Allegedly Throwing Explosives At Palestinian Residents' Houses, Israel Arrests Three Soldiers

Illustration of the Israeli military. (Wikimedia Commons/יורם שורק)

JAKARTA - The Israeli authorities say several of its soldiers have been arrested, after allegedly throwing explosives at a Palestinian house in Bethlehem, as tensions continue to simmer in the occupied West Bank.

The military said several Druze soldiers were arrested early Monday on suspicion of targeting a house in the town. It said an investigation had been opened into the incident, reported by The National News on November 28.

While quoting Haaretz, the throwing was allegedly in retaliation for the kidnapping of the body of Tiran Ferro, an 18-year-old high school student who was injured in a car accident in the West Bank.

On November 22, Ferro, a resident of the Druze town of Daliat al-Carmel, was traveling in a friend's vehicle when a traffic accident occurred near Jenin. Both were later treated in hospitals in the West Bank.

While his friend was later transferred to Israel to be treated via military helicopter, Palestinian medical officials believe Ferro's transfer would put his life at risk. As a result, he remained at the Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, where he was later kidnapped by Palestinian gunmen.

Ferro's family claims the teenager was still alive when Palestinian gunmen stormed the hospital and took his body.

It is believed the gunmen carried out the kidnapping because they believed Ferro was an Israeli soldier working undercover, a Palestinian official explained to Haaretz.

The Palestinian official added that the evacuation of the wounded by military helicopters, increased safety alert, and the operation of the drone over Jenin, strengthened the claim that Ferro was not an ordinary civilian.

An agreement was finally reached on November 23 to return the body, for which it was later transferred to a Red Crescent ambulance which began its journey to Israel. But during the ride, gunmen took control of the vehicle and kidnapped the body a second time.

On November 24, Ferro's body was returned to Israel. According to the IDF (Israeli military), the bodies were removed "after the efforts of the security forces in coordination with the Palestinian Authority."

"I condemn and denounce any act of violence. There is no justification or sign of legitimacy for any illegal action against a person or property. This is not the way and is not the spirit of IDF soldiers and Druze soldiers in particular. We must wait for the investigation to be completed before judgment done. I trust the investigating authorities and IDF commanders," said Druze community leader Sheikh Mowafeq Tarif.