Israel reacts to the viral video of a Palestinian man tied to the hood of an IDF vehicle | Watch

Hours after a video went viral showing a Palestinian detainee tied up on the hood of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vehicle, Israel reacted to the incident, stating that an investigation was being launched into it,

The footage showed a wounded man, identified as Mujahed Azmi, lying on the bonnet of a jeep as it drove past two ambulances in Jenin. The incident happened in the West Bank city of Jenin.

Azmi's family told Reuters that he was hit by gunfire from Israeli troops. Despite the family requesting an ambulance for Azmi, Israeli soldiers took him, strapped him on the hood of their jeep and drove off, the family alleged. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Israeli soldiers initially prevented paramedics from treating the man. He was eventually transferred to an ambulance and taken to hospital.

However, Israel said the man was shot and detained amid the gun battles by troops who suspected he was involved in the gunfire. The IDF said the action was against protocol and that the incident was being investigated.

"In violation of orders and standard operating procedures, the suspect was taken by the forces while tied on top of a vehicle. The conduct of the forces in the video of the incident does not conform to the values of the IDF [military]," it added. "The incident will be investigated and dealt with accordingly." The statement also said that the wounded man was transferred to the Palestinian Red Crescent for treatment.

The incident has sparked the use of a human shield by Israeli forces, with many equating it to an incident from the Second Intifada, when Israeli troops were criticised for tying Palestinians, including a 13-year-old boy, to the front of an army vehicle.  The use of human shields is prohibited by international law.

The IDF was banned from using Palestinians as human shields by the Israeli Supreme Court but has been accused of using the practice multiple times since, according to the Guardian.