Gazan man with Down syndrome found dead after Israeli military dog attack

Mohammed Bahar begged the animal to stop

Mohammed Bahar, 24, before he was attacked by an Israeli police dog on July 3 and found dead 10 days later. Photo: Bahar family

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

A Gazan man with Down syndrome died after an attack by a dog belonging to the Israeli army, his family told The National.

Mohammed Bahar, 24, who had speech difficulties, managed to shout “Please, stop” as the dog attacked him in his home in Gaza city on July 3.

His mother, Nabila, said Israeli troops had surrounded the family of 12.

“The children heard the sound of Israeli soldiers and started to cry with fear, she said. “We started to call out, saying that we are civilians.”

A dog appeared as Mr Bahar sat on a couch. The family tried to pull him aside but the dog attacked, biting

his shoulder.

“I started to scream, ‘Please help him’,” Ms Bahar said.

There was no response, then the dog bit his arm.

Mr Bahar tried to calm the dog but that did not work. He stopped resisting and his arm began bleeding.

Ms Bahar said soldiers entered and locked Mr Bahar in a room away from the dog.

They told her that they had brought a doctor to treat him.

“I asked them to bring Mohammed to me, but they refused. I could hear Mohammed asking for water, then they told me that they had treated him,” Ms Bahar said.

The soldiers ordered the women and children to leave for the west of Gaza city.

They arrested two of her other sons.

Mr Bahar’s sister Sarah tried to go back and check on him but was unable to.

“My big brother, who was not with us when the Israeli soldiers came, went back to the house 10 days later to check on Mohammed.

“He found Mohammed lying on the ground, dead, with his body starting to decompose and with no signs of medical treatment.

“They lied to us; they didn’t treat him. They left him to bleed to death.”

It is unclear what happened to Mr Bahar when he was ordered to stay behind with the Israeli soldiers.

“Mohammed usually doesn’t talk. But in that moment, he did, asking the dog to stop. Begging for his life,” Sarah Bahar said.