Admin I Monday, August 12, 2024
PALESTINE – Not less than 53 journalists in addition to 51 dead bodies, being people who were killed in detention are still being held in Israel, a group of non-governmental organisations operating within Palestine and Israel have said.
In a statement, the group, comprising Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, Palestinian Society Prisoner’s Club, Addameer Association for Human Rights said the 53 journalists were among the 94 journalists arrested by Israel since October 7, 2023 when it kicked off the genocidal war in Gaza.
Specifically, the group said the affected arrests were made in the West Bank, adding that statistics of numerous arrests in the Gaza Strips were not included based on paucity of information.
Among the journalists, the group said are five female journalists adding that 16 of the 53 journalists are from Gaza, in addition to 17 journalists that are still under administrative detention.
The group said a total 345 women are under detention including women arrested from the lands occupied since 1948, in addition to Gazan women who have been arrested in the West Bank.
The group said children are not left out of this indiscriminate arrest, noting that till date, 700 children have been arrested and detained by Israel.
The group explained that detention campaigns carried out since October 7 are accompanied by escalated crimes and violations such as humiliation, brutal beating, threats against detainees and their families, besides vandalism and destruction of detainees’ houses, confiscation of vehicles, gold and money, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure especially in the refugee camps of Tulkarem and Jenin.
“Statistics include detainees who were arrested from their houses, on checkpoints, who surrendered themselves and those who were arrested as hostages.
“Besides to detention campaigns, the Israeli forces implemented field executions, afflicted detainees and their family members. Twenty-two (22) detainees were martyred in Israeli prisons and military camps since the 7th of October, in addition to tens of martyrs from Gaza who died in Israeli prisons and detention centers”, adding that the corpses of (20) detainees who were martyred after October 7 are still withheld, among (31) martyrs.
