Israeli army says investigating soldier on the death of a Palestinian detainee in Gaza

The Israeli army announced on Tuesday the opening of an investigation into one of its soldiers suspected of shooting a Palestinian whom his forces were holding in Gaza, resulting in his death. 

In a statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the army stated that during operations in the Gaza Strip, "a terrorist was apprehended by the army, detained, and interrogated on-site. After initial investigation, the terrorist was handed over to the soldier... who is alleged to have shot him, leading to his death." 

The statement added, "In light of preliminary information, the military police have initiated an investigation to determine the circumstances of the shooting," which occurred on Sunday. 

Israel has arrested hundreds of Palestinians since the outbreak of the conflict with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7th. 

Last month, the movement called for an international investigation into "field executions" it accused the Israeli army of carrying out in the Gaza Strip. The army responded at the time, confirming that it is "currently unaware" of similar violations in the sector. 

The United Nations Human Rights Council stated that it had received "disturbing" reports indicating that the Israeli forces "killed, in an arbitrary manner, no less than 11 unarmed Palestinians in a potential war crime in Gaza." 

The Israeli forces admitted to accidentally firing on three Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, and at least 18 soldiers were killed by friendly fire, according to military data. 

According to Israeli media, several Palestinians have died in recent weeks during their detention. The Israeli army stated that it is investigating the deaths of detainees who were arrested during military operations in the Gaza Strip. 

Last month, human rights groups strongly condemned the Israeli army after footage showed dozens of Palestinian men detained by the army, stripped of their clothes, in one of the streets of Gaza. 

AFP