Israel army admits live fire used on Palestinian civilians throwing stones

The Israeli army has acknowledged that its occupation forces use live ammunition against unarmed Palestinian civilians throwing stones.

Speaking to AP, an unnamed Israeli officer said that soldiers in the occupied Palestinian territory “typically” use live fire and rubber-coated metal bullets “when facing lethal threats”.

The army’s definition of such threats, he added, included Molotov cocktails and stone-throwing.

The comments were cited as part of an article on Ahed Tamimi and her family in Nabi Saleh, including the Israeli occupation forces’ use of lethal force against Palestinian civilians.

Ahed’s cousin, 15-year-old Mohammed, was shot in the head with a rubber-coated metal bullet by an Israeli soldier on 15 December; the boy survived, but sustained a severe head injury. Meanwhile, in the nearby village of Deir Nidham, 17-year-old Musab Tamimi was killed last week by Israeli forces, after being shot at close range with live ammunition.

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