Elderly Palestinian man dies during arrest by Israeli army
The 80-year-old man was assaulted and died of a heart attack in a village near Ramallah, his family members say.
Ramallah, occupied West Bank – An elderly Palestinian man has died during his arrest and assault by the Israeli army in the village of Jiljilya on the outskirts of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to his family and local Palestinian officials.
Omar Abdulmajeed Asaad, 80, was driving home at around 2:30am on Wednesday when he was stopped by Israeli soldiers during a military operation in the area.
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His nephew told local media from Ramallah hospital that “soldiers handcuffed him and blindfolded him, and dragged him on the ground”, and “when they saw that he died, they left”.
The family said he had breathing problems and died of a heart attack at the scene. Head of the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, Ahmad Bitawi, told Al Jazeera that Asaad had arrived dead at around 5:30am.
Bitawi said doctors are currently conducting comprehensive scans of his body, and that his case is now with forensic medicine and the public prosecution.
Yasser Qattoum, the Fatah movement’s secretary in Jiljilya, told Al Jazeera that the army was conducting an overnight raid.