Bani Na’im Massacre 2002: Four Workers from al-Shuyukh Executed

At dawn on Sunday, 1 September 2002, Israeli occupation soldiers raided the workplace of four Palestinian workers from the village of al-Shuyukh, near the town of Bani Na’im east of Hebron, detained them, took them to the nearby fields, and executed them by gunfire at close range. Among the four killed were twin brothers. [1] [2] [3]

The massacre came less than 24 hours after the Tubas massacre in the northern West Bank, and four days after the Sheikh Ajlin massacre in Gaza, in a single week in which occupation forces killed families, children and unarmed workers. [4] [5]

The Bani Na’im massacre at a glance

The massacre: from the workplace to the field

The four workers were at their workplace, a quarry near the town, when occupation forces raided it in the early hours of Sunday morning. [1] [3] The soldiers detained the workers, took them to the western entrance of Bani Na’im, and shot them. [1] Al-Haq, drawing on eyewitness affidavits, says the soldiers took them to nearby fields and shot them “at close range,” and described the incident as an “arbitrary execution.” [2]

Witnesses said the workers were killed “in cold blood”; occupation forces prevented ambulances from reaching them and held their bodies until morning. [1] Palestine’s letter to the United Nations described the killing “in cold blood” of four workers “abducted from a rock quarry where they worked.” [3]

The four killed

All four were from the village of al-Shuyukh in the Hebron governorate. [1]

The occupation’s account collapses

The occupation army claimed it had set an ambush after receiving “warnings” that the four planned to plant explosive devices in a field belonging to a nearby settlement. [4] It said soldiers found a saw and wire-cutting tools on them, but admitted that no weapons were found. [6] Israeli military sources later said, after examining the tools they carried, that they had been workers. [4] Palestinian sources affirmed that they were workers carrying no explosives, and witnesses said they were killed in cold blood. [4] [6]

Reactions

President Yasser Arafat said occupation forces were “committing massacres against Palestinian citizens” on the orders of “the highest political and military levels of the Israeli government.” [5] Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo called for halting political and security contacts with Israel, saying that “after every meeting with the Israelis a new massacre occurs,” and Nabil Abu Rudeineh announced that the Authority would request an urgent Security Council session. [5] Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat called the killing “state terrorism” designed “to scare the Palestinian people and make them surrender.” [6]

Read about the Zionist massacres against the Palestinian people.

Conclusion

In Bani Na’im there was no clash and no weapon: four workers, among them twin brothers, were taken from their workplace to the fields and executed at close range, and ambulances were kept from reaching them. Even the occupation’s own account collapsed when its sources admitted they had been workers. The massacre remains a testament to a bloody week of August and September 2002, and to summary executions for which no one was held accountable.

Frequently asked questions about the Bani Na’im massacre

When did the Bani Na’im massacre take place?

It took place at dawn on Sunday, 1 September 2002, near the town of Bani Na’im east of Hebron.

Who were the victims of the Bani Na’im massacre?

Four workers from the village of al-Shuyukh: Atiyeh Ahmad al-Mishni, the twins Hisham and Husam Na’im al-Halayqa, and Alaa Abdel Fattah Ayayda.

How were the workers killed in Bani Na’im?

Occupation soldiers detained them at their workplace, took them to nearby fields and shot them at close range.

Were the workers armed?

No; no weapons were found on them, and Israeli military sources later admitted they had been workers.

Did the Bani Na’im massacre take place in Gaza?

No; it took place in the West Bank near Hebron, less than 24 hours after the Tubas massacre and four days after the Sheikh Ajlin massacre in Gaza.

Sources and references

Arabic-language sources are listed with translated titles.

1. “September 2002,” Intifada chronology, Palestinian National Information Center (WAFA).
2. “Arbitrary Execution in Beni Naim,” Al-Haq, 2011.
3. Identical letters from the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, 3 September 2002.
4. “Five New Martyrs in Hebron and Jenin after the Tubas Massacre,” Al Jazeera Net, 1 September 2002.
5. “Arafat Considers Israeli Massacres a Conspiracy to End the Peace Process,” Al Jazeera Net, 1 September 2002.
6. “Israel Kills Five Palestinians, Including Four Laborers, in West Bank; PA Calls on World to Take Action against Israel,” Al Bawaba, September 2002.