Israeli forces, dressed in civilian clothes, conducted a raid on a hospital in the northern occupied West Bank to detain an alleged Palestinian militant who had been injured in an Israeli airstrike that resulted in the deaths of two Hamas members. The incident took place on Wednesday night when around 20 undercover Israeli special forces, disguised in doctors', nurses', and female Palestinians' attire, stormed the hospital in Nablus.
An anonymous hospital official reported that the operation, including storming the hospital, kidnapping the suspect, and leaving, lasted less than six minutes. Video footage captured Israeli forces, one of whom was wearing a white medical coat, wheeling the suspect out of the hospital in a wheelchair and into an unmarked van.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the detainee, Ayman Ghanam, was involved in a shooting attack near an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank in August, resulting in the death of an Israeli civilian and injury to another. The IDF justified the raid as a response to an 'elimination attempt' on the alleged militant.
The International Committee of the Red Cross highlighted that international law prohibits perfidy, which includes pretending to be a civilian to harm an adversary. The Palestinian Ministry of Health condemned the raid as a violation of international laws protecting medical facilities and patients, while the IDF claimed the operation aimed to minimize harm to hospital staff and patients.
This incident follows a similar event in January when Israeli special forces infiltrated a hospital in Jenin, resulting in the deaths of three Palestinian men. Ghanam, who was injured in an Israeli airstrike near Aqaba, was receiving treatment at the hospital when the raid occurred.
The IDF emphasized its commitment to combating terrorism in the region to ensure the safety of Israeli civilians. The Palestinian Ministry of Health and Hamas' military wing, the Qassam Brigades, have expressed strong objections to the Israeli military actions in the West Bank.
