Journalists released after 12-hour arrest by Israeli forces in Gaza

By Mohamad Majed Mustafa Haboush and Halime Afra Aksoy

GAZZA, Palestine (AA) - Some journalists were released Monday after being arrested for 12 hours by Israeli forces in Gaza City’s Al-Shifa Hospital.

Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul was among those freed.

Following his release, al-Ghoul said that Israeli forces destroyed media equipment and arrested journalists gathered in a room used by media teams, according to Al Jazeera.

No information was shared about the exact number of journalists that were released. The Israeli army has not released a statement on the issue.

An eyewitness told Anadolu that the Israeli army arrested several journalists at Al-Shifa Hospital.

"They were brutally beaten by Israeli forces, blindfolded and taken into custody," the eyewitness said.

According to Palestinian figures, at least 135 journalists have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip since last October.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 31,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in the enclave and nearly 73,800 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.