Two Palestinians including 15-year-old shot and killed by Israelis this weekend
A 59-year-old man died of wounds sustained when he was shot four days earlier.
This article has been updated to include the statement of the European Union issued this afternoon.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Amjad Abu Alya was 16 years old. This article has been updated to include a statement by DCI-P.
Jerusalem24 – A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed by Israelis in the occupied West Bank over the weekend.
15-year-old Amjad Abu Alya was shot in the chest during a protest against settlement violence in the village of Al- Mughayyer near Ramallah on Friday afternoon. He was taken to a hospital in Ramallah where he was pronounced dead at around 2pm.
Eyewitnesses say an Israeli settler armed with an M-16 rifle may have been responsible for shooting the bullet that killed Amjad Abu Alya. According to the eyewitnesses, the settler was standing with the soldiers and “shooting indiscriminately.”
Nassar Nassar, a cousin of Amjad Abu Alya, told Al Jazeera: “There were confrontations, and there was a lot of friction between the youth and the Israeli army and settlers. There was one settler who was armed, and my cousin was very close to him – it was point blank.”
“It’s clear that there was the intention to kill because the shot was above the waist,” Nassar said.
The European Union issued a statement on Twitter, saying it was “saddened by yet another young victim of settler violence” and calling for a “rapid and transparent investigation.”
Saddened by yet another young victim of settler violence: 15-year old Amjad Abu Alya was killed on Friday at Mughayyer village. A rapid & transparent investigation is needed. The🇪🇺 firmly condemns the increase in settler violence & growing number of casualties,including children.
— EU and Palestinians (@EUpalestinians) July 31, 2022
“Palestinian children live in a hypermilitarized context where Israeli civilians illegally settled in occupied territory are armed by the Israeli government as a matter of official policy,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP). “Israeli soldiers, police, and private security staff not only protect Israeli settler populations, but they also aid, abet, and perpetrate violence against Palestinians, including children.”
The Israeli army spokesperson said that it was “aware of reports of a Palestinian that was killed” and that the army had responded after Palestinians burned tires and threw stones.
Mentally disabled man dies of wounds
A mentally disabled man died on Saturday of wounds sustained when he was shot by Israeli forces four days earlier.
59-year-old Hussein Qawariq from the village of Awarta in the occupied West Bank was shot on Tuesday by Israeli forces at a checkpoint in Huwara near Nablus.
Huwara has been a flashpoint for settler and soldier violence in recent months.
Qawariq died of his wounds at the Rabin Medical Centre in Israel, according to WAFA news agency.
The Israeli army said “an investigation into the incident” was underway.
