Video shows unprovoked, cold-blooded killing of Palestinian boys by Israeli forces

Unlawful killing of two Palestinian teens outside Ofer

This shocking video shows the unprovoked, cold-blooded killings of
two Palestinian teenagers, 17-year-old Nadim Siam Nuwara, and
16-year-old Muhammad Mahmoud Odeh Abu al-Thahir
on 15 May near Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank city of
Beitunia.

Both boys were fatally shot with live ammunition. The video was obtained by Defence for Children International – Palestine Section (DCI-Palestine) which sent the following description to The Electronic Intifada:

The CCTV footage was captured by cameras mounted on the building where the incident took place, which is owned by Fakher Zayed.

“The images captured on video show unlawful killings where neither
child presented a direct and immediate threat to life at the time of
their shooting,” said Rifat Kassis, executive director of DCI-Palestine.
“These acts by Israeli soldiers may amount to war crimes, and the
Israeli authorities must conduct serious, impartial, and thorough
investigations to hold the perpetrators accountable for their crimes.”

Nadim Siam Nuwara, 17, sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.
Muhammad Mahmoud Odeh Abu al-Thahir, 16, sustained a fatal gunshot wound
to the back.

The boys were participating in a demonstration near Ofer military
prison to mark Nakba Day and express solidarity with hunger striking
prisoners currently held in administrative detention by Israel. The
demonstration reportedly began peacefully and then turned violent when
Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian youth.

The deaths on Thursday raise the number of Palestinian children
killed by Israeli forces in 2014 to four, according to data collected by
DCI-Palestine. Over 1,400 Palestinian children have been killed as a
result of Israeli military and settler presence in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory since 2000.

The Israeli military’s own regulations dictate that live ammunition
must be used “only under circumstances of real mortal danger,” but the
regulations are not enforced and frequently ignored by Israeli soldiers,
according to research by DCI-Palestine.

Read more on the killings on DCI-Palestine’s website.

Update, 20 May: New videos of shootings published

Additional video of the shootings from a second camera published today by B’Tselem provide additional clear evidence that Nadim and Muhammad were shot down without provocation and in cold blood.

Each video shows both camera angles but the videos have been set to
start playing at the moment where the new footage from the second camera
begins. Scroll back to the beginning of each clip to see all the
footage.