The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed soldiers strapped a wounded Palestinian man to the hood of a military vehicle in the West Bank city of Jenin over the weekend. It comes after footage of the incident emerged online.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society, which provides emergency healthcare, said the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) initially “prevented” its crews from providing first aid to the man, but were later allowed to transfer him to hospital after he had been detained.
The IDF said the incident does not “conform to [its] values” and that it is investigating what happened.
West Bank
The West Bank is a territory between Jordan and Israel, which Australia officially refers to as the “Occupied Palestinian Territories”.
There has been increased violence in the region since 7 October, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel, and Israel responded by declaring war.
According to the World Health Organisation, more than 520 Palestinians have been killed. The figures include 126 children, in the West Bank since last October.
Footage
On Saturday (local time), IDF soldiers strapped a wounded Palestinian man to the hood of a military vehicle in Jenin.
This was captured on video and has been shared widely on social media.
The footage appeared to show the man being driven past two ambulances.
Reaction
UN Occupied Palestinian Territories special rapporteur Francesca Albanese accused the IDF of using the wounded man as a human shield.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said they were prevented from providing the man aid.
It said the IDF “placed the injured person on the front of a military jeep and detained him before later allowing our crews to transfer him to the hospital”.
IDF response
In a statement to media outlets, the IDF said: “During counter-terrorism operations… terrorists opened fire at IDF troops, who responded with fire.
“During the exchange of fire, one of the suspects was injured and apprehended. In violation of orders and standard operating procedures, the suspect was taken by the forces while tied on top of a vehicle.
“The conduct of the forces in the video of the incident does not conform to the values of the IDF. The incident will be investigated and dealt with accordingly.”
Benjamin Netanyahu
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the “intense phase” of the war against Hamas in Gaza is winding down, but that the war would continue.
Netanyahu said IDF troops would start focusing efforts on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Violent clashes and exchanges of missile fire with Iranian-backed Hezbollah have escalated since October.
Australia has listed Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation.
