Regarding the Targeting of Samer Samara’s Family and the Killing of Children Ali and Rozan Samara from the Town of Tammun

Lawyers for Justice is monitoring the killing of two children, Ali Samara (16) and Rozan Samara (4), from the town of Tammun. The deaths resulted from direct gunfire by members of a Palestinian security force targeting a civilian vehicle carrying women and children. This is according to the testimony of the detained citizen’s son during his father’s arrest and the statement issued by the Samara family.

According to testimonies, a security unit in civilian clothing, traveling in civilian vehicles, opened fire without any prior warning or notice on a civilian vehicle carrying Mr. Samara and his family. This led to the death of the two children, varying injuries to other family members, and the arrest of the children’s father, Samer Samara, who is pursued by Israeli occupation forces and was also injured during the attack.

The targeting of a civilian vehicle carrying women and children with lethal force constitutes a serious crime and a grave violation of the Right to Life. It cannot be justified under any security or political pretext.

This crime occurs within an alarming context of gross violations committed by Palestinian security services in recent years, reaching a peak since the killing of political activist Nizar Banat. Human rights organizations and families have documented accusations from more than twenty families against the security services for involvement in the killing of their sons in similar incidents or as a result of torture. This indicates a dangerous pattern and methodology of using excessive and lethal force outside the framework of the law, amidst a total absence of effective accountability.

Lawyers for Justice affirms that the Palestinian Authority, by acceding to international human rights treaties including the Convention against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is legally bound to regulate the conduct of its members, respect human rights, prohibit torture and ill-treatment, and ensure accountability to prevent impunity. The persistence of a culture of impunity for perpetrators of these violations undermines the rule of law, fosters a culture of revenge and harassment of dissidents and activists, and threatens civil and social peace.

Demands of Lawyers for Justice:

1. Disclosure and Accountability: Reveal the names of the security patrol members who opened fire and the party that issued the orders. All involved must be immediately detained pending trial before the competent judiciary.
2. Comprehensive Investigation: Open criminal investigations into all similar killings over the past three years (since October 2023), which have claimed the lives of more than 22 citizens in the cities of the northern occupied West Bank, and refer all perpetrators to trial.
3. Reform of Engagement Rules: Cease the use of lethal force for law enforcement without justification and review the rules and instructions for opening fire.
4. Oversight Mechanisms: A comprehensive review of security service conduct by civil society institutions and regulatory bodies, establishing effective oversight and accountability mechanisms to ensure that dissidents and activists are not targeted or retaliated against.
5. Urgent International Appeal: An immediate call to human rights and diplomatic institutions in Palestine to take a stand against this crime and urge the Palestinian Authority to conduct an immediate investigation. This includes pursuing legal action before Palestinian courts and resorting to available international mechanisms when domestic remedies are obstructed.
6. Release of Detainees: The immediate release of political detainee Samer Samara and all political detainees, prisoners of conscience, and journalists.
7. Countering Incitement: Halt directed and funded incitement campaigns that justify the crime and threaten the social fabric.

The Right to Life is an inviolable right that may not be infringed upon under any pretext. Tolerance toward these crimes paves the way for their recurrence, threatens civil peace, and undermines what remains of trust in the justice system. Serious accountability is the only way to prevent the repetition of these violations and protect society from the cycle of violence and impunity.

Our deepest condolences to the Samara family and the families of the victims.

Lawyers for Justice

Monday, February 16, 2026