Israeli soldiers mercilessly beat up disabled Palestinian man in his bed

Israeli soldiers have violently beaten up a blind and paralyzed Palestinian man in front of his wife and children with no apparent reason in the West Bank town of Dawha, Haaretz reports. 

Munzer Mizhar, a 47-year-old retired medical technician, was beaten with what he felt were brass knuckles by Israeli forces who had stormed his house, early in the morning on February 20, the paper reported.

The Israeli forces allegedly broke the door and stormed the house after failing to apprehend a targeted individual living a floor above the Mizhar family.

The family explained that the beating lasted about five minutes, despite desperate attempts to notify the soldiers of Mizhar's dire health situation.

The soldiers refused to give any explanation for the ordeal and eventually left the house after forcing the family's four sons to get on their knees with faces pressed to the floor.

The victim, who suffered severe bleeding in the face along with wounds in both shoulders and hands, was taken to hospital for treatment. Mizhar currently has pains in his jaw and has difficulty eating food, further complicating his health condition.

Mizhar previously had his toes amputated and had lost his eyesight due to severe diabetes. He can barely move and needs dialysis treatment three times a week due to kidney failure.

The attack also severely traumatized Mizhar's family, especially his wife, Iman, who was at his side at the time of the assault.  

Asked about probable motives for the attack by Haartez, the victim's sister, Maysoun said, "They beat us all. The occupation beats us all. We are under occupation. This isn't the first time they beat someone for no reason, and it's not the last. What's new about it is that this time they beat a blind person.”

The Israeli military later published a statement downplaying the incident, claiming that Mizhar was injured after reacting "disruptively" to an operation that sought to "apprehend a wanted individual".

B'Tselem human rights group researcher Musa Abu Hashhash, however, described the incident as “the most shocking case I've ever documented.”

Israeli occupation forces commonly harass Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians report being frequently brutalized, intimidated and forced through "cattle pen" checkpoints under the occupation.

Last month, Israeli forces brutally assaulted a handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian while forcing his son to watch the ordeal. The incident prompted a leading Israeli news anchor to slam the Tel Aviv regime for turning troops into "human animals." 

The occupied territories have witnessed new tensions since US President Donald Trump announced Washington's recognition of the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital” on December 6, 2017.

The announcement triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories and elsewhere in the world.

In one of the latest developments last week, Palestinian worshipers managed to gain access to the Israeli-restricted Bab al-Rahma area of the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem al-Quds for the first time after 16 years.

The event unfolded after a public call to action was made by Palestinian clerics. Israel responded by banning a number of clerics from entering the city for one week.