This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-16136471

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Israeli army investigates Palestinian protester's death Israeli army investigates Palestinian protester's death
(about 1 hour later)
Israel's army says it is investigating the death of a Palestinian activist who died after being hit in the face by a tear-gas canister at the weekend. Israel's army says it is investigating the death of a Palestinian protester who died after being struck in the face by a tear-gas canister at the weekend.
Pictures of the incident appear to show Mustafa Tamimi, 28, being shot at from close range. Pictures of the incident appear to show Mustafa Tamimi, 28, being shot at from close range by an Israeli soldier.
He was among a small group of Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli military vehicles when he was struck. Witnesses said he had been among a small group of Palestinians throwing stones at army vehicles in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh on Friday.
Human rights activists have accused the army of using disproportionate force.
Tamimi is believed to be the 20th person to have been killed over the past eight years at similar demonstrations against the seizure by Jewish settlers of land belonging to Palestinian villages in the area.
'Exceptional incident'
Witnesses said Tamimi had been throwing rocks at an Israeli army 4x4 vehicle after the main protest had ended on Friday, when a soldier inside opened the rear door and fired a 40mm-calibre tear-gas canister directly at him from only a few metres away.
Photographs taken by an Israeli pro-Palestinian activist, Haim Schwarczenberg, show Tamimi running towards the vehicle, the tear-gas launcher emerging from the opened door, the canister travelling through the air, and then Tamimi falling to the ground, clutching his face.
Tamimi was taken in a critical condition to Beilinson Hospital in central Israel, where he died of his injuries on Saturday.
At his funeral on Sunday, there were further clashes between mourners and Israeli soldiers.At his funeral on Sunday, there were further clashes between mourners and Israeli soldiers.
Photographs of the incident in the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh show Mr Tamimi apparently being shot at from the back of an Israeli military vehicle. The Israeli army called the death an "exceptional incident" and promised a full inquiry.
This would be seem to be a contradiction of the army's own rules governing the firing of tear gas, says the BBC's Wyre Davies in Jerusalem. Sources in the army's Central Command told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the soldier had stated that he "didn't see" Tamimi.
Although Mr Tamimi was immediately transferred to hospital, he died from his injuries the next day. However, the army's rules of engagement reportedly prohibit the firing of tear gas grenades from a rifle pointed directly at demonstrators, or from a distance of less than 40m (130ft). They also state that the soldier must use the rifle's sight and verify that no-one is in the line of fire.
The Israeli army called the death an "exceptional incident" and has promised a full inquiry. The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said it had documented many cases in which tear-gas canisters were fired directly at people during the weekly protest in Nabi Saleh, and elsewhere in the West Bank.
But human rights groups say Mustafa Tamimi was at least the 20th person to have been killed in recent years at demonstrations in the West Bank. "For several years now, B'Tselem has been warning officials that security forces fire tear-gas canisters directly at persons during demonstrations. The organisation has demanded... that commanders clarify to soldiers serving in the field that firing tear-gas canisters directly at a person is unlawful," it said in a statement.
The protest in Nabi Saleh is held weekly against the construction of Jewish settlements and the separation barrier on occupied Palestinian land. "Tear gas is supposed to serve as a non-lethal crowd control measure, means to disperse demonstrations, and is not meant to be used as a weapon. Therefore, firing tear-gas canisters directly at persons breaches the rules of engagement."