Israeli Soldier Filmed Shooting Wounded ‘Palestinian Attacker’

An Israeli rights group has released a shocking video showing the moment an Israeli soldier appears to execute a wounded Palestinian as he is lies on the ground in Hebron

The victim had reportedly been injured in retaliation for a stabbing attack before being cold-bloodedly shot in the head.

An Israeli military spokesperson said that the soldier had been detained and an investigation into the incident had been opened.

However, it was only two weeks ago that Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said that it was a religious duty for soldiers to kill armed Palestinians

RT reports:

The video has been uploaded to B’Tselem human rights center’s YouTube account. It shows a crowd of IDF members – all armed – helping to evacuate their fellow soldier into an ambulance somewhere in Hebron. The description to the video says the evacuee was stabbed by a Palestinian man who was allegedly injured by the Israelis in retaliation.

You can watch the full video here. (WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT)

While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier is given medical treatment and proper care, and seems to be conscious, the Palestinian is lying on the ground immobilized. Both the Israeli servicemen and the medical staff can be seen ignoring the man until the ambulance leaves.

Seconds later, an IDF soldier reloads his weapon, approaches the Palestinian and fires a headshot at his victim. No one tries to prevent the soldier from killing the man, and the shot causes no reaction from bystanders. Armed Israelis are seen walking around as if nothing has happened.

The Palestinian could be seen moving his head at the beginning of the video, clearly indicating he was still alive before he was shot.

According to the Guardian,  The stabbing of the soldier happened just before a parade by Israeli settlers in the city celebrating the festival of Purim. The video was filmed by Emad abu-Shamsiyah, a B’Tselem volunteer, and shows one of the Palestinians accused of the attack, Abdel-Fattah al-Sharif, 21, lying injured on the ground.

A second Palestinian, Ramzi al-Qasrawi, 20, was also shot dead by soldiers during the attack.

Israeli military sources said the soldier responsible for the shooting had been detained before the emergence of the video on the orders of his unit commander, who reported the shooting. In the graphic footage, the wounded soldier can be seen being lifted into an ambulance while soldiers and armed Israeli civilians mill around.

Clearly visible in the video is the injured Sharif, who has already been shot once, his head still moving. After almost two minutes, a soldier approaches Sharif, aims his weapon at his head and shoots him, apparently killing him. Later footage shows him lying motionless with blood coming from his head.

The video appears to confirm in this instance repeated claims by Palestinians and human rights groups in recent months that Israeli security forces have shot and killed suspected attackers who pose no threat.