A Palestinian terrorist was killed after he charged at Israeli soldiers with a long metal object in the West Bank city of Jericho early Thursday morning.
The Palestinian was identified as Yassin Omar al-Saradih, 33. His death followed a confrontation between Israeli troops and suspected terrorists in Jericho, considered one of the calmest towns in the territory.
The incident occurred as an Israeli unit was apprehending suspects during an arrest raid over Wednesday night and into early Thursday.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the death as a "cold-blooded execution." But an IDF investigation into the incident found that the man's death was the result of tear gas inhalation and not of being shot or beaten.
Security camera footage posted on social media and broadcast by Israeli media shows an alley lined with storefronts, with a man throwing stones toward soldiers in one of the stores. Seconds later, a man is seen charging down the alley toward the soldiers, carrying a long object resembling a tripod on his shoulder. When he reaches the store, a soldier jumps out and aims his rifle at him.
The man drops to the ground and the soldier kicks him and beats him with his rifle. Several other soldiers join in, also kicking and beating the man, before pulling him into the store.
The IDF later said the soldiers had called out to the suspect to stop before opening fire, in accordance with the military arrest protocol, but he kept charging at them. The IDF said bullets were fired to stop the man's approach, but they did not hit him.
"In response to the immediate threat, the troops fired at the assailant and confronted him from close range and were able to stop him," the IDF said in a statement following the incident.
"A knife was also found in his possession. Troops evacuated him to a hospital to receive medical treatment. His death was later announced. The incident is being reviewed," the statement said.
An unidentified IDF officer also spoke of the incident Thursday, saying, "IDF soldiers were dealing with a terrorist. They used proportionate force against a menacing thug who had to be overpowered."
But a cousin of the dead man told Israel Hayom, "You can see on camera how soldiers of the occupation execute him by gunshots, kicks and blows. If these are not crimes against humanity and war crimes, what are?"
The Palestinian news agency Wafa quoted another of the dead man's relatives, Ismail al-Masri, as saying the soldiers had beaten Saradih "as soon as he approached his uncle's house to check why the army was raiding it."
Saradih's relatives said they were seeking an autopsy. The Abu Kabir Forensic Institute's pathology division will carry out the autopsy, in the presence of a Palestinian pathologist approved by the family.
Israeli troops frequently mount raids in the West Bank to detain suspected terrorists.
