February 22, 2018: Yassin Omar Saradeeh, 33,was killed by Israeli soldiers who shot him, then beat him repeatedly while he was lying on the ground.
According to witnesses, Yassin heard a commotion at his uncle Khamis Hattab’s house, and rushed to see what was going on. The soldiers ambushed and shot him, then beat him up, including hitting him with their rifles.
The Israeli army abducted the severely wounded Palestinian, and several hours later, said that he died from his wounds.
Ismael al-Masri, Yassin’s brother-in-law, said that a group of soldiers jumped at Yassin, and started beating him up on various parts of his body, including his stomach and back, and dragged him away.
The head of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society in Jericho, Eid Barahma, said the soldiers informed the Yassin’s family about his death on Thursday at dawn, and added that the young man was brutally beaten by the soldiers, before he was dragged into a military vehicle.
Palestinian Minister of Detainees Issa Qaraqe said Yassin was assaulted the moment he was shot and captured by the soldiers, who continued to beat him up despite his wounds.
It is worth mentioning that a surveillance video of the attack shows a muzzle flash the moment the soldiers jumped at the young man, just as they began to beat him.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) called for an immediate and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his death, expressing concerns that the Israeli forces might have tortured and beaten him while in custody, leading to his death.
According to PCHR’s investigations and eyewitnesses’ accounts, at approximately 04:30 on Thursday, 22 February 2018, Israeli forces moved into Jericho. They raided and searched a house belonging to Khamis Hattab in the center of the city after breaking down the main house door in addition to damaging some of the house contents. His nephew, Yassin ‘Omer al-Saradih (33) headed to the house to figure out what was going on. However, immediately, a number of Israeli soldiers severely beat him up throughout his body and then fired a tear gas canister on the spot. They then pulled him on the ground to a military vehicle and later to an unknown destination.
At approximately 09:30 on the same day, the family received a phone call from the Palestinian Military Liaison telling then that the Israeli Liaison informed them of the death of their son, which the army claimed was due to gas inhalation and seizures. A video captured by a surveillance camera showed 6 Israeli soldiers attacking Yassin and brutally beating him up using their riffles’ butts and feet.
His family said to PCHR’s fieldworker that their son had not suffered from any health issues before his abduction. It should be mentioned that the Israeli authorities held the corpse and have not so far handed it back to the family or the Palestinian authorities.
PCHR noted in their report that Palestinian civilians who are abducted by the Israeli military are frequently subjected to severe beating, physical and psychological torture, and inhuman and degrading treatment.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Rayan al-Ali, who participated in the autopsy of Yassin, said that the Palestinian man was killed by a bullet in his abdomen, which was fired at point-blank range.
The bullet, which struck Yassin, cause massive internal bleeding, and severed the left common iliac artery, then exiting through his back.
The autopsy also revealed multiple fractures in the pelvis, in addition to various cuts and bruises indicative of having been beaten.
Dr. al-Ali was chosen by the Palestinian Detainees Committee and the Justice Ministry to participate in the autopsy, which is carried out in conjunction with Israeli authorities.
The head of the Detainees Committee, Issa Qar’aqe’, said that Israel still hasn’t announced when they will transfer his body back to his family.
Qar’aqe’ said that, “Yassin was shot at point-blank range and was repeatedly beaten by the soldiers. The attack was caught on surveillance tape.” He also said that, “The autopsy reports void the Israeli suggestion that he was killed by seizures resulting from tear gas.”
Qar’aqe’ called for the prosecution of Israeli authorities at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, especially since Israeli policy has been to execute Palestinians, instead of arresting them. He added that the army could have easily arrested Yassin, but chose to shoot and beat him instead.
Yassin was from Jericho, in the eastern part of the West Bank. Source: IMEMC.