A new footage has emerged, showing an elderly Palestinian man in Israeli custody hours before he died, allegedly, following trauma sustained during detention.
An image obtained by Ynet's and sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth, shows the man alive, lying on the ground following detention.
Omar Abdalmajeed As'ad, 78, who was also a U.S. national, was found dead last month after being detained in the village of Jiljilya on Jan. 12. An autopsy found As'ad, who had pre-existing heart conditions, had suffered sudden cardiac arrest caused by the stress of being manhandled.
Following the U.S. State Department’s announcement that it expects a "full criminal investigation” into As’ad’s death, the military announced it will investigate the incident, including the soldiers involved - who are now facing criminal charges, and which Ynet has learned are counting on the picture to prove their innocence.
In the picture an elderly man appearing to be As’ad is seen lying on the floor, apparently handcuffed, holding his head at eye level alongside other Palestinians in custody.
According to the soldiers, the picture was taken hours before As'ad release, and shows that he was fully conscious and breathing when he was under their custody.
The soldiers also claimed that none of the Palestinians detained alongside As’ad warned that his condition had worsened, and did not provide him with medical assistance.
In their investigation, the soldiers further claimed that As’ad and the other Palestinians were released after about 30 minutes, and that he seemed to be asleep when the troops removed the handcuffs that bound his hands.
The military on its part strongly condemned the soldiers, saying As’ad’s death was a result of "a moral failure and poor decision-making."
“The IDF regrets the death of Omar Abdalmajeed As'ad. The incident was serious and unfortunate, and an investigation was opened by the military police in which a number of officers and soldiers were questioned,” the IDF Spokesperson's Unit added.
“The conclusions of the investigation and its lessons will be taught to all forces in order to prevent similar cases."
The military added that two officers were already dismissed, and that one battalion commander was reprimanded as part of the ongoing investigation into the incident.
Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi also condemned the incident, saying a core value of the IDF military - to protect the dignity of human life - “had been violated.”