Palestinian toddler killed by Israeli forces buried

Nabi Saleh (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Hundreds of Palestinians gathered Tuesday for the funeral of a three-year-old boy who died after being shot by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank last week.

Issued on: 06/06/2023 - 13:54Modified: 06/06/2023 - 13:53

Mohammed al-Tamimi died in an Israeli hospital Monday, after Israeli soldiers shot him and his father on Thursday night in the village of Nabi Saleh, near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Tamimi's mother, Marwa, wept as she embraced her son for the final time, his body wrapped in the traditional black and white Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.

Israeli soldiers stood within sight of the funeral reception, blocking a main entrance into the village of Nabi Saleh near where last week's shooting took place.

Marwa al-Tamimi, 32, told AFP that soldiers had fired on her husband Haitham, who was also wounded, while he was in the car with their three-year-old son.

She said he had gone out to move his car because he feared it would be damaged by nearby Israeli soldiers.

"My husband started the car and my son was next to him, and the shots were fired at him when he turned on the car's lights".

"They (Israeli soldiers) fired at them for a while, and they could not get out of the car... so I hid inside (the house)," she added.

Her son was transferred to the Sheba hospital in Israel, where he "died... despite extensive efforts of the medical team," a statement released by the hospital on Monday said.

The Israeli army said on Monday that soldiers had "responded with live fire" following a shooting attack on the nearby settlement of Neveh Tzuf.

The army said that two Palestinians were wounded adding that it "regrets harm to civilians" and said an investigation was under way.

Marwa al-Tamimi said she had no faith in the Israeli army's investigation.

"I want an international trial. Enough is enough. Every time we hear of a child who is martyred, a whole family is martyred," she said.

Senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh on Monday night expressed his anger in a tweet.

"He (Tamimi) died by the bullets of Israeli occupation soldiers !!! What will the occupation authorities say about him? Are they going to call him a terrorist?? Is he endangering the lives of their soldiers?."

Al-Tamimi is the youngest person killed in the conflict this year.

Since the start of the year, at least 156 Palestinians, 21 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian have been killed in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.

The figures include combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab minority.