Palestinian teacher killed by Israeli forces while giving first aid to injured man

A Palestinian teacher who reportedly was giving first aid to another injured man was shot dead by Israeli forces on Thursday.

Jawad Bawaqneh, 57, was killed outside his family home during an Israeli raid in the refugee camp area of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

He leaves behind six children.

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed the death of the teacher and 28-year-old Adham Jabareen, who was later identified by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group as one of its members.

Shot by a sniper inside his house;
Jawad Bawaqteh, a Palestinian teacher who was killed by the lsraeli occupation forces this dawn in Jenin. pic.twitter.com/vyZmEC7snu

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) January 19, 2023

The teacher's son, Farid Bawaqneh, said that Jabareen was shot outside the family house and that he and his father went out to help him.

"My father went out to help the man, to provide first aid," Bawaqneh told Reuters. "We dragged him inside and my father was shot," Bawaqneh said, pointing at his upper body while standing at a doorway with a blood-stained floor.

The Palestinian Medical Relief Society told the BBC in a statement that Israeli soldiers shot high-velocity bullets at Bawaqneh and a medic who were attending to Jabareen. One bullet hit the teacher in the chest, despite wearing a first aid vest when the shooting happened.

The Israeli army said in a statement that one of its soldiers was wounded. Asked about the teacher's death, a military spokesperson said the incident was under review.

Israeli forces have launched a series of deadly raids on Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank on a near-daily basis since March 2022.

At least 17 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since 1 January alone.

Benjamin Netanyahu's new extreme-right government has raised fears among Palestinians of further violence and oppression. Many cabinet members have engaged in violent anti-Palestinian rhetoric before, and the government has set the expansion of West Bank settlements as a priority.

(Reuters contributed to this report)