Disputing IDF, medics claim Hebron assailant wasn’t checked for bomb

The Magen David Adom emergency medical service has offered an account of last Thursday’s shooting of a disarmed Palestinian assailant by an IDF soldier that conflicts with the account publicized by the army.

The central discrepancy between the two organizations is over whether the assailant, Abd al-Fattah Yusri al-Sharif, had been inspected by soldiers for an explosive vest or other type of weapon, which could have been used to harm first responders.

Responding to criticism over the fact that medics had not treated the two Palestinian assailants at the scene, MDA director Eli Bin called for an investigation into the incident to determine if the medics had acted appropriately. On Monday night, the ambulance service published its findings, declaring the medical teams had acted “without flaw.”

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The delay in treatment was due solely to safety concerns, the MDA report said.

“The risk of an explosive device or other dangerous element had not been removed, due to the fact that the terrorist was supine on the ground with a jacket (on a hot day) and that no security officer in the field had dispelled the concern,” the organization said in a statement.

Not so, the army said.

An IDF official reiterated on Tuesday that al-Sharif had been checked by an officer at the scene for an “explosive device or other weapon” and that none was found.

The official would not directly address the claims made by Magen David Adom, but said: “I will clarify this: An officer did check the Palestinian assailant who was incapacitated. He physically checked him.”

No dedicated police sapper was called to the scene of the attack — it would have been a fairly irregular move in such an incident — “but from the perspective of the officer, there was no threat there,” the official said.

A picture showing the knife allegedly used in a Hebron stabbing attack, next to an IDF helmet, on March 24, 2016. (courtesy)

On Thursday morning, al-Sharif and another Palestinian man, Ramzi Aziz al-Qasrawi, attacked a soldier and an officer near the Tel Rumeida neighbor of Hebron. The pair managed to stab the soldier in the shoulder and arm, before the officer was able to shoot the two attackers.

Two to three minutes later, both IDF and MDA medics arrived at the scene, according to the army. The medics rushed to help the moderately injured soldier, while al-Qasrawi and al-Sharif were left bleeding on the sidewalk.

Al-Qasrawi died of his wounds quickly, while al-Sharif remained alive, but barely moving in the street.

More than 10 minutes after the initial stabbing attack, a soldier who had only just arrived an the scene loaded his weapon and shot al-Sharif in the head, killing him.

The soldier, whose actions were caught on film, is now being investigated for murder. Video from the scene shocked the country and drew quick condemnation from the prime minister, defense minister and IDF chief, who denounced the shooter as “not representing the values of the IDF.”

(Video contains graphic images)

In addition to the criticism of the soldier, however, the actions — or lack thereof — of the medics and other soldiers on the scene were also called into question.

At no point in time did IDF or MDA medics attempt to treat the injured assailants, despite the IDF Medical Corps and the civilian MDA organization claiming they treat based on severity of wounds, not the identity of the injured person.

The IDF Medical Corps’s oath similarly requires medical personnel to provide treatment for victims and attackers alike. “I swear on this day to give a helping hand to every injured and every sick… if it is a friend or an enemy, and to every person as a human being,” the oath reads.

Three IDF officers were officially reprimanded by their brigade commander following the incident for not providing medical treatment to the two Palestinian assailants, a military source said.

Magen David Adom did not reply to a Times of Israel request for comment on the discrepancy.