Khaberni - "Mohammed Al-Hallaq was standing with his arms folded, posing no threat when an Israeli soldier shot him dead, and the soldiers then appeared to be celebrating," is how the Israeli newspaper Haaretz described today the killing of the child Mohammed Al-Hallaq in the town of Al-Rihyeh south of Hebron, on the 16th of this month.
The writers Gideon Levy and Alex Levac added, after their visit to the Al-Hallaq family, that the child Mohammed was 9 years old, in the 4th grade, and they described the severe grief that the mother and family members were under, as they gathered around Mohammed's bed.
That morning, Mohammed left home accompanied by his 6-year-old sister, a first-grader, to the girls' school adjacent to his school.
He then took her home as usual at the end of school and proudly showed off the new backpack and pencil case he and his classmates received as a gift from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
But the Israeli soldiers had a different opinion, as during their raid on the town, they fired bursts of gunfire into the air, causing fear among the children who were playing soccer in the basketball court of the nearby local girls' school.
The frightened children ran away - the writers continue - and Mohammed also fled to the street and stood by a wall, with his arms folded, perhaps thinking there was no need to keep 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 clarifies - according to eyewitnesses Haaretz spoke to, the soldier aimed his weapon at Mohammed, and fired a single shot towards him, hitting him in the right thigh, and exiting from the left thigh, destroying major blood vessels and organs.
"Mohammed had no chance" of survival, Levy and Levac explain, as he took two steps then collapsed, stopped moving, and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The doctors tried to resuscitate Mohammed and rushed him to the surgery room, but it was too late.
The father, Bahjat (38 years old) was at work on the day of his son's death, and saw a video clip in the "Al-Rihyeh" group on WhatsApp showing his son being carried to the car, bleeding from his hip and his head dangling, and at that moment he knew his son's fate had been decided, and it took 3 hours before he saw the body.
In the evening, an agent from the Shin Bet internal security service called the uncle to warn him and his family against organizing demonstrations during the funeral.
The writers confirm that there was no reason for the army to raid the village, let alone kill a child, and highlight that what happened shows that what is permissible in Gaza is now also permissible in the West Bank, that is, killing for the sake of killing, sparing not even small children.
The writers contacted the army about whether the soldier had been detained for questioning, and the army spokesperson's office gave its usual response, "The incident is known and is being investigated by the Military Prosecutor's Unit."
The truth is that he has not been interrogated yet, as killing a young boy like Mohammed means nothing to the Israeli army and probably means nothing to the soldier who pulled the trigger, Levy and Levac clarify.
The response from the army spokesperson’s office means that the case would be closed in a year or two due to a lack of interest, according to the writers, 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 a father to 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 already forgotten the whole matter."
Eyewitnesses told the writers that the soldier raised his arms in a clear sign of joy after firing the shot, and his comrades joined him in the celebration, then they fired tear gas at some local residents who tried to rescue the boy, before leaving after a few minutes.
Now, the mother cries in her son's bedroom, and her teenage son is saddened, and all she wants now is for the soldier who shot her son to be punished, as her children are no longer able to sleep in their beds, next to Mohammed's bed, "They are scared," Levy and Levac affirmed.
