Death of Mohammad Habali
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| Date | 4 December 2018 (incident) |
|---|---|
| Location | Tulkarm, West Bank, Palestine |
| Cause | Gun shot at close range[1] |
| Participants | Palestinian bystanders, IDF soldiers |
| Outcome | Death of Mohammad Habali |
| Burial | 5 December 2018[2] |
| Inquiries | IDF |
Mohammad Hossam Abdel Latif Habali, a 22 year old mentally ill Palestinian,[3] was fatally shot in the head by Israeli soldiers on 4 December 2018, amid the IDF raid in Tulkarem,[4] a mid-sized city located in West bank, very close to the 1967 border separating Israel and the West Bank.[2] According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, Habali was shot by live ammunition.[5]
Background
Wide range arrest campaigns are frequently carried out by the Israeli army across the occupied West Bank under the pretense of searching for the "wanted" Palestinians, which the Palestinian authorities say are violation of agreements Israel has signed up under the Oslo II Accord.[4] According to the UN OCHA, 279 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in both the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip from the beginning of 2018 to 19 November.[6] Hadashot news reported that IDF arrested 1,380 Palestinian suspects in 2017 in similar missions. Israeli forces military operations in the West Bank were stepped up lately.[2] Israeli forces arrested 24 Palestinians in overnight raids carried out on Tuesday, 4 December 2018, according to a Palestinian NGO.[4]
Event
On 4 December 2018, at about midnight, 100 Israeli soldiers entered Tulkarem to raid various Palestinian homes. A clash erupted when several Palestinians threw stones at the soldiers, who retaliated by firing rubber-coated rounds and tear gas. In a different area of Tulkarem, about 30 of the soldiers spread out in small teams across a-Nuzha Street and an alley near al-Fadiliyah Boys' High School followed by the residents coming out of their homes and standing about 150 meters away from the soldiers near a local restaurant, to see what was going on.[1] During the course of events Habali was shot in the back of the head with bullets. He was taken to hospital where he died due to the injuries.[7]
Statements
According to the statement by Israeli military, soldiers were present in Tulkarm when "a violent riot was instigated in which dozens of Palestinians hurled rocks...Troops responded with riot control methods and later with live fire."[8] IDF stated that it often makes arrest raids in the West Bank but IDF did not elaborate on the details of the operation.[9]
Habali's brother, Alaa, said Mohammed was mentally challenged and was physically disabled as a result of a some-years-ago car accident leading to the breaking of his pelvis. Alaa said that his brother Mohammad used a stick to walk. Alaa added that Habali had worked in a coffee shop and was in the street after he had closed the restaurant when he saw soldiers in the area.[10]
A video obtained by the NGO B'tselem from the security-camera of a local restaurant in Tulkarem,[11][1] shows that at 2:25am, three soldiers moved towards the restaurant, stopping 80 metres away, and opened fire at the people to disperse them. Mohammad Habali, one of the bystanders, walks away from the confrontation[1] "holding a stick when he is shot from behind and falls down on face."[11] The video shows Habali at the entrance to a restaurant standing with a group of friends before the shooting. According to B'tselem, contrary to what Israel military said,[12][13] the video showed that there was no violence or clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army when Habali was shot killed and that the shooting was unlawful and unjustified.[1] Another video of the scene captured by a smartphone, according to the i24NEWS, seemed to contradict a declaration by an IDF military spokesperson saying IDF were confronted with "a violent riot in which dozens of Palestinians hurled rocks."[2]
According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, Habali had been shot in the head, and another resident named M.H was hit in the leg.[14] Although there were conflicting claims over whether the used bullets were rubber-coated or live ammunition. Rubber-coated bullets, aka rubber bullets, can kill if they hit vital organs.[2]
He was taken to Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarem,[15] where he died from his gunshot wounds.[4]
Funeral
Hundreds, among them Palestinian government representatives, participated in Habali's funeral.[2] Governor of Tulkarem gave the condolences of President Mahmoud Abbas to the family of Habali and condemned the Habali's killing.[5]
Investigation
On 9 December 2018, after the video obtained from the security-camera of a local restaurant was revealed, The Israeli military said it had opened an investigation into the death of Mohammad Habali.[11] The case was referred by the Military Attorney General to the IDF's Military Police Criminal Investigation Division.[2] The investigations are ongoing and further details have not been released.[2][10]
Criticism
According to the NGO B'tselem "the lethal shooting was not preceded by a warning, was not justified, and constitutes a violation of the law".[1]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Fox, Tessa (11 December 2018). "Israeli killing of young Palestinian unlawful, video shows". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "Hundreds attend funeral of young Palestinian man killed in Israeli military raid". i24NEWS. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
- ↑ "Israeli Soldiers Kill A Mentally Disabled Palestinian In Tulkarem– IMEMC News". 4 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Israeli forces kill Palestinian, 22, in Tulkarem raid". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Palestinians lay to rest Palestinian youth killed by Israeli forces in Tulkarem". Palestinian News & Info Agency. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ↑ "Israel shoots dead Palestinian in West Bank". Middle East Monitor. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ↑ "Mentally disabled teen killed by Israeli troops during West Bank raid". DailySabah. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ↑ "Rights group claims IDF soldiers shot dead disabled Palestinian from behind (VIDEO)". RT International. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ↑ "IDF probes death of Palestinian apparently shot in the back". timesofisrael. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "IDF probes shooting of Palestinian in the back". Ynetnews. 12 September 2018. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Israeli military probes shooting of Palestinian in the back". ABC News. Associated Press. 9 December 2018. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
- ↑ "New footage shows disabled Palestinian shot from behind by IDF". Ynetnews. 12 November 2018. Archived from the original on 31 December 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
- ↑ Khoury, Jack; Kubovich, Yaniv (5 December 2018). "Israel Said a Palestinian Was Killed in Clashes. A Video Shows He Was Shot in the Back". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ↑ "New video footage from additional angles proves: Israeli soldiers' fatal shooting of Muhammad Habali unjustified and illegal". B'Tselem. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- ↑ "Israeli forces kill mentally-ill Palestinian in W Bank". Press TV. Archived from the original on 2018-12-28. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
External links
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