Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teenager 'in Cold Blood' in West Bank: Rights Group
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Palestinian rights group condemned the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank, accusing soldiers of acting without justification.
Israeli forces shot and killed Abdulkhaleq Mosab Abdulkhaleq Jabour while he was closing the shop where he worked east of Nablus, Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P) said on Saturday.
The incident took place on Thursday afternoon when two Israeli military vehicles deployed in the town of Salem, in the northern West Bank.
Upon seeing the military presence, Jabour began shutting down the small store, according to DCI-P.
Moments later, Israeli soldiers hidden among olive trees near the shop opened fire, striking him in the chest, the group said.
He succumbed to his injuries shortly after the shooting, DCI-P added.
Relatives who tried to administer first aid were prevented from doing so by the Israeli forces, according to the rights group.
"Abdulkhaleq was clearly no threat to Israeli soldiers, and yet they fatally shot him anyway, and as usual, no one will be held accountable for killing a Palestinian child in cold blood," said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCI-P.
In a separate act of aggression, Israeli forces wounded another 16-year-old Palestinian during a raid in the town of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, on Friday night, the official Wafa news agency reported, citing local security sources.
Israeli troops fired live ammunition, tear gas, and sound bombs during the raid, injuring the teenager in the pelvis, Wafa said.
The severity of the teenager’s injuries was not immediately known.
DCI-P stated that Israeli forces have killed 24 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank so far this year.
