The body dragged to the edge of the roof. Then, the push with a foot, and the fall into the void. This is the image captured in the videos showing Israeli soldiers throwing three bodies from rooftops during a military operation on Thursday in the West Bank. The latest in a series of alleged violations by Israeli forces since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. The IDF is investigating, while from the United States, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby spoke of "deeply disturbing" images, which "if proven authentic, would represent abominable behavior" that "will require a thorough investigation."
The incident took place in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya. In AFP TV footage of Thursday's operation, an Israeli soldier can be seen rolling a body toward the edge of a roof and pushing it off, while at least two other soldiers look on. Footage obtained by the Associated Press also shows two other incidents, with the news agency saying one of its journalists witnessed the incident, but the AP could not immediately confirm the identities or locations of the bodies.
Ameed Shehadeh, a correspondent for Al-Arabi, told CNN that “a bulldozer tried to demolish a house to make the bodies fall. It didn’t work, so the soldiers climbed up and kicked and pushed the bodies off the roof.” He said a fourth body was also thrown off a roof near those filmed. After the videos were made public, sparking outrage and condemnation on social media, the Israel Defense Forces issued a statement calling it “a serious incident that does not align with the values of the IDF,” stressing that “the incident is under review.” But it did not confirm whether the soldiers involved had been investigated.
Under international law, the military is supposed to ensure that bodies, including enemy bodies, are treated with dignity . Shawan Jabarin, director of the Palestinian rights group Al-Haq, said the video was shocking but not surprising. “There is no military necessity to do this. It’s just a savage way of treating Palestinian bodies,” he said. “The most that will happen is that the soldiers will be punished, but there will be no real investigation and no real trial.”
(Online Union)
