Scene of Hevron attack
Scene of Hevron attackWissam Hashlamon/Flash90

The investigation committee of the Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency medical organization examined the conduct of MDA teams in the terror attack in Hevron last Thursday, in which an IDF soldier shot a wounded terrorist.

In the incident, the soldier was filmed by an activist of the radical leftist NGO B'Tselem shooting a terrorist on the ground, minutes after the terrorist together with an accomplice stabbed and wounded a soldier. The soldier has been arrested and charged with murder.

The MDA committee submitted its findings on Monday to the organization's director Eli Bein, and in doing so gave backing to the soldier's defense - the soldier insists he shot the terrorist over concerns he was moving to detonate a bomb belt that was thought to be hidden under his unseasonable coat.

MDA deputy director Ronen Bashari led the committee which, following an in-depth investigation, came to several key conclusions.

Most significantly, the committee determined that at the scene of the attack concerns that the terrorist had an explosive or some other weapon on him had not been ruled out. The terrorist lay on the ground wearing a heavy coat despite the warm weather, and no security source had ruled out the concerns.

In such circumstances MDA teams are forbidden from treating terrorists, and therefore the teams behaved according to regulations by not approaching the terrorist.

The finding backs witness testimony from the scene about concerns regarding a bomb belt, and video footage showing the IDF at the scene said not to approach the terrorist until a bomb sapper arrived. The finding also counters claims aired by IDF sources on Saturday night, according to which an officer had checked the terrorist and found he had no bomb on him.

Another conclusion drawn by the committee was that medical teams are expected to be active and request that security forces at the scene of an attack confirm that it is safe to treat wounded terrorists.

MDA emphasized that the committee's findings show that their teams were not deficient in their conduct during the incident.

The organization clarified that it will continue to work in full cooperation with the security forces, and will make efforts to hold refresher courses regarding work protocols in the field.

"MDA teams provide medical treatment to every person without any considerations other than their medical condition and the seriousness of their wounds," said the organization.