Israeli soldiers tie Palestinians to car hood

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Lerato Khumalo

A video shows Israeli soldiers tied an injured Palestinian to the hood of their car. The incident is now being investigated.

The Israeli army is currently investigating a serious incident: soldiers are said to have strapped a Palestinian prisoner of war to the hood of their car and driven with him through Jenin in the West Bank. Videos of the act are circulating on social networks. This behavior, which is considered to be the abuse of prisoners of war, has been confirmed and investigated by the Israeli army (IDF). As “Der Spiegel” reported, the man was captured during a military operation in Jenin.

In a video circulating on social media, he can be seen being handcuffed and strapped face down to the hood of a military jeep. The scene takes place in front of numerous witnesses. The Reuters news agency has already verified the video. In a statement, the IDF said: “We take this matter very seriously.”

The armed forces were initially fired upon in Jenin, returned fire and arrested the injured suspect. In doing so, they violated protocol. “The behavior seen in the video is inconsistent with the IDF’s orders and what is expected of its soldiers.”

The United Nations has repeatedly expressed its concern about human rights violations in the conflict. It calls on both sides to refrain from any actions that could violate international humanitarian law. For example, hostages who have now been freed and taken by the Islamist Hamas during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, report severe mistreatment, torture and sexual abuse.

Palestinian human rights organizations condemned the incident as a violation of international human rights standards. The Israeli army has promised to investigate the incident thoroughly. It remains to be seen what consequences this will have for the soldiers involved.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of the article stated that the soldier was arrested in Gaza. In fact, the incident took place in Jenin in the West Bank. We have updated the article accordingly.