A reservist from a border defense unit was filmed today (Thursday) in the Ramallah area running over a Palestinian with an all-terrain vehicle and firing toward Palestinians in the village of Deir Jarir, the military said.
The IDF said it has begun reviewing the incident and is considering whether to open a formal military police investigation. As of Thursday, no such investigation had been announced. The reservist was dismissed from reserve duty and his weapon was confiscated.
Footage of the incident
(Photo: Section 27A of the copyright law)
Regarding the shooting, the army said the soldier’s actions constituted a “serious deviation from his authority.” Two people were reported injured, though their condition was not immediately clear.
“The IDF strongly condemns and views with great severity any manifestation of violence and demands that its soldiers and commanders act in accordance with the values of the IDF’s code of ethics,” the military said in a statement.
Reports of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank have increased in recent months. Earlier this week, during the night between Monday and Tuesday, Israeli security forces arrested five Jewish suspects on suspicion of involvement in a violent attack on a Palestinian family in the Masafer Yatta area of the southern Hebron Hills, according to Israeli authorities.
Three members of the family, including children, required medical treatment and were taken to a hospital. Residents also reported that three sheep were slaughtered, allegedly by the group that raided the family’s home.
Local residents said the family has faced repeated attacks by Jews since the October 7 Hamas-led assault in southern Israel. They said that on the night of the latest incident, settlers from the nearby settlement of Susya smashed windows, vandalized household property and damaged a vehicle. They also alleged that attackers used knives against the family’s flock, injuring several animals.