QABATIYA, West Bank – Israeli soldiers pushed three apparently lifeless bodies off rooftops during a raid within the northern a part of the occupied West Bank on Thursday, in accordance with an Associated Press journalist on the scene and a video obtained by AP.
An AP journalist within the town of Qabatiya witnessed three soldiers pushing the bodies from the roofs of neighboring multi-story buildings in order that they fell out of sight, the newest in a series of alleged violations by Israeli forces for the reason that start of the war between Israel and Hamas that human rights groups say show a pattern of excessive violence against Palestinians.
“This is a serious incident that is not consistent with the IDF's values and expectations of IDF soldiers,” the military said in an announcement, using the suitable acronym. “The incident is currently under review.”
Israel said its troops killed 4 insurgents during operations in Qabatiya on Thursday.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah didn’t initially confirm the many deaths, but said that one person had been killed in town and ten Palestinians had been hospitalized by Israeli gunfire.
In the video obtained by AP, three soldiers are seen picking up what appears to be a stiff body after which dragging it to the sting of the roof while soldiers stand on the bottom below. The soldiers on the roof look over the sting before lifting the body down.
On an adjoining roof, soldiers hold one other apparently lifeless body by its limbs and swing it over the sting. In a 3rd, a soldier kicks a body toward the sting before it falls out of view. Photos taken by AP during Thursday's raid show an Israeli army bulldozer moving near the buildings where the bodies were dumped.
Other journalists on site also saw the bodies being pushed from the roofs.
The identity of the dead and the explanation for death weren’t immediately known.
When the military withdraws from its attacks, it often leaves behind any Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire. Occasionally, the military brings bodies to Israel.
Under international lawSoldiers must make sure that corpses, including those of enemy combatants, are treated properly.
“There is no military imperative to do this. It is simply a cruel way to treat Palestinian bodies,” said Shawan Jabarin, director of the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq, after seeing the footage.
Jabarin said the video was shocking but not surprising, and he doubted Israel would properly investigate the incident. Human rights groups say the Israeli military rarely prosecutes soldiers once they are harmed.
“The most that will happen is disciplinary action against soldiers, but there will be no real investigation and no real prosecution,” Jabarin said.
The AP reporter who witnessed the raid saw a blindfolded and shirtless Palestinian man kneeling in front of an Israeli army jeep and armed soldiers. Smoke was billowing from several buildings that gave the impression to be damaged.
While the world's attention is targeted on the far deadlier war within the Gaza Strip, lower than 130 kilometers away, dozens of Palestinians have been killed, shot and arrested within the West Bank, where the Israeli military has been cracking down for months.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, greater than 700 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire within the West Bank for the reason that war began on October 7. The northern West Bank has seen the worst violence for the reason that war began.
Israel says the raids are obligatory to quell the uprisings which have flared up since October 7. During this time, armed Palestinians have attacked Israelis at checkpoints and carried out several attacks inside Israel.
Earlier this month, Israel carried out its deadliest attack on the northern West Bank for the reason that war began, killing a minimum of 33 people.
Frankel reported from Jerusalem. AP reporter Jack Jeffery contributed reporting from Ramallah within the West Bank.
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