Palestinian man killed by Israeli soldiers after funeral of his cousin

A Palestinian man was shot and killed by the Israeli army during a protest following the burial of his cousin in the West Bank city of Hebron.

Ziyad Awad, 27, was gunned down by the Israeli army in Beit Ummar on Friday (10 April) after scores of Palestinian men clashed with them. Awad was in critical condition as he was taken to the Al Ahli Hospital in Hebron with a bullet in his abdomen, but he later died of his wounds.

An emergency room doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity said a further 10 people were being treated for minor injuries inflicted by rubber bullets.

Thousands of people had attended the funeral of Ziyad's cousin, 22-year-old Jafar, who died from an illness three months after his early release from an Israeli prison.

Jafar's family have blamed Israel for his death, citing medical neglect. They claim that he was left weak and ill after being administered an injection in Beersheba prison, southern Israel. The Israeli prison service has denied responsibility.

Protestors attacked soldiers with 'firebombs'

Saudi-owned pan-Arab news outlet, Al Arabia News has reported that Israel jailed Jafar over "terrorist activity" and "membership in the Islamic Jihad", which his family deny.

The Israeli soldiers who observed Jafar's funeral from watchtowers have said that they resorted to force fearing their lives were in danger, after Palestinians rolled burning tires and hurled rocks and firebombs at them.

The Israeli military has said that troops initially used tear gas to disperse the crowd, then fired low-caliber bullets at the legs of four men.

The past week has seen heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians after a 32-year-old Palestinian stabbed two soldiers before being killed.

The United Nations has released a statement urging both sides to demonstrate calm and restraint. It also voiced "sympathy for the victims" of the latest violence.