The IDF said on Thursday it was investigating the fatal shooting of a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank, who residents said was killed by soldiers while returning from work in Israel.
In a statement, the military said troops operating on Wednesday near a highway where Israeli vehicles had come under fire-bomb attack earlier in the week, had fired at a "suspect, who fled the area".
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The body of Raed Jadallah, who was allegedly killed by Israeli forces while returning from work in the early hours of Wednesday morning
(Photo: AP)
Some 90 minutes later, "a civilian with a gunshot wound" arrived at an Israeli military checkpoint in critical condition and was treated by medical personnel, but died, the statement said.
Palestinian residents identified the deceased as a 39-year-old Raed Jadallah who lives near the scene of the shooting. They said he could work legally in Israel and was on his way home when he was shot.
The Palestinian foreign ministry described the killing as a “heinous crime,” accusing the IDF of killing him.
“They are catching us as if they are fishing,” Mohammad Jadallah, Raed’s uncle, said of his nephew’s killing. “This is not acceptable.”
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An archive photo showing a Palestinian protester walking by IDF soldiers in the West Bank
(Photo: EPA)
"The incident is under review, and is simultaneously being investigated by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division," the military said. "The findings will be transferred to the Military Advocate General's Corps for examination."
Jadallah was born in Jerusalem and left behind four children, according to Palestinian television. He was buried on Wednesday.