Palestinian dies days after being shot in Israeli raid
A Palestinian succumbed to his wounds five days ater being shotat by israeli army during a home demolition in the West Bank, said the Palestinian health ministry
A Palestinian succumbed to his wounds on Sunday, five days ater being shot by the Israeli army during a home demolition in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry confirmed “the death of the young man, Hamad Mustafa Hussein Abu Jelda, 24, ater being shot by the Israeli occupation forces in Jenin camp a few days ago.”
Security sources in Jenin told AFP that Abu Jelda had been shot during an Israeli army raid on Jenin camp last Tuesday to destroy the home of Raad Hazem, who killed three Israelis in a deadly shooting atack in Tel Aviv.
Pictures of Abu Jelda released by local activists showed him posing with an M16 rifle, though no armed faction has claimed him as a member.
Hazem carried out a shooting spree in Tel Aviv’s busy Dizengoff Street nightlife district on April 7, before being shot dead ater a massive manhunt.
His father Fathi and brother Hamam are both wanted by Israel.
A petition by Hazem’s family to prevent the demolition was rejected by Israel’s supreme court on May 30.
The tel aviv shooting was part of a wave of deadly atacks on Israeli targets, mostly by Palestinians.
In response, Israel launched near nightly raids on West Bank towns and cities that have killed dozens of Palestinians, including fighters.
Last Monday, armed forces chief Lieutenant General Aviv Kohavi said “around 1,500 wanted people were arrested and hundreds of atacks prevented” in the operations.
Human rights activists say Israel’s policy of demolishing the homes of suspected atackers amounts to collective punishment, as it can render non-combatants, including children, homeless.
But Israel says the practice is effective in deterring some Palestinians from carrying out atacks.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, when it captured the territory from Jordan.
Israel’s decision to absolve itself of responsibility for the shooting death of a veteran Al Jazeera journalist drew criticism from international media on Thursday, marking a further deterioration of relations between the military and reporters covering the conflict.
The Foreign Press Association said the conclusions of the army’s long-awaited probe into the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh “raise major questions about the military’s actions that day and serious doubts about its stated commitment to protecting journalists in the future.”
The association represents international media covering Israel and the Palestinian territories, including The Associated Press. The AP also sits on the group’s board.
Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-american on-air correspondent, was shot in the head while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank on May 11.
Israel said Monday that there was a “high probability” that an Israeli soldier shot her, but portrayed the shooting as a mistake during a protracted firefight with Palestinian militants.
The military said no criminal probe would be launched, meaning that neither the soldier nor commanders will face any punishment. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid later rebuffed US calls for Israel to review its controversial open-fire policies.
The military defended its actions again in response to the FPA statement, saying it had acted with“full transparency” in investigating the shooting.
The military said it “sees great importance in preserving the freedom of the press and regrets harm to civilians, including during exchanges of fire and active combat situations.”
Several independent investigations, including one by the AP back in May, had concluded that Abu Akleh was likely shot by an Israeli soldier and cast doubt on the military’s version of events.
Video footage showed Abu Akleh and other journalists, all wearing helmets and vests that clearly identify them as media, slowly walking down a road, in the line of sight of a military convoy, during several quiet minutes before shots rang out.
The military has provided no evidence that Palestinian gunmen fired at the journalists or that any militants were nearby when she was killed.
In a briefing with reporters on Monday that turned heated at times, a senior military official said the soldier, who was inside an armored vehicle and firing through a telescopic scope, had limited visibility and misidentified Abu Akleh. According to the AP investigation, the armored vehicle was about 200 meters from Abu Akleh.