Records say paraplegic Palestinian was shot during protest

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian medical records in the Gaza Strip show that a paraplegic man who died during a violent protest along the border with Israel earlier this month was killed by a bullet that struck him in the head.

The records, obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, shed new light on a case that has become a rallying cry among Palestinians since President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Ibrahim Abu Thraya, who lost his legs in a separate incident several years ago, was killed on Dec. 15 in clashes that broke out along the Israeli border. Palestinians say Abu Thraya was shot deliberately by an Israeli sniper — a claim the military denies.

The medical records, which include a hospital report and a death certificate, say that Abu Thraya, 29, was struck by a bullet above his left eye and died from bleeding in the brain. The same findings were detailed in a report by the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service reviewed by the AP.

The reports did not specify who fired the bullet or what caliber it was.

While the Dec. 15 clash turned violent, with protesters hurling stones, firebombs and burning tires at the border fence, witnesses have said there was no gunfire from the Palestinian side.

The protest came amid a wave of violence that has erupted in the Palestinian territories since Trump’s Jerusalem declaration. At least 12 people have died so far, almost all in Gaza.

A picture of the 29-year-old Abu Thraya on a wheelchair, raising the Palestinian flag and flashing a “victory” sign, has become ubiquitous in Gaza. He has emerged as a symbol of resistance to Trump’s Jerusalem move, which the Palestinians largely see as siding with Israel.