Turkish Red Crescent condemns 'murder' of Palestinian nurse

The Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) on Saturday condemned the murder of 21-year-old Palestinian paramedic Razan Al-Najjar.

“We condemn the murder of Palestinian nurse #Razan_Najjar who is on duty as a voluntary medical worker on the field in Gaza Strip,” the aid agency tweeted from its official account.

“Aid workers and medical staff are #NotATarget,” it said.

Peaceful demonstrations have been held since late March in Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to a great humanitarian crisis due to more than a decade-long Israeli blockade.

Since the mass Gaza rallies began on 30 March, more than 100 Palestinian protesters have been martyred by Israeli army gunfire.

Israeli soldiers use live ammunition against civilians who demand going back to their towns and villages in old Palestine and an end to the illegitimate blockade Israel has imposed on Gaza since 2006.

Al-Najjar was shot in the chest on Friday by Israeli snipers while running to a wounded Palestinian’s aid in Khan Younis city in southern Gaza Strip.

Dr Salah er-Rantisi, head of the Sahra Hospital in the district, told Anadolu Agency that Al-Najjar was brought to the hospital with severe injuries. “The bullet hit her chest, piercing through her back,” he had said.

Dozens of Palestinians, shocked at the young medic’s martyrdom, rushed to Gaza Europe Hospital, where her body was later taken. Al-Najjar’s family, friends and colleagues burst into tears, and some collapsed when they saw her body.

Her colleagues claimed that Israeli troops shot their “guardian angel” despite her white uniform. She had raised her hand to imply she wanted to help a wounded protester who had collapsed 50 meters before the border fence.

Palestinian Health Minister Jevad Avad said in a statement that the Israeli act of directly shooting a volunteer nurse who assisted a wounded in the Great March of Return was a war crime.