Killing and dismemberment of Muhammad al-Na'im

On February 23, 2020, at around 5:40 am, Mohammad Ali Hasan al-Na'im, a 27-year-old Palestinian from Gaza, was killed by Israeli soldiers near the Israel–Gaza fence in an agricultural field east of Abasan al-Saghira, near Khan Younis. According to Israeli sources, two Palestinian men had approached the fence intending to plant an improvised explosive device; troops fired artillery shells and gunfire, killing al-Na'im and wounding a companion. Palestinian sources placed the killing 100 to 200 meters from the fence.

Palestinian residents acting as first responders attempted several times to retrieve al-Na'im's body but were repelled by Israeli fire. An armored bulldozer, escorted by a Merkava tank, was then sent through a gate in the fence to recover the body. During this operation, three young Palestinian men — Muhammad Khaled Al-Najjar (19), Ahmad Samir Al-Najjar (20), and Mu'taz Hassan Al-Najjar (21) — attempted to reach the body with a stretcher, removing their outer clothing and raising their hands to signal they were unarmed civilians. Despite this, they were fired upon; Muhammad and Mu'taz were shot in the legs and forced to abandon the rescue. Witness affidavits describe al-Na'im's body as already severely injured, with visible wounds to the head, face, and torso.

The bulldozer ran over the corpse and repeatedly attempted to scoop it with its blade, eventually mutilating and dismembering parts of the body before dragging it across the border into Israeli territory. A witness cited by the human rights group Al Mezan described the bulldozer remaining at the scene for about three minutes and the tank for approximately twenty minutes, after which local residents collected remaining body parts, including portions retrieved from the area, which the family later buried.

Footage of the incident, filmed by a Gaza-based journalist and others, spread widely on social media, provoking outrage in Gaza. Islamic Jihad, of which al-Na'im was identified as a member (Al-Quds Brigades), fired rockets into Israel, and Israel responded with airstrikes on Gaza and Syria. Two Al-Quds Brigades members, Ziad Ahmad Mansour (23) and Salim Ahmad Salim (24), were killed in a strike in Damascus, and four Palestinians were injured.

Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett publicly endorsed the military's handling of the incident, stating support for retaining bodies as leverage in negotiations over the remains of Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin. Members of the Knesset from the Joint List, Aida Touma-Sliman and Ofer Cassif, sharply criticized Bennett's remarks. The legal rights organization Adalah characterized the actions shown in the video as war crimes and called for a criminal investigation. On March 2, 2020, Al Mezan and other human rights organizations sent a joint letter to a United Nations special rapporteur regarding the treatment of al-Na'im's body and the injuries sustained by those attempting to recover it. Al-Na'im's mother, Mirvat, publicly demanded the return of her son's body. He was survived by his wife, Hiba, and son, Hamza.