Israeli man hurt by booby-trap bomb after kicking down Palestinian flag in West Bank
Video shows an unsuspecting Israeli man kicking down a Palestinian flag planted along a highway in the West Bank — and ending up injured when it turned out to be an explosive booby trap — as violence ramps up in the region.
The man, identified as an off-duty IDF reservist, had stopped by the roadside along Israeli Route 458 to remove the flag waving near the Israeli Kohav HaShahar settlement, the Times of Israel reports.
Harrowing footage of the incident shows the man marching through the tall grass as he makes his way to the lone flag and knocking it over with a swift kick.
But immediately after the flag falls, an explosion is triggered, toppling the Israeli man and covering him in smoke and debris.
Passengers inside the vehicle filming the incident could be heard gasping and yelling as there appeared to be no signs of the off-duty reservist.
Rescuers Without Borders, an Israeli volunteer organization, said the man was treated at the roadside for minor injuries and that he declined to be taken to a hospital.
The Israeli Defense Forces are investigating the incident.
The West Bank has continued to see escalating violence break out during the months-long war in the Gaza Strip, with Palestinians and Israelis clashing along the occupied settlements.
On Sunday, the IDF revealed that Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinian gunmen who opened fire and tried to stab a group of soldiers near the Hebron settlement.
The gunmen, who were not immediately identified, had pulled out a knife on the troops near the Beit Einun Junction around 7 a.m., with the second suspect firing at the soldiers.
Both suspects, who were confirmed to be 18 and 19 years old, were killed in the ensuing shootout, and no IDF soldiers were injured in the incident, according to the Israeli military.
The gunfight occurred within hours of another incident in the West Bank, where a woman tried to stab an IDF soldier at a checkpoint in the northside.
The female suspect was also killed after the IDF soldier opened fire, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The latest violence took place after the IDF began extensive raids in the Palestinian Nur Shams refugee camp along the West Bank.
At least 14 Palestinian militants have been killed in the raids as of Sunday, the IDF said in a statement, with nine Jewish soldiers wounded.
Nur Shams’ residents have identified only five of the dead, including a 16-year-old student, Palestinian officials said.
Earlier this month, a female IDF soldier was also shot and wounded in the West Bank near Nabi Ilyas by a Palestinian gunmen, with Hamas later claiming responsibility for the attack.
With Post wires
