Israeli forces shot and killed a young Palestinian man outside his home today in the al-Arroub refugee camp in the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron.
Omar al-Badawi, reported to be 22-years-old, was shot in the abdomen near the front steps of his home in the camp during protests commemorating the death of revered Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Eyewitness reports said that al-Badawi was exiting his home in an attempt to put out a small fire that had started nearby as a result of clashes between Israeli forces and local protesters.
A video, published by Quds News Network, shows al-Badawi slowly exiting an alleyway next to his home and waving a white towel — seemingly to indicate to soldiers that he meant no harm.
But just as he approached the street, a shot is fired and al-Badawi falls to the ground in front of several journalists who had been recording the clashes.
Screams can be heard coming from al-Badawi’s house, while al-Badawi rolls around on the ground gripping his abdomen, covered in blood.
The video ends just after journalists and bystanders load al-Badawi into a civilian vehicle. Reports indicated that he was transported to a Hebron hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.
Haaretz reported that in initial military police investigation into the shooting “indicated that al-Badawi did not pose a threat to the soldiers when he was shot, and that they should not have used live ammunition.”
“The Israeli army said that since the shooting occurred while Molotov cocktails were being thrown at the soldiers, it is treating the shooting as part of a wider operational incident, rather than a specific event,” Haaretz said, adding that the military was unsure if al-Badawi was “involved in throwing Molotov cocktails before the shooting.”
It was clear, however, that at the time he was shot al-Badawi was not participating in any violent activity. Relatives of the slain Palestinian pointed out to Middle East Eye that al-Badawi was still wearing his house slippers when he was shot.
One of the journalists who witnessed the shooting told Haaretz that “Al-Badawi was not at all among the clashers…but he was called out because a tree near the house started burning after a grenade or fire bomb was thrown at the area.”
According to the journalist, “al-Badawi was not involved in the clashes and was shot and killed for no reason.”
UN Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov expressed his concern over the shooting, saying “shocking to see the video today’s killing of Omar Badawi by #Israeli security forces in #Hebron in circumstances that would seem to indicate that he posed no threat to anyone.”
Shocking to see the video today’s killing of Omar Badawi by #Israeli security forces in #Hebron in circumstances that would seem to indicate that he posed no threat to anyone. My deepest condolences to his family. Such acts must be thoroughly investigated.
— Nickolay E. MLADENOV (@nmladenov) November 11, 2019
“My deepest condolences to his family. Such acts must be thoroughly investigated,” he continued.
Secretary General of the PLO Saeb Erekat tweeted about the shooting, calling it a “horrendous and deliberate execution,” as he urged the UN and ICC to “ immediately open an investigation into Israel’s systematic war crimes against our unarmed civilians.”
I call on the UN to provide urgent international protection and the Prosecutor of the ICC to watch the horrendous and deliberate execution of Omar al-Badawi and to immediately open an investigation into Israel's systematic war crimes against our unarmed civilians. https://t.co/B6a48NOq3c
— Dr. Saeb Erakat الدكتور صائب عريقات (@ErakatSaeb) November 11, 2019
Al-Badawi was laid to rest on Monday afternoon in a massive funeral procession in al-Arroub.
