|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Edited by: TJVNews.com
The Israeli military is investigating several soldiers for their actions during an operation in the West Bank, where bodies were reportedly thrown from a rooftop amid clashes with terrorists. According to a report by CNN, the incident occurred in Qabatya, near Jenin, during an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) incursion that left seven terrorists dead, according to the Palestinian government. The operation involved intense gunfire and violent clashes between Israeli forces and terrorists.
This is one of the most barbaric things i have ever seen them do, and they’ve done a lot. I’m gonna need everyone on this app to see this.
Qabatya, Jenin pic.twitter.com/GfLyJgVZwZ
— cheri 🔻 (@cheriblossom__) September 19, 2024
Footage of the incident, filmed from multiple angles by local residents, appears to show Israeli soldiers tossing bodies over the side of a building. CNN has not been able to verify whether the men whose bodies were thrown were dead at the time, though the video shows their bodies motionless and seemingly lifeless. One of the longest videos, as reviewed by CNN, shows three Israeli soldiers standing on a rooftop, pushing a body over the edge. The body becomes entangled in electrical or telephone wires, with its feet stuck, before a soldier reaches over to free the body, causing it to fall to the ground.
Video captured yesterday shows how the lsraeli occupation forces executed an injured Palestinian man in Qabatya, south of Jenin. pic.twitter.com/Nip8FcxooH
— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) September 20, 2024
In another part of the video, a second body is seen being swung back and forth by two soldiers—one holding the arms and another holding the legs—before being thrown from the roof. A third body is then kicked over the side by a soldier’s foot. The footage, shared widely on social media and confirmed by CNN via its own sources, has prompted an official review by the Israeli military.
“This is a serious incident that does not coincide with IDF values and the expectations from IDF soldiers,” the military stated in a response to CNN. The IDF emphasized that the matter is under investigation, and officials have expressed concern over the nature of the soldiers’ actions, which appear to violate both IDF standards and international humanitarian law.
According to CNN, international law requires militaries to treat the bodies of enemy combatants with respect and dignity. These regulations prohibit mutilation and dictate that, where possible, bodies must be returned to their families. In practice, the Israeli military frequently confiscates the bodies of terrorists killed in combat, but the reported actions in this incident have drawn significant condemnation from global observers.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric spoke to the press about the video, describing the actions of the soldiers as “grotesque and inhumane.” As reported by CNN, Dujarric’s condemnation highlights the gravity of the incident and underscores the international legal obligation to treat deceased combatants with respect, even in the context of violent conflict. The images of the bodies being thrown from the building have prompted widespread outrage, particularly within Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
The governor of Jenin, Kamal Abu Al-Roub, told CNN that the Israeli military took four bodies from Qabatya following the incursion, though a funeral is planned for three others killed in the operation. The violent clashes that erupted during the Israeli military raid are part of a broader escalation of tensions in the Judea and Samaria region, an area frequently targeted by Israeli operations aimed at neutralizing terrorist activity. Al-Roub emphasized the distress caused by the mistreatment of the bodies, pointing to the deepening anger among the Palestinian population.
Ameed Shehadeh, a correspondent for Al-Arabi who witnessed the incident, corroborated the reports, adding weight to the multiple eyewitness accounts of the event. CNN notes that this publicized investigation into the conduct of IDF soldiers comes at a time when Israel faces increasing scrutiny over its military tactics in the West Bank and Gaza, particularly regarding the treatment of Palestinian terrorists and civilians during operations.
According to an eyewitness who spoke to CNN, a bulldozer was initially deployed to demolish the building in an attempt to bring the bodies down, but when this method failed, soldiers ascended the roof and forcibly removed the bodies by kicking and pushing them off the building. “Soldiers went up and kicked and pushed the bodies off the roof, as we have seen. They kicked and pushed and threw three different bodies from one roof, and a fourth body was thrown off the adjacent roof a few meters below,” the witness recounted to CNN. The treatment of the bodies has raised questions about the conduct of the Israeli forces involved.
Earlier in the day, the IDF issued a statement, describing the operation as a “counterterrorism” effort, during which four terrorists were reportedly killed. “The soldiers conducted exchanges of fire with terrorists, eliminating four. No IDF injuries were reported,” the statement read, according to CNN. However, CNN has not been able to confirm whether the individuals seen in the videos were among the terrorists referenced by the IDF. The military later added that alongside the Israeli Security Agency, it had neutralized “the head of the terrorist organization in Qabatya and six other terrorists,” but did not specify the group they were targeting.
Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti condemned the actions of the soldiers, describing the treatment of the bodies as “a barbaric act that shows the extent of the degradation and brutality of the behavior of the occupation army,” according to CNN.
Footage captured earlier in the day showed armed Palestinian terrorists moving across rooftops, with intense gunfire ringing out across the town of Qabatya. CNN reports that one video showed an Israeli soldier firing at a motionless body on a rooftop, further intensifying concerns over the treatment of the deceased. A photograph obtained by CNN also depicted three bodies lying on a rooftop, seemingly lifeless. In a separate event later in the day, multiple videos showed an Israeli airstrike hitting a vehicle, which the IDF confirmed was targeting “armed terrorists operating within a vehicle.”
The ongoing clashes in Qabatya reflect a broader pattern of intensifying military operations in the West Bank in recent weeks. According to CNN, the Israeli military has increasingly adopted more militarized tactics as part of its counterterrorism strategy, particularly in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attacks. Since that date, approximately 700 people have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, including over 150 children, according to figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
As the investigation into the Qabatya incident unfolds, the IDF has acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations. In a statement to CNN, the IDF said, “This is a serious incident that does not coincide with IDF values and the expectations from IDF soldiers. The incident is under review.”
Under international law, combatants are required to treat the bodies of enemy fighters with dignity and respect, a principle that prohibits the mutilation or mistreatment of the dead. In cases of combat, efforts must be made to return the bodies to their families whenever possible. The apparent mistreatment of the bodies in Qabatya may further strain relations between Israel and the international community, as well as between Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
As clashes between terrorists and Israeli security forces continue in Qabatya, the situation in the West Bank remains volatile, with reports of ongoing gunfire well into the evening on Thursday. The incident is one of many in recent weeks, as Israeli forces have ramped up their operations in response to growing terrorist activity.
