An Israeli soldier who shot and seriously injured a Palestinian child last week in the occupied West Bank used live ammunition, human rights NGO B’Tselem stated yesterday, contrary to army reports.

Nine-year-old ‘Abd a-Rahman a-Shteiwi was shot in the head and remains in hospital.

A soldier fired live ammunition, hitting ‘Abd a-Rahman a-Shteiwi, 9, in the head, while he was playing in the entrance to a home in Kafr Qadum. He is the latest victim of the reckless open-fire policy. https://t.co/5xF3LqmKYX — B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) July 18, 2019

On 12 July, residents of Kafr Qaddum village were holding regular protests against the closure of their main access road by Israeli occupation forces, restrictions imposed after the expansion of an adjacent Israeli settlement.

During the demonstration, soldiers fired rubber-coated metal bullets at residents, and also, B’Tselem reported, “fired a large number of live rounds in the air”.

Away from the protesters, ‘Abd a-Rahman a-Shteiwi was “sitting at the entrance of one of the homes on the edge of the village playing with a piece of wood” when he was shot.

The child was rushed to hospital in Nablus and underwent head surgery. Two days later, “sedated and ventilated”, he was transferred to the intensive care unit at Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer.

B’Tselem noted that, “in its statements to the media, the military denied that soldiers used live fire, and even rejected any responsibility for the incident.”

However, the investigation published yesterday “proves a soldier fired live ammunition”, B’Tselem stated, “a direct result of the [military’s] open-fire policy” in the occupied Palestinian territory.

In case you didn't hear or see, Israeli occupation forces shot a 10 year old boy in the head on Friday. https://t.co/u1TmzJ0fgT — Dr. Yara Hawari د. يارا هواري (@yarahawari) July 14, 2019

“This policy illegally and without any justification permits the use of live fire against Palestinians who are not endangering anyone. The policy remains in force despite the fact that it has resulted in hundreds of Palestinian deaths and thousands of injuries,” B’Tselem said.

“A-Shteiwi is the latest victim of this policy, but unless it is changed, it is only a matter of time before the next victim is added to the list.”

(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)