The IDF is conducting an investigation into allegations that soldiers mistreated the bodies of deceased Palestinians, aiming to uphold ethical standards and accountability.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that it is conducting an investigation into allegations involving soldiers who reportedly discarded the bodies of deceased Palestinians from a rooftop during a raid in the town of Qabatiya, located in the occupied West Bank.
Witnesses, including journalists from AP and Al-Araby, captured videos from various angles during the raid on Thursday, depicting three soldiers on the rooftop of a multi-story structure pushing what appeared to be lifeless bodies over the building’s edge.
The Israeli military stated on Friday, “This is a serious incident that does not align with IDF values and the expectations placed upon IDF soldiers.”
The recorded footage shows soldiers dragging one body to the roof’s edge before discarding it onto the ground. In another instance, the soldiers grasp a second body by its limbs and swing it over the edge. Additionally, a soldier is seen kicking a body off the side of the building. Reports indicate that the three Palestinian men were killed during the Israeli operation.
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Images from the scene depict an Israeli army bulldozer operating near the buildings where the bodies were thrown.
Ameed Shehadeh, a reporter for Al-Araby who witnessed the event, informed CNN, “A bulldozer attempted to demolish the house to retrieve the bodies, but that was unsuccessful. Soldiers ascended and kicked and pushed the bodies off the roof, as we observed. They kicked, pushed, and threw three different bodies from one roof, while a fourth body was discarded from an adjacent roof a few meters below.”
The IDF reported that Israeli forces eliminated four gunmen during the recent operation in Qabatiya, situated in the northern region of the West Bank.
International law mandates that military forces treat deceased individuals, including enemy combatants, with dignity and return their remains to their families.
In response to an attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv last month, Israel initiated a comprehensive “counterterrorism operation” targeting Palestinians in the West Bank.
