Photos from Gaza depict Israeli forces holding many guys who are just wearing their underpants
Pictures from Gaza making the rounds on social media The Israeli military detained a large number of men on Thursday, forcing them to strip down to their underwear, kneel in the street, put on blindfolds, and stuff themselves into a military vehicle's cargo bed. Although the precise reasons and dates of the detentions remain unknown, family members or coworkers have verified the names of several of the inmates. A CNN interview with one of the men's family and a statement from one of their jobs, a TV network, indicate that at least some of the men are civilians with no known ties to terrorist organizations. "The Israeli army detained and severely abused dozens of Palestinian civilians," according to a statement released by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor on its website on Thursday. The statement included a photo of one detention.
According to allegations obtained by Euro-Med Monitor, Israeli soldiers have been arbitrarily detaining displaced individuals, including medical professionals, scholars, journalists, and elderly men. When CNN asked the Israel Defense Forces for a statement on the pictures, they did not provide one. Some photographs have been geolocated by CNN to Beit Lahia, which is located north of Gaza City.
The photographs have been used by the Israeli media as proof that Hamas members had surrendered, without providing a source. At a press conference on Thursday, a journalist questioned Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson, about the photographs. He said, "We've seen images of many captives, Hamas terrorists, that the IDF arrested during the ground maneuvering." According to Hagari, "those left in the area gradually come out" while confronting Hamas. "We look into and determine who is affiliated with Hamas and who is not," he declared. "We question and arrest every one of them. Until we're done, we'll keep taking down each of those strongholds.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed claimed in a statement on Thursday that several of his family members and one of its journalists were among those detained in connection with the event depicted in the pictures. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed said, "Today, Thursday, the Israeli occupation army arrested our colleague Diaa Al-Kahlot, a journalist and the director of 'The New Arab' office in Gaza. He was detained along with a group of his brothers, relatives, and other civilians from Market Street in Beit Lahia." "According to what the people there told us, the occupation purposefully forced Gazans to undress, searched them, and humiliated them when they were arrested before taking them to an unknown location." Images and videos of troops apprehending scores of Gazans in a dehumanizing and illegal manner have gone viral.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed editor-in-chief Hussam Kanafani stated in the statement that Al-Kahlot and his family were unaccounted for. "We will exert every effort, in collaboration with global institutions and groups that care about the freedom and rights of journalists worldwide, to ascertain our colleague Diaa's whereabouts and expedite his release," declared Kanafani.
Hani al-Madhoun, a relative of other individuals in custody, talked with CNN from his American residence. Al-Madhoun told CNN that "Israeli forces arrived on the street and called out all the men to come out, and they complied." "They took refuge in this house after our two homes were destroyed." According to Al-Madhoun, he stays in touch with his sister who lives in Gaza. He claimed to have seen his brother Mahmood on a video and identified his cousin Aboud in one of the pictures. According to him, Aboud "is not involved in any activities; he helps his father in construction," while Mahmoud runs a business.
