Israeli Border Police Officer Throws Stun Grenade Into Palestinian Car, Traps Driver Inside

A video circulating on social media shows an Israeli border police officer throwing a stun grenade into a car carrying Palestinian passengers in occupied territory, then closing the door as the device detonates inside the vehicle. The incident took place in the Qalandia refugee camp, according to Hebrew media reports. On the same day, the Israeli military killed a 16-year-old Palestinian teenager and wounded two other minors in the area, Palestinian authorities said. Qalandia is home to a major military checkpoint that separates the West Bank city of Ramala from Jerusalem. Israel's Police said it is "taking the incident very seriously," according to the Times of Israel. The officer will be suspended and face disciplinary action after a formal investigation. "The attached documentation shows an officer acting in a manner that does not conform to procedures. Consequently, the incident has been referred to the Police Internal Investigations Department for a more thorough investigation," a statement said. In the security camera footage, the officer appears to argue with the driver, shouting, "Shut up, who are you talking to like that?" He then reaches for his belt, pulls out the grenade, and throws it inside the car while forcing the door shut, preventing the driver from exiting. The stun grenade explodes inside the vehicle with the driver and passengers still inside. Smoke is seen leaking from the door crack. Two passengers in the back seat open the door and escape. The officer points his weapon at them and fires as they crouch behind the car with their hands raised. The officer then walks away while insulting the two men. They do not appear to have been injured, according to the Times of Israel, which also reported the driver was unharmed. "Shocking. This is what a nation looks like where the rules have been broken. This is an event that should shock us all; opening an investigation is not enough," Israeli lawmaker Naama Lazimi wrote on X, sharing the video. "It is time to change course." Separately on Sunday, the Israeli military killed a 16-year-old Palestinian teenager and wounded two other minors in Qalandia, Palestinian authorities said. The Palestinian Red Crescent earlier reported that its teams treated "a young man shot in the thigh with live ammunition during an Israeli incursion" in the same camp. Also Sunday, a four-month-old Palestinian baby died after being blocked from reaching a hospital in time at a military checkpoint at the entrance to the town of Deir Amar, near Ramala, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. The Israeli NGO B'Tselem published a report Monday denouncing 54 deaths of Palestinian children and teenagers from Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank in 2025. The military is holding 18 bodies, preventing burial. Over two years and eight months, from October 7, 2023, to June 7, 2026, Israeli forces killed 236 Palestinian children and teenagers in the West Bank, while five others were killed by settlers, the report said. The NGO stressed that no Israeli soldier has been charged for these deaths and described a policy of "reckless" fire that gives soldiers "a license to kill."