Israel's military is investigating an incident in which a Palestinian was strapped to a vehicle
TEL AVIV — A video circulating on social media shows a wounded Palestinian man being transported on the hood of an Israeli military vehicle in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin.
The Israeli military confirmed the incident on Saturday, saying the action was “in violation of orders and standard operating procedures” and would be investigated. "The conduct of the forces in the video of the incident does not conform to the values" of the military, it said. NPR has not independently verified the video.
The incident happened on Saturday near the Jenin refugee camp, home to more than 10,000 Palestinians, in what the Israeli military said was part of “counterterrorism operations.” The military said that the man was a suspect injured in a raid and "was transferred to the Red Crescent to receive medical treatment."
In the video — apparently shot from a nearby window — a man can be seen tied to the hood of an Israeli military jeep as it drives down a dusty road. The man is moving while he is tied.
NPR spoke to the man’s cousin, Ezer Azmi, who said he witnessed the incident. He claims Israeli troops shot his cousin, who he says was left bleeding in the road for hours before they beat him and then placed him on the hood of the vehicle.
“This is not acceptable to us or anyone else, nor anyone who fears God,” Azmi told NPR. He said that his cousin was not involved in any terrorism activities.
The Israeli military, known as the IDF, responded to NPR's request for comment on Sunday with a statement about the incident, saying that "terrorists opened fire at IDF troops, who responded with fire. During the exchange of fire, one of the suspects was injured and apprehended."
Azmi said the statement from Israel's military saying the incident was under investigation was meaningless to him. “They don’t convince us. Not an apology or even a million apologies from them. They are just good at killing people who haven’t done anything,” he said.
This incident comes amid a surge in violence in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began last October, after the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and some 240 were taken hostage.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, more than 500 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by either the Israeli military or armed Israeli settlers, according to data collected by the United Nations. At least 10 Israelis — including security forces — have also been killed in the violence, according to the U.N.
In comparison, 151 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank in 2022, previously the deadliest year on record in more than a decade.
Two deaths from violence in the West Bank were reported on Saturday alone. Israel’s army said an Israeli man was found fatally shot in his car in the northern West Bank town of Qalqilya, and Israeli troops later entered the city as a response. The Palestinian Ministry of Health also announced the death of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who had been shot by Israeli forces near the West Bank city of Ramallah last week. The Israeli military said its forces opened fire on Palestinians throwing stones at them during a raid, the Associated Press reported.
In the Gaza Strip, it was also a deadly weekend. Gaza health officials said at least 38 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City in the north.
The violence comes as Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant arrives in Washington on an invitation from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Gallant is expected to meet with senior U.S. officials to discuss Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Nuha Musleh contributed to this report from Ramallah, the West Bank.
