One more thing about ‘neighbor procedure’: I remember for sure at least two more cases in my team, one where a child was forced to enter and another time, I think it was an adult, who was made to go into a house, turn on the lights and open the doors, and that information was not passed on to the forces on radio, that someone was entering the house to open everything. I was in the peripheral closing teams, and suddenly I saw a door open and someone peeking out. My instinctive reaction was to raise my gun and almost shoot, because I know the house is empty. There’s no one there, supposedly, everyone’s been removed, and if anyone is still inside, it must be a terrorist who didn’t come out when we called out. Suddenly a door opens and someone comes out. Your first instinct is to raise the gun, the next is to shoot. Luckily I didn’t, because I identified that it was a child. But hey, if it had been a bit darker, if he would have just peeped out, lots of ifs – I would have opened fire, perhaps.
How old was he?
In this specific case, I don’t know. I can estimate, you know, 12. I think it was in Ilar, Salfit, I don’t remember, one of those villages.