Ramallah, November 1 (RHC)-- An Israeli military court has sentenced a soldier to one month of the military's equivalent of community service over the killing of a Palestinian teenager after he opened fire without authorization.
The unnamed soldier was convicted for "acting without authorization in a manner endangering to life and wellbeing," it said in a statement.
Othman Rami Halles, 15, was shot dead during protests by the Israel fence east of the Gaza Strip on July 13, 2018, the Palestinian health ministry said at the time. A video shared by the Defense for Children rights organization showed Halles standing by the separation fence near several women and children holding up Palestinian flags. Halles is then seen attempting to climb the fence before he was shot in the torso, falling down.
The army said a probe had found "the soldier fired at a Palestinian rioter who was climbing on the security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip." The soldier, identified in Israeli media as a sniper, had opened fire "not in accordance with the rules of engagement and not in accordance with the instructions he had received."
This is the first time an Israeli soldier has been convicted over the killing of a Palestinian involved in the weekly Gaza demonstrations, a spokesman for Jerusalem-based human rights organisation B'Tselem told DPA news agency.
After a plea bargain, the court sentenced the soldier to 30 days in prison with military labor and a suspended term of another 60 days, and he was demoted to the rank of private.
