“This is a serious incident that is inconsistent with the values of the IDF and the expectations of its soldiers. It is currently being investigated,” says the statement of the army, which refused to comment further on the incident until the investigation is over.
“The bulldozer tried to destroy the house to get the bodies down. That didn’t work. The soldiers went there and kicked and knocked the bodies off the roof,” Al-Arabi reporter Ameed Shehadeh described the event. Accordingly, another body was thrown from the roof of the house a few meters away, reports The Guardian.
One of the journalists of the Associated Press agency also witnessed the event. The agency also published a video showing three soldiers lifting the body and dragging it to the edge of the roof. First the soldiers look down and then drop him. Another body is dropped on the opposite roof and the third one is kicked by one of the soldiers. The agency’s photos also confirm the information about the bulldozer’s presence.
WEST BANK: Incredibly disturbing video shows Israeli soldiers throwing bodies of Palestinians off a roof in Qabatiya near Jenin.
At least 5 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during a military raid. pic.twitter.com/1aSdl0nDd1
— Hamdah Salhut (@hamdahsalhut) September 19, 2024
The incident occurred during an Israeli army operation, the target of which was not officially stated. It is only referred to as anti-terrorist. According to the official statement of the Israeli side, seven Palestinian militants died during it. Four were to die in a shootout, while the other three were killed by an Israeli airstrike. However, none of the Palestinian armed groups have yet reported any losses in their ranks.
When Israeli troops withdraw from the West Bank, they usually leave the bodies of the killed Palestinians in place and sometimes take them with them. According to international law, they have a responsibility to ensure that the bodies of those killed are treated decently.
Tension in the West Bank
Tensions in the West Bank remain high. Israeli operations there have been ongoing for a week, and have already caused one controversial incident, when an Israeli sniper killed a UN employee on the roof of his house on Saturday.
According to the Ministry of Health, over 700 Palestinians have died in the West Bank since the beginning of the war, which began with the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7. The bloodiest of the actions of the Israeli army in all this time took place last month, and at least 33 people died during it. Israel declares the operation in the West Bank necessary. Palestinian militants continue to attack Israeli checkpoints and have carried out several attacks on Israeli territory.
