Video suggests Israeli soldiers 'planted knife' near executed Palestinian

Video suggests Israeli soldiers 'planted knife' near executed Palestinian
A new video of the Hebron killing of a wounded Palestinian man by an Israeli soldier has emerged, which shows a knife being kicked towards the victim's body.
2 min read
02 June, 2016
Abdul Fattah al-Sharif was shot dead while lying wounded on the ground [AFP]

A new video of the March killing of a wounded Palestinian man by an Israeli soldier has emerged, showing a knife being kicked towards the bleeding man moments after he was shot dead.

The footage obtained by Israel's Channel Two clearly shows Abdul Fattah al-Sharif lying dead on the ground while an unidentified person kicks a knife towards his body.

Sharif was shot dead on March 24, in an incident the Israeli military claimed was in response to a stabbing attack he and another Palestinian man were attempting to carry out.

However, a video of the killing in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron was released by human rights group B'Tselem, sparking an outcry.

It showed Israeli soldier Elor Azarya, approach the 21-year-old Sharif, who had already been shot and wounded, and shoot him again in the head, without any apparent provocation.

An autopsy determined the bullet to the head was the cause of death.

After much hesitation from the Israeli prosecution, Azarya was charged with manslaughter and is currently standing trial.

A survey conducted after the killing by a national Israeli television channel showed 57 percent of Israelis opposed the arrest of the soldier.

An extra 42 percent rallied behind the soldier who they believed took "responsible" actions in shooting dead the severely injured Palestinian, while only five percent of Israelis surveyed described the extra-judicial killing as murder.

Israel has been accused of using excessive force against alleged Palestinian attackers, who have already been halted or wounded, and in some cases, of killing innocent civilians.

Activists have released a handful of amateur videos supporting these claims, but the Hebron shooting is perhaps the strongest evidence of Israeli wrongdoing so far.

The latest video could indicate an attempt to cover up the extra-judicial killing of the wounded Palestian, which a UN official described as a "gruesom" execution

An upsurge in violence since October has killed 205 Palestinians and 28 Israelis.