The Israeli military has said it will investigate after a Palestinian prisoner was tied to the front of a troop vehicle in the West Bank.
Footage of the incident on Saturday in the city of Jenin has caused outrage, while the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has said the detaining of the prisoner in such a way “does not conform” to its values.
The man in the footage, named by Reuters news agency as Mujahed Azmi, was injured in an exchange of gunfire during a raid by Israeli troops, the IDF has claimed.
It was reported that the man’s family said they asked for medical assistance, before he was strapped to the bonnet of the vehicle.
In their statement, an IDF spokesperson said “terrorists opened fire” at troops “during counter-terrorism operations to apprehend wanted suspects in the area”.
“During the exchange of fire, one of the suspects was injured and apprehended,” they said.
“In violation of orders and standard operating procedures, the suspect was taken by the forces while tied on top of a vehicle.”
They added: “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.”
The spokesperson said the man was eventually brought to Red Crescent humanitarian aid workers for treatment.
The extent of his injuries was not apparent from the video.
The Israeli occupation forces prevented Palestine Red Crescent crews from providing first aid to an injured person in the Jabarat area of #Jenin. They then placed the injured person on the front of a military jeep and detained him before later allowing our crews to transfer him… pic.twitter.com/sQ9GXWGrDz
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) June 22, 2024
Among those to criticise the footage was United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese.
She said in a post to X (formerly Twitter) the incident was an example of “human shielding”.
“It is flabbergasting how a state born 76 years ago has managed to turn international law literally on its head,” she wrote.
The Palestine Red Crescent said in a post that the IDF had prevented its crews from providing first aid to the injured man.
“They then 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,” they added.
