Tali Hatuel
Encyclopedia
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 Israel
i 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). 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
.
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.
to campaign against Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
. 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.
Israel Defense Forces killed both of the gunmen. A sniper stationed close by killed one of the men and soldiers sent to the scene charged the other attacker and shot him. Two soldiers from the Givati Brigade
were injured during the battle. The Popular Resistance Committees and Islamic Jihad
claimed responsibility for the attack.
and the Popular Resistance Committees
claimed responsibility for the attack.
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.
, the President of Israel
at the time.
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.
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.
Gush Katif
Gush Katif was a bloc of 17 Israeli settlements in the southern Gaza strip. Gush Katif was specifically mentioned by Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister who fell victim to an assassin in 1995, as essential to Israel's security border. In August 2005, the Israeli army moved the 8,600...
. Tali Hatuel, an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i 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). 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
Dead checking
Dead checking is U.S. military jargon for the practice of verifying the death of Iraqi insurgents and the subsequent killing of those who remain alive when U.S. Armed Forces enter an insurgent house in hot battle as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom....
.
The attack, which shocked the Israeli public, was classified by the Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
organization as a crime against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
.
Background
In 1992 David and Tali Hatuel settled in the Israeli settlementIsraeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
Katif
Katif (moshav)
Katif was an Israeli settlement in the Gush Katif bloc in the Gaza Strip, about 1 km north of the Palestinian refugee camp of Deir el-Balah. It was founded in 1977 as an Orthodox moshav. The name is derived from the nearby Tel Katifa archeological site....
located in the Gush Katif
Gush Katif
Gush Katif was a bloc of 17 Israeli settlements in the southern Gaza strip. Gush Katif was specifically mentioned by Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli prime minister who fell victim to an assassin in 1995, as essential to Israel's security border. In August 2005, the Israeli army moved the 8,600...
bloc of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. Tali was a social worker and David was a principal at an Elementary School in Ashkelon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
. 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 AshkelonAshkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
to campaign against Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...
. 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
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
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
Ohad
Ohad was the third son of Simeon; he is mentioned in Genesis 46:10. His name means "will sympathize", or "united" and "power"...
in southern Israel traveling in a separate car was also injured in the attack.
Israel Defense Forces killed both of the gunmen. A sniper stationed close by killed one of the men and soldiers sent to the scene charged the other attacker and shot him. Two soldiers from the Givati Brigade
Givati Brigade
The Givati Brigade is an infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, and serves as its amphibious force. Givati soldiers are designated by purple berets...
were injured during the battle. The Popular Resistance Committees and Islamic Jihad
Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad , is a small Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel...
claimed responsibility for the attack.
Fatalities
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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. There were no civilian injuries. The attackers were killed by the Israel Defense Force. An alliance of Islamic JihadIslamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad , is a small Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel...
and the Popular Resistance Committees
Popular Resistance Committees
The Popular Resistance Committees are a coalition of various armed Palestinian factions that oppose the conciliatory approach adopted by the Palestinian Authority and Fatah towards Israel...
claimed responsibility for the attack.
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.Tributes
The funeral, held in Ashkelon the same day as the attack, was attended by thousands of mourners including Moshe KatsavMoshe Katsav
Moshe Katsav is an Israeli politician. He served as the eighth President of Israel, a leading Likud member of the Israeli Knesset, and a Cabinet Minister in its government....
, the President of Israel
President of Israel
The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...
at the time.
On June 16, 2004, Ben-Gurion University in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
awarded Tali Hatuel a posthumous Masters of Arts degree in Social Work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
. Her husband, David Hatuel, accepted the degree on her behalf.
On July 25, 2004, Tali's husband David Hatuel was given a place of prominence near the Western Wall
Western Wall
The Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
in the human chain from the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
to Jerusalem protesting against Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in which over 130,000 Israelis took part.
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