State Department Highlights Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking, Continued Challenges in New Report

The US Calls for Investigation into Video Allegedly Showing Injured Palestinian on Israeli Military Vehicle’s Hood

June 25, 2024 TruthUSA

Footage released over the weekend is said to depict Israeli forces driving around with a wounded Palestinian man attached to their vehicle hood.

A recent video circulating on social media allegedly shows a wounded Palestinian man fastened to the hood of an Israeli military vehicle traveling in the West Bank. This has sparked demands for an inquiry from U.S. and other international authorities.

On June 22, Al Jazeera was one of the first to share the video on social media. Al Jazeera correspondent Hamdah Salhut claimed on the X platform that Israeli forces in the video were using the injured man as a “human shield” during a raid in Jenin, West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), an aid organization active in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, also shared the video. PRCS stated that the incident occurred in the Jabarat area of Jenin, where Israeli forces prevented their staff from assisting the injured man. Instead, they chose to drive around with him attached to the vehicle hood and detained him before eventually allowing PRCS staff to take him to a hospital.

“Upon viewing the video, we were appalled,” stated U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller during a press briefing on Monday.

“This practice is completely unacceptable. Using humans as shields is inhumane. The Israel Defense Forces need to quickly investigate this incident and hold those responsible accountable.”

According to the department spokesperson, he had seen a statement from the Israeli military indicating that an investigation had already begun, emphasizing that the actions in the video do not align with the soldiers’ instructions and promising to ensure accountability for those involved.

In an email statement, the Israel Defense Forces informed The Epoch Times that their troops were engaged in counterterrorism operations in the Wadi Burqin area on the outskirts of Jenin when “terrorists fired at IDF troops, who responded in kind.”

“During the exchange of fire, one suspect was injured and captured. Against orders and standard procedures, the suspect was transported by the forces while fastened to the vehicle,” the IDF statement explained. “The behavior seen in the video does not align with IDF values. The incident will be thoroughly investigated and addressed accordingly.”

The IDF confirmed that their troops handed over the injured suspect to PRCS for medical care. They did not provide further details on the suspect’s medical condition or whether the man would be taken back into custody after receiving treatment at the hospital.

The purported incident in Jenin is amidst mutual accusations of using human shields in the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict. These allegations have intensified post the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel by the Hamas group and the subsequent Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Hamas has faced numerous accusations of endangering the civilian population in Gaza by utilizing schools, hospitals, apartments, and other civilian structures for various military activities during the urban battle.

Israeli soldiers and police have also been accused previously of employing Palestinians as human shields. In January, a video circulated online showing an Israeli soldier marching a man in the West Bank street while using him as a shield against Palestinians throwing stones during a raid and search operations in the area.

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