Israeli reservists will face disciplinary proceedings after footage circulated allegedly showing them posing for a selfie beside the body of a Palestinian killed near Bani Naim in the occupied West Bank, the Jerusalem Post reported on 6 October.
Citing reporting by Walla, the newspaper said an inquiry into the soldiers’ conduct had led to the decision. Military officials said the behaviour shown appeared inconsistent with the army’s values. The report did not announce final disciplinary penalties.
The footage followed a shooting on 5 October in which Israeli forces killed one Palestinian and injured two others near the entrance to Bani Naim, east of Hebron, according to the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs, whose account was reported by AFP.
The Israeli military said a vehicle carrying three people accelerated towards an army vehicle and struck it. Soldiers then opened fire, it said, adding that no Israeli troops were injured.
The Jerusalem Post’s subsequent report said the military had not determined whether the collision was intentional or a traffic accident. Its investigation into the circumstances of the shooting remained open.
The Palestinian authority said the wounded men were taken to hospitals inside Israel and described their injuries as serious and moderate, according to AFP. Its account did not explain the circumstances of the collision.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Israeli forces prevented its teams in Hebron from reaching the wounded people inside the vehicle, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA. The military accounts published by the sources reviewed did not address that allegation.
The Jerusalem Post described the circulated footage as showing soldiers posing for a photograph, with Palestinian accounts alleging that the dead man’s body was visible in the background.
The reported disciplinary proceedings concern the soldiers’ behaviour after the shooting. They are separate from the continuing investigation into the collision and the decision to open fire, on which the newspaper reported no final conclusion.
