CWLRCP in Gaza condemns the horrific murder of 9-year-old Amal Ahmed Jamal, who died on Thursday, July 9, 2020, at the hands of her father after being severely beaten. It should be noted that the child, her sister, and her brother were subjected to severe beatings by their father to prevent them from seeing their divorced mother. The acts of beating and torture had been repeated by their father, and one of the daughters had previously filed a complaint with the police station because of the violence inflicted upon her by her father.

The Center, while condemning and denouncing this heinous crime, expresses its deep concern about the increasing forms of societal violence in the Gaza Strip, which has reached its peak with the increase in crimes of assault on the lives of children in the custody of their fathers as a means of revenge against their divorced mothers. This must be addressed given the seriousness of the matter and the fear that the situation will continue to worsen, leading to increased crime rates.

The Center, through its monitoring of the assault on the child, is surprised that numerous complaints against the father were lodged at the police station, yet he was not held accountable or recommended for the withdrawal of his custody of the children, especially since he had repeatedly harmed the rest of his children.

The Center demands that the de facto authority in the Gaza Strip assume its responsibilities and expedite the punishment of the perpetrator, in a manner that constitutes a deterrent to anyone who would consider committing crimes, especially against children, so that the matter does not worsen and the Palestinian social fabric collapses. The Center also demands that the Sharia judiciary act quickly to remove custody of the children from the father and hand them over to whoever has the right to custody, whether it is the mother or someone else.

The Center calls on the Legal Committee in the Change and Reform Bloc Legislative Council to expedite the enactment of a law raising the age of child custody for the mother, as stated in the legal memorandum submitted by the Center to the committee more than a month ago.

The Center appeals to all political forces to stand responsibly in the face of what is happening in the Gaza Strip and to take the necessary step of expediting the end of the division and restoring national unity. This will enable the Legislative Council, as a unified council, to play its role in issuing deterrent laws related to this issue, foremost of which is the Law on the Protection of the Family from Violence and the Personal Status Law, which guarantees the rights of all family members equally.