Images are being circulated on social media that show how the Israeli military (IDF) on Thursday allegedly arrested dozens of Palestinian boys and men. According to the UN’s daily report, which is based on information from other media, they should have sought refuge in a school in Beit Lahiya in the north of the Gaza Strip when they were arrested. The prisoners are said to have been tied up, forced to undress and blindfolded. In a video clip, dozens of men can be seen sitting on the ground in a street, surrounded by IDF soldiers. Another shows a group of prisoners being transported in a military vehicle. Several Israeli media write that the men are Hamas soldiers who have surrendered in northern parts of Gaza. According to the website Walla, they were stripped to rule out that they were carrying weapons. CNN has geolocated the images to Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza City. But the images have not been published by the IDF or verified by independent sources, and their origin and the circumstances surrounding the events are so far unclear. According to Arab media, the prisoners are not soldiers, but Palestinian civilians. At the same time, both CNN and Reuters have spoken to Palestinians who claim they recognize relatives in the images and videos. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed on Thursday that Israeli forces have arrested and interrogated hundreds of people in Gaza with suspected links to Hamas. However, he does not answer questions about whether the people in the photos in question were Hamas soldiers or civilians, CNN and The Daily Mail write. – We are investigating who is associated with Hamas and who is not. We arrest everyone and interrogate them. news has asked questions about the images to the IDF, but has not yet received an answer. Expert: Must be considered civilians Gentian Zyberi at the Norwegian Center for Human Rights believes the people must be considered civilians until it is proven that they are Hamas fighters. – This is a rule according to international humanitarian law that regulates war, he says to news… – International humanitarian law is driven by two principles: military necessity and humanity. Two principles that often conflict with each other. When it comes to arrest, arrested individuals must be treated humanely. Photo: AP Furthermore, the professor says that if they are to be stripped naked, there must be specific security reasons for it – such as a search for weapons. – They can’t be kept naked for long anyway. And then they must obviously be informed about why they have been arrested, made aware of their rights and the arrest must be registered, says the professor. Claims journalist arrested According to The New Arab’s Arabic website, Al Araby Al-Jadeed, one of the prisoners is journalist Diaa Al-Kahlout, who is a correspondent for the newspaper. In a statement, the Arab newspaper said Al-Kahlout, several of his family members and other civilians were arrested in Beit Lahiya on Thursday. Furthermore, the newspaper writes that they were stripped, searched and “humiliated”, before being transported to “an unknown place”, according to eyewitnesses. The newspaper is said to have lost contact with Al-Kahlout on Thursday, but to have been informed of the incident by his family. According to editor Hussam Kanafani, the journalist is still missing. – We will do everything possible, in cooperation with international institutions and organizations concerned with the rights and freedom of journalists in the world, to find out where our colleague Diaa is and release him as soon as possible. The journalist organization CPJ requested that Al-Kahlout and the other civilian prisoners be released immediately, and ensure the safety of all journalists covering the conflict. Demands investigation Izzat al-Rishq, spokesman for Hamas, condemns, according to Al Jazeera, the treatment of the Palestinian prisoners. – We hold the occupation responsible for their lives and safety, and ask that human rights institutions and organizations intervene. The human rights organization Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor accuses the Israeli army of targeting civilians and demands that the IDF be investigated. At the same time, UN Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric refers to the images as worrying in a press briefing. – Everyone has a fundamental right to dignity, and the way people are treated in those images is very worrying.
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Must have been stripped and tied at the back – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
