A controversial incident involving Israeli forces has surfaced, where a wounded Palestinian man was tied to the hood of a military vehicle during a raid in the city of Jenin, in what has been described as using him as a human shield.
On Saturday, video footage verified by Al Jazeera revealed Mujahed Azmi, a Palestinian resident of Jenin, strapped to the hood of an Israeli military jeep. The video shows the jeep driving past two ambulances. According to Azmi’s family, the incident occurred during an arrest raid by Israeli forces, during which Azmi was wounded.
Family members stated they requested an ambulance for Azmi, but Israeli soldiers instead took him, tied him to their jeep, and drove away.
Abdulraouf Mustafa, a Palestinian ambulance driver, recounted the moment to Al Jazeera: “The jeep passed by and the wounded man was on the hood. One arm was tied to the windshield and the other was on his abdomen. They drove past us. They refused to give us the patient.”
The Israeli military confirmed that forces were fired upon and exchanged fire during the raid, resulting in Azmi’s injury and subsequent apprehension. The military acknowledged a violation of protocol in how Azmi was handled: “The suspect was taken by the forces while tied on top of a vehicle,” stated a military spokesperson. They added that this conduct “does not conform to the values” of the Israeli military and that the incident will be investigated.
Following the incident, Azmi was eventually released by Israeli soldiers, allowing paramedics to transport him to a hospital where he underwent surgery, according to healthcare workers.
The occurrence has heightened tensions in the West Bank, already strained by ongoing violence, including frequent Israeli military raids, settler violence, and Palestinian attacks.
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese condemned the incident as “human shielding in action,” highlighting the violation of international law. “It is flabbergasting how a state born 76 years ago has managed to turn international law literally on its head,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also condemned the incident, alongside Israel’s recent actions in Gaza. Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR’s national communications director, criticized the U.S. for supporting these actions and called for an end to such practices: “The Biden administration must end its complicity in this genocide and begin to recognize the humanity of the Palestinian people.”
David Des Roches, a professor at the National Defense University in the U.S., stressed the need for appropriate disciplinary action. “If the Israeli military fails to discipline the soldiers involved, others could see their actions as a license to do the same thing,” Des Roches told Al Jazeera.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of troop misconduct allegations faced by the Israeli military. In May of last year, Israeli troops were accused of using five Palestinian children as human shields near Jericho. Additionally, the military has had to address other serious accusations, including the bombing of the Red Crescent headquarters in Gaza and the destruction of a university building used as a military base.
The Israeli military’s response to this incident will be closely watched, with potential implications for future conduct and international perception.
