Her veil on the ground... and her blood on the roof: An occupation bullet blew off Hajja Zahia's head
The last evening spent by Jerusalemite Hajja Zahia Jouda al-Obeidi (66 years old) on the rooftop of her house in Shu’fat refugee camp was a warm evening with her children and grandchildren. The warmth of family, the laughter of children, and the constant chatter turned in an instant into a bloody night when a single bullet ended the life of the beloved grandmother.
Before midnight, occupation forces stormed Shu’fat refugee camp, in a large infantry force and in private vehicles. They deployed along several streets and alleys, moving silently, observing the area from its dark corners. They then gradually began to withdraw, amid complete calm within the camp, with no clashes or any noteworthy incidents. During their withdrawal, one of the soldiers directed a laser (light) flashlight toward the roof of the al-Obeidi family building and fired a single bullet at Hajja Zahia, blowing her head off. She fell to the ground, killed instantly.
Hajja Zahia, who suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic bone pain, was sitting in her usual chair in a corner of the rooftop. She turned her face to watch the soldiers withdraw from afar. One of the soldiers directed a laser beam at her, then fired a single bullet that was enough to kill her.
Traces of the blood of the sixty-year-old martyr, Zahia Jouda Al-Obeidi, are still visible on the rooftop. Her finger prints are visible on one of the walls she leaned against immediately after being injured. Blood flowed profusely from the first spot where she fell. She was quickly carried away, drenched in her blood, staining the stairs and entrance to the building.
To preserve the blood, the family placed bricks around it as a witness to the crime. Her headscarf is still in place, bearing clear traces of her blood, another witness to the horror of the scene.
She was taken by her grandson, Kayed, who tried to rush her to the nearest health center, hoping she might survive. However, she was bleeding profusely.
Kayed Joudeh, 22, was by her side at the time of the injury and a witness to the crime. He says, "I wish this moment was a dream... I slept for ten minutes in the afternoon and woke up. I wanted someone to tell me what had happened was a dream, and that my grandmother was still here... I couldn't believe it."
Kayed recounts the details of that moment, saying, "We were sitting on the roof of the building. The forces stormed the camp. There was no sound; the area was completely quiet. My grandmother, my family, and I were sitting on chairs. My grandmother raised her head slightly to look down at the bottom of the building. Several soldiers were walking a long distance from the building. Suddenly, a laser shone on her. Seconds later, a single bullet hit her in the head."
Kayed continued, "The bullet penetrated her head, and in an instant, I saw her on the ground. Her head was shattered, split in half... For a moment, I couldn't get close to her. I started screaming, and family members arrived and helped me carry her."
He added, "At the medical center, the doctor on duty quickly examined her. Due to the seriousness of her condition, he ordered her to be transported by ambulance to the military checkpoint. An ambulance was waiting for us. Then, an ambulance designated for critical cases arrived. After examining her and informing us of her death, it drove less than 30 meters, when the Special Forces blocked our path and the path of the ambulance. None of us were allowed to walk behind the ambulance. Only my grandfather was allowed to follow them, but he was later left on the road, with no information about her fate or where she had been taken."
Kayed says: “Every night we stay up on the roof, old and young, men and women... This is our daily evening. They targeted my grandmother with a fatal bullet while there were many children around her... The last soldier to withdraw was the one who shot towards the fourth floor, sniped at her and blew her head off.”
About two hours after her martyrdom, the occupation forces returned and stormed the entire neighborhood, raiding the family's home and interrogating Kayed, as he was one of the witnesses. A field investigation was opened, and the forces searched the roof and the place where Hajja Zahia had been sitting, inspecting traces of blood, before withdrawing again.
Her son, Ihab Joudeh, says: "We were staying up late on the roof of the building, as we do every night. I went down to the house for a very short time, and after a while, I heard screaming. I quickly went up... I saw my mother on the ground, half of her brain out... We carried her and ran to the car. On the way, I lost consciousness."
He added: "We arrived at the health center. The doctor tried to revive her, then she was transferred to the ambulance waiting for us at the military checkpoint. They tried to save her, but they informed us that she had died, and that all resuscitation attempts had failed."
He added, "We asked the forces that surrounded us where she was being taken. They said Hadassah Hospital in Issawiya. We went there, but she wasn't there. After many calls, we learned that she was being held by the occupation authorities."
Ihab said, "We were staying up late on the roof of our house. What was the danger? What danger is there in a mother sitting in a chair surrounded by her children? Killing and detaining a body!"
Kayed calls on human rights and humanitarian organizations to take immediate action to recover his mother's body and hand it over to the family for a dignified burial.
