US says it asked Israel for information on detention of Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US said it had asked Israel for more information on the Israeli army’s detention on Monday of an Al Jazeera correspondent at a Gaza City hospital.

“We're aware of those reports and we've asked the government of Israel for more information,” State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel told a Monday press briefing when asked about the detention of Ismail Al-Ghoul at Al-Shifa Hospital.

“In general, we have been very clear that journalists play a vital role and that no journalists should be targeted in order to silence their voices in this conflict or any other,” said Patel. “And the circumstances are as such in Gaza, where we believe the journalism and the voices of journalists is more important than ever.”

The Israeli army on Monday arrested several journalists at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, according to witnesses.

“They were brutally beaten by Israeli forces, blindfolded and taken into custody,” an eyewitness told Anadolu.

Qatar-based Al Jazeera confirmed the detention of Al-Ghoul and other journalists, saying that it holds the Israeli army “fully responsible for their safety.”

Early Monday, the Israeli army announced that its forces had stormed the hospital, which houses thousands of ill and wounded patients, as well as displaced people.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, around 80 Palestinians were detained from inside the facility.

The Gaza Media Office said last month that at least 126 Palestinian media workers have been killed since Israel began its offensive in Gaza last Oct. 7, after a cross-border raid by Hamas that killed some 1,200 people.

More than 31,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, and over 73,000 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 is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.