The Israeli military has closed an investigation into the tragic death of a 15-year-old Palestinian, who was killed two years ago after the soldiers opened fire on a car full of West Bank teens.
In June 2016, Israeli forces shot and killed 15-year-old Mahmoud Raafat Badran after “showering” a car on Route 443, a major West Bank highway, with live fire.
Mahmoud Raafat Badran, 15, shot dead by Israelis. They say they mistook him for a stone-throwing "terrorist." pic.twitter.com/GIeDeyOP6z
— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) June 21, 2016
Four other Palestinian teens, who were returning from a nearby swimming pool, were also injured in the incident, which unfolded as the Israeli soldiers tried to quell Palestinian youths in the vicinity but “misidentified” the suspects’ vehicle.
The funeral of Mahmoud Raafat Badran only 15 ys-old killed by Israeli forces. The last painful farewell pic.twitter.com/ClQCXUEryo
— Pal_st (@Stefaniafodd) June 23, 2016
The four injured were Mahmoud’s two brothers – 16-year-old Amir and 17-year-old Hadi – as well as Daoud Abu Hassan, 16, and Majdi Badran, 16.
Following a comprehensive investigation into the incident, the Military Advocate General ordered the closure of the probe, admitting that the Israeli Army had “mistakenly” identified the teens as a group of Palestinian youths who had earlier assaulted Israeli cars with stones and Molotov cocktails.
#IsraeliCrimes#IsraelMurdersInnocents
In June 2016, Israeli forces shot and killed 15-year-old Mahmoud Raafat Badran after “showering” a car on Route 443, a major West Bank highway, with live fire.
https://t.co/M8EJeg8gE0— Bazzio101 (@Bazzio101) June 12, 2018
While noting there were “professional failings” during the incident, the Advocate General found opening fire on the car was justified and the mistake was “earnest and reasonable.”
#Israeli Forces 'Mistakenly' #Kill #Palestinian Boy, Seriously Injures Others https://t.co/foOzxxDHhk via @PalestineChron #Injustice
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 23, 2016
According to the Israeli Human Rights group B’Tselem, the shooting of the 15-year-old Palestinian boy was “deliberate, entirely unjustified and a direct result of military policy”.
(RT, PC, Social Media)
