Jerusalem24 – Yara Alnazer – Two Palestinian brothers were killed in a hit-and-run by an Israeli settler near Za’atara checkpoint, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on Saturday evening.
37-year-old Mohammad Mutir and 19-year-old Mohannad were traveling with three other siblings from Nablus back home to Qalandia refugee camp, when their tire went flat near the checkpoint.
They parked the car on the side of the road and were finished with their repairs when an Israeli settler vehicle collided with them“at high speed”, according to their brother Ahmad.
Mohammad died instantly while Mohannad, whose lower limbs were amputated, was transferred to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem where he later died due to the severity of his injuries, according to a statement by the Jerusalem Governorate.
The three surviving brothers believe they were hit “deliberately”.
“It was 100% intentional,” Ahmad Mutir told Al-Quds News, “because our car was parked on the side of the road, inside the yellow line, and he came directly at us at high speed.”
Ahmad said the car itself was projected “at least 20 meters” down the street when it was hit, and that Mohammad was thrown “at least 15 meters” into the air.
Footage from the aftermath of the hit-and-run published by Palestine TV appears to confirm the Mohammad and Mohannad, as well as the vehicle, were hit at high speed. The footage, which was reviewed by Jerusalem24, shows two bodies lying at a distance of at least 15 meters from each other, which a severely damaged vehicle lying in the ditch next to the road some distance away. Debris strews the road over a distance of at least several dozen meters.
The brothers also allege that the Israeli police at the scene “didn’t even take our statements”.
The Israeli settler, a man in his 50s who has not been named, was “lightly injured” and transferred to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, according to The Times of Israel.
A statement by the Jerusalem Governorate issued a little over two hours after the incident said that after fleeing the scene, the settler had “turned himself in” to Israeli soldiers at Za’atara checkpoint.
It is unclear whether he was taken into custody or will face any charges.
Five Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank in 2022, including 15-year-old Amjad Abu Alya who was shot by a settler in July.
Israel’s police says they “don’t suspect that this was an intentional car accident,” & claim that the Palestinian vehicle was standing on the side of the road without its lights on.
Palestinian eyewitnesses say the lights were on, the road was open & widehttps://t.co/ZrSC4FkKjC
— Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) December 17, 2022
