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[INTERNATIONAL] · Israel, Palestinian Territories · 7 sources

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Suhaib Labad: 15-year-old Palestinian combatant death sparks classification dispute

Suhaib Labad, a 15-year-old Palestinian, has become the subject of conflicting reports following his death in Gaza. Sources close to Hamas have released videos celebrating Labad as a fighter for the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas. These materials claim he participated in combat against Israeli forces, specifically using an anti-tank weapon to target a military vehicle, potentially a Merkava tank, and deploying explosives.

Conversely, Israeli sources report that Labad was killed while engaging Israeli Defense Forces. A significant point of contention involves how his death was recorded: the Gaza Ministry of Health included him in statistics as one of the “children killed by Israel.” This has led to a dispute over whether he should be classified as a civilian child victim or an active combatant.

Entities

Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades · Gaza Ministry of Health · Hamas · Israel Defense Forces · Suhaib Labad

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.