Israel army admits 'unintentionally' driving over dead man’s body

AFP | Jerusalem, Undefined                                                       

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Israel's military said yesterday one of their vehicles "unintentionally" ran over the body of a Palestinian during a gun battle in the occupied West Bank earlier this week.

Palestinian officials accused Israel of committing a "brutal crime" after social media footage revealed a military vehicle running over a dead man in the city of Tulkarem late on Monday The military said they had been helping police in a counter-terrorism operation that resulted in an exchange of fire and the deaths of three.

"The operational vehicle that is seen in the video was dispatched in order to extricate the force that was caught under heavy fire, and unintentionally ran over the terrorist's body," the Israeli military said in response to an AFP request for comment.

The military said it would review what had happened and added that the video "does not show the incident in its entirety".

The footage of Monday's incident, shared on social media, appears to be taken from a security camera and shows an armoured vehicle slowly driving over what seems to be a lifeless body.

The vehicle then stops, restarts and drives off, crushing the body again with its back wheels.