A Palestinian man was shot and killed by IDF fire on Friday during the funeral in the West Bank town of Beit Umar for a 12-year-old boy also shot by troops, the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said.
Shawkat Khalil Awad, 20, was shot in the head and stomach by live bullets by troops during clashes following the funeral of 12-year-old Mohammed al-Alaama near Hebron. Awad was taken to hospital in critical condition where he died of his wounds.
According to the IDF, during the funeral for Alaama, hundreds of Palestinian protesters threw rocks towards IDF troops and border police officers who responded with riot dispersal means including stun grenades and rubber bullets. They also fired live bullets in the air.
The Israeli military said it was investigating the incident.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said 12 people, including Awad, had been wounded by live gunfire, and several others sustained injuries from rubber bullets and tear gas.
He was the fourth Palestinian killed by the Israeli military and the third to be killed in Beit Umar in the past week.
On Wednesday, Alaama was in the car with his father and two siblings when he was shot in the chest by IDF troops who fired on the car that they thought was suspicious at the entrance to the village.
According to the IDF, troops saw several Palestinians digging near a military post close to the entrance of the town. When the troops investigated the site they found the body of a day-old baby in a plastic bag. Troops then saw a similar car approach and when they tried to stop the car they fired towards its wheels.
“The soldiers initiated the suspect arrest procedure, which included calls [in their direction] and shooting in the air. When the vehicle did not stop, one of the soldiers fired at the wheels of the vehicle in order to stop it,” read a statement released by the military.
According to Alaama’s father, Muayyad who spoke to Israeli media, he had gone to a local store with his three children to buy groceries. He made a U-turn to stop at the shop when the troops opened fire on the vehicle with 13 bullets, hitting Mohammed.
Though the IDF said that troops fired only towards the wheels of the car, there were several bullet holes found in the back and side of the car.
The military said an investigation has been launched into the shooting, including by senior officers and military police.