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Israeli military 'regrets' killing wrong man in Hamas raid
The Israeli military has said it regrets shooting dead an unarmed 65-year-old Palestinian man who, according to his family, was asleep in bed in the West Bank city of Hebron when soldiers mounted a raid in search of Hamas militants.
The Israeli defense forces (IDF) launched an investigation into the death of Amr Qawasme, the fifth Palestinian to die as a result of Israeli military action since the start of the year. One death is disputed by the IDF: that of Jawaher Abu Rahma after inhaling teargas fired by soldiers.
Qawasme was killed after being shot in the upper body and face, according to medical sources at the Hebron Governmental hospital who were quoted by the Palestinian news agency Ma'an.
An IDF statement said it happened during an operation to arrest five Hamas militants who were released from a Palestinian prison yesterday. "A Palestinian man who was present in one of the terrorists' homes was killed," the statement said. "The IDF regrets the outcome of the incident." Its investigation would present its conclusions "as early as next week".
According to witnesses, soldiers broke into the house and entered Qawasme's bedroom. His wife, Sobheye, told Reuters she heard shots and found her husband lying in a pool of blood. "I was praying when they entered," she said. "I do not know how they opened the door. They put their hand to my mouth and a rifle to my head."