Israeli forces tie wounded Palestinian to jeep in West Bank raid

TEL AVIV

Israeli troops tied a wounded Palestinian man to a military vehicle during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the army said on Sunday, admitting that soldiers had violated operational procedures.

Footage of the incident, which occurred on June 22, has gone viral and shows a Jenin resident strapped horizontally to the bonnet of a military jeep as it passes through a narrow alley.

Medics identified the Palestinian as Mujahid Fayyad from the Jabriyat neighborhood located between the town of Burqin and Jenin.

The military said the Palestinian was wounded during a "counterterrorism operation" launched in the area of Wadi Burqin to apprehend wanted suspects.

During an exchange of fire between troops and militants, one of the suspects was wounded and apprehended, the military said in a statement.

"In violation of orders and standard operating procedures, the suspect was taken by the forces while tied on top of a vehicle," the statement said.

"The conduct of the forces in the video of the incident does not conform to the values of the IDF [military]," it added.

"The incident will be investigated and dealt with accordingly," the military said, adding that the wounded man was transferred to the Palestinian Red Crescent for treatment.

Fayyad is currently being treated at Jenin's Ibn Sina hospital, medics at the facility told AFP.

Violence in the West Bank, which had already surged before the Gaza war, has only escalated since.

At least 553 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli troops or settlers since the Gaza war broke out, according to Palestinian officials.