Man’s beating caught on video

JERUSALEM — A 33- year- old Palestinian man was killed early on Thursday by Israeli soldiers who are seen on a security camera video kicking and beating him with their rifles after he comes charging down an alley, carrying a long object on his shoulder.

The Israeli military confirmed that the video showed parts of a predawn arrest raid in the West Bank.

An army statement initially said Palestinians attacked troops during the raid and that an armed man tried to grab a soldier’s gun. In a later statement, it said the man ran toward soldiers with an iron rod and tried to attack the soldiers.

The statement said troops responded “by opening fire, confronted the terrorist at close proximity and managed to block him.” It added that a knife was found on the man. The army said he was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The grainy video shows an alley lined by storefronts. A man is seen throwing stones in the direction of soldiers who are in one of the stores. Seconds later, a man is seen charging down the alley carrying a long object with three legs, like a tripod, on his shoulder. He is heading in the direction of the store where the soldiers are. Once he is at the store, one of the soldiers jumps out, aiming his rifle at him. The man drops to the ground. The soldier kicks him and beats him with his rifle. Several other soldiers join in, also kicking and beating him, before pulling him into the store.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said Israel later informed the family of Yassin al- Saradih of his death. The Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted a relative, Ismail al- Masri, as saying soldiers beat al- Saradih “as soon as he approached his uncle’s house to check why the army was raiding it.”

The military said the incident is under investigation.