Al-Qassam Brigades announces the killing of a captured Israeli soldier during an attempt to release him

Pictures from Gaza circulated on social media yesterday (Thursday) showed a mass arrest by the Israeli army of men who were forced to strip to their underwear, kneel in the street, wear blindfolds, and were placed in military vehicles.

The exact circumstances and dates of the arrests are unclear, but the identities of some detainees have been confirmed by colleagues or family members, according to CNN.

At least some of the men are civilians with no known affiliation with armed groups, according to a CNN conversation with a relative, and a statement from one of their employers, a news network.

The men were seen stripped naked in the back of a military truck, after which they sat on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs. Shoes were seen scattered nearby, according to The Telegraph.
The Walla news website said the men surrendered to the Israeli 261st Reserve Brigade, adding that “the suspects were stripped naked to rule out the possibility that they were carrying weapons.”
Commenting on the photos, Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israeli army, said that Jabalia and Shuja’iya, a neighborhood in Gaza City, are “centers of gravity” for militants.
He continued, “They hide underground and come out and we fight them. Everyone who remains in those areas comes out of the tunnel openings, and some of them from the buildings, and we are investigating who is linked to (Hamas) and who is not. We arrest them all and interrogate them.”

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory published a photo of one of the detainees, and said in a statement on its website yesterday that “the Israeli army arrested and abused dozens of Palestinian civilians.”

The statement said: “The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory received reports indicating that the Israeli occupation forces launched random and arbitrary arrest campaigns against displaced people, including doctors, academics, journalists, and the elderly.”

The Israeli army did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on the photos. The network identified the geographical location of some of the images in Beit Lahia, north of Gaza City.

The Israeli media, without mentioning a source, portrayed the pictures as a surrender to members of Hamas. A journalist asked Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari about the photos during a press conference on Thursday, saying: “We saw photos of many prisoners; Hamas terrorists who were arrested by the Israeli army during the ground maneuver.”

Hagari answered that in the fighting, “(Hamas) gradually removes those who remain in the area.” He continued: “We are checking who has ties to Hamas and who does not… We arrest them all and interrogate them.”

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed channel said in a statement yesterday that one of its correspondents and a number of his family members were among those detained in connection with the incident that appeared in the pictures.

She wrote: “Israeli forces arrested the journalist and director of the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed office in Gaza, colleague Diaa Al-Kahlot, from Market Street in Beit Lahia, along with a group of his brothers, relatives, and other civilians.”

She continued: “The occupation deliberately forced the residents of Gaza to take off their clothes, searched them, and insulted them when they were arrested, before taking them to an unknown destination, according to what the people there told us. Pictures and video clips spread showing soldiers arresting dozens of Gaza residents in a criminal and humiliating manner.”

CNN spoke with a relative of the other detained men, Hani Al-Madhoun, from his home in the United States.

Al-Madhoun said: “The Israeli forces arrived on the street and called on all the men to come out, and they complied.”

Al-Madhoun indicated that he is in contact with his sister who is in Gaza. He confirmed that he recognized his cousin Abboud in one of the photos and saw his brother Mahmoud in a video clip. He said that Mahmoud is a shop owner and Aboud “does not participate in any activities; He helps his father build.”