Israeli army probes death of 11-year-old Palestinian

dpa Ramallah/Tel Aviv Following the death of an 11-year-old Palestinian in the southern West Bank, Israel’s army is investigating the incident. Israeli ...

dpa Ramallah/Tel Aviv Following the death of an 11-year-old Palestinian in the southern West Bank, Israel’s army is investigating the incident.Israeli soldiers observed “suspicious activity” near a military base near Hebron, the military said late on Wednesday night.Some men had got out of a car and were digging in the ground. During an investigation, the soldiers found two sacks, one containing the body of a newborn baby.Shortly afterwards, the troops saw a vehicle approaching and assumed it was the same car as before. The driver did not stop despite shouts and warning shots in the air. The soldiers then shot at the tyres.“We are investigating allegations that a teenage Palestinian was killed by the gunfire,” the army statement said. “The incident is being investigated by senior commanders.” Military police are also involved in the investigation, it added.According to Palestinian media reports, the boy was sitting in his father’s car when he was fatally injured. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said he later died of his injuries in hospital.Palestinian media reported that local residents had buried a newborn in a cemetery near Hebron. After the soldiers had dug it up, they were told by the authorities to come back and rebury the child.The shooting comes on the same day a Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli soldiers near Nablus under unclear circumstances.The man had quickly approached several soldiers south of Nablus with an iron bar in his hand, the Israeli army said.The soldiers initially fired warning shots into the air. When the Palestinian man did not stop, the commander fired at him.The Palestinian Health Ministry said the 41-year-old was killed.Palestinian representatives on the ground said the man had tried to open a tap on a pipe to supply water to his community. The army announced an investigation into the incident.