44 minutes ago
By Lucy Williamson, Middle East Correspondent
BBC
Samir expressed that he was “waiting for death” after Israeli soldiers picked him up
Two more Palestinian men, who were injured during a military operation in the occupied West Bank last week, have shared with the BBC their accounts of being forced onto the bonnet of an army jeep by Israeli soldiers and driven along village roads at high speeds.
Their testimonies came in the wake of the viral footage showing 23-year-old Mujahid Abadi Balas clinging to the bonnet of what seems to be the same Israeli army jeep, which sparked international outrage.
The BBC has now interviewed two men who claim similar mistreatment during the operation in Jabariyat, on the outskirts of Jenin, last Saturday.
Samir Dabaya, aged 25 and currently hospitalized in Jenin, stated that he was shot in the back by Israeli forces during the Jabariyat operation and was left lying face-down and bleeding until soldiers eventually approached him.
Footage shows wounded Palestinian strapped to Israeli army jeep
Upon being turned over and found to be alive, Samir claimed that he was beaten with a gun, then picked up, carried to the jeep, and thrown onto it.
“They removed my [trousers]. I tried to hold onto the car, but [one soldier] hit my face and instructed me not to. Then he began driving,” he recounted. “I believed death was imminent.”
Samir presented video footage from a security camera that indicates him semi-naked, lying on a fast-moving jeep with a visible number 1 on its side.
Although the exact date and time are not discernible on the recording, the location appears to align with where the operation occurred.
Another Palestinian man, Hesham Isleit, also informed the BBC that he was shot twice during the Jabariyat operation and forced onto the same military jeep marked with the number 1.
Hesham Isleit says he was tied to a jeep by Israeli forces after being shot
He recounted being under “shooting from all sides” and attempting to flee but getting shot in the leg. Subsequently, an army unit arrived to collect him and another individual.
“They instructed us to stand up and undressed us,” he detailed, “then they directed us to get onto the front of the jeep.”
He described the jeep as scorching hot, feeling “like fire.”
“I was barefoot and undressed. I tried to place my hand on the jeep, but it was too hot to touch. I informed them of the extreme heat, yet they compelled me to get on – warning that if I didn’t want to die, I should comply,” Hesham narrated.
These allegations were brought to the attention of Israel’s army, which stated that the cases are currently under review.
Regarding the initial video of Mujahid Abadi Balas, the Israeli army mentioned that he was fastened to the jeep in “a violation of orders and procedures” and that a thorough investigation would be conducted.
“The behavior of the forces in the video of the incident does not align with the values of the IDF,” a written response from the army stated.
From his hospital bed, Mujahid recounted to the BBC that he had not expected to survive the ordeal and was reciting his final prayers while lying on the moving vehicle.
He shared with the BBC a second video, filmed from a distance, which seems to corroborate his description of being thrown onto the vehicle by Israeli soldiers.
Mujahid, who was captured on film being placed on the front of a jeep, expressed his belief that he would not make it out alive
“Once they confirmed that I was unarmed [no weapon], they descended from the jeep and proceeded to strike me on the face, head, and the areas of my wounds,” he recounted. “The soldiers then lifted me by my wrists and ankles, swinging me back and forth, before tossing me into the air.”
He described falling to the ground, being lifted and swung again, and finally being thrown onto the jeep and driven to a nearby residence.
The army clarified that it was in Jabariyat last weekend to apprehend wanted suspects and that during the operation, “terrorists opened fire at troops, who responded with live fire.”
Hesham mentioned that the house where he and Mujahid were on that day belonged to Majd al-Azmi, a neighbor and friend, who was detained during the operation and remains in Israeli custody.
All three men assert that they were unarmed, and the army promptly released them after confirming their identities.
Bombs buried near Jenin hit two Israeli units and left large craters in the road
The Israeli human rights organization, Btselem, has been monitoring these cases.
Its spokesperson, Shai Parnes, remarked that since the Hamas attacks on 7 October, violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers and settlers has escalated to unprecedented levels.
“It has become more radical, more brutal, more extreme,” he commented. “Since 7 October, over 500 Palestinians have been killed – with more than 100 of them being minors – and there are daily incursions into Palestinian cities.”
Jenin has been a focal point for Israeli raids since the 7 October Hamas attacks, resulting in the deaths of over 120 Palestinians – including civilians and combatants – by Israeli soldiers in that area.
Despite this, armed individuals continue to patrol Jenin camp, where fighters supported by Hamas and Islamic Jihad are situated, and residents affirm that there is no sign of the conflict abating.
“What the army fails to realize is that resistance is an ingrained concept,” a local resident asserted. “It will persist.”
Si uno es matado, cinco más lo remplazarán. Durante una operación israelí esta semana, bombas enterradas profundamente en las carreteras alrededor del campamento golpearon a dos unidades mientras entraban, matando a un soldado y hiriendo a otros 16. Esta batalla comenzó mucho antes de la Guerra de Gaza, pero las tácticas y actitudes aquí están cambiando a raíz de ella, y el comportamiento de las tropas israelíes también está bajo escrutinio en Cisjordania. Este es un territorio diferente a Gaza, pero son los mismos enemigos, atrapados en la misma guerra más amplia.