**Date: March 27, 2012**

The Amal Coalition to Combat Violence Against Women condemns the heinous crime that claimed the life of citizen (Kh.Kh.), a 23-year-old married woman and mother of a one-and-a-half-year-old child, at the hands of one of her relatives in Khan Yunis last Friday, March 23, 2012, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.

Reports indicate that the deceased (Kh.Kh.) arrived at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis at approximately 7:00 PM on Thursday, March 22, 2012, in critical condition due to poisoning from ingesting a dose of pesticide used to combat plant diseases. The case was initially recorded as a suicide attempt, and she was admitted to the intensive care unit for treatment.

At approximately 1:30 AM on Friday, March 23, 2012, one of her relatives arrived at the intensive care unit at Nasser Hospital and inquired about the patient’s condition. The doctor informed him that her condition had stabilized and she was beginning to recover. At that point, the individual brandished a personal firearm (pistol) he had with him, threatened the doctor and nurse, approached the patient, and shot her at close range, resulting in a gunshot wound to the head, which caused her immediate death. According to information circulated by human rights centers, the shooter and one of the victim’s brothers surrendered themselves to the police immediately after the incident.

The Amal Coalition demands that the competent authorities take strict legal measures to stop all forms of violence against women, especially femicides, to prevent criminals from escaping punishment under the pretext of preserving family honor. Among these measures is the enforcement of the law, considering the killing of women as premeditated murder and rejecting any mitigating excuses that allow criminals to evade punishment.