Palestine man recounts being shot and used as human shield by Israeli army

Mujahid Abbadi still can't believe that he remained alive after being strapped to the hood of a military vehicle by Israeli forces as a human shield.

"I expected to die," the 24-year-old Palestinian, who is being treated at Ibn Sina Hospital in the West Bank city of Jenin, told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.

"I was shot, beaten, and strapped to the hood of an Israeli military vehicle, I thought I would die," he said.

A video shared on social media on Saturday showed Abbadi lying across the front of the Israeli jeep as it drove through a neighborhood of Jenin.

The young man appeared slumped on the hood of the vehicle as it drove past Palestinian Red Crescent (PRCS) ambulances.

"This criminal occupation is doing anything forbidden," Abbadi said. "What happened to me is the tip of the iceberg of what is happening in the Gaza Strip."

Knives cutting through me

Recounting the incident, the young Palestinian said Israeli occupation forces had besieged a house in the Jabriyat neighbourhood in Jenin.

"At that time, I was in my uncle's house. My cousin and I tried to return home, but soldiers fired at us," he said.

"My cousin was wounded but he managed to return home. I fell behind a vehicle parked in front of the house, was shot in the right shoulder and the right leg, and left unable to move," Abbadi said.

"I bled for about two hours until Israeli soldiers approached. They hit me on my head. They intentionally caused harm, dragged me by my injured legs, and brutally beat my wounded shoulder.

"A group of soldiers then threw me in the air, badly harming my wounds, and finally strapped me to the hood of the military vehicle."

He recalled that the hood of the military vehicle was scalding hot and caused burns to his back and legs.

"I felt like knives were cutting through me," the gunshot-wounded Abbadi said. "I was handed over to Palestinian paramedics four hours later.”

Living a nightmare

Abbadi needs several months of medical attention to recover from his wounds.

"The wounds have turned my life upside down. I was like any normal person, building my life and future. Now everything is destroyed," he said.

"The wounds will surely negatively impact my life and mobility."

The young Palestinian said he has been living a nightmare since the incident.

"When I doze off, I wake up in panic, not knowing why," he said.

"Although I feel mentally well, reality isn't like that."

On Monday, the US State Department called the use of Abbadi as a human shield by Israeli forces "shocking."

Spokesperson Matthew Miller said the State Department has reviewed the "shocking" footage circulated on social media, adding that people "should never be used as human shields."

US has condemned Israeli military atrocities on Palestinians, yet it continues to heavily arm the accused genocidal Israeli military.