It has been confirmed by Palestinian medical sources that Palestinian woman Maram Saleh Abu Ismael, who was killed on Wednesday, April 27th, was not in possession of an “explosive belt” as claimed by the Israeli army, nor was she “carrying a knife,” but rather, she carried nothing but her own fetus. Indeed, Maram was 5 months pregnant when she was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers on this tragic day.
Maram was a mother of two children: Remas, aged 4, and Sarah, aged 6, whereas Maram herself was only 24 years of age. She was walking to Jerusalem on this day, with her 16 year old brother, Ibrahim Taha. She had just recently obtained, for the first time, a permit to enter the city.
According to eye witnesses, Maram and Ibrahim were walking along the wrong route while heading toward the Qalandia Terminal. Evidently, they took a route that is meant only for vehicles, rather than pedestrians.
When Israeli soldiers took notice of this, they began shouting at the two in Hebrew, a language which neither of them are familiar with. Maram froze in fear just before the soldiers began firing their weapons at her without hesitation.
Her brother quickly rushed to her side in an attempt to save her, and was soon fatally shot as well. Afterwards, the soldiers backed up a few meters and fired a few additional shots at them so as to “confirm the kill.”
Eye-witness Ahmad Taha stated the following:
“There was no stabbing attempt, and no reason for the army to shoot, the soldiers shot them from a distance, and later fired more rounds to confirm the kill.”
“Neither the woman, nor her brother, posed any threat to the lives of the soldiers. They were far away from the nearest soldier, and did not pose any threat to them – they just walked the wrong route.” stated eye-witness bus driver Mohammed Ahmed.
It is important to note that a Palestinian ambulance rushed to the scene just after the shooting, but the soldiers closed off the entire area, denying the ambulance entry, leaving the two to bleed to death.
Our fallen sister and brother were originally from the village of Qotna, northwest of occupied Jerusalem. At the time, Maram had been living with her husband and children in a nearby village known as Beit Surik.
Let us never forget Maram Saleh Abu Ismael, or her brother Ibrahim, or any of the other hundreds of thousands who have been made martyrs by the Israeli military. May they live on forever in our hearts and minds, and may we honor them by actively demanding the liberation of the Palestinian people.
Brian Hazel
The Radical Narrative 