An Israeli serviceman has killed an Israeli civilian at a bus stop in Ranana, near Tel Aviv, after the victim approached him in a «suspicious» manner and the latter believed he was a Palestinian.
The soldier approached the individual, who was waiting at a bus stop, and killed him instantly using his firearm because he «felt unsafe due to his suspicious behavior.» Two other people were wounded, according to the Israeli press.
A police spokesman explained that «the soldier opened fire believing that the person was Palestinian», according to the Israeli daily ‘The Times of Israel’.
The victim was taken to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, where he was pronounced dead. Police have indicated that there is no indication that he was a terrorist, although he may have needed a «professional diagnosis» of mental health.
The rules on the use of firearms by the military are at the center of the Israeli political debate now that Jewish Force leader Itamar Ben Gvir is running for the post of security minister in Israel’s new right-wing coalition.
Ben Gvir considers the rules for the use of weapons by the military to be too strict and advocates authorizing their use against suspected attackers, during riots and against demonstrators throwing stones or Molotov cocktails.
