Israeli troops kill disabled Palestinian protester

Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, 29, was fatally shot

(FILES) This file photo taken on May 19, 2017 shows handicapped Palestinian demonstrator Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh waving a Palestinian flag during clashes with Israeli soldiers following a protest against the blockade on Gaza, near the border fence east of Gaza City.
The 29-year-old Abu Thurayeh was shot during clashes with Israeli security forces against Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, on December 15, 2017 the Palestinian health ministry said, shortly after another man was killed in similar circumstances. / AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED ABED
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Israeli soldiers shot dead a wheelchair-bound Palestinian protester with no legs on Friday.

Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, 29, was shot in the head by a sniper during protests along the border east of Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian enclave, the Palestinian health ministry said. Another man was reportedly killed in similar circumstances.

Eight Palestinians have now died and scores hurt as protests over US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital enter their second week.

Jerusalem is regarded as a capital by both Israelis and Palestinians, making it the highly combustible centre of the decades-long Israeli-Arab conflict.

Thurayeh was taken to Shifa hospital, in Gaza.

Unverified reports from local media report that Thurayeh lost his legs during the 2014 Gaza war with Israel. Other reports suggest he lost his legs in a 2008 Israeli air strike on his home.

Images online show Thurayeh attempting to make a living despite his serious disability by washing cars.

He had taken part in several border skirmishes recently. A number of images on social media show him carrying a Palestinian flag.

It is believed that he was killed by a sniper.

"The fact he was killed today by ‘sniper’ bullets may mean to Palestinians that his murder was a perpetrated act and not an act of military or security necessity," Fadi Al-Qadi, a Middle East and human rights expert based in Jordan, told Newsweek.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra said the two Palestinians in Gaza City were killed from gunshots to the head.

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The Israeli military said that about 3,500 Palestinians demonstrated near the Gaza border fence.

A spokesman for the Israel Defence Force said: "During the violent riots IDF soldiers fired selectively towards the main instigators."

Theresa May said she disagreed with the move and described Mr Trump’s actions as “unhelpful”.