Israeli soldiers knock three apparently lifeless bodies off roofs during a raid on the West Bank

Israeli soldiers pushed three apparently lifeless bodies off rooftops during a raid in the northern part of the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to an Associated Press journalist on the scene and a video obtained by AP.

An AP journalist in the town of Qabatiya witnessed three soldiers pushing the bodies from the roofs of neighboring multi-story buildings so they fell out of sight, the latest in a series of alleged violations by Israeli forces since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas that human rights groups say show a pattern of excessive violence against Palestinians.

“This is a serious incident that is not consistent with the IDF's values ​​and expectations of IDF soldiers,” the military said in a statement, using the appropriate acronym. “The incident is currently under review.”

Israel said its troops killed four fighters in operations in Qabatiya on Thursday.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah did not initially confirm the numerous deaths, but said that one person had been killed in the city and ten Palestinians had been hospitalized by Israeli gunfire.

In the video obtained by AP, three soldiers are seen picking up what appears to be a stiff body and then dragging it to the edge of the roof while soldiers stand on the ground below. The soldiers on the roof look over the edge before lifting the body down.

On an adjacent rooftop, soldiers hold another apparently lifeless body by its limbs and swing it over the edge. In a third, a soldier kicks a body toward the edge before it falls out of view. Photos taken by AP during Thursday's raid show an Israeli army bulldozer moving near the buildings where the bodies were dumped.

Other journalists on site also saw the bodies being pushed from the roofs.

The identity of the dead and the cause of death were not immediately known.

When the army withdraws from its attacks, it usually leaves behind any Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire. Occasionally, the army brings bodies to Israel.

Under international law, soldiers are obliged to ensure decent treatment of corpses, including those of enemy combatants.

“There is no military imperative to do this. It is simply a cruel way to treat Palestinian bodies,” said Shawan Jabarin, director of the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq, after seeing the footage.

Jabarin said the video was shocking but not surprising, and he doubted Israel would properly investigate the incident. Human rights groups say the Israeli military rarely prosecutes soldiers when they are harmed.

“The most that will happen is disciplinary action against soldiers, but there will be no real investigation and no real prosecution,” Jabarin said.

The AP reporter who witnessed the raid saw a blindfolded and shirtless Palestinian man kneeling in front of an Israeli army jeep and armed soldiers. Smoke was rising from several buildings that appeared to be damaged.

While the world's attention is focused on the far deadlier war in the Gaza Strip, less than 130 kilometers away, dozens of Palestinians have been killed, shot and arrested in the West Bank, where the Israeli military has been cracking down for months.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 700 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the war began on October 7. The northern West Bank has seen the worst violence since the war began.

Israel says the raids are necessary to quell the uprisings that have flared up since October 7. During this time, Palestinian gunmen have attacked Israelis at checkpoints and carried out several attacks inside Israel.

Earlier this month, Israel carried out its deadliest attack on the northern West Bank since the war began, killing at least 33 people.