Videos widely circulated showed Israeli occupation forces committing a horrific crime in Qalandia camp, north of occupied Jerusalem, where a soldier threw a hand grenade inside a vehicle carrying a group of Palestinian youths. The assault did not stop there; the soldier forcefully closed the vehicle door to prevent the driver and passengers from escaping, leading to the explosion of the grenade while they were trapped inside, in a scene reflecting extreme sadism.
Following the explosion, the soldier continued to pursue the youths who managed to flee the vehicle, showering them with insults and profanities. The occupation forces present at the scene also threatened to fire live ammunition at the youths, forcing them to take cover behind the damaged vehicle's wreckage in a desperate attempt to protect their lives from direct and potential targeting.
For its part, Hebrew press reports revealed that the assailant belongs to the so-called 'Border Guard' forces, indicating that he initiated throwing the grenade after a verbal altercation during which he shouted angrily at the driver. These details refute any narratives attempting to justify the incident, confirming that the attack was deliberate and aimed at inflicting the greatest possible physical and psychological harm on unarmed civilians.
In an attempt to absorb public and human rights anger, the occupation police claimed that the soldier's conduct violated established procedures, announcing that the incident had been referred to the police internal investigations department. Observers believe that these procedures are often superficial and aim to mislead public opinion, as soldiers are rarely held accountable for their documented crimes against Palestinians, which encourages the repetition of such violations.
On the ground, this assault coincided with a widespread military escalation in Qalandia camp, where the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the martyrdom of 16-year-old Walid Nidal Abu Snaineh, who succumbed to his injuries from occupation bullets. Medical teams also reported that two other children were injured by live ammunition in their lower extremities and were transferred to the hospital for treatment amidst a state of extreme tension that prevailed in the area.
Qalandia camp constitutes a constant flashpoint due to its strategic location on the road connecting the cities of Jerusalem and Ramallah, where it is subjected to repeated incursions and systematic assaults. The recent scenes sparked a wave of widespread anger on social media platforms, where activists considered what happened to represent the peak of the occupation army's moral degradation, demanding international accountability for these crimes that violate the most basic human rights.
Shut up, who are you talking to like that?
שתף את דעתך
Documenting the crime of detaining youths inside a vehicle and detonating a bomb in it in Qalandia camp