An IDF soldier killed Thursday morning a Palestinian who had converted to Judaism.
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David Ben Avraham, formerly Sameh Zaytoun, aroused the suspicions of the reserve fighters after they found a knife in his bag during a search. He was shot and succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
Video: Ben Avraham after his release from Palestinian prison
The incident occurred at near the Elazar settlement in Gush Etzion.
Ben Avraham had converted several years prior after being inspired by his grandfather, who had saved Jews during the 1929 Palestinian riots.
In 2019, he was arrested by Palestinian police after meeting with his son. He spent 58 days in prison in Hebron during which he was reportedly tortured in an attempt to force him to change his mind about his conversion.
"I outright refused," he told at the time in an interview with Israel Hayom.
Many in Israel rallied on Ben Avraham's behalf to ensure his release, including Hebron resident Haim Pereg, who held a hunger strike for 14 days for the cause.
The military has launched an investigation into the killing.
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