November 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –
An Israeli soldier has killed an Israeli civilian at a bus stop in Ranana, near Tel Aviv, after the victim approached him in a “suspicious” way and he believed he was a Palestinian.
The soldier approached the individual, who was waiting at a bus stop, and killed him instantly using his firearm because “he felt unsafe due to his suspicious behavior.” Two more people have been injured, according to the Israeli press.
A police spokesman explained that “the soldier opened fire believing that the person was a Palestinian,” according to the Israeli newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.
The victim was transferred to the Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, where his death was certified. Police have indicated that there is no indication that he was a terrorist, although he may have needed a “professional diagnosis” of mental health.
Rules on the use of firearms by the military are at the center of Israeli political debate as Jewish Force leader Itamar Ben Gvir is running for the post of security minister in Israel’s new right-wing coalition.
Ben Gvir considers that the rules on the use of weapons by the military are too strict and advocates authorizing their use against suspected attackers, during riots and against protesters who throw stones or Molotov cocktails.
