Israeli Troops Storm Palestinian Hospital, Killing ‘Suspect’

Troops Took Wounded Palestinian With Them

Israeli troops dressed like civilians, wheeling another soldier disguised as a pregnant woman, forced their way into a Palestinian hospital in Hebron this morning, killing a Palestinian man they described as a “suspect” before loading the man’s cousin, a patient who they say they were their to question, into the wheelchair and hauling him off to an unknown location.

Hospital director Jihad Shawar slammed the raid, saying that relatives of the slain man and his disappeared cousin are “very angry.” They added that there was no evidence the man the troops killed, who they claim “attacked them,” was armed in the first place.

Israeli military official described every member of the family in question as “known Hamas operatives,” and Shin Bet said that the attack on the hospital was fine because they won’t allow “terror operatives” to feel safe anywhere.

The Red Cross warned that medical personnel need to be able to operate in a safe environment, and be free from military intimidation. They promised to take the latest raid up with Israeli officials “at the appropriate level.”

Such raids have been increasingly common amid the recent crackdown on Palestinians, with Israeli checkpoints making it increasingly difficult for Palestinians to access neighborhood hospitals, and have been pressuring hospital staff to turn over people wounded in military raids.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.