This video shows a man wearing military fatigues shooting mentally disabled Palestinian man identified as Iyad Halaq, in the West Bank city of al-Ram, near Jerusalem. According to local residents and Palestinian police, Halaq was unarmed and posing no threat when the gunman opened fire, hitting him in the leg and causing him to fall to the ground.
The incident happened in April, 2020 and is being investigated by both the Israeli military and the Palestinian police. The Israeli military has said that it takes any reports of improper conduct by its personnel very seriously and will investigate the incident.
The Palestinian police issued a statement condemning the shooting, saying that violence against the disabled or any other group who may not be able to defend themselves is unacceptable. The Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, called on the international community to intervene and put an end to the “indiscriminate killings” of Palestinians by Israeli forces.
The incident has reignited calls for accountability by international human rights groups, with Amnesty International stating that Israel must “respect the binding legal obligation to conduct a prompt, impartial, independent and transparent investigation into this incident and all other reported violations”.
