An investigation by the Israeli military into the death of a paraplegic Palestinian man cleared Israeli troops of wrongdoing on Monday, saying it found “no moral or professional failures” in the incident.

Palestinian health officials say Ibrahim Abu Thraya, 29, was shot in the head while demonstrating last week along Gaza’s border with Israel, an area that has experienced repeated violent riots since President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital earlier this month.

Abu Thraya’s death has become a rallying cry among Palestinians against Trump’s move, which upended decades of U.S. foreign policy and countered an international consensus that the fate of Jerusalem should be determined in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

The IDF said Friday’s protest was “extremely violent,” with protesters hurling stones, burning tires and explosive devices at troops. In its findings Monday, it said no live fire was aimed at Abu Thraya and it was impossible to determine the cause of death. The military said it has repeatedly requested details about Abu Thraya’s injuries and will examine them if they are received. The IDF did not disclose from whom it had requested details.

Abu Thraya, who had previously worked as a fisherman, lost his legs in an Israeli airstrike during a 2008 war between Israel and Hamas. He had since used a wheelchair.

Itedal Abu Thraya, Ibrahim’s mother, questioned the IDF’s investigation and said her son posed no threat.

“He was only holding a flag, not an explosive belt or a bomb,” she said. “I do not trust them or their investigations.”

(YWN / AP)