Mujahed Abadi says he has not been able to sleep since Israeli forces shot, beat and tied him to the hood of a military vehicle two days ago, apparently using him as a shield human.
Speaking to Tel Aviv Tribune Arabic on Monday from Ibn Sina Hospital in the West Bank, Abadi said Israeli troops had not offered an explanation for their “crimes.”
Video footage of the incident on Saturday in Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank, has sparked international outrage and calls for accountability.
Abadi, 24, said he came out of his uncle’s house in Jenin as Israeli troops carried out a raid in the neighborhood.
He was shot in the arm and leg and took cover behind a nearby vehicle. He said that after nearly two hours in hiding with his wounds bleeding, Israeli troops forced him out of hiding and began punching and kicking him, including on his wounds. Gunshot.
“It was a big shock. I wish I was dead then,” Abadi said, adding that although he was clearly unarmed, the troops did not provide him with any medical aid.
Instead, Israeli troops wanted to inflict even more suffering on him, he explained.
“Two soldiers picked me up off my hands and feet and swung me back and forth to throw me onto the military vehicle,” Abadi said.
“They did it the first time, I fell to the ground. In addition to my injuries, they failed me. The second time, one of them picked me up and threw me on the vehicle.
The hood of the vehicle was extremely hot and left him with burns all over his back, he told Tel Aviv Tribune.
He said that after being taken to the military jeep, he was eventually dropped off at a house and transferred to Palestinian doctors.
“Their only concern was to torture and beat me. They committed these crimes against me, beat me and tortured me, then they asked me my name,” the 24-year-old Palestinian said.
“They offered me no explanation – at all. On the contrary, they wanted to beat me even more. They didn’t tell me anything. All I remember is them laughing while they hit me.
The Israeli military confirmed the incident on Saturday, describing Abadi as “one of the suspects” targeted in the raid who was “injured and apprehended.”
“In violation of orders and standard operating procedures, the suspect was arrested by the forces while tied to the top of a vehicle,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
“The conduct of the forces in the video of the incident is not consistent with the values (of the Israeli army). The incident will be investigated and handled accordingly.
However, Abadi said he was a bystander, emphasizing that he was not wanted by Israel, as evidenced by his brief detention.
The Israeli army has regularly carried out deadly raids in the West Bank in recent years – a campaign that intensified after the start of the war on Gaza in October.
At least 553 Palestinians, including 137 children, have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since October 7, according to Palestinian health authorities, and Israel has also arrested thousands more in the territory.
Saturday’s incident in Jenin received international condemnation.
Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter declared herself “shocked by the violence” committed by Israeli forces.
“How many of these inhumanities must we witness before we sanction Israel? De Sutter wrote in a social media post on Sunday.
The United States also denounced the incident. “This practice was absolutely unacceptable. Humans should never be used as human shields,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters Monday.
But he welcomed Israel’s promise to investigate the apparent abuses, calling it “appropriate.”
Israel rarely prosecutes its soldiers for violations against Palestinians.
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, described Abadi’s treatment as a “human shield in action.”
“It is astonishing how a state born 76 years ago managed to literally turn international law on its head,” she wrote on the social media platform X.
“This risks meaning the end of multilateralism, which, for certain influential member states, no longer meets any relevant objective.”
Abadi’s injuries include a broken arm from the bullet impact, an injured leg and burns to his back, as well as psychological scars, he said.
“To this day, I absolutely cannot sleep. I suffer from a strong psychological situation. I try to sleep, but I wake up immediately,” Abadi said.