Israel defence forces agree to investigate Palestinian teenager's death

Israel’s defence forces on December 6 announced in a statement that it will investigate the allegations about its military troops shooting dead a Palestinian child in Mughayir village. The act was strongly condemned by the United Nations, international human rights watch agencies and the European Union.

As per reports, the EU called for an immediate probe into the 13 years old Ali Abu Aliya’s killing in the West Bank with a bullet targeted in his stomach. While the Palestinians accused the Israeli soldiers of committing a humanitarian and a gory war crime, the EU delegation to Palestinian called for a full investigation into the shocking incident. 

On Friday, the Palestinian teenager was among those protesting against Israeli land occupation and construction of Jewish settlements in the al-Mughayyir village of the occupied West Bank, near Ramallah. According to a UN Human Rights Watch report, the Palestinian kid was fatally shot by the Israeli forces after the confrontation broke out clashes between Palestinian civilians and Israeli soldiers. As the boy was rushed in an ambulance service to the nearby hospital, he had succumbed to the gunshot wound and was declared brought dead, Ramallah’s local health ministry confirmed in a statement. 

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The Palestinian Red Cross first-aid responders on site had told Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the military troops had responded to the protest against a new settlement outpost with gunfire. Human Rights Watch agency also alleged that the Israeli military operations in the West Bank involved the use of excessive coercion by the armed forces, unlawful and arbitrary arrests, and illegal home demolitions and war crimes. Meanwhile, in its defence, the Israeli military berated the Palestinian civilians’ protests, saying, they were ‘violent riots’ which involved burning tyres from the ridges and boulders aimed at soldiers. 

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'Legal proceeding' threatened

"The [Israel Defence Forces] is aware of the claim that there were wounded Palestinians and one Palestinian fatality. Following this incident, a military police investigation has been launched," the statement read.

The Israel Defence forces further stressed that the security forces used 0.22-inch caliber Ruger ammunition, which was less lethal and smaller in size compared to the round bullets which were more powerful and fatal. Palestinian prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, expressed condolences on the Palestinian kid’s demise and called it "a new crime added to the occupation’s long record". 

The EU delegation condemned the Israeli army in a tweet, saying, "How many more Palestinian children will be subject to the excessive use of lethal force by the Israeli security forces?" it said, adding the "incident must be swiftly and fully investigated".

Meanwhile, Ali’s funeral was held in his home village where his coffin was draped in the Palestinian flag. Palestine’s foreign ministry threatened a legal proceeding on Israel’s defence forces in international criminal court, local broadcaster Wafa news agency confirmed. 

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(With AP Inputs)

(Image Credit: Twitter/@israeldefenseforces)