Claims circulated online that Captain Raafat Abu Shams, an officer in the Palestinian Authority’s security services, was beaten to death by IDF soldiers at the Einav checkpoint near Tulkarm.
However, an official obituary published by the Palestinian Authority security services’ Military Training Authority refutes the claim: Abu Shams died of a heart attack.
The claim circulated following Abu Shams’s death on October 4. According to the official statement, he suffered a heart attack at the checkpoint while on his way to work in Jericho.
The Military Training Authority is an official body responsible for training members of the Palestinian Authority’s security services, headed by Major General Mahmoud Haroun. Its obituary attributes the officer’s death to a heart attack, contradicting the claim circulated online that he was beaten to death by IDF soldiers.
Questions and Answers
What was claimed online?
It was claimed that Captain Raafat Abu Shams was beaten to death by IDF soldiers at the Einav checkpoint near Tulkarm.
What did the official statement say?
According to the obituary published by the Palestinian Authority’s Military Training Authority, Abu Shams died of a heart attack at the checkpoint while on his way to work in Jericho.
Who published the obituary?
The Military Training Authority of the Palestinian Authority’s security services, an official body responsible for training security personnel and headed by Major General Mahmoud Haroun.
How does the statement contradict the claim?
The official statement attributes his death to a heart attack, rather than a beating by IDF soldiers as claimed online.