IDF to provide aid to injured Palestinian
Major-General instructs soldiers to aid family of Dahariya man critically wounded Thursday in an unauthorized shooting by group of soldiers
Meanwhile, a major from the coordination division was sent to the Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva, where the man is hospitalized, in order to apprise his family of the ongoing military investigation of the incident.
The shooting incident, which took place in Kfar Dahariya south of Mount Hebron in the West Bank, at first appeared to be a common security incident. However, six suspects were arrested Friday morning on multiple criminal counts, and are still on remand.
According to the investigations thus far, it appears the soldiers arrived in the West Bank village by helicopter, in order to patrol the area. At a certain stage the commander arrived, and without authorization, decided to hijack a Palestinian taxi and carry out a raid in the village.
During the taxi ride, the soldiers saw a Palestinian carrying a shovel neared the vehicle and the troops called to him to stop. When the man failed to stop, the commander, who felt threatened, ordered the soldiers to open fire. The group then fled the scene on foot.
The soldiers on remand are also being investigated for fabricating a coordinated story of the events: They said one of the soldiers was wounded in the foot and they therefore stopped the cab. They also said they shot at the Palestinian because they mistook him for a fugitive.
IDF sources emphasized that this incident is not indicative of military policy or behavior in the West Bank, and that the incident is being addressed seriously. The soldiers will undergo additional questioning sessions with military police and are expected to be indicted soon.
Additionally, the military is "investigating whether similar norms of behavior are present in this regiment or other regiments, in order to root out such a phenomenon," the sources said.
