The Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs, Hussein Al-Sheikh, apologized Friday for the killing of activist Nizar Banat, and said, "I would like to offer my condolences to his family and apologize to them for what happened. It was a very unfortunate incident."

Sheikh apologized on behalf of the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, and on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

"We consider it a tragedy," he said, stressing that it can never be accepted even in a time of chaos.

"A mistake like this can happen in America, France and any other country in the world," Sheikh added.

Sheikh noted that there is no way to deal with the tragic assassination. "We can only learn from what happened and follow the correct legal procedures."

June 24, Banat was assassinated by the Palestinian security services (PA), at dawn after his house was stormed. 

Sadness pervaded social networking sites, amid widespread and great condemnation of what they described as a heinous and disgusting crime, during which Banat was brutally murdered in front of his family and children at the moment of his arrest at his home in the city of Hebron, southern occupied West Bank.

In turn, the Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh instructed the formation of an immediate and impartial investigation committee into the death of Banat.