Israeli gunfire that killed 11-year-old Palestinian boy had 'no justification'

Two videos released by Israeli rights organisation B'Tselem have "proved" that Israeli soldiers had no reason to open fire on a car last week, killing 11-year-old passenger Mohammad Allamy.

The videos show soldiers near a makeshift cemetery in the town of Beit Ummar in occupied Hebron, where the shooting took place.

As the car approached the soldiers, Allamy's father, who was driving, immediately backed up. Then, three soldiers are seen running towards the family's car and several shots are heard.

The video matches the account of Ashraf Allamy, the slain boy's uncle, who said the father decided to backtrack after coming into contact with a roadblock at the Beit Ummar entrance. About 13 shots were then fired at the car, the uncle said, one of which hit and killed his nephew.

"The choice to open fire at the car, in the heart of a populated residential area, was unjustified, as none of the passengers posed a risk - to the soldiers or to any other person," B'Tselem said in a statement released Tuesday.

"The explanation offered by the military, that the soldiers fired at the car after suspecting the passengers had buried a dead baby - has absolutely no bearing upon the shooting."

The rights group urged "how low the value of Palestinians' lives is in the eyes of the soldiers, their commanders and the policymakers – who are responsible for the military's lethal open-fire policy".

Israeli soldiers who shot and killed 11-year-old Muhammad Abu Sarah had no reason to open fire. This heinous killing demonstrates, yet again, how low the value of Palestinians’ lives is in the eyes of the soldiers, their commanders and policymakers.https://t.co/37OtCvIUXz pic.twitter.com/I34iuk0PjP

— B'Tselem בצלם بتسيلم (@btselem) August 4, 2021

B'Tselem added that there is little hope for justice, with the military police's official investigation "merely a means of silencing criticism, and this kind of investigation is the first step towards whitewashing the incident".

Israel has occupied the West Bank illegally since 1967, and commits various abuses against Palestinian civilians, human rights groups say.

More than 700,000 Jewish Israelis live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.

The Oslo agreement of 1995 divided the occupied West Bank into three zones: Area A, Area B, and Area C.

Area A is under the administrative and security control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Area B's administration is controlled by the PA, with Israel controlling security. Area C is under full administrative and security control of Israel.