Israeli officer censured over accidental shooting death of Palestinian toddler
An IDF investigation said the incident revealed ‘gaps in the command and control of the commanders’ who were involved
The funeral of Mohammed Tamimi, the Palestinian toddler shot by Israeli forces, took place on June 6, 2023. (Flash90)
(JTA) — The Israel Defense Forces censured an officer for actions that contributed to the mistaken killing of a Palestinian toddler earlier this month and said the incident revealed “gaps in the command and control of the commanders” who were involved.
On June 1, an IDF soldier shot 2-year-old Mohammed Tamimi and injured his father Haitham Tamimi while responding to a shooting near the Israeli West Bank settlement of Halamish, also known as Neve Tzuf. The toddler died of his wounds several days later.
This year has seen an escalation of violence in the West Bank, as more than a dozen Israeli civilians have been killed in terror attacks, and more than 100 Palestinians — both militants and civilians — have been killed amid clashes with Israeli forces. On Tuesday, one Israeli civilian and four soldiers were injured in a Palestinian shooting in the West Bank.
A recently completed IDF investigation of the June 1 incident found that the Tamimis were shot when a soldier fired at them after receiving permission from his commander, mistakenly thinking they were the Halamish gunmen.
At around the same time, however, another officer fired into the air, contrary to orders. The investigation said that the soldier who shot the Tamimis heard that gunfire and thought it came from Palestinian attackers, prompting him to fire.
The IDF is censuring the officer who fired into the air contrary to orders and is still deciding whether to further investigate the incident.
“The investigation revealed gaps in the command and control of the commanders in the incident, as well as in the reports and dialogue between the forces in the field which led to wrong decision-making,” the IDF investigation said, according to the Times of Israel.
Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox, the IDF’s Central Command chief, said in a statement that he “regrets the harm to civilians and the death of the toddler. We will continue to learn and improve in order to precisely target terrorism.”
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
