Israel stops medical teams saving life of Tamimi youth it shot

Twenty-one-year old Izz Al-Din Tamimi was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank village of Nabi Saleh today.

Anti-settlement activist from Nabi Saleh, Bilal Tamimi, said that Israeli occupation forces prevented Palestinian medical teams from reaching the youth to help him before he was taken away by the soldiers, according to WAFA.

An initial report by Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem said Tamimi was shot at close-range by Israeli occupation forces and severely wounded. He died almost immediately of his wounds. The Israeli Army’s Civil Administration has confirmed reports of his death and has informed the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Other witnesses from the village told Haaretz that Tamimi was wanted by Israeli occupation forces and that Israeli soldiers entered the village to arrest him.

Izz Al-Din is one of many Tamimis who have been arrested in recent months. Ahed Tamimi, a 17-year-old Palestinian from the same village, is currently serving an eight-month jail sentence after being charged with stone-throwing and attacking soldiers. Ahed was arrested in December 2017 after a video showing her slapping Israeli occupation forces and telling them to leave her property went viral.

Knesset deputy speaker: Ahed Tamimi should have been shot in the kneecap

Prior to the incident, Israeli occupation forces had shot her cousin, Muhammad Tamimi, in the head. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Major General Yoav Mordechai, contested the story, instead claiming that Muhammad sustained his injury by falling off his bike. The Tamimi family responded to the allegations by sharing official medical records from the Istishari Hospital in Ramallah and pictures of Muhammad’s x-ray, which clearly showed the presence of a rubber-coated steel bullet in his skull.

Ahed’s cousin, Nour Tamimi, was also arrested for featuring in the viral video. After being held in an Israeli prison for two weeks, even though no charges had been brought against her, Nour was released on a 5,000 shekel ($1,455) bail. In May, Ahed Tamimi’s brother, Waed, was also arrested by Israeli forces after the village and family were deliberately targeted as a result of their activism.

Video shows interrogation of Ahed Tamimi without a lawyer

The targeting of occupied West Bank villages by Israeli soldiers is a common occurance. Haaretz reports that two simultaneous incidents took place today, one in Beit Rima, another village northwest of Ramallah, and the second in Am’ari Refugee Camp in the Al-Bireh municipality. One Palestinian was reportedly wounded in the leg by rubber-tipped metal bullets.

B’Tselem statistics show that 12 Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank in the first three months of 2018 alone. In 2017, a total of 39 Palestinians were killed.