Palestinian rioter died of heart attack, not IDF bullets, probe concludes

Initial media reports indicated that rioter Walid al-Sharif was killed by a sponge-tipped bullet fired by Israeli forces.

By World Israel News Staff

A 21-year-old Palestinian who died while rioting on the Temple Mount appears to have had a heart attack, medical experts concluded, Haaretz reported.

Initial media reports indicated that rioter Walid al-Sharif, a resident of the Beit Hanina neighborhood of eastern Jerusalem, was killed by a sponge-tipped bullet fired by Israeli forces. Following his death, terror supporters said he was a “holy martyr” and Hamas claimed him as a member.

Video footage shows Walid al-Sharif running before he fell. Upon arrival at the hospital, officials said he was in “very serious condition.”

There were no visible signs on his body indicating that he was hit by a sponge-tipped bullet as per initial media reports, hospital officials said.

The new findings are based on medical documents obtained from a number of institutions, including Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem medical center, where al-Sharif was hospitalized after he collapsed.

Following the investigation, according to Haaretz, hospital officials concluded that the fall was the result of a heart attack that caused considerable brain trauma, which eventually led to his death.