Palestinian teen shot dead in clashes with IDF in Hebron
Joint List MK Ofer Cassif slammed the IDF when he took to social media to say that “the claims about a Molotov Cocktail, [which may exist] or not don’t matter a thing."
By ANNA AHRONHEIM, HAGAY HACOHENAn Israeli soldier stands guard in Hebron(photo credit: REUTERS/MUSSA QAWASMA)
A Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli troops as he threw a Molotov cocktail towards troops during clashes in Hebron on Wednesday, the military said.He was identified as by the Palestinian news site WAFA as 17 year-old Mohammed al-Haddad. According to the site he was shot in the chest in Bab al-Zawiyeh, where the Israeli-controlled H2 area of the flashpoint city of Hebron meets the Palestinian-administered H1 section.According to a report by Ynet news, some 20 Palestinians had been throwing Molotov cocktails at a military post and a riot broke out after IDF troops tried to disperse them.The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that he was brought to hospital in critical condition after being hit by a live bullet to the chest and was pronounced dead shortly after.According to the IDF, Haddad hurled a Molotov cocktail at troops who opened fire after feeling immediate danger."During a violent riot that took place in the city of Hebron, IDF troops identified Palestinian lobbing petrol bombs at them and opened in response to remove the threat," the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement. "Violent riots have been going on for a few days in Hebron next to the city's Jewish settlement. Dozens of Palestinians hurled rocks, set tires on fires and lobbed petrol bombs at IDF and security forces."An IDF officer speaking on condition of anonymity said the IDF protocol always gave soldiers in the field the right to respond to life-threatening violence with fire-power to remove the danger.
הלב כואב על מוות מיותר של נער בן 17 בחברון. הילד נרצח בעיר תחת כיבוש, שרחובות בה מופרדים על בסיס אתני ותושביה סובלים יום יום מאלימות המתנחלים והצבא. הטענות על בקבוק תבערה או לא אינן משנות דבר וחצי דבר - לצבא הישראלי אין מה לחפש בחברון ועליו לצאת ממנה מיד ולמנוע כל אלימות נוספת.
Joint List MK Ofer Cassif slammed the IDF when he took to social media to say that “the claims about a Molotov cocktail, [which may exist] or not don’t matter a thing – the Israeli Army has nothing to do in Hebron and must pull out of it now.”He added that “the heart aches over the needless death of a 17-year-old kid in Hebron” and claims he was “murdered in a city under occupation.”There have been daily clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the West Bank since the release of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan last week. While the IDF has been on heightened alert in the West Bank since the release and deployed additional troops to the area, an IDF officer told The Jerusalem Post that there has not been a significant increase in violence.Nevertheless, hours before Haddad’s death clashes broke out in al-Bireh near Ramallah where Palestinians were filmed hurling firebombs towards a convoy of IDF vehicles as it left the town following an arrest. On Tuesday, an Israeli border police officer was lightly injured after he was hit by a firebomb which exploded into flames on him during riots in Hebron. The day before, another IDF soldier was hit by a Molotov cocktail.
