Israeli troops tied a wounded Palestinian to the top of a military vehicle during an operation in the occupied West Bank on Saturday morning, a scene captured on video that quickly went viral, sparking outrage .
The Israeli military said the act violated military procedures and would launch an investigation.
Israeli soldiers raided the Palestinian town of Wadi Burqin on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday morning to arrest Palestinians suspected of being involved in militant groups. Jenin, a long-standing stronghold of loosely organized armed groups, has suffered repeated crackdowns by the Israeli military in the past few months.
The military said fighting broke out between Palestinian militants and Israeli soldiers. Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian who was wounded in the shooting.
“The suspect was tied to the roof of the car and taken away by the troops in violation of orders and standard operating procedures,” the Israeli military said, adding that such behavior “is not in line with the values of the Israeli army.”
The Israeli military said troops handed over the injured Palestinian to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society for treatment.
Violence has increased in the occupied West Bank over the past eight months since the October 7 Hamas-led attack and the subsequent war in Gaza. According to the United Nations, more than 500 Palestinians and 12 Israelis have been killed in the territory, and thousands of Palestinians have been arrested in nightly Israeli attacks.