EU says 2022 is the deadliest year for Palestinians since 2006
Occupied Palestine (QNN)- In response to Israel’s Friday killing of a Palestinian youth at point-blank range in Huwwara town, the European Union said it was gravely concerned about Israel's excessive use of lethal force against the Palestinians in the occupied territories.
"Gravely concerned about the increasing level of violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem," wrote the EU Delegation to the Palestinians in a Friday tweet, noting “in the last 72 hrs alone 10 Palestinians were killed by ISF [Israeli occupation forces] in what appears to be an excessive use of lethal force.”
The EU added, "2022 is the deadliest year since 2006, with 140 Palestinians killed. According to Int’l. law, use of lethal force is strictly limited to situations in which there exists a serious & imminent threat to life & limb. Civilian casualties must be investigated & accountability ensured.”
On Friday and in the daylight, an Israeli soldier extrajudicially shot and killed a Palestinian youth, identified as 22-year-old Ammar Mefleh, at point-blank range in Huwwara town.
Video footage of the incident shared on social media showed the Israeli soldier scuffling with the Palestinian youth before pulling his gun and mercilessly firing four shots, killing him immediately and seizing his body.
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The Palestinian was hit in the upper body and fell to the ground. Two of the shots hit him while he lay on the ground.
The brutal killing left people — some of them tried to break up the scuffle — at the scene shocked.
Local sources reported that Israeli forces present at the scene prevented residents and ambulances from providing aid to the injured youth.
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Eyewitnesses said that after an Israeli settler shot at the Palestinian youth from his car and wounded him, Israeli soldiers attacked the man and let the settler off. The young man then attempted to free himself from the soldier before being shot dead.
Israeli forces claimed that the youth attempted to carry out a stabbing operation, but videos show the slain youth posed no threat to the soldiers.
Iran says it forced a US destroyer to retreat from the Strait of Hormuz after issuing direct threats, while Washington denies any confrontation, deepening tensions in a key global oil route.
Israel is “systematically and deliberately weaponizing starvation” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by restricting and controlling the entry of goods, exacerbating the suffering of over two million Palestinians after two years of genocide.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday for the second time in a week, in a provocative move following Israel’s 40-day closure of the holy site to Palestinians.