Sky News analysis has found Israeli soldiers pushed at least four apparently lifeless bodies from the roof of a building in the occupied West Bank on Thursday.
Warning: Some readers may find the content in this story distressing.
Videos posted on social media and footage obtained by the Associated Press (AP) news agency show soldiers kicking and throwing bodies from the top of a building during a raid in Qabatiya.
While it’s been reported that three bodies were pushed from the roof by Israeli soldiers, Sky News analysis of geolocated videos reveals that in fact at least four bodies were pushed.
In response, the Israeli military said it is a “serious incident that does not coincide with IDF values and the expectations from IDF soldiers” and added what happened is “under review”.
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Video obtained by AP shows Israeli soldiers pushing bodies off the roof of a building in the West Bank. Credit: AP
Under international law, soldiers are supposed to ensure dead bodies, including those of enemy combatants, are treated decently.
A video posted online and geolocated by Sky News shows what is likely the first body which Israeli soldiers pushed from the roof of the building in Qabatiya.
The first 12 seconds of this video shows what we have identified as another body which the three Israeli soldiers drag towards the edge of the building before pushing it off. This is not seen in the footage obtained by AP.
We have decided not to publish it in full for editorial reasons.
This screenshot shows the Israeli soldiers before they throw the second body off the building seen in the AP footage (left) and in footage posted online (right). Pic: AP
The video then continues and shows two more bodies dragged and thrown from the roof of the same building.
The second and third bodies thrown in the video match the footage obtained by AP. The soldiers drag the second body before throwing it off the building.
The footage then shows a soldier taking a third body and kicking it five times before throwing it off the edge of the building.
Another video filmed from a different angle and geolocated by Sky News also shows this moment.
A soldier kicks the third body five times before it falls from the building with the footage from AP on the left and footage posted online on the right.
The footage obtained by AP also shows a fourth body thrown off the building on the platform below.
We were able to confirm the chronology of what happened by analysing which bodies were visible in the videos we reviewed.
The fourth body on the platform below was thrown off the building last, as it is visible in videos showing bodies being thrown off the platform above.
The incident was also witnessed by an AP journalist who saw the soldiers push three bodies off the roof of the building.
Screenshots taken from the footage obtained by AP show the soldiers drag the body before it’s thrown off the building. Pic: AP
Israel said its troops had killed four militants during operations in Qabatiya on Thursday.
The bodies were pushed from the roof of a building just north of two schools – Qabatiya Boys Elementary School and Izzat Abu Al-Rab Secondary School.
Sky News geolocated the footage using distinctive features, including the school buildings.
The footage was geolocated using distinctive features
It is the latest in a series of apparent violations by Israeli forces since the start of the Israel-Hamas war that rights groups say show a pattern of excessive force toward Palestinians.
“There is no military need to do this. It’s just a savage way of treating Palestinian bodies,” said Shawan Jabarin, the director of Palestinian rights group Al-Haq, after watching the footage.
Mr Jabarin said the video was shocking but not surprising, and he was doubtful Israel would properly investigate.
