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Israel accused of using live ammunition against unarmed civilians in West Bank

January 5, 2018 at 9:36 am

Israeli soldiers use tear gas and plastic bullets on in Bethlehem, West Bank on 15 May 2017 [Mamoun Wazwaz/Anadolu Agency]

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has accused the Israel Defence Forces of deliberately increasing the use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians through sniper attacks during peaceful demonstrations.

“The number of casualties, including fatalities, proves that the Israeli forces are deliberately intending to have as many victims as possible from among Palestinian protesters,” the Centre said on Thursday.

It cited the case of Musab Firas Al-Tamimi, aged just 17, from Deir Netham village north-west of Ramallah. The boy was shot by an Israeli soldier from a distance of 30 metres when he approached a military vehicle in an attempt to help a young man who was arrested earlier. The Centre explained that Tamimi was shot in the neck with a live bullet and died as a direct result of his wound. He was buried in his home town on Thursday.

According to a Quds Press correspondent in Ramallah, clashes broke out between young Palestinians and IDF soldiers at the entrance to Deir Netham after Musab Tamimi’s funeral.

Read: Palestinian protesters killed in Gaza