An 80-year-old Palestinian was found dead on Wednesday morning, January 12, in a village in the northern occupied West Bank. He was reportedly detained and left handcuffed by Israeli soldiers, Palestinian officials say.
With our correspondent in the region, Sami Boukhelifa
While clearing itself of all responsibility, the Israeli army announces the opening of an investigation following the discovery of the body of an octogenarian who would have been detained by Israeli soldiers.
The incident unfolded overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday as an Israeli army unit of 30 to 40 soldiers carried out an operation in the village of Jiljiliya, north of the Palestinian city of Ramallah.
According to the chief of this village, interviewed by AFP, the soldiers stop several vehicles. Their occupants are checked. Among them, Omar Abdalmajeed As’ad, an 80-year-old Palestinian who was returning home.
The old man is then handcuffed, beaten and abandoned in a building under construction, says the village chief of Jiljiliya. At dawn this Wednesday, after the departure of the Israeli soldiers, the octogenarian is found dead.
“ He was alive when he was released “
In a brief statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirms this account, and specifies that “ the old man died of a heart attack, before he arrived at the hospital “.
The Israeli army explains for its part, having carried out an operation ” counterterrorism In this village, during which a Palestinian, having refused to submit to a control, had indeed been apprehended.
However, Israeli forces claim to have released the man in question. “ He was alive when he was released », Indicates the army.