Rights and Accountability 15 August 2019
A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead by Israeli forces in Jerusalem’s Old City on Thursday.
Occupation forces opened fire after two Palestinian boys attempted to stab paramilitary Border Police officers, wounding one.
The slain boy was identified by Israeli police as Nassim Abu Rumi. The other youth, Hamoudeh al-Sheikh, who police said was also a minor, was critically injured.
Video shows the pair approaching a group of Border Police officers and then lunging at them. The officers immediately open fire on the boys, and do not appear to attempt to subdue them with nonlethal means:
Another video from the scene appears to show medics treating the wounded Border Police officer while one of the boys lies on the street, unattended: A third video shows the other boy lying on the street behind several police officers: No attempt to provide first aid to either boy is shown in the videos.Imran al-Rajabi, a guard at the al-Aqsa mosque compound who was not involved in the stabbing, was also injured. Video shows him being transported on a stretcher:
Worshippers barred
The deadly incident occurred at the Lion’s Gate to the al-Aqsa mosque compound. Police subsequently raided the compound and barred entry to worshippers under the age of 50, causing people to pray in the street:
Video shows police preventing worshippers from accessing the mosque compound: Earlier this week, police injured dozens of worshippers who were attempting to pray at al-Aqsa during the Eid al-Adha holiday.Six Palestinians killed this week
Eighty-one Palestinians have died by Israeli fire so far this year, and six since Saturday.
Israeli occupation forces killed four armed Palestinians as they allegedly attempted to breach the Gaza-Israel boundary on 10 August.
One of the men had crossed the boundary “and fired at troops and tossed a grenade,” the Israeli military said.
The following day, Israeli forces killed another Palestinian who shot at soldiers while he attempted to cross the Gaza boundary.
Seven Israelis have been killed by Palestinians during 2019, most recently a teenager who was stabbed in the West Bank last week.
On 10 August, Israeli forces arrested two Palestinian cousins suspected of killing the 19-year-old soldier and yeshiva student.
Soldiers mapped the homes of the two alleged assailants in preparation for their demolition.
Punitive house demolitions in occupied territory – a war crime of collective punishment under international law – are common practice for the Israeli military.
This story was updated since initial publication to reflect that the age of the boy slain in Jerusalem was 14, not 17 as initially reported.
Comments
Attacks by Palestinian youths.
Permalink Sean Breathnach replied on
What drives Palestinian youths to attack Israeli forces, when they know that they will more than likely be killed? Half a century of Israeli occupation, discrimination, genocide, dispossession, ethnic cleansing, restriction on movements and despair.