The scene of a Palestinian youth, Mujahid Abadi, tied to an Israeli military jeep while injured and being paraded through the streets of Jenin has sparked widespread outrage following an Israeli incursion into the city. The Israeli military later stated that the young man tied to the vehicle had been fighting against them, but then retracted this claim. Mujahid Abadi, who is still receiving treatment in the hospital for injuries sustained from Israeli gunfire while he happened to be in the street during the raid, shared many details about what transpired that day.
Abadi explained from his hospital bed that he had left his uncle's house in Jenin after hearing a commotion. He said, "I went out to see what was happening and looked towards the neighbors' houses where I saw the soldiers. When I tried to return home, there was sudden, heavy, random gunfire directed at me, and I was shot in the arm just as my cousin, who was standing next to me, was also hit." He added that he hid behind a car after being shot in the arm and then received another bullet in his leg. Unable to move, he called his father and told him he was on the brink of death.
His father, Raed Abadi, who was standing by his son’s bedside in the hospital, recalled that he urged Mujahid not to lose consciousness and to keep talking to him, but the call was suddenly disconnected.
After several hours of hiding, Israeli soldiers located Mujahid and began striking him violently on his head and face, as well as on his injuries. They then dragged him by his legs, lifted him by his hands and feet, and threw him onto the front of a military jeep that was extremely hot. He stated, "I screamed in pain from the heat, and one of the soldiers cursed at me and told me to shut up.”
On the other hand, the Israeli army indicated that their troops tied Abadi to the front of the jeep to transport him to medics. However, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent, Nibal Farsakh, confirmed that the army had closed off the area and prevented medics from attending to the injured for at least one hour.
Abadi revealed that he remained tied to the jeep for approximately half an hour before the soldiers finally untied him and handed him over to medics.
The Israeli army later retracted its narrative and announced it would investigate the incident. Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller described the video footage as shocking, stating, "Civilians should never be used as human shields." He urged the Israeli army to swiftly investigate what occurred and hold those responsible for this behavior accountable.
