Qoteiba Zahran

August 19, 2017: Qoteiba Yousef Zahran, 17, was killed by Israeli soldiers at the Za’tara military roadblock, south of the northern West Bank city of Nablus.

The Israeli army claimed the boy attempted to carry out a stabbing attack against the soldiers stationed at the checkpoint, and published a picture of a dull kitchen knife lying on the ground.

A soldier was injured in the incident, but it was from the flurry of bullets fired by the Israeli guards toward the 17-year old, not from the boy himself.

The soldier, who was mildly wounded, was treated immediately by medics from the Magen David Adom medical service.

Zahran reportedly approached the checkpoint carrying a bag, and the border guard stationed there attempted to arrest him.

The army claims that the boy then pulled out a knife and tried to attack them, but they fired a barrage of bullets, critically wounding Zahran, then leaving him to bleed to death.

Following the killing of Zahran, Israeli forces closed the Za’tara checkpoint for most of the day, preventing Palestinians from crossing in either direction.

The soldiers later invaded Qoteiba’s village and homes, arrested his brother Tareq, and took him to an interrogation center. Qoteiba was from Illar village, in Tulkarem. Source: IMEMC