Israeli soldiers shot Palestinian teenager and left him to bleed to death, videos indicate

Warning: This report contains details and videos that some readers may find disturbing. Jad’s father next to a poster in honor of his son, on the door of his house. ‘My son posed no threat to those soldiers,’ he said Joel Gunter/BBC Last November, a 14-year-old Palestinian boy named Jad Jadallah was shot at close range by Israeli soldiers in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp As Jad lay lying in an alley, soldiers formed a cordon around him and prevented two Palestinian ambulances from reaching him. According to videos and eyewitness accounts, the soldiers – 14 in total – remained around Jad for at least 45 minutes as he bled from one or more gunshot wounds. All Israeli soldiers receive training in trauma care, and any Israeli combat unit must have a specifically trained medic, but none of the soldiers appeared to provide medical aid to Jad. At times, they seemed to ignore Jad’s repeated attempts to get their attention. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that the soldiers provided “initial medical treatment”, but a spokesperson declined to give details about the nature or timing of the treatment. The IDF also accused Jad of throwing a rock, which according to its rules of engagement could allow soldiers to use lethal force. But footage of the incident shows an IDF soldier dropping an object next to Jad after he was shot and then taking a photo of him – an action that Jad’s family and a prominent rights group say appears to be an attempt to frame him. Soldiers finally placed Jad in the back of an Israeli military vehicle, but at some point before or after that, he died. It remains unclear what part of the body or how many times he was shot, because the Israeli military refused to return the body to the family and refused to answer any questions about his injuries. Jad’s mother, Safa, said: “They threw a stone near his hand to incriminate him” Joel Gunter/BBC Shot at close range Jad was born and raised in al-Far’a, a refugee camp in the West Bank that is home to around 10,000 Palestinians. Along with other similar camps in the occupied territories, it is a frequent target of Israeli military incursions, which Israel says are necessary to combat armed groups operating in the region. In many ways, Jad’s death was not unusual. According to the UN, 55 children were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank last year and 227 have been killed there since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. But two aspects stand out in this case. The first is that Jad lay on the ground without receiving care for a long time, with several soldiers around him, as he died. The second is the emergence of a significant amount of video footage of the incident, which the BBC has verified. The exact moment of the shooting was captured by a security camera in the field. The images show three boys standing at the corner of an alley. First, they look to the right, from where, according to eyewitnesses, Israeli military vehicles had left moments before heading towards the exit of the camp. The moment of the shooting at Jad was recorded by a security camera One of Jad’s two friends who were there at the time told the BBC that the boys left the house after reading a post in a message group from the camp informing that the Israeli units were leaving, and the boys were looking around the corner to verify the information. Unbeknownst to Jad and his friends, a group of four Israeli soldiers waited behind them, a few meters away, to the left, hidden behind the wall. Jad’s friends spotted the soldiers first and ran down the alley. Jad either didn’t see them or saw them too late. Security camera footage shows the front soldier entering the video frame less than three meters from Jad. Then he appears to raise his rifle and open fire. Jad makes a move that suggests this is the moment he gets hit. At the scene, bullet holes can be found in the wall exactly at that point. Jad, probably already injured, then runs down the alley, and the Israeli soldier appears to turn, pointing his rifle toward him. Security camera footage shows dust being kicked up in the alley ahead, suggesting the Israel Defense Forces soldier continued shooting Jad in the back as he fled. In the images, you can see Jad fall to the ground after just a few meters, disappearing from the frame as he falls. Footage discreetly filmed by a camp resident in the opposite direction to the security cameras shows what happened shortly afterwards. These videos would capture some of the final moments of Jad’s life. A boy from al-Far’a camp stands in front of bullet holes in the wall of the site where Jad was shot by an Israeli soldier Joel Gunter/BBC They show the teenager apparently making repeated attempts to get the soldiers’ attention, waving his arms and throwing his cap towards them. The soldiers seem to ignore his efforts and kick the cap back. Alerted to the gunfire, Jad’s mother tried to reach him on foot but was stopped by Israeli soldiers, she and other witnesses said. Another resident made an emergency call and an ambulance was dispatched immediately, arriving at the scene eight minutes later, according to call logs provided to the BBC by the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Chief paramedic Hassan Fouqha said his team was stopped by Israeli soldiers at gunpoint and prevented from reaching Jad, who was only about 100 meters away in their sight. Fouqha and his ambulance crew were then forced to watch helplessly as Jad lay bleeding from his injuries. The paramedic said they watched him for at least 35 minutes without being able to do anything. Fouqha called for a second ambulance to come from a different direction, but it too was stopped by soldiers. “We tried to move forward several times, we tried to signal them to let us get to the child, but we were completely blocked,” Fouqha said. “We could have reached him and provided medical aid, but we were stopped. The purpose of that, we don’t know, but that’s what happened.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that they provided “initial medical treatment” to Jad after verifying that he was not wearing a concealed explosive device. Images of the incident, as well as security camera footage that captured a close-up of Jad leaving the house before the incident, show that he was wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. Asked what injuries Jad suffered and what medical treatment was provided, the IDF refused to answer. Accused of planting a rock The Israel Defense Forces claimed that Jad threw a rock and was a “terrorist” who “tried to attack” the military. But Jad’s family accused the soldiers of trying to frame their son after footage emerged showing one of the soldiers entering the scene from outside the frame, dropping a heavy object next to Jad and then taking a photo of the object next to him. Israeli soldier places object next to Palestinian boy “They placed a rock next to him to incriminate him and make it look like he had thrown rocks at them,” said Jad’s mother, Safa. “You can see it in the video,” she said. “Anyone who watches the video will see.” Rights groups say Israeli soldiers in the West Bank operate under a permissive “open fire” policy, under which they often shoot people who do not pose an immediate threat to their lives, including children who throw stones in their direction. Shai Parnes, from the Israeli rights group B’Tselem, told the BBC that footage of Jad appeared to show a soldier placing a rock next to him to justify the shooting. “It’s difficult to determine for sure what we’re seeing — whether it’s a rock and whether they’re trying to frame him with it,” Parnes said. “But I think anyone who watches it with an open mind will probably come to that conclusion.” Such action would be “deplorable,” Parnes added. “But we have found other cases where Israeli forces, in one way or another, have attempted, after the action, to incriminate a Palestinian. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen this on video.” When asked specifically about the allegation that the soldier had planted a rock next to Jad, the Israel Defense Forces ignored the question. Many of the exact circumstances of Jad’s death, including how many times he was shot and when and where he died, remain unclear because the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) refused to return his body and answer detailed questions about the incident. It is not uncommon for Israel to refuse to return the bodies of people killed by the IDF – Israeli authorities are reportedly withholding the bodies of 776 Palestinians or other citizens accused or suspected of committing attacks. When questioned by the BBC, the IDF refused to say why they were holding Jad’s body. Jad’s mother, Safa, said the military was trying to hide something or simply exercising a form of deliberate cruelty. “Maybe it’s just to tease our nerves, to exhaust us, to try our patience,” she said. “But we are patient, we have hope and we will continue to wait. Today, tomorrow or 100 years from now, we will have him back. God willing, we will have him back.” Alaa Badarna contributed to this report.

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