Did the evacuation of a settlement point in Binyamin on Shabbat night, which included indiscriminate shooting by an IDF officer and ended with the wounding of a 14-year-old boy, turn under the auspices of Shabbat into a wild blood libel against the settlers?
In light of the accusations against them during the Sabbath, local residents claim that an IDF officer from the Binyamin sector arrived at a settlement point that was established in recent weeks on the Mount Hazor ridge, with the aim of evacuating it on Sabbath night. He got out of his vehicle and began firing live ammunition over the heads of the stunned local residents, threatening to "kill them all.".
According to them, the incident escalated and turned into a massive firing of tear gas and stun grenades with direct fire, and another firing from which a 14-year-old boy was injured, who was taken to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital - where he was hospitalized in the intensive care unit suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body, fractures in the shoulder, and lung damage from the impact.
The settlers categorically and unequivocally deny the IDF spokesman's claims of violence, trampling, choking, and stone-throwing against the forces, and are publishing this evening the sequence of events and documentation from the field.
They note that the incident began near the start of Shabbat, when a Border Police force that had been at the outpost that had been evacuated earlier in the day left the area. The residents, who had planned to return to the area only on Shabbat evening, received a report that Arabs were planning to go up to burn the site and returned to the area near the start of Shabbat.
Around 10:00 PM, a vehicle with its lights off drove toward the hill. The residents, who feared that it was a hostile Arab vehicle, headed in its direction with their vehicle, but before they could reach it, it turned out to be the jeep of the sector commander, who turned on his lights, dismounted, and began firing live rounds over the heads of the young men, while shouting at them in Hebrew to lie on the floor.
The boys raised their hands in panic and lay down on the floor, while the battalion commander continued to point his loaded weapon and laser pointer at them. When one of the boys began filming the incident, the battalion commander was recorded stopping the recording of the actions, while threatening them with weapons and violence.
The battalion commander then stopped firing live ammunition and began firing Alpha grenades from a launcher - one of them aimed directly at the vehicle's windshield, while threatening, "I will kill you all.".
The battalion commander was later recorded threatening again in a phone call that he would "kill everyone" if the Border Police were not brought to the location to arrest the boys.
Locals emphasize that during this entire time, no physical violence was committed by the residents, who did not even resist the arrest. Moreover, one of the residents was even filmed calming another resident who was handcuffed behind his back, telling him: "Don't fight with them. They want you to fight with them, we will film everything.".
Following reports of shooting at residents, injured people at the scene, and fears for their lives, rescue forces, residents of nearby farms, and other civilians were called to the scene, who were also confronted with massive indiscriminate fire from tear gas and stun grenades.
As mentioned, as a result of a shooting by one of the soldiers, a teenager was wounded in his upper body and was treated in the field by United Hatzalah paramedics who provided him with initial medical treatment. An MDA intensive care unit evacuated the teenager to Hadassah Hospital. Absurdly and inconceivable, the police arrested the United Hatzalah paramedic who provided medical treatment to the injured man, and another resident who assisted in his evacuation.
The two were released after questioning.
In their full version, which was released after the end of Shabbat, the residents claim: "Despite the fact that a 14-year-old boy was seriously injured by soldiers' gunfire, the IDF spokesman throughout Shabbat avoided mentioning this fact in all the announcements and briefings he issued.".
Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital announced this evening: The boy who was injured in the events in the Binyamin sector is hospitalized in the intensive care unit, although his condition is described as mild and he is fully conscious, in preparation for surgery expected tomorrow.
Medical examinations indicate that the boy was hit by a live bullet and not a rubber bullet.
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