The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday that it has launched an investigation into the death of a 22-year-old Palestinian man in the West Bank after a video surfaced appearing to show him being shot in the back.
The security camera video, obtained from a local restaurant in the town of Tulkarem, shows Mohammed Habali walking in an alleyway holding a stick when he is apparently shot from behind and falls down face first.
Several other young men are seen in the video standing nearby or walking in the same direction, sometimes looking back, presumably to keep their distance from Israeli troops. No soldiers are seen in the video.
Habali's brother, Alaa, said Mohammed had a mental disability and was also physically disabled after breaking his pelvis in a car accident several years ago. He said his brother carried the stick to help him walk.
He said that Mohammed had worked at a coffee shop and he was in the street after closing the restaurant when he saw soldiers in the area.
In a statement Sunday, the IDF confirmed that it had conducted "operational activity" in Tulkarem last week and that during the activity, dozens of Palestinians began hurling stones at the soldiers. It gave no further details on the operation, but the IDF often carries out arrest raids in the West Bank.
The IDF said that soldiers responded to the stone throwers with "riot dispersal means" and live fire.
It said military police are now investigating the shooting. It did not say when the probe would be completed.
