Videos show Israeli soldiers throwing bodies of Palestinians from rooftops. IDF is investigating and US says it is ‘abhorrent’

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has opened an investigation after several Israeli soldiers were filmed dumping the bodies of three Palestinians from a rooftop during an attack in the West Bank. In response to the incident, the Israeli army said in a statement on Friday that it was “a serious incident” that was “not in accordance” with its values ​​and with what is expected of its forces. “The incident is being investigated,” it also said in a statement cited by The Times of Israel.

Footage of the incident, filmed in the northern town of Qabatiya near Jenin, is circulating on social media and appears to show a military backhoe picking up and removing the bodies. An Associated Press journalist witnessed the incident and the newspaper shares a video of the moment the bodies are thrown from the top of the building. However, the agency cannot confirm the identity or current whereabouts of the bodies.

Speaking to CNN, an Al-Arabi correspondent claimed to have witnessed the same incident. “They tried to bulldoze the house with a backhoe to remove the bodies. That didn’t work,” he reported. “The soldiers climbed up, kicked and pushed the bodies off the roof, as we saw. They kicked, pushed and threw three different bodies from one roof, and a fourth body was thrown from the next roof, a few meters below,” he added.

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International law requires militaries to treat the bodies of enemy soldiers with respect, prevent them from being mutilated and return them to the family of the deceased.

Reacting to the images, White House spokesman John Kirby said he was “deeply concerned” by the content of the images. He believes that if confirmed, the soldiers’ behaviour is “abhorrent”. “If the images are authenticated, it will clearly be abhorrent behaviour and a flagrant violation by professional soldiers,” Kirby said.