Israel refutes Abbas's claim that Palestinian child was 'executed in cold blood'

Israel has published an image of a Palestinian child in hospital, after the Palestinian President claimed he had been “executed…in cold blood”.

Ahmed Manasira, 13, was seriously injured on Monday after allegedly attempting to stab two Israelis, a 13-year-old and a 20-year-old, at a settlement near East Jerusalem.

His cousin, 20-year-old Mohammed Manasira, was shot dead by security forces following the stabbing.

An image of the younger Manasira lying in a pool of blood on a railway track after the alleged attack went viral this week, with Israeli security services being accused of using excessive force.

In a speech addressed to the Palestinian people on Wednesday night, President Mahmoud Abbas held up the image, saying: “We won’t accept the execution of our children in cold blood, as they did to Ahmed Manasira."

In response, the office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday published an image of Manasira recovering in hospital.

The deputy director of the hospital where he is being treated has said Manasira is due to be discharged in the coming days.

Some Israelis have seized on the image of Manasira in hospital as proof that Palestinian estimates of death tolls in the recent violence are inflated.

However, Manasira’s family hit back at Netanyahu, saying that publishing images of the minor without permission from his relatives was a violation of Israeli law.

The boy’s uncle, also called Ahmed, told Palestinian news agency Maan that the child “was executed every time he was beaten, ridiculed and abused. You don’t necessarily have to lose your life to be executed”.

A total of seven Palestinian children have been killed by the Israeli security forces since 1 October. 

Three died when they were shot by soldiers or police officers after allegedly launching stabbing attacks, while three others were shot dead during clashes with security forces.

A three-year-old toddler was killed when an airstrike targeted her home in the Gaza Strip.