Israeli Troops Shot Dead A Palestinian, West Bank Heats Up

Protesters and Israeli troops in Hebron City, West Bank Wikimedia. (Commons/Mustafa Bader)

JAKARTA - Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man in clashes that erupted on Thursday during the funeral of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who was shot dead by soldiers the day before, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Witnesses said hundreds of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli troops during a funeral near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military said its troops responded by firing into the air to disperse the crowd, cited from Reuters, Friday, July 30.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said Shawkat Awad, 20, was hit by Israeli fire and died in hospital. Apart from Awad, the Health Ministry said 12 other protesters were injured in the clashes.

Palestinian officials said 12-year-old Mohammad Al Alami was shot dead in the chest by Israeli forces on Wednesday, while he was driving his car with his father.

Meanwhile, according to the Israeli military, a soldier opened fire on the wheel of the vehicle after concluding it was involved in suspicious activity earlier in the day. The military said the incident was being reviewed by senior officers.

Separately, citing Al Jazeera, Israeli authorities launched an investigation into the shooting of Mohammed al-Alami, a 12-year-old boy who was shot dead by Israeli forces, sparking the latest clashes between Israel and the Palestinians during his funeral.

Regarding this shooting incident, Nasri Sabarneh, Mayor of Hebron explained, on Wednesday the father was driving with his son and daughter when Mohammed asked him to stop at a shop to buy something.

The father turned around, the mayor said, and Israeli troops nearby began shouting at him to stop. A soldier then opened fire at the vehicle, shooting the boy dead in the chest.

Hebron Mayor Sabarneh said he knew the family who lived in the city center, spoke with his father. Sabarneh said the father and daughter were not injured in the incident.

"They took my heart from me, they took it from me", the boy's father told Haaretz. Earlier, the Israeli military said it was launching an investigation into the deadly shooting of the boy on Wednesday.

A military statement said senior commanders and military police, who are investigating alleged abuses by the troops were also investigating the incident. It said soldiers opened fire on a car that did not stop at a checkpoint after they fired warning shots.

"After the vehicle did not stop, one of the soldiers fired at the wheel of the vehicle to stop it. We are investigating claims that a Palestinian minor died as a result of the gunfire", the Israeli military said in a statement, adding the incident was being reviewed by a senior commanding officer.

To note, Alami is the second Palestinian youth to be killed by Israeli fire in as many days, after 17-year-old Mohammed Munir al-Tamimi died on Saturday last week from gunshot wounds sustained the day before in the Palestinian village of Beita.

📷 Photos|Funeral of the Palestinian child Mohammed Al-Alami, 13, who was shot in the head and killed by the Israeli forces in Hebron. pic.twitter.com/PW6f1jUaqF

— Safa Press Agency (@SafaPressAgency) July 29, 2021