New Jersey man says he was shot by Israel Defense Forces while protesting in West Bank

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — A Jersey City man says he was shot by the Israeli military while protesting in the West Bank.

It happened near the town of Beita on Aug. 9.

IDF shot at protesters in West Bank, N.J. man says

Daniel Santiago, an activist with Faz3a Global, said the demonstration started peacefully with prayer and chanting, then the Israel Defense Forces became aggressive.

“There was teargas shot at us, live rounds. We hid behind a concrete wall when the live rounds happened,” he said.  

Santiago said his group ran when they got the chance, and they encountered some Palestinians. He said the shooting continued.

“When they picked me up, I saw that there was a hole in my leg and there was blood,” he said.

Santiago showed CBS News New York the exit wound of the bullet that pierced his thigh.

The IDF says troops used riot dispersal methods and fired into the air to break up a violent riot, but Santiago says the military was firing in their direction.

“It went straight through my thigh from the back all the way through the front. Unless bullets can go up and through, I would say that is false,” Santiago said.

American woman fatally shot while protesting in West Bank

Last Friday, Aysenur Eygi, another United States national, was in Beita to protest Israeli occupation in the West Bank with the International Solidarity Mission. Santiago says like him, she was also shot two days after arriving.

“It was 30 minutes after the protest ended, and she intentionally was away from any place that would be close to high risk,” Santiago said.

According to CBS News, the Israeli military confirmed the shooting. The IDF told CBS in a statement that troops “responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them.” The 26-year-old woman was shot in the head and killed.

“If something was done when I was shot, maybe she’d still be here,” Santiago said.

Santiago expresses his sympathies to the friends and family of his fellow American.

While his recovery could potentially take months, he says he knew there was a risk going to the West Bank, but wants these shootings investigated further.