Handcuffed teen: Soldiers beat me
Palestinian teen released Tuesday from Israeli hospital, where he was hospitalized in cuffs after being shot by soldiers on suspicions of throwing Molotov cocktails; claims soldiers pressured him to confess to allegations
The teen, who underwent surgery at the Schneider Children's Hospital in Petah Tikva, was released to his home Tuesday.
Udda's story was first published by Ynet on Saturday. He was shot by troops when he visited a house at his hometown village of Madma near Ramallah, in order to deliver gas to one of his father's costumers.
During Udda's visit, a clash broke out between IDF soldiers and local youths, who were hurling stones and Molotov cocktails at vehicles. The troops opened fire at the teens in response.
Udda, who according to his family did not take part in the conflict, was shot in the leg, and hospitalized in Israel with his hand and feet cuffed. Two soldiers guarded his bed for 48 hours.
The teen's condition only improved following intervention from humanitarian organization Machsom Watch, which led to the removal of the handcuffs from his legs.
Udda underwent surgery, but his family was prohibited from visiting him until Friday, when a relative was permitted by the IDF to arrive at the hospital.
During his hospitalization, Udda was questioned and admitted to throwing Molotov cocktails - an offense which in most cases carries a punishment of a number of months in prison.
'Soldiers put him in risk'
Despite his admission, Udda was released Tuesday. When his family members came to pick him up from the Hawara checkpoint near Nablus, he told them that he was beaten by soldiers following his refusal to sign documents which he could not understand.
Udda also claimed that the soldiers pressured him to confess to throwing Molotov cocktails.
"We do not know what was in the documents, but we assume they were papers in which he was asked to confess," the teen's uncle Fauzi Udda told Ynet.
He added that in addition to the beating and the pressures placed on the teen, the soldiers put him at risk by forcing him to walk without a walking stick, despite doctors' orders not step on his foot.
Udda continues to suffer from pain and is currently hospitalized in a Nablus hospital.
Udda's family is not only furious with the soldiers' behavior, but also with the fact that he was arrested in the first place.
"The Israelis released him, which means that they have no evidence against him for those allegations," the teen's uncle said.
"It means that he is innocent and was arrested for no fault of his own, because if they had minimal suspicion or evidence against him, they would have left him in prison," he charged.
Despite Ynet's request, the IDF has not yet responded to the allegations.
