Palestinian teenager killed by Israeli forces was 'not a threat': witnesses

A Palestinian teenager who was shot dead by Israeli forces late last week posed no danger when he was killed while on his way to his grandmother's house, witnesses say.

Zayd Mohammed Ghouneim, 14, was shot in the neck on Friday in the Al-Khader district south of Bethlehem and died in hospital shortly after. The Israeli army attempted to justify the killing by saying they only targeted "suspects" who "hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails" at its soldiers during a protest in solidarity with slain Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

However, witnesses say he was not involved in the protests at all. One witness who saw the attack from her balcony told Haaretz that Ghouneim was merely walking up the street when the soldiers entered the village. 

She said he was shot next to her home and he managed to flee to one of the houses on the street and hide in the garage before he collapsed.

The residents of the house Ghouneim fled to said they found him lying down wounded in the back and trying to breathe. They tried to help him before the Palestinian Red Crescent came and transferred him to hospital.

His family say he was on his way to his grandmother's house and was walking to meet his mother and sister on the way.

Ghouneim's father, Mohammed Ghanim, said his son had a dream of being a football player and was registered with the village’s football team. 

“He was never involved in clashes. He wasn’t involved in politics,” he said.