Autopsy confirms Hebron’s youth killed by last Israeli bullet, says palestinian doctor

The Ministry of Justice announced Sunday that the autopsy results of 21-year-old Abed al-Fattah al-Sharif, who was filmed while being executed by an Israeli soldier, have confirmed that the last bullet killed the youth.

The ministry’s undersecretary Muhammad Abu Sundus told WAFA that the Palestinian doctor Rayan Ali who attended the autopsy performed on Sunday at the Israeli Abu Kabir Forensic Institute confirmed that the last bullet which was fired by an Israeli soldier from a close range after al-Sharif was wounded and no longer posing a threat has led to his death.

Ali noted that al-Sharif could have survived his other wounds if the Israeli soldier didn’t fire the last bullet directly to the youth’s head, considering that all other bullet wounds were mainly in his lower extremities and other body parts.

The ministry said a detailed forensic report will be released on Monday containing the autopsy’s official results.

Al-Sharif allegedly took part in a knife attack along with Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi, 21. They were gunned down leading to al-Qasrawi’s death. Al-Sharif, on the other hand, sustained injuries before an Israeli soldier shot him with one bullet in the head killing him instantly.

Following the execution, a video broadcast by Israeli human rights group showed the two Palestinians lying on the ground after they were shot dead, and a knife nearby.

In graphic footage released by B'Tselem, an Israeli soldier is seen shooting al-Sharif in the head after he had already been injured and left, motionless, on the ground for minutes.

The footage shows medical teams treating the moderately injured soldier while ignoring the dying Palestinian youths, while the second shooting of al-Sharif takes place in plain view of the medical team and other soldiers who did not react to the execution.

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) Thursday said the Israeli Supreme Court rejected an appeal to allow a Palestinian doctor to take part in the actual autopsy of al-Sharif.

Lawyer Ahmad Safiyah said the Israeli Magistrate Court has agreed that a Palestinian doctor attend the autopsy, share his observations and have his notes documented in the final autopsy report, but not take part in the actual autopsy.

The appeal submitted by Safiyah aimed to allow for the actual participation of a Palestinian doctor in the autopsy of al-Sharif, killed on March 24.     

PPS appealed to allow the doctor to take part in the actual autopsy of al-Sharif and to return the body to the Palestinian side immediately.

The court rejected the appeal, but sustained the decision to allow the doctor to observe the autopsy and agreed that the Palestinian side address the military commander to retrieve the body; if the commander refuses, the lawyer has to file another appeal, said the court.

Source: WAFA