NOVANEWS
Israeli army discharges soldier for shooting Palestinian civilian
Investigation into death of Hebron man says soldier acted ‘unprofessionally’
Sobheye, the wife of Amr Qawasme, in the bedroom where her husband was killed by Israeli troops in Hebron. Photograph: Ammar Awad/Reuters
The Israeli military has discharged a soldier for acting “unprofessionally” in shooting dead an unarmed 65-year-old Palestinian man in Hebron earlier this month.
Another soldier, who initiated the firing, was exonerated by investigators because a “suspicious movement caused [him] to feel his life was threatened”. The dead man was asleep in bed when soldiers entered the room, according to his family. He was shot multiple times in the head and upper body.
The military said it deeply regretted the death of Amr Qawasme and acknowledged he was a civilian.
On 7 January, a special squad from an elite unit mounted a raid in search of five Hamas militants who had been released from prison the previous day by Palestinian security services. The main target, Wael Bitar, lived in the apartment below Qawasme.
The dead man’s son, Raja’e, told reporters on the day of the killing that the soldiers must have thought Bitar was in the apartment. “They thought it was Wael so they fired bullets immediately after entering my father’s room while he was sleeping in his bed. I guess they did not make sure of his identity,” he said.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said an investigation had concluded that “the initial firing at Qawasme was done following a suspicious movement that caused the soldier to feel his life was threatened.” The shooting was in accordance with the IDF’s rules of engagement, the inquiry found.
The statement continued: “A second soldier who having watched the first soldier firing at Qawasme, began firing at him as well. While the second soldier did feel threatened, he acted unprofessionally. Therefore [Major General Avri Mizrahi, who conducted the investigation] has ordered that the soldier’s term be terminated.”
According to the IDF, the soldiers were from the Duvdevan unit which it described as “a professional elite unit specialising in close combat, camouflage and assimilation into hostile territory”.
The five Hamas militants were arrested following the shooting.
Israeli media reported leaked information today that a separate investigation into the death of a woman in the West Bank village of Bil’in, following a protest during which teargas was fired, had concluded that she died as a result of mistakes in her medical treatment.
The IDF denied it was the source of the leak, saying the report of its investigation into Jawaher Abu Rahmah’s death was not ready to be released.
Anonymous IDF sources had earlier briefed extensively that the cause of Abu Rahmah’s death was a pre-existing condition, which they said was leukaemia or asthma.
Abu Rahmah’s family and supporters insist she died as a result of teargas inhalation and have published medical records to support their assertion.
www.guardian.co.uk
