Israel ‘regrets’ killing wrong Palestinian man

A Palestinian man in his sixties has been killed by mistake by Israeli soldiers who shot him in his bedroom.

Omar Qawasme’s death sparked protests in the West Bank town of Hebron where the pre-dawn raid took place.

The Israeli army said the victim was killed at the home of one of several Hamas terrorists it was looking for after they were freed from Palestinian jails.

That version does not square with accounts from neighbours who say Qawasme lived one floor above the Hamas suspect.

The victim’s wife Sobheye said her husband – reported to be the uncle of one of the militants – was killed as he slept.

“They didn’t even wake him up,” she said as she stood by a bloodstained bed. “They just came in the door and shot him. I was praying… they put their hand to my mouth and a rifle to my head.”

Hamas has blamed Israel and the Palestinian authority for the killing.

Israel says it regrets the outcome and has ordered an investigation to report back as early as next week.

The Hamas men it was seeking have reportedly been arrested.

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