Israel to probe fatal shooting of Palestinian paraplegic
The Israeli military says it has opened an investigation into the fatal shooting of a paraplegic Palestinian man who was shot in the head during a violent demonstration in the Gaza Strip last week.
Palestinian health officials say Ibrahim Abu Thraya was shot while demonstrating along Gaza's border with Israel. The area has experienced continued unrest since President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital earlier this month.
Abu Thraya, a fisherman before his injury, participated in several border demonstrations following Trump's announcement. As other demonstrators ran away from tear gas fired by Israeli troops, Abu Thraya wheeled himself closer to the frontier, according to Ahmed Yaghi, a protester.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, on Sunday blamed Gaza's Hamas rulers for instigating violent demonstrations that posed a "significant threat" to soldiers and justified the use of live fire.
Still, he says "allegations of the killing of a paraplegic Palestinian rioter are under investigation." He says the probe is expected to take several days.
