Caught on Camera: Israeli Soldier Drives Vehicle Into Palestinian Man Offering Namaz

International

oi-Ashish Rana

A
disturbing
video
circulating
on
social
media
has
sparked
outrage
after
it
showed
an
Israeli
reservist
soldier
driving
his
vehicle
into
a
Palestinian
man
who
was
offering
namaz
along
a
roadside
in
the
occupied
West
Bank.

The
incident,
captured
on
camera,
has
prompted
an
official
response
from
the
Israeli
military
and
renewed
scrutiny
of
settler
violence
in
the
region.

Israeli
military
confirms
reservist’s
involvement

Reacting
to
the
footage,
the
Israeli
military
acknowledged
that
the
person
seen
in
the
video
was
a
reservist
whose
service
has
since
been
terminated.

“Footage
was
received
of
an
armed
individual
running
over
a
Palestinian
individual,” the
military
said
in
a
statement.
It
added
that
the
reservist
had
acted
“in
severe
violation
of
his
authority”,
following
which
his
weapon
was
confiscated.
According
to
local
media
reports,
the
accused
has
been
placed
under
house
arrest.

Video
details
verified
by
Reuters

The
video,
broadcast
on
Palestinian
television
and
verified
by
Reuters,
shows
a
man
in
civilian
clothes
with
a
firearm
slung
over
his
shoulder
driving
an
off-road
vehicle
directly
into
a
man
praying
on
the
side
of
the
road.
Moments
later,
the
driver
is
seen
shouting
and
gesturing
aggressively,
ordering
the
man
to
leave
the
area.

Family
alleges
pain
and
harassment
after
attack

The
Palestinian
man
was
taken
to
hospital
for
medical
checks
following
the
incident
and
was
later
discharged.
While
he
did
not
suffer
visible
injuries,
his
father,
Majdi
Abu
Mokho,
said
his
son
continues
to
experience
pain
in
both
legs.

“The
assailant
is
a
known
settler.
He
set
up
an
outpost
near
the
village,
and
with
other
settlers
he
comes
to
graze
his
livestock,
blocks
the
road
and
provokes
the
residents,” Mokho
told
AFP.
He
also
alleged
that
the
soldier
used
pepper
spray
on
his
son,
though
this
is
not
visible
in
the
footage.

Pattern
of
violence
in
the
West
Bank

According
to
a
report
by
The
Times
of
Israel,
the
same
individual
had
earlier
opened
fire
inside
the
village,
an
act
the
Israeli
Defence
Forces
described
as
a
“serious
breach
of
his
authority”.

The
incident
comes
amid
heightened
tensions
in
the
West
Bank.
Recently,
five
Israeli
settlers
were
arrested
over
an
alleged
attack
on
a
Palestinian
home
that
left
an
eight-month-old
baby
girl
with
“moderate
injuries
to
the
face
and
head”.

Since
the
outbreak
of
the
war
following
the
Hamas-led
attack
on
October
7,
2023,
Israeli
troops
and
settlers
have
killed
more
than
1,000
Palestinians
in
the
West
Bank,
including
militants
and
civilians.
During
the
same
period,
at
least
44
Israelis,
both
civilians
and
soldiers,
have
been
killed
in
Palestinian
attacks
or
Israeli
military
operations
in
the
territory.