Palestinian ‘used by Israel as human shield’ dies of wounds

A Palestinian man succumbed to his wounds on Sunday, a month after Israeli forces detained him in the occupied West Bank, before using him as a human shield by placing him in front of a military Jeep during his arrest, The New Arab’s Arabic language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

The man, identified as Zaher Raddad, was from the town of Saida, located northeast of Tulkarm in the West Bank, where he was wounded and detained by Israeli forces on 23 July.

He was later transferred to the intensive care unit in an Israeli hospital where he remained for over one month.

According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, his family said that during his time in detention, they did not receive sufficient information about his condition or the exact natures of his wounds.

His uncle, Mohammed, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that they had no details on his injuries.

"The family was in contact with the lawyer, the prisoners’ institutions, and Doctors Without Borders, and all the information they received was that he had been in intensive care for over a month since his arrest while injured on 23 July," he said.

He also added that any information he did receive about Raddad was conflicting.

The family were told he was wounded on the right side of his chest, but other information they received stated he was wounded in the thigh.

Eyewitnesses told the family that Raddad was placed on the front of an Israeli military Jeep as a human shield for over two hours, which worsened his injuries and greatly harmed his health.

Raddad was detained in the Ezbet Al-Jarad area, with Israeli forces accusing him of attempted murder and manufacturing explosives.

The family held a funeral in the town of Saida, despite not receiving any information about the decision to get Raddad’s body back to be buried, fearing that his body, like that of many Palestinians, will be held by Israel as a form of collective punishment.

According to reports, Palestinians circulated a video of Raddad being used as a human shield last month.

Raddad’s death takes the toll of Palestinians dying in Israeli prisons since 7 October to 23, the Palestinian Prisoners Club said in a statement, which highlighted that this number only includes who have had their identities announced.

There has been no Israeli statement on Raddad’s death.

Since the start of the war on Gaza on 7 October, there has been an uptick in Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank, with over 600 Palestinians killed and more than 10,000 Palestinians detained.