Gaza Office holds 'Israel' responsible for abducted journalists' lives

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
18 Mar 2024 16:05

Israeli occupation forces have abducted a number of journalists after assaulting and torturing them in Al-Shifa Hospital.

Palestinian journalists carry mock coffins of Palestinian journalists who were killed by Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip during a symbolic funeral toward a United Nations office, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the occupied West Bank, on November 7, 2023. (AP)

The Government Media Office in Gaza held Israeli occupation forces fully responsible for the safety and lives of the journalists and members of the media, who were taken to an unknown location after being tortured and brutally beaten.

The Office stated in a press release that the Israeli occupation arrested a group of journalists who were reporting on the unfolding events in the Gaza Strip, as they gave updates on the wounded and famished in Al-Shifa Medical Complex.

It added that among the detained journalists was Ismail al-Ghoul, a correspondent for Al Jazeera channel, along with the channel's crew and other media teams.

The statement also condemned the blatant violations committed by the Israeli occupation against members of the press, noting that such actions violate international law, the Geneva Convention, and human rights conventions. It also held the occupation, the United States administration, and the international community fully responsible for the safety and lives of the press crews.

The Office called on the International Federation of Journalists, as well as all international and Arab media organizations and bodies, to condemn these ongoing crimes against journalists and media workers in Palestine. It urged them to exert all forms of pressure on the occupation to stop the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces commit war crimes in Al-Shifa

Israeli occupation forces forced multiple families out of streets and buildings surrounding the al-Shifa Hospital in western Gaza City where they had taken shelter.

Occupation forces continue to randomly shell and fire at citizens in the area while raiding several homes in the area. The Israeli military also demanded all Palestinian citizens immediately leave al-Rimal neighborhood and the al-Shifa Medical Complex on Monday after it launched an attack on the medical facility for the second time since the war on Gaza began.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that around 30,000 Palestinians are currently besieged in the medical complex which is coming under the direct fire of Israeli artillery and strikes. The medical complex also hosts around 5,000 wounded people.

As a result of the attacks, flames went off in the Department of Specialized Surgery which hosts the largest number of displaced people in the medical complex, Al Mayadeen's correspondent explained. In detail, Israeli occupation forces prevented emergency services from entering the area to put out the fire, adding to the list of brutal actions conducted by the occupation on Monday.

Our correspondent also said that Israeli occupation forces confiscated the phones of several medical staff members and displaced people, besieging the complex from every corner.

Occupation forces had raided two schools located in the vicinity of the hospital, which are being used to host refugees, arresting the men and denuding them. Women and children were ordered to head south toward Deir al-Balah.