JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli military said it would investigate the deaths of two Palestinian teens during protests on Israel’s border with Gaza.
The teens were both shot in the chest by Israeli snipers, the Palestinian news agency Maan reported. They were identified as Bilal Mustafa Khafaja, 17, and Ahmad Misbah Abu Tyour, 16, who died on Saturday of the injuries sustained on Friday.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported that at least 174 Palestinians have been killed and over 18,000 Palestinians injured since the start of “The Great March of Return” on March 30th.
Abu Tyour was seen in a video shown on Palestinian social media waving his hands at Israeli troops before he throwing rocks at them, and then waving again before being shot.
Some 7,000 Palestinians took part in Friday’s border protests.
“During the riots along the security fence in the Gaza Strip yesterday, IDF soldiers faced a large, violent crowd of Gazans who went on the attack for hours on end, hurling bombs and grenades. We responded with riot dispersal means and standard operating procedures,” the IDF spokesman said in a statement.
“We would like to reiterate that the area of the Israel-Gaza security fence is an unsafe area. Those who riot in this area, are throwing bombs, grenades or trying to invade Israel; or are standing beside those who are doing so, and are putting their lives at risk,” the statement also said.
