Israeli Soldiers Accused of Shooting Palestinian Boy and Attempting to Frame Him
Israeli soldiers have been accused of shooting a Palestinian teenager before allegedly attempting to 'frame him' as he lay bleeding to death, with the IDF claiming he posed an immediate threat. The incident occurred in November of last year at the al-Far'a refugee camp in the West Bank, involving a 14-year-old boy named Jad Jallah.
CCTV Footage Reveals Disturbing Sequence of Events
CCTV footage from the scene shows Jad and two friends standing in an alley before peeking to their right and running away. Several Israeli soldiers suddenly emerge, with one appearing to raise a weapon and open fire. The teenager falls to the ground and disappears outside the frame. Witnesses reported that 14 soldiers then stood around the wounded boy for at least 45 minutes while he bled out.
Video footage filmed by a camp resident appears to show the teen waving his arms and throwing his hat towards the soldiers in a desperate attempt to ask for help. However, the soldiers appear to ignore him, and one is seen dropping an object next to the boy before taking a photograph.
Family Accuses Soldiers of Evidence Tampering
Jad's family has accused the soldiers of attempting to frame him. His mother Safa told the BBC: 'They dropped a stone next to him so they could frame him, and make it look like he threw stones at them. You can see it in the video. Anyone who watches the video will see.'
The IDF has claimed that the teenager threw a rock, labeling him a 'terrorist' who 'attempted to attack the force.' Under their rules of engagement, rock throwing permits soldiers to use lethal force.
Paramedics Allegedly Blocked from Providing Aid
The IDF has also been accused of blocking paramedics from reaching the boy, which they deny. According to call logs, an ambulance was dispatched immediately and arrived at the scene in eight minutes. However, the emergency team was allegedly stopped at gunpoint and prevented from reaching the wounded teenager.
Lead paramedic Hassan Fouqha stated: 'We tried to advance several times, tried signalling to them to let us reach the child, but we were completely blocked. We could have reached him and provided medical aid but we were prevented. The purpose of this, we do not know, but this is what happened.' The paramedic said they helplessly watched for over half an hour.
IDF Response and Human Rights Criticism
The IDF told the BBC that soldiers provided 'initial medical treatment' to Jad after verifying that he was not wearing a hidden explosive device. The soldiers placed the teenager into the back of a military vehicle, though it remains unclear whether this occurred before or after his death.
Human rights organisations have criticised the methods in which IDF soldiers operate in the West Bank, including a permissive 'open fire' policy. These groups argue that soldiers frequently shoot people, including children who throw stones, even when they do not pose an immediate risk to lives.
Shai Parnes from the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem commented on the footage: 'It is hard to determine for certain what we're seeing – whether it's a rock and whether they are trying to frame him with it. But I think anyone who watches it with an open mind will probably come to that conclusion.'
Unresolved Circumstances and Escalating Violence
The Israeli military has not yet returned Jad's body, leaving the exact circumstances of his death unclear. His mother Safa claimed the IDF was either being deliberately cruel or attempting to hide something: 'Maybe it is only to provoke our nerves, to exhaust us, to kill our patience. But we are patient, and we have hope, and we will keep waiting. Today, tomorrow, or after a hundred years, we will get him back. God willing, we will get him back.'
This incident occurs amid escalating violence in the West Bank, with constant clashes between settlers and Palestinians. Last week, a Palestinian-American man was killed by settlers during an attack on the village of Mukhmas. 19-year-old Nasrallah Abu Siyam died from critical wounds after a group of settlers reportedly attacked a farmer, prompting fights with residents, as confirmed by the Palestinian health ministry.
The IDF did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment on these allegations.
