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Hospital Raid Video Offers Rare Glimpse into Israeli Undercover Unit
(AP-U.S. News) Josef Federman - Security camera footage of an Israeli arrest raid in a West Bank hospital in Hebron on Thursday gave a rare glimpse into the undercover units that Israel contends are a key tool in preventing violence. In the footage, Israeli officers disguised as Palestinian civilians in Arab garb, including some wearing fake moustaches and beards or dressed as women, burst into the hospital and dragged away a wanted Palestinian. The Israeli military identified the target of the raid as Azzam Shalaldeh, accused of stabbing and severely wounding an Israeli man in the West Bank last month. Shalaldeh was in the hospital after being shot by his stabbing victim. During the raid, Shalaldeh's cousin, Abdallah, attacked the Israeli forces and was shot. The army said the cousins are "known Hamas operatives." Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon praised Thursday's raid. He said small undercover units can today do the work that once required entire military divisions. "We are not just on the defensive. We are also on the offensive," he said. Emanuel Gross, an expert on military law at the University of Haifa, said "there is no prohibition" under international law from entering a hospital to arrest a suspect. The Israel Security Agency, which participated in the raid, said Israel will not allow wanted suspects to seek cover in "places of refuge."