Update: Ali Sha’rawi said his brother Mohammad, 25, did not snatch the soldier’s weapon, adding that what happened was that the soldier struck Mohammad with his weapon before it accidentally fell inside his car, causing him to panic and drive away.
“My brother was driving an unlicensed car, and when the soldier stopped him and asked him for his ID and registration, he only handed him his ID, an issue that angered the soldier who struck my brother with his gun before he lost grip of it, causing it to fall into Mohammad’s lap.” Ali said, “My brother panicked; he was afraid the soldiers would kill him and claim he was trying to attack them or take the weapon. So, he drove away to save his life from imminent death, just like how so many Palestinians were killed at roadblocks for simple traffic accidents or misinterpretation by the soldiers.”
Ali added that his brother went to a Palestinian Preventative Security Center in Hebron, where he handed the officers the soldier’s weapon and informed them of what happened before asking them to detain him.”
“My brother did not attack or attempt to attack the soldiers; he did not deliberately take the weapon,” Ali said, “Mohammad was just terrified and panicked. What happened was an accident that could have led to his death.”
The Israeli army said it is in pursuit of the Palestinian who according to the army “grabbed an M-16 rifle from the soldier and escaped.”
Updated From Jun 8, 2022, at 12:06:
On Wednesday, the Israeli army said it is looking for a Palestinian who reportedly snatched a weapon from a soldier at a military roadblock near Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
The army said the soldiers stopped a car driven by a young Palestinian man at a military roadblock near the al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, before he snatched the rifle from one of the soldiers and fled the scene.
The Maan News Agency said, according to the army, the Palestinian’s identity is known to the soldiers, adding that the young man escaped in the direction of the nearby town of Doura.
After the incident, the soldiers invaded several surrounding areas and installed roadblocks, especially at the main entrance of Doura, and Abda village, looking for the Palestinian.
The soldiers stopped and searched dozens of cars and interrogated the Palestinians while inspecting their ID cards.
On Wednesday dawn, the army invaded and searched many homes across the occupied West Bank and abducted nineteen Palestinians.
In the Gaza Strip, Israeli navy ships attacked Palestinian fishing boats near Gaza city and abducted two fishermen.
