Israeli army says Palestinian man killed ‘for no reason’
-
Salma Hossein
- . January 24, 2023
- . Update: January 24, 2023 6:29 pm
The Israeli army said that a Palestinian man shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank last week posed no threat to anyone. According to the Israeli army, the man should not have lost his life.
The man, identified as Ahmed Kahla, 46, from Ramon, was shot dead at a temporary checkpoint in the West Bank on January 15. The Israeli army initially described him as a terrorist who had tried to carry out an attack. Earlier, the army said that Kahla got out of his car with a knife in his hand and ran toward soldiers in order to kill them.
However, Kahla’s son Qusai, 20, said that their car was stopped at the checkpoint and a soldier fired a stun grenade at the vehicle. When Kahla asked the reason of being attacked, an officer used pepper spray on him and the soldier shot him dead. Israeli media said that the man was killed ‘for no reason’. The Palestinian Authority’s foreign ministry slammed the incident.
The Israeli army conducted an investigation on this matter. They found that Kahla had no intention of stabbing the soldiers. Reportedly, the army said that “the incident should not have ended in death.”
Read | US forces assault Syria and seize three major ISIS members
Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, said that the Israeli brigade commander overseeing the initial investigation of the matter revealed that Kahla was not planning an attack on the soldiers.
The Israeli military said that the investigation would be transferred to the Military Advocate General’s office.
Kahla’s brother Zayed, 45, expressed his sadness over this incident. He said, “They killed him for no reason.” The family of the victim wants to get financial compensation from the Israeli army in the Israeli courts. Reportedly, the family also wants to go to the International Criminal Court to seek justice and prosecute the Israeli soldier.
