Ibrahim Abu Rashed, grocery-store owner

My grocery store is located at the corner of a-Jabel Street, behind the Palestinian government offices.  The store is open daily from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.

On Wednesday,  12 March 2008, at around 6:00 P.M., I left my store and went to my neighbor al-Kamal’s shop, which is about five meters away. I was stood at the entrance to the shop, speaking with al-Kamal. While we were talking, I kept looking back in the direction of my store to see if any customers were entering.

I saw a Folkswagen minibus drive up and park opposite al-Kamal’s store. The doors opened and soldiers in green uniforms, wearing helmets and black masks, got out. They went over to a red Daihatsu car that had Israeli plates. I also saw a Toyota passenger car parked behind the minibus, and soldiers got out of it. Then I saw the driver of the Daihatsu get out. He walked about five meters. He apparently wanted to cross the street. Suddenly, a voice from among the soldiers called out, “’Imad!”. It was directed at the driver who had got out of the red car. Then I heard firing. The man  was hit in the leg and fell to the ground.

The soldiers immediately went over to the red car, until they got a meter or two from it. They opened massive gunfire at the rear window of the car. I saw three men sitting in the car. One of them was in the front seat and the other two in the back. None of them moved.

During the gunfire at the red car, four soldiers in uniform got out of the Toyota. They came over to us and aimed their weapons at us. They ordered us not to move. Meanwhile, I saw the soldiers fire at the head of ‘Imad, who had previously been hit in the leg. He had nothing in his hands. I saw all this from about five meters away. The four soldiers who got out of the Toyota didn't fire. They guarded the soldiers who fired at the red Daihatsu.

The gunfire lasted about four minutes. After it ended, the soldiers went to the red car and removed the weapons that the men in the car apparently had. Then I heard firing at the dead men in the car. As if the soldiers wanted to make sure that they disfigured them, in addition to killing them. They even fired another bullet into the head of ‘Imad, whose body was lying in the street. After it was over, the soldiers got back into the minibus and the four other soldiers got back into the Toyota. They drove away with the doors of their vehicles open.

Al-Kamal and I went over to the red car. I saw three men inside. The brains of the two in the back seat were scattered all over the place. The other guy, who was in the front seat, had been shot from behind. The sight of the blood and their wounds was horrible.

Ibrahim 'Ali Rashed Abu Rashed, 49, married with five children, is a grocery-store owner and a resident of Bethlehem. His testimony was given to Suha Zeid at the grocery store on 18 March 2008.