Ahmed Amira, an 18-year-old Palestinian who was critically injured in the West Bank village of Naalin about a week ago, died of his wounds at a Ramallah hospital Monday morning.
Amira, who was shot by Border Guard forces during clashes in the village, had been in a state of brain death in the past few days. He was wounded a day after an 11-year-old boy was killed by an Israeli Border Guard policeman in Naalin.
Immediately after Ahmed Yusef Mussa's funeral, violent clashes erupted between the residents, IDF soldiers and Border Guard officers, inside the village an area where a separation fence is being constructed.
Several Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated metal bullets. Amira, who was shot in the head, was critically injured and rushed to a Ramallah hospital.
After learning of his death, the Border Guard said in a statement that when a proper complaint is filed, it will be looked into. An initial inquiry has revealed that Palestinian, left-wing activists and foreign peace activists began rioting in the area, some of them hurling stones.
"The forces responded with crowd dispersal means, including firing rubber bullets," the statement said.
Following the incident, the IDF had said that the rioters who threw stones endangered their lives and the lives of passengers travelling on the road. The army clarified that citizens arriving at the area knowingly and causing disturbances were putting their lives in danger. Three Border Guard officers were lightly injured in the incident.
Ahed Hawaja, a member of the village's Anti-Fence Popular Committee told Ynet that "the second casualty, the act of firing at a bound protestor and the brutality the IDF is using in order to suppress the demonstrations are aimed at signaling to the village residents that they must stop their protest."
He added, however, that "we will continue because we have nothing to lose. A farmer, who had 250 dunams (61 acres) of land and will now have nothing left because of the fence, has nothing to lose."
An initial IDF and Border Guard inquiry into 11-year-old Ahmed Mussa's death raised the suspicion that a Border Guard officer used live fire against the boy. The officer was put under house arrest and suspended from any operational activities until the completion of the investigation.
Meanwhile Monday, the Military Court began hearing the case of the IDF soldier who fired at a bound Palestinian detainee in Naalin about a month ago. Judge Advocate General Brigadier-General Avi Mandelblit is presiding over the hearing. The soldier is being represented by attorneys Ilan Katz and Captain Gali Steiner.
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