They were 'masked, in uniforms, but without any name tags or body cameras,' one witness said. The forces accused the group of belonging to Hamas, handcuffed one, beat him and threw him into a river, the witness added; The IDF and Border Police said no troops were at the scene
A Palestinian was attacked by Israelis wearing army and police uniforms overnight into Sunday while with friends at Auja wadi, a stream in the West Bank, according to testimonies received by Haaretz.
According to two eyewitnesses, the attackers were Israeli police officers and soldiers who wore masks, adding that some of them arrived at the scene in a Border Police car.
The witnesses said that the officers and soldiers shouted at the Palestinians "You are Hamas," handcuffed and beat one of them with wood and an M16 rifle, threw him into the stream and left him on a road a few miles from the site.
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The victim was later hospitalized at the Turkish Hospital in the nearby West Bank city of Tubas.
According to the medical report obtained by Haaretz, the victim arrived at the hospital unconscious. He suffered from broken teeth, a split lip, injuries to his legs, eye, back and fractures in his vertebrae and ribs.
The IDF said no soldiers were at the scene, and directed Haaretz to the police, who also said no officers were present, but that it had received a reported about a group of Palestinians who had set up a fire near the stream, and that it's possible Border Police had been there. The Border Police, however, said the army handled the case and advised Haaretz to contact the IDF.
The two witnesses told Haaretz that the incident occurred around 1 A.M. while the group was preparing tea and coffee. "We were six guys and we arrived in two cars. We were surprised when a Border Police car and a full size van [approached us]. They parked next to us and got out masked, in uniforms, but without any name tags or body cameras," said Bethlehem district resident Firas.
According to Firas, the Israeli forces told him and his friends that they were not allowed to stay there and ordered them to put out the fire.
"We were about to leave, but then they caught us," he said. "They asked for our IDs, took our phones and searched each one of them."
Firas added that the Israeli forces accused the group of being "Hamas and Islamic Jihad," despite the fact he and his friends told them that they all had work permits.
According to the two witnesses, during the phone checks, the masked Israeli forces handcuffed Layth Awina and covered his eyes while the rest of the group sat in one of the cars. "They started telling him 'You are Hamas' while throwing him on the ground and beating him."
The witnesses added that the forces then picked up a piece of wood they found on the ground and began hitting his head and body with it. "They also beat him with an M-16 rifle. We were sitting in the car and saw them beating him," Firas said.
At one point, Awina was thrown into the stream, the witnesses added. "It was something abnormal," said the second witness who chose to remain anonymous.
At that point, their phones were still being held by those who identified themselves as "security forces," all of whom were armed.
The witnesses noted that most of them wore olive-green uniforms, in addition to a police officer and two female soldiers who did not take part in the others' violent behavior. They added that a white car arrived at the scene later, and two additional security forces members got out of it.
The witnesses added that at one point, a police officer ordered them to leave while their friend Awina was left behind. After leaving the scene, they encountered a police patrol and were even fined.
"We reported what happened to the Palestinian Coordination and Liaison Office. The army denied he [Layth Awina] was in their custody, and we tried to find out where he was," Finas said.
According to the witnesses, they did not know what had happened to Awina until 8 A.M. "We discovered eventually that they had thrown him on the road near the Hamra checkpoint," Firas added.
The Hamra checkpoint (also known as Beka'ot) is located several dozen kilometers from the Auja wadi stream.
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