By Anees Barghouti
JERUSALEM (AA): A Palestinian child was shot dead on Friday after he allegedly tried to stab Israeli soldiers in occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli police said in statement.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a Palestinian man allegedly armed with knife tried to stab Israeli soldiers at the Shufat checkpoint in Jerusalem.
“The soldiers at the scene shot the assailant, resulting in his death,” Rosenfeld said in the statement.
No injuries were reported among Israeli soldiers.
The child has been identified as Mohammad Nabil Zeidan, 14, from Bir Nibala town, northeast of Jerusalem. He was living with his family in Shu’fat refugee camp, in Jerusalem.
Zeidan was born with one kidney, while his other kidney requires regular dialysis to avoid kidney failure that would put his life at risk.
Israeli daily Haaretz quoted the army alleging that the soldiers were inspecting passengers on a minibus coming from Shu’fat, “before the child pulled a knife from his shirt and tried to stab an officer.”
After killing the child, the army summoned his father, interrogated him for more than two hours, and then released him.
“We do not know exactly what happened, but we do not trust the army narrative,” his uncle Abdullah Al-Alqam said, “Also, the soldiers could have easily shot him in his limbs, but it appears they just wanted to execute him.”
According to Palestinian figures, close to 250 Palestinians have been killed since an uptick in Israeli-Palestinian violence began in October 2015.
Israeli authorities say at least 42 Israelis have been killed over the same period.
Additional reporting from Imemc.com
[Photo: Mohammad Nabil Zeidan, 14, shot dead by Israeil soldier in East Jerusalem. Photo by Imemc.com]