Eight members of the Israeli security forces and one civilian have been arrested for the alleged abduction and assault of a Palestinian man in August, according to the Department for Internal Police Investigations (DIPI). The suspects include four police officers, four soldiers, and a civilian, who reportedly attacked the man near Nahal Auja in the West Bank, north of Kochav Hashahar settlement.
An official involved in the investigation revealed that the attackers claimed the victim was affiliated with Hamas, though no evidence supported this suspicion. Following the assault, the man was taken to another location and abandoned. He was later found and treated for injuries.
“This incident crossed a red line,” an investigator told Channel 12, emphasizing that law enforcement must operate within legal boundaries even when suspicion arises. “The moment they deemed him ‘suspicious,’ the violence erupted without justification,” the official added.
The DIPI, operating under the Justice Ministry, conducted a covert investigation alongside military police before apprehending the suspects. The civilian, identified as Saar Ofir from the Elkana settlement, was reportedly involved in a separate incident in July, where he was suspected of killing a Hamas detainee in Gaza.
The suspects are now facing legal proceedings, with police officers and the civilian brought to the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court and soldiers appearing before a military court.
Incidents of settler and security force violence against Palestinians have increased significantly following the October 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel, which killed over 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage. Rights groups have criticized the lack of accountability in similar cases, noting that arrests are rare and convictions even more so.