A UN official on Friday condemned in the strongest terms the brutal "extrajudicial execution" of a wounded Palestinian by an Israeli soldier that was captured on camera in Al-Khalil (Hebron) the day before.

A UN official on Friday condemned in the strongest terms the brutal "extrajudicial execution" of a wounded Palestinian by an Israeli soldier that was captured on camera in Al-Khalil (Hebron) the day before.

Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said he strongly condemned the apparent "extrajudicial execution" of the Palestinian, who was shot in the head at point-blank range despite having already been shot to the ground, where he lay wounded for several minutes, after allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier.

"This was a gruesome, immoral, and unjust act that can only fuel more violence and escalate an already volatile situation," Mladenov said.

The UN official went on: "It is time to stop the negative spiral of violence and to begin positive steps towards ending the occupation."

Palestinian residents of Al-Khalil Abed al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif and Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi, both 21 years old, were shot down Thursday after allegedly stabbing and moderately wounding an Israeli soldier near a military checkpoint in Hebron’s Old City.

Al-Qasrawi was killed instantly, while the graphic video footage showed al-Sharif lying on the ground for several minutes -- moving his head slightly but posing no threat -- before an Israeli soldier walked up to him and shot him in the head.