The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had shot dead a Palestinian man “for allegedly throwing a block” at soldiers during an operation in the occupied West Bank town of Kabatiyah.
A video seen by CNN shows a soldier shooting the boy dead several meters away. The military did not use the word “suspect” in an earlier statement, saying the person “threw a brick at soldiers.”
The Ministry of Health, citing the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs (PGACA), identified the Palestinian as 16-year-old Rayan Muhammad Abdul Kader Abu Muara. The agency said his body was still being held by Israel after he was killed in the al-Sabane area of Kabatiyah.
A 26-second security camera footage shared on social media and located in al-Sabaneh by CNN shows what appears to be the moment Israeli forces shot and killed Abu Mualla.
In the video, a person walks down an alley toward two helmeted soldiers who are partially crouched behind a corner. As the person was about to reach the corner, a soldier raised a rifle and fired at point-blank range, causing the person to fall backwards.
In an initial statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the soldiers had been attacked by “terrorists.” The video shows 18 seconds before the shooting, during which nothing appears to be thrown from the alley the Palestinian teenager came from. However, the left hand is hidden. It was not immediately clear who shot the footage, who first released it, or what happened before it began.
On Saturday, Israeli news site Ynet published a photo taken after Abu Muara’s death, showing his left hand clutching a block of concrete. CNN has not been able to confirm whether the photo is the same person seen in the security footage.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli forces had prevented emergency workers from reaching the scene of the shooting.
A series of videos geolocated by CNN show an ambulance with its emergency lights on stopped about 650 feet from the scene of the shooting.
Asked to comment on the video and claims that the arrival of emergency personnel to Abu Muara was blocked, the IDF said: “Yesterday (Saturday), a Palestinian man suspected of throwing a block at an IDF soldier was shot dead. The incident is under review.”
Late Saturday, Abu Muara’s school announced on Facebook that it would close on Sunday in his memory and move exams forward by a week.
In another incident on Saturday, the Ministry of Health said Israeli Defense Forces shot dead a 22-year-old Palestinian man named Ahmed Saeed Ziyoud in the West Bank town of Silat al-Haratiya, north of Jenin.
In a statement to Telegram, the IDF said it had shot dead a person who “threw an explosive device” at soldiers in Sirat al-Haratiya.
The military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement said on Sunday that he was a fighter with the al-Quds Brigades. He was shot by an Israeli sniper’s bullet during a raid on the town by Israeli forces.
CNN’s Dana Karni contributed to this report.
