip to Jerusalem protesting against Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in which over 130,000 Israelis took part.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ "20 of 21 Gaza Settlements Evacuated". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/21/AR2005082100151_3.html. Retrieved June 30, 2008. 
2. ^ "Israel/Occupied Territories: AI condemns murder of woman and her four daughters by Palestinian gunmen". Amnesty International. 4 May 2004. http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/049/2004/en/f7dfbf50-d5dc-11dd-bb24-1fb85fe8fa05/mde150492004en.html. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Tali Hatuel, Hila, Hadar, Roni, and Merav". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2 May 2004. http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Memorial/2004/Tali%20Hatuel. 
4. ^ "Mother and daughters executed by Palestinians". The Scotsman. 3 May 2004. http://www.scotsman.com/news/international/mother_and_daughters_executed_by_palestinians_1_529358. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Gunmen kill Jewish settler family". London: BBC News. May 3, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3679395.stm. Retrieved June 30, 2008. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "Father buries wife, four daughters killed in Gaza ambush". Haaretz. 2 May 2004. http://www.haaretz.com/news/father-buries-wife-four-daughters-killed-in-gaza-ambush-1.121211. 
7. ^ "Israeli Forces Kill Gunmen". New York Times. May 10, 2004. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04E1DE123CF933A25756C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved June 30, 2008. 
8. ^ "Terrorist involved in 2004 murder of Hatuel family arrested 16-Jul-2007". www.mfa.gov.il. http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Terrorism+and+Islamic+Fundamentalism-/Terrorist+involved+in+2004+murder+of+Hatuel+family+arrested+16-Jul-2007.htm. Retrieved June 30, 2008. 
9. ^ "Gazan indicted over 2004 terror attack that killed pregnant mother, daughters". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/882497.html. Retrieved June 30, 2008. 
10. ^ "Thousands mourn slain mother, girls". Haaretz. 3 May 2004. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/thousands-mourn-slain-mother-girls-1.121322. 

External links

• Islamic Jihad terrorist involved in 2004 murder of Hatuel family arrested – published at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Pregnant mum and four children gunned down – published on the Sydney Morning Herald on May 3, 2004
• Gaza baby killers – Palestinians slay pregnant mom & kids – published on The New York Post on May 3, 2004