«Israel» Admits Palestinian Shot Dead Was Not a Terrorist

Local Editor

Initial "Israeli" Occupation Forces' [IOF] probe of West Bank shooting of Palestinian man said he did not pose threat to soldiers.

The "Israeli" forces said the Palestinian man martyred Friday morning in the besieged West Bank after allegedly charging an army outpost was not a terrorist.

Official Palestinian medical sources identified the man as Iyad Zakariya Hamed, a resident of Silwad who locals said was married and a father of three children with special needs.

An initial investigation by the IOF stated that a group of soldiers was patrolling the Silwad area when they saw Hamed rush towards another group of soldier standing near the fortified military pillbox.

The on-looking forces fired warning shots, as is protocol. He was shot dead when continued to run toward the guard post.

Walid Hamed, a family member of the deceased stated that Hamad was alone when the incident happened en route to a local mosque.

"He was a very simple man. Either he got lost and tried to get to the mosque through a dirt road. We don't know, but it is clear that there was no need to shoot him. He didn't pose a threat to anyone." He said Hamed was receiving psychiatric medical care.

Hamed's body was transferred to his family and was buried in Silwad. Dozens of local youths clashed with the occupation forces during the funeral.

According to the IOF open-fire protocol, such a shooting is permitted if and only if a weapon is identified and the suspect poses a direct and immediate threat. It is currently unclear if such a weapon was found either before or after the shooting.

However, the details supplied by the army do not indicate the soldiers felt threatened by Hamed. According to IOF protocol, in incidents where no immediate threat is posed, suspects should not be fired upon.

The IOF has yet to announce a legal investigation into the shooting, per the military's new policy to investigate lethal shootings of Palestinians by soldiers.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team