Disabled Palestinian killed by Israeli fire: Hamas autopsy

The man died during clashes against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December.

wheelchair-bound Palestinian demonstrator Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh waving a Palestinian flag during a protest along the Gaza-Israel border

This file image shows wheelchair-bound Palestinian demonstrator Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh waving a Palestinian flag during a protest along the Gaza-Israel border. Source: MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images

The autopsy of a disabled Palestinian protester killed in December showed Israeli fire was responsible for his death, a Hamas-affiliated commission in Gaza said Monday.

Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh died on December 15 during protests and clashes along the Israel-Gaza border against US President Donald Trump's controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

His family says he had lost his legs in an Israeli strike a decade earlier.

Israel's military said earlier this month it was opening an investigation into the death of the 29-year-old after previously saying it was not able to determine whether he had been killed by its soldiers' fire.
The justice ministry in Gaza announced Sunday his body had been exhumed and on Monday a commission affiliated to Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas said he had been shot by Israeli forces.

Emad al-Baz, from the organisation which Hamas tasks with gathering evidence about alleged Israeli crimes, told a news conference that multiple tests had been conducted on the body, including X-ray scans.

"The autopsy revealed the bullet entered above his left eye and stayed in his head."

El-Baz said the autopsy indicated the bullet was fired from some 30 metres (yards) away, the distance between protesters and the Israeli army.

The United Nations' human rights chief has said he was "truly shocked" by Abu Thurayeh's death and demanded an "independent and impartial investigation".

Seventeen Palestinians have been killed since Trump's December 6 announcement, most of them in clashes with Israeli forces. One Israeli has been killed in that timeframe.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AFP, SBS


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world