Video footage showing a young Arab man retreating from Israeli officers who then shot him dead has sparked a fresh investigation amid large-scale protests.

Thousands took to the streets, hurling burning tyres and rocks at police, after the 22-year-old’s death on Saturday in the Arab village of Kfar Kana in northern Israel.

Police claimed the man was wielding a knife and said officers opened fire to stop him from stabbing them.

But footage released later, apparently taken from an on-looking CCTV security camera, has led to questioning over police accounts of the incident.

The grainy material, which has been posted on YouTube, shows a man repeatedly banging on the window of a police vehicle. When officers get out to confront him he backpedals and is shot.

The man was taken to hospital where he later died from his injuries.

The source of the footage is not immediately clear.

Israel police spokeswoman Luba Samri said they were investigating the incident to determine whether proper protocol was followed.

She said a police car was in the village seeking to arrest a man who had thrown a stun grenade at police, adding a relative of the suspect – named as Heir Hamdan, 22 – confronted police and tried to stab them, putting their lives in danger.

However the footage shows the man making a stabbing motion with an object against the vehicle’s window and stepping back once police get out.

Ms Samri said the matter was under investigation and that police would not comment further until they had specific findings.