Israeli forces attach wounded Palestinian to jeep in West Bank raid

During a raid in Jenin, a city in the occupied West Bank, Israeli troops tied a wounded Palestinian man to a military vehicle, the Israeli army admitted on Sunday, acknowledging a breach of operational procedures.

Footage from the incident, which occurred on Saturday, has circulated widely, showing a Jenin resident strapped horizontally to the bonnet of a military jeep navigating a narrow alley.

The Israeli military explained that the Palestinian was injured during a “counterterrorism operation” aimed at capturing wanted individuals. An exchange of fire between troops and militants led to the wounding and subsequent capture of a suspect.

“In violation of orders and standard operating procedures, the suspect was taken by the forces while tied on top of a vehicle,” the military’s statement read. “The conduct of the forces in the video of the incident does not conform to the values of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).”

The military assured that the incident would be investigated and addressed appropriately, adding that the wounded man was handed over to the Palestinian Red Crescent for medical treatment.

Jenin has been known as a stronghold for Palestinian militant groups, and the Israeli army frequently conducts raids in the city and the adjacent refugee camp. Violence in the West Bank has intensified, particularly since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted on October 7.

Since the onset of the Gaza war, at least 549 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers, according to Palestinian officials. In the same period, attacks by Palestinians have claimed the lives of at least 14 Israelis in the West Bank, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

The Gaza conflict, ongoing for over eight months, was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which Israeli authorities say resulted in 1,194 deaths. Hamas militants also took 251 captives, with 116 still in Gaza, including 41 whom the Israeli army says are dead.

Israel’s military operations in Gaza have resulted in at least 37,551 deaths, mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.