Israeli military admits killing Palestinian toddler as it closes probe

Ramallah governor Laila Ghannam, with a white scarf, carries the body of 2 1/2 year old Palestinian toddler Mohammed al-Tamimi upon his arrival at the Palestine Medical Complex, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Monday, June 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

The Israeli military has admitted that it had shot and killed a Palestinian toddler in the occupied West Bank by mistake earlier this month — a rare acknowledgement of wrongdoing.

After an initial investigation into the killing, the Israeli military said on Wednesday that it would reprimand one of the officers involved in the killing.

The military said it hadn't yet decided whether to proceed with a criminal investigation into the child's death.

The death of 2-year-old Mohammed al Tamimi after he was wounded by Israeli gunfire near his village of Nebi Saleh set off an outpouring of grief and anger.

His 44-year-old father, Haitham al Tamimi, dismissed Israel's move to investigate the killing as a “cover-up." The initial results, he said, added insult to injury.

“Of course we were not expecting justice, but this report feels to us like a crime on top of the original crime,” he said. “This is all they have to say when my son is killed in cold blood, when his life is cut off before I could discover what kind of person he'd become."

“I express my sorrow for the harm that was caused to civilians and the death of the toddler,” said Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox, the commander overseeing the West Bank region. “We will continue to learn and improve.”

In announcing the results of the initial investigation on Tuesday, the Israeli military described a scene of considerable confusion following a suspected Palestinian shooting attack near a Jewish settlement.

The military said that soldiers stationed at a lookout near the Palestinian village of Nebi Saleh heard a burst of gunfire, but didn't know where it came from. At the sight of a “suspicious” car, a commander assisting the search fired several times into the air, the military said, in violation of army orders.

Inside were 2-year-old Mohammed and his father al Tamimi.

Al Tamimi, a chef in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, said he had just buckled up his son for a ride to visit his uncle when the bullets struck.

He was also shot and treated at a Palestinian hospital for moderate shoulder wounds. Mohammed died of his wounds in an Israeli hospital four days later.

Reluctance to investigate, punish soldiers

The Israeli military said it reprimanded the commander who initially sparked the confusion by firing into the air against army orders.

The officer wasn't demoted, but a reprimand remains on a soldier’s personal record and can affect chances of promotion. Further consequences for the soldiers involved in the shooting could follow if the Israeli military decides to open a criminal investigation.

Recent investigations by the Israeli military — including into the high-profile deaths of prominent Palestinian-American Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh and Palestinian-American Omar Assad — did not result in criminal prosecutions.

Israel says that it thoroughly investigates all claims of wrongdoing and does its best to prevent civilian deaths.

Rights groups contend the Israeli military does too little to investigate and punish its soldiers for the killing of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, creating a pattern of impunity.