Israeli forces shoot, lightly injure elderly Palestinian man at checkpoint

IDF says 72-year-old Hussein Hassan Qawariq, described as ‘mentally handicapped,’ did not heed calls by soldiers to stop south of Nablus

By Dov Lieber 28 February 2017, 2:02 pm

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Dov Lieber is a former Times of Israel Arab affairs correspondent.

Illustrative. Israeli security forces gather at the site of a reported stabbing attack near the Hawara checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus, on December 27, 2015. (AFP/Jaafar Ashtiyeh)

Israeli soldiers Tuesday morning shot and lightly injured a Palestinian man described as “mentally disabled” who they said ignored orders to halt at a checkpoint near Nablus.

An Israeli army spokesperson told The Times of Israel the man was shot after disregarding orders to stop.

“Overnight a Palestinian suspect approached IDF forces near the entrance to Nablus. Forces called the suspect to halt and turn, and upon his continued advance fired toward him, lightly wounding him,” the IDF spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added the incident, which occurred near the village of Hawara, is being reviewed.

The Palestinian Authority’s official news outlet Wafa cited a security source who said the injured Palestinian, named as 72-year-old Hussein Hassan Qawariq from the village of Awarta, was “special needs,” and was injured in the leg, without elaborating.

He was taken to the Rafidiya hospital in Nablus by the Palestinian Red Crescent.

A spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent told The Times of Israel that Qawariq was “mentally disabled.”

The Palestinian news site Shams posted an image of Qawariq in a Red Crescent ambulance.

https://twitter.com/shmsnews/status/836477546996842496

The incident came a day after a Palestinian woman was shot by security as she approached the Qalandiya checkpoint near Jerusalem. Officials said the woman had an “object” in her hand and refused to stop.