The Crime of the Children of Bahlousha Shook Palestinian Society and the Arab Nation on a Gloomy Morning

On the morning of Monday, December 11, 2006, the city of Gaza witnessed one of the most shocking incidents in Palestinian streets, after the car carrying the children of advisor Baha Bahlousha was shot at while they were on their way to school in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City.

According to documentation issued by the Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights on the same day, the attack occurred in the morning hours near Al-Kanz Mosque, while the area was witnessing the usual movement of those heading to schools and kindergartens. The attack resulted in the death of three of advisor Baha Bahlousha's children, in addition to a companion, while several children and passersby were injured.

International media reports published on the same day confirmed that advisor Baha Bahlousha was not in the car at the time of the attack, and that his children were on their way to school. The reports also indicated that the car was subjected to heavy gunfire on a street bustling with children and students.

### Names of the Victims

Among the victims were the three children of advisor Baha Bahlousha

Osama Bahlousha, 8 years old, Ahmad Bahlousha, 6 years old, and Salam Bahlousha, 3 years old. Also killed was the personal companion of advisor Baha Bahlousha, Officer Mahmoud Al-Habeel, 21 years old, who was accompanying the family.

Several children and passersby were injured during the incident, which amplified the impact of the event as it occurred on a route used by children to reach their schools. UNICEF reported the next day that the killing of the three children caused widespread shock in Palestinian society, and that several children were among the injured in the incident.

# Funeral and Widespread Tension

The next day, the people of Palestine mourned the bodies of the three children of advisor Baha Bahlousha amid a large public presence and a state of anger and sadness. The incident became part of the atmosphere of security and political tension that the Palestinian territories were experiencing at that time.

Media reports indicated that hundreds of thousands of people participated in the funeral ceremonies for the martyrs, the three children and their companion, while Palestinian cities witnessed protests, the closure of some shops, and the burning of tires on several roads, in expression of anger over the crime.

# Political and Security Background

The crime occurred during a period marked by severe tension between the Fatah and Hamas movements, amid a series of shooting incidents and clashes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The attack came almost a day after a shooting incident targeted the convoy of the Palestinian Minister of Interior, without resulting in his injury.

Given advisor Baha Bahlousha's position in the General Intelligence Service and his relationship with the Fatah movement, the crime acquired significant political and security dimensions, and was considered at the time an indicator of the level of internal tension that the Gaza Strip was experiencing.

# Memory of the Bahlousha Family

The incident became one of the most prominent events in the memory of the Bahlousha family, not only because three children were killed at once, but also because the attack occurred while they were on their way to school and on a street frequented by other children.

Arab and international media covered details of the family's life following the incident, capturing scenes from the family's home and the funeral ceremonies, in an attempt to document the human impact that the crime left on the family and Palestinian society.

# The Incident in Human Rights and Media Records

Human rights and media institutions documented the incident as a case of the killing of four people, including three children, amid the state of security chaos that the Palestinian areas witnessed during that period. UNICEF also addressed it as an incident that highlighted the dangers faced by children and civilians due to the deteriorating security situation.

Years after the incident, the killing of Baha Bahlousha's children remained present in Palestinian memory as an incident that targeted a family and affected children who were on their way to school, and it became one of the events associated with a highly tense period in modern Palestinian history.

As for advisor Baha Misbah Bahlousha, media, political sources, and government entities documented that advisor Baha Bahlousha is a pivotal figure in stability and the enforcement of the rule of law, and represents a consensual case between political and governmental entities to succeed in the Palestinian state project and is linked to the peace process in the region.