A Haaretz investigation reveals shocking details about the killing of the child Muhammad al-Hallaq in the West Bank Politics news

“Muhammad al-Hallaq was standing with his arms folded, posing no threat, when an Israeli soldier shot him with a bullet that killed him, and the soldiers then seemed to be celebrating,” is how the Israeli newspaper Haaretz today described the killing of the child Muhammad al-Hallaq in the town of al-Rihiyah, south of Hebron, on the 16th of this month.

The writers, Gideon Levy and Alex Levak, added after their visit to Al-Hallaq’s family that the child, Muhammad, was 9 years old and studying in the fourth grade. They described the state of extreme sadness that the mother and family members were in, as they gathered around Muhammad’s bed.

That morning, Mohammed left home with his younger sister, a 6-year-old first-grade student, to go to the girls’ school next door to his school.

Then he picked her up as usual at the end of class and they went home, proudly showing off the new backpack and pencil case he and his classmates had received as a gift from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

But the Israeli soldiers had a different opinion. During their storming of the town, they fired volleys of bullets into the air, scaring away the children who were playing football on the basketball court of the local girls’ school nearby.

The children fled in terror – the authors continue – and Muhammad also fled into the street and stood next to a wall, with his arms folded. Perhaps he thought there was no need to continue running, as the soldiers were far away, and the street had become quiet.

But one of the soldiers decided to teach the boy a lesson – the newspaper explains – because according to the testimony of eyewitnesses whom Haaretz spoke to, the soldier pointed his weapon at Muhammad, and fired a single bullet at him, hitting him in the right thigh, and exiting from the left thigh, destroying blood vessels and major organs.

“Mohammed had no chance” of survival, Levy and Levack explain. He had barely taken two steps when he collapsed, stopped moving, and was pronounced dead in the hospital.

The doctors tried to revive Muhammad and rushed him to the operating room, but it was too late.

The father, Bahjat (38 years old), was at work on the day his son was killed, and he saw in the “Al-Rahiya” group on the WhatsApp application a clip of his son being carried to the car, bleeding from his hip, with his head hanging down, and at that moment he knew that his son’s fate had been decided, and 3 hours had passed before he saw the body.

In the evening, a Shin Bet agent called the uncle to warn him and his family against organizing demonstrations during the funeral.

The writers confirm that the army had no reason to storm the village, let alone kill a child, and they point out that what happened makes it clear that what is allowed to be done in Gaza is also allowed in the West Bank, that is, killing for the sake of killing, without even young children being spared.

The two writers contacted the army about whether the soldier had been detained for questioning, and the army spokesman’s office gave its usual answer: “The incident is known and is being investigated by the Military Prosecutor’s Unit.”

The truth is that he was not even interrogated. Killing a young boy like Muhammad means nothing to the Israeli army and probably does not mean anything to the soldier who pulled the trigger, Levy and Levack explain.

The answer from the army spokesman’s office means that the case will be closed after a year or two due to a lack of interest, according to the authors, who commented on this by saying, “And what will happen to the soldier? Will he remember the angelic child he killed in cold blood? Will he remember him when he becomes the father of a child of the same age? Will the dead boy appear in his dreams? In his nightmares? Does he have any idea of ​​the disaster he has inflicted on this poor family? Or perhaps he has forgotten the whole thing.” actually”.

Eyewitnesses told the writers that the soldier raised his arms in a clear sign of joy after he opened fire, and his comrades joined him in joy, then fired tear gas canisters at some local residents who tried to save the boy, before leaving after a few minutes.

Now, the mother is crying in her son’s bedroom, and her teenage son is sad. All she wants now is for the soldier who shot her son to be punished. Her children are no longer able to sleep on their beds, next to Muhammad’s bed. “They are afraid,” Levy and Levack said.