Israeli civilian security guards at the Qalandiya crossing between Israel and the West Bank on Monday morning shot and wounded a man with a hearing and speech impairment after they suspected he was planning a knife attack when he did not respond to them.
The man reportedly failed to respond after entering a vehicle-only area of the checkpoint on foot. The guards opened fire and shot him in the lower body.
He was taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where he was diagnosed with hearing and speech disabilities.
"The civilian security guards working at the Qalandiya crossing spotted a suspect approaching the vehicle crossing, which is a non-pedestrian area," said the Border Police in a statement.
"They called several times for him to stop and then continued with suspect arrest procedures, shooting at his lower body and mildly to moderately wounding him. From an initial examination, it is probable that the person suffers from hearing and speech disabilities," the Border Police said.
"Border Police officers then arrived to secure the scene and assist in the medical evacuation."
Joint List MK Heba Yazbak said slammed the guards who opened fire, accusing them of disregarding Palestinian human rights.
"They shoot first and ask questions later," she said. "The shooting of an innocent hearing-impaired person at the Qalandiya checkpoint is just another example of the ease with which Israeli security forces can end human lives. Only the end of the occupation will prevent further human rights violations for the Palestinians."
This is the second time this year that a disabled Palestinian has been shot by Israeli forces.
In June, Jerusalem police officers shot dead 32-year-old Iyad Halak, who had autism, while on his way to the special needs facility which he attended.
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Iyad Halak, a Palestinian man with autism, was shot dead by Jerusalem police in Jun e
(Photo: Archive)
The police initially said officers believed Halak was holding "a suspicious object that looked like a pistol," and opened fire when he failed to obey orders to stop.
Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld later said no weapon was found. Defense Minister Benny Gantz apologized for his killing and the police said they would hold an investigation into Halak's death.