Arutz Sheva - Israel National News has learned that Israeli Police officials contacted the commanders of an IDF soldier arrested on suspicion of shooting toward Palestinian Arab children in the Binyamin Region and asked them not to interfere with his military service or training.
According to police sources, the commanders were asked to allow the soldier to continue his training using an alternative weapon, as his personal weapon was confiscated following his arrest and remains in police custody as part of the investigation.
Investigators are still awaiting the removal of a bullet lodged in the back of an injured Palestinian child. The bullet is expected to undergo forensic examination by the police Criminal Identification Department to determine whether it can be linked to the soldier’s weapon.
A police source said, “Until we receive the forensic unit’s assessment of who fired, whether the soldier was the one who fired, and whether the bullet from his weapon hit the child’s back, the soldier can complete his training in the IDF."
The soldier was arrested over the weekend following a report that a Palestinian child had been wounded by gunfire near the village of Al-Mu’ir.
However, the Honenu legal aid organization and residents of farms in the area maintain that the soldier did not fire his weapon during the incident. According to their account, he was on leave and arrived at the scene to assist a shepherd who had come under attack.
Honenu said the soldier remained at the scene while waiting for security forces to arrive and did not fire any shots. According to the organization, IDF forces subsequently acted to disperse rioters at the site.
Attorney Nati Rom, who represents the soldier, also denied the allegation following his arrest, stating that his client “did not carry out any shooting in the incident."
The investigation remains ongoing, with police awaiting the forensic examination of the bullet and other findings that could determine who fired the shot and whether the bullet that struck the child came from the soldier’s weapon.