Palestinian Fury at Israel Erupts During Funeral for Slain Youth

By Peter Malbin – Thousands gathered for the funeral of a murdered Palestinian teenager in East Jerusalem, amidst rising tensions with Israel. Mohammad Abu Khdair’s family suspects he was killed in retaliation for the deaths of three Israeli teenagers in June, although authorities have not confirmed a motive.

He was laid to rest in a cemetery near his family home in the Shufat district. Prior to and following the funeral, clashes broke out between hundreds of Palestinian youths and Israeli police in East Jerusalem.

The funeral occurred as hostilities continued between Israel and Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip, although the intensity of the exchanges had diminished compared to previous days. Chants for a new uprising against Israel echoed among the thousands of mourners, who believe Abu Khdair was abducted and murdered by far-right Israelis.

During a tense standoff, stones were thrown at Israeli police, who responded with tear gas, stun grenades, and rubber bullets. Medics reported that 15 demonstrators were injured, though there were no immediate reports of arrests.

Earlier, a Hamas source stated that the group was willing to suspend its rocket attacks on southern Israel if Israel halted its airstrikes on Palestinian territory, as part of a potential cease-fire mediated by Egyptian officials. Contrarily, another Hamas official indicated that a formal agreement was yet to be established.

An Israeli security official remarked that the responsibility lay with Hamas, stating that calm would be reciprocated with calm.

Israeli officials returned the body of 16-year-old Abu Khdair to his family on Friday morning. His remains were reportedly badly burned, leading to delays in identification, which prevented his burial on Thursday according to Islamic customs. Wrapped in a Palestinian flag, his body was carried through the streets of East Jerusalem following the first Friday prayers of Ramadan.

A significant Israeli security operation took place, with police deploying stun grenades against Palestinian stone-throwers in various neighborhoods. This marked the third consecutive day of escalating violence in East Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attributed responsibility for the violence to Hamas and urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to abandon his coalition with the group, which Hamas has denied. Tensions also escalated at the Gaza Strip border as Palestinian rocket launches were met with Israeli artillery response, though no injuries were reported.

In light of recent turmoil, Palestinian officials have expressed a desire to prevent any further uprisings and work towards a resolution to the ongoing crisis, which began with the kidnapping of the three Israeli teens in the West Bank on June 12. The discovery of their bodies a few days later triggered national mourning in Israel, leading to heightened tensions following the kidnapping and murder of Abu Khdair.

Many Palestinians, including President Mahmoud Abbas, believe Abu Khdair was a victim of far-right Jewish retaliatory violence in response to the three Israelis’ deaths. Amid escalating military presence near Gaza and ongoing threats of invasion, Egypt has sought to mediate a cease-fire, but both Israel and Hamas insist that the other must make the first concession.

Netanyahu described Abu Khdair’s murder, occurring just after the burial of the three Israeli students, as “loathsome” and called for an urgent investigation. Israeli authorities are still determining whether this incident constituted a hate crime.

The murders of both the Palestinian youth and the Israeli teenagers have exacerbated longstanding tensions, further strained since Netanyahu withdrew from U.S.-mediated peace negotiations earlier this year, largely due to concerns over Abbas’s unexpected coalition with Hamas. In response to the abductions of the Israeli teens, Israeli military forces conducted extensive searches in the West Bank, leading to the detention of many Palestinians, including numerous Hamas affiliates.