(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — A Jewish settler narrowly escaped death due to his anger and hatred towards a Palestinian flag he encountered in an open area of the illegal Jewish settlement “Kohav Hashahar” in the West Bank.
The 28-year-old man, who is also a member of the Israeli reserve forces, became enraged after spotting the Palestinian flag planted in a bushy area along the highway and attempted to kick it down in an effort to remove the flag.
Unbeknownst to him, the Palestinian flag was a booby trap, and as soon as he kicked the flag, a small bomb exploded from beneath it, nearly costing him his life.
The armed Israeli settler, identified as Israeli Levi, sustained injuries to several parts of his body and his hand and was transported to a hospital for treatment.
The reckless act of the settler kicking the Palestinian flag and the subsequent explosion was captured by a highway user and went viral on social media.
Speaking to Israeli media, the settler said it was a powerful explosion and he was fortunate that the bomb detonated beside him and not directly underneath, which could have caused more severe injuries or death.
He also stated that the incident did not frighten him but that he would be more cautious in the future.
At the same time, he vowed to seek revenge against those responsible for setting up the booby trap.
The Israeli military has reportedly deployed its forces to the location of the incident in an effort to find those responsible for planting the booby-trapped Palestinian flag.
Today’s incident in the West Bank mirrors a similar event in November 2018 when four Israeli soldiers attempted to remove Palestinian flags planted at the border fence in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Unbeknownst to them, Palestinian fighters had placed explosives in one of the flags, and when the Israeli soldiers attempted to remove it, a strong explosion occurred, causing severe injuries to the four Israeli soldiers.
This incident prompted Israel to launch an airstrike on Gaza, resulting in the death of a 17-year-old Palestinian teenager. — DSA