Palestinian teen dies after being chased by Israeli soldiers

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian teenager Amer Snobar during his funeral procession in Nablus, West Bank

Credit: Anadolu

A Palestinian teenager died in disputed circumstances in the West Bank on Sunday after being chased by Israeli forces, with his family claiming soldiers beat him to death.

The body of Amer Snobar, 18, was taken to Ramallah’s Palestine Medical Complex early on Sunday morning showing signs of blunt force trauma, according to hospital officials.

“Snobar arrived at the Palestine Medical Complex at 3 am, with clear signs of having been beaten and violence on the back of his neck,” hospital director Ahmad Bitawi said in a statement carried by the Palestinian health ministry.

"The family told us he was beaten but as doctors we need to figure it out through forensics," Mr Bitawi told the Associated Press.

The Israeli army said the teen, from the village of Yatma near Nablus, had tripped and mortally injured himself during a pursuit.

It said Israeli soldiers had chased two suspects after responding to reports of stone-throwing on a West Bank highway north of Ramallah.

“While fleeing, one of the suspects apparently lost consciousness, collapsed and hit his head. The suspect was not beaten by IDF troops,” the Israel Defense Forces statement said.

Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful, the statement said.

An eyewitness reportedly told Snobar’s family and local Palestinian media that Israeli soldiers had beaten him to death. The witness, said to be a companion of Snobar’s, was not publicly identified for fear of being arrested. 

Calling Snobar’s death “a monstrous act of brutality,” senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said: “medical authorities have confirmed that [Snobar] was beaten repeatedly on the back of the neck then left for dead.” 

Dr Rayyan al-Ali, who conducted an autopsy on Snobar’s body, told the Associated Press that determining the cause of death could take a week.