Graphic footage has emerged allegedly showing an Israeli soldier shooting a Palestinian man as he lay wounded on the ground after a stabbing attack.
The man, identified as 21-year-old Abed al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif, is shown in the amateur video lying on the street when voices can be heard saying in Hebrew, “Is the dog still alive?” Then, an IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) soldier can be seen hoisting his rifle from his shoulder, aiming it, and firing one round into the wounded man’s head as he lays on the ground.
The soldier who was stabbed was removed form the scene to receive treatment for non life-threatening injuries.
From the Independent:
Mr al-Sharif and another Palestinian man, Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi, had already reportedly been shot after allegedly stabbing a solider in Tel Rumeida, in the Hebron area of the occupied West Bank, according to rights group B’Tselem.
According to reports, both men died.
“The IDF views this incident as a grave breach of IDF values, conduct and standards of military operations,” A spokesperson from the IDF said in a statement. “A Military Police investigation has commenced and the soldier involved has been detained.”
In response to the video, Philip Luther, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International, said the shooting may be a “war crime.”
“The shooting of a wounded and incapacitated person, even if they have been involved in an attack, has absolutely no justification and must be prosecuted as a potential war crime.”
“Israeli forces have a long history of carrying out unlawful killings – including extrajudicial executions – in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with impunity. Amnesty International has documented a number of similar cases during the upsurge in violence that began in October,” said Mr Luther.
“While it is encouraging that the soldier in the video has reportedly been suspended and placed under investigation, previous Israeli investigations have failed to hold members of the Israeli forces accountable even when there has been clear evidence of criminal wrongdoing.”
“The Israeli authorities must use this opportunity to end the culture of impunity that has made such killings increasingly commonplace,” Luther added.
Watch the video below (Warning: graphic footage. Certain parts have been blurred):
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