Shot by mistake
Family of Palestinian girl shot ‘by mistake’ by IDF forces last year cannot afford medical bills; Father demands IDF pay them
The parents of a Palestinian girl who was shot by accident by IDF troops last year slammed the army on Thursday for slapping them with a huge medical bill they could not afford.
IDF troops had fired at Jafar Tibi's car as he drove home to the West Bank town of Tul Karm with his daughter Betul on April 17, 2004, seriously wounding the girl in her chest and shoulder. Soldiers gave her first aid, and her family later turned to their cousin, Arab-Israeli Knesset member Ahmed Tibi, for help in bringing the girl for medical treatment in Israel.
Ahmed Tibi, together with Meretz Knesset member Zahava Galon, convinced the army to allow the girl to receive treatment at Shneider Hospital in Petah Tikva.
Since then, Betul has undergone several operations in Shneider Hospital. Her life is no longer in danger, but several scraps of shrapnel remain.
Ahmed Tibi demanded a formal investigation into the incident. Several weeks later, the army acknowledged the shooting was a mistake.
Hospital slaps bill
The hospital later presented the girl's family with a bill for NIS 24,570 (USD 5,656). Her parents claims the army should be liable for the bill, but has yet to come up with the money. Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim said the matter was under investigation.
Jafar Tibi says his salary as a schoolteacher in the Palestinian Authority ranges from NIS 1200 to 2000 (USD 276-460) per month. “I’ve got to support five people,” he told Ynetnews. “There’s no way I can pay this.”
He also says his daughter suffered psychological damage as a result of the shooting, and that she continues to suffer pain in her shoulder and torso.
The family's attorney, Osama Said, said a Jerusalem court presented a claim against the army on January 3, but that the army has yet to submit a defense claim or pay the bill.
“It is a classic ‘shoot-and-cry’ situation,” Ahmed Tibi said, “But in this case the army doesn’t want to pay up. We’ve asked the army to at least expedite the hospital payment, and we haven’t even begun to speak about damages. But things are just going nowhere.”
IDF sources say the issue is being dealt with, but refused further comment.
