The Israeli police have launched an investigation after CCTV footage revealed a border police officer throwing a stun grenade into a car occupied by young Palestinians during a raid on the Qalandiya refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The incident, captured on Sunday and released by the Israeli rights group B'Tselem, shows the officer approaching the vehicle and shouting at the occupants before grabbing a stun grenade from his belt and hurling it through the open door. He then pushes the door shut as the driver attempts to exit, yelling, 'Shut your mouth. Who are you talking to like that?'
Detonation and Aftermath
Moments later, the grenade detonates, filling the area with smoke. The two passengers scramble out through the opposite side of the vehicle, and the officer appears to fire his rifle as they duck for cover. B'Tselem confirmed that all occupants of the car survived the attack. Stun grenades are designed to disorient through an intense flash and deafening blast but can cause serious injuries, especially when detonated at close range.
Police Response and Suspension
Police stated that the officer acted 'not in accordance with procedure' and that the case is being handled by the justice ministry's department for the investigation of police officers. The officer has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Broader Context of Violence
Since 2020, Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed at least 1,175 Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, at least a quarter of whom were children, according to UN data. No one has been charged over any of these deaths. During the same raid on Qalandiya, Israeli forces shot and killed a 16-year-old boy, Walid Abu Sneineh, and wounded three other Palestinians, the Palestinian health ministry reported. It added that two Palestinian children were injured after being shot in the lower limbs by Israeli forces during the same incident.
Additional Incidents
Late on Sunday, a four-month-old Palestinian baby, Ahmad Marouf Zaid, died after Israeli forces blocked his family from crossing a checkpoint to reach a waiting ambulance, his family told the Guardian. The family drove the severely ill baby on unpaved and mountainous back roads to Ramallah, delaying treatment by more than an hour. An IDF spokesperson denied blocking the family from crossing to seek medical aid. Last week, during another Israeli military raid in Ramallah, the military killed a 15-year-old boy, Amir Ahmad Jaber.
Rights Group Condemnation
Yuli Novak, the executive director of B'Tselem, said: 'The widespread and unprecedented killing of Palestinian children and teenagers in the West Bank is the result of a broader Israeli policy that allows the killing of Palestinians and violent abuse against them without any accountability.'
