The IDF said on Monday it was dismissing two officers and would reprimand a battalion commander over the death of an elderly Palestinian earlier this month that it said resulted from "a moral failure and poor decision-making."
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Omar Abdalmajeed Asad, 78, who was also a US national, was found dead after being detained by Israeli troops in Jiljilya village in the occupied West Bank on Jan. 12. A Palestinian autopsy found Asad, who had pre-existing heart conditions, had suffered sudden cardiac arrest caused by the stress of being manhandled
In a summary of its investigation on Monday, the military said it found that Asad had refused to cooperate with troops operating in the area and that "his hands were tied and he was gagged for a short time."
"The soldiers did not identify signs of distress or other suspicious signs concerning As'ad's health. The soldiers assessed that As'ad was asleep and did not try to wake him. The investigation concluded that the incident was a grave and unfortunate event, resulting from a moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the soldiers."
A core value of the Israeli military – to protect human life – had been violated, it said.
"It was further determined that there was no use of violence during the incident apart from when Assad was apprehended after refusing to cooperate," it said. "The soldiers failed in their obligations by leaving Assad lying on the floor without the required treatment and without reporting the incident back to their commanders."
