An 18-year-old Palestinian died Sunday morning following a confrontation with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, officials said, but differed on the precise causes of the death.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Amer Abdel Rahim Sanouber, 18, was “severely beaten” before being transported overnight from Saturday to Sunday to a hospital in Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank is based.
The director of the hospital, quoted in the ministry’s press release, specified that “the body of the martyr (…) showed signs of blows, from the neck to the back”.
Contacted by AFP, the IDF admitted that the young man had been involved in an incident with soldiers, but denied that soldiers beat him.
According to the IDF, soldiers were sent overnight to Turmus Ayya, a village north of Ramallah, after receiving reports that people were throwing stones at an Israeli vehicle.
“According to initial information, the two suspects fled on foot when the troops arrived (…), but while he was fleeing, one of the suspects apparently lost consciousness, if he collapsed and hit his head. The suspect was not beaten by the soldiers ”, maintained the Israeli army specifying that first aid had been lavished on the spot to try, in vain, to revive him.
The incident comes as security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority has been at a standstill since May. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas justified this decision to protest against the now suspended Israeli plan to annex parts of the West Bank, territory occupied by the Israeli army since 1967.