An Israeli border police officer fatally shot a 12-year-old Palestinian boy in Shuafat refugee camp located in occupied east Jerusalem, according to hospital officials and an Israeli police spokesperson.
In a video obtained by CNN, the boy – Rami Al Halhouli – can be seen holding a lit firework above his head before the crackling sound of a single gunshot is heard. The boy falls to the ground just as the firework launches from his hand into the sky.
Rami arrived at Hadassah Mount Scopus hospital’s trauma unit in critical condition and was pronounced dead soon after, hospital officials told CNN.
No security forces are visible in the video of Rami holding the firework, but the boy appears to be standing in front of the West Bank separation barrier.
The Israeli police spokesperson said police forces responded to a “violent disturbance” at the refugee camp and a border police officer fired “towards a suspect who endangered the forces while firing aerial fireworks in their direction.”
The police spokesperson also claimed individuals on Tuesday night threw Molotov cocktails and fired fireworks directly at security forces. Israeli police said it was the second night in a row that Palestinians in Shuafat aimed Molotov cocktails and fireworks at police forces.
In a Telegram post, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir applauded the soldier who fatally shot the boy.
“I salute the soldier who killed the terrorist who tried to shoot fireworks at him and the troops — this is exactly how you should act against terrorists — with determination and precision,” Ben-Gvir said.
The shooting came on the third night of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which has been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in previous years.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli troops fatally shot two other Palestinians at Al-Jib checkpoint in the northern outskirts of Jerusalem, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported.
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