Killing of Mohammad Bhar

Killing of Mohammad Bhar
Part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Killing of Mohammad Bhar (State of Palestine)
Standort	Shuja'iyya, Gaza City, Gaza Strip
Coordinates	31°30′02″N 34°28′12″E
Date	3 July 2024 (2024-07-03)
Attack type	Dog attack
Deaths	1
Perpetrators	Israeli Ground Forces

Mohammad Bhar was a 24-year-old Palestinian with Down syndrome and autism who was killed after he was attacked by a dog unleashed by Israeli forces during a raid on his family's house in the Gaza Strip during the Israel-Hamas war.

Mohammad Bhar was a Palestinian born in the Gaza Strip in 2000. He had Down syndrome and autism, and was deeply attached to his mother, who had been widowed in 2002 when her husband was killed by Israeli forces. Since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in late 2023, the Bhar family evacuated 15 times to escape the shelling.

On 3 July 2024, a week after the family had been trapped in a relative's home, Israeli forces raided the place, with a combat dog that proceeded to maul Mohammad's arm and chest. Mohammad, who had never spoken before, started screaming at the dog: "Khalas ya habibi’ [enough, my dear]." The Israeli forces then separated Mohammad from his family to another room, where a military doctor arrived. The family was then led out of the house at gunpoint and was unable to return there until a week later, when they found Mohammad's bloodied body decaying with worms starting to eat his face.

Mohammad's killing sparked outrage on social media, with his family demanding an investigation into his killing. The Israeli military said that they were looking into the reports. The BBC, which reported on the incident, was widely criticized for a headline that was considered as obscuring the Israeli military's responsibility in the incident; the headline was later changed.

Background

Mohammad Bhar was a Palestinian born in the Gaza Strip in 2000. He had Down syndrome and autism, and suffered bullying and beating in school. Bhar liked to dance, play sports, and eat Mulukhiyah, a famous Palestinian dish. He was also deeply attached to his mother, Nabila, a widow who had lost her husband after he was killed by the Israeli military during a raid in eastern Gaza City in 2002.

By 2023, Bhar was unable to move without assistance from his family members and spent his days sitting in an armchair. His mother, Nabila, a widow, told the BBC that "He didn’t know how to eat, drink, or change his clothes. I’m the one who changed his nappies. I’m the one who fed him. He didn’t know how to do anything by himself." Mohammad Bhar's father, who worked as a security guard at a workshop for cars,

Killing

Between the start of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip of the Israel-Hamas war in late 2023 and mid-2024, Bhar's family had evacuated 15 times, escaping from Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip. By July 2024, they were hiding at one of their relatives' house in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City, where the Israeli military was in pursuit of Hamas fighters. The Bhar family was under siege for seven days as Israeli forces surrounded the house. Mohammad Bhar panicked at the sounds of shells and fighter jets surrounding them.

On 3 July 2024, an Israeli military unit raided their house on Nazaz Street, consisting of several dozen soldiers and a combat dog used to check for explosives. Mohammad's mother Nabila recalled that the Israeli forces smashed everything in the house when they broke in and arrived in their room, who told the forces that "He’s disabled, disabled. Have mercy on him, he’s disabled. Keep the dog away from him."

The dog then proceeded to attack Mohammad, biting his chest and hand, leaving him bleeding. Mohammad, who could not speak, was screaming at the dog, saying: "wala, wala [hey you]," and at other times, "Khalas ya habibi’ [enough, my dear]." Israeli soldiers then took Mohammad to another room away from the dog, while pointing their guns at the rest of the family and telling them that a military doctor would soon arrive. After several hours, Israeli soldiers ordered the Bhar family to leave at gunpoint, and arrested two of Mohammad's brothers, who were not released by 17 July 2024. The rest of the family sought shelter at a damaged building nearby.

The Bhar family tried to contact the Palestine Red Crescent Society to ask for their assistance, but were informed that the Israeli authorities were not cooperating with their requests. The family later returned to the house a week later to find Mohammad's bloodied body lying on the floor and beginning to decay, with worms eating his face. A tourniquet was found on his arm, having left to die by Israeli forces, without stitching his wounds or providing any care. The BBC reported that the immediate cause of death was unclear. Mohammad was buried by his family in an alley near their house, as it was dangerous for him to be buried in a graveyard.

Aftermath

Mohammad's family demanded an investigation into his killing. The Israeli military said in response to a BBC query that they were looking into the reports. His killing sparked outrage on social media. His mother Nabila, 70 year old by the time of the incident, told the BBC that:

This scene I will never forget… I constantly see the dog tearing at him and his hand, and the blood pouring from his hand… It is always in front of my eyes, never leaving me for a moment. We couldn't save him, neither from them nor from the dog.

A similar incident had taken a month prior to Mohammad's killing, when leaked footage emerged online from a camera attached to a dog accompanying Israeli forces, that showed it dragging and biting an elderly Palestinian woman in her home.

The BBC's report was widely criticized for the headline chosen that was considered as obscuring the Israeli military's responsibility in the incident.

See also

• Israeli war crimes
• Killing of Hind Rajab