Palestinian killed by Israeli troops during funeral of boy shot by IDF
Shawkat Khalil Awad was shot during clashes that erupted between Palestinian mourners and Israeli troops.
A Palestinian man was fatally shot by Israeli forces on Thursday amid clashes that erupted during the funeral of an 11-year-old boy killed by soldiers days earlier, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.
Palestinian health officials said Shawkat Khalil Awad, 20, sustained gunshot wounds in the head and stomach during confrontations with Israeli soldiers that broke out during the boy’s funeral in the West Bank town of Beit Ummar near Hebron. The Palestinian Red Crescent said Thursday that 12 other Palestinians were also wounded.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Palestinians were throwing rocks at the troops, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and Ruger bullets to disperse the “extremely violent riots.” Soldiers also fired live bullets into the air, an army statement said.
The Times of Israel reported that the violence forced the Palestinians mourners to put the boy’s funeral on hold and that an “an improvised, provisional burial” was held later that day.
