FIRST KILLING OF 2021 BY ISRAEL'S OCCUPATION FORCES

EDIT: It has been now reported that the shooter of Ahed Khalil was not a member of Israel's occupation forces, but an illegal Israeli settler who acted as a 'security coordinator' with Israeli occupation forces.

Israeli occupation forces fatally shot a young man in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday January 5th, his death becoming the first killing by the occupation troops during 2021. The shooting took place four days after the shooting of Haroun Abu Aram(24) in Masafer Yatta, which left him paralyzed below the neck.

The killing took place near the massive, illegal Gush Etzion colony near Bethlehem. Israeli occupation has made the usual excuses after the incident. The victim is claimed to have had either 'an axe' or 'a knife', and is accused of 'trying to stab' - by throwing the alleged weapon...

Israeli occupation claims that he was shot after throwing the alleged weapon, which would mean that he would have been shot while being unarmed.

News reports give several different versions of the dead young man's name. All versions of the last name have the same origin Ekhlayyil/Ikhlil/Khalil but that is not the case with his first name: Most sources give Ahad/Ahed, but Ahmad is also given. At this point Ahad/Ahed seems the more likely one, as most sources use it.

One source gives as his paternal name Abdurrahman.

His age is given in different sources as 24 or 25 years. All sources agree that he was a resident of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, not far from the site of the shooting. Israeli occupation invaded his home town after the shooting and his close relatives were called for interrogation by Israeli occupation intelligence, in the same illegal Gush Etzion colony bloc.

SOURCES:

IOF kills Palestinian for alleged stabbing attempt in W. Bank

Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian near Hebron

UPDATE: Palestinian shot, killed by Israeli forces in Bethlehem

Young man killed by Israeli forces in Bethlehem