OCHA reports spike in arrest of Palestinians heading South

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 Nov 2023 08:57

The OCHA has documented instances of Palestinian women being detained for extended periods.

Palestinian families forcibly displaced reached the Central Gaza Strip on foot via the Salah al-Din road on 5 November. (AFP via Getty Images)

The UN's humanitarian agency (OCHA) monitoring team has reported an increase in the arrests of Palestinians, including women, by invading Israeli forces as they headed south on Thursday compared to previous days.

According to OCHA's latest update on the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza, the team documented instances of women being detained for extended periods of time. There were also cases of unaccompanied children and separated families that were heading south.

Invading Israeli forces have been making arrests along the main traffic artery, Salah al-Din road, designated as a "corridor" by "Israel" to force people to leave the north, as per the agency.

In further detail, the OCHA noted the establishment of an unstaffed checkpoint where Palestinians undergo ID checks and facial recognition scans.

Head of medical center in Gaza detained by IOF: Red Crescent

In the same context, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced on Thursday that Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have detained Awni Khattab, the director of a medical clinic in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip.

The PRCS posted on X that it is "deeply worried about Awni Khattab, our colleague the head of Khan Younis Medical Center, #Gaza. Israeli forces arrested him and now his whereabouts are unknown."

🚨PRCS is deeply worried about Awni Khattab, our colleague the head of Khan Younis Medical Center, #Gaza. Israeli forces arrested him and now his whereabouts are unknown. 📍The arrest took place yesterday while the convoy of the wounded from Al-Shifa Hospital was traveling… pic.twitter.com/amr9JoBewL
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) November 23, 2023

Anticipated events today

The initial group of Israeli captives, comprising 13 women and children, is expected to be released at 4 pm local time (14:00 GMT).

The Red Cross will escort them to the Rafah border crossing, where they will be handed over to the invading Israeli military for the identification process.

Subsequently, the Israeli captives will undergo physical and psychological tests in hospitals in "Tel Aviv".

Additionally, 39 Palestinian prisoners will be released from Israeli prisons, specifically "Damon" and "Megiddo", located southeast of occupied Haifa.

These prisoners will be transported to the "Ofer" prison, south of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, and then handed over to their families at a nearby crossing.

Humanitarian aid, including 200 aid trucks and fuel trucks, is expected to enter Gaza from Egypt in the subsequent hours.

Hamas has announced that this aid flow will continue daily.

It is worth noting that the death toll in Gaza has risen to 14,854 since the aggression on Palestinians began, with almost 6,150 children among the dead, according to officials in the strip on Thursday.

The government press office of Gaza released a statement detailing that the death toll exceeded 14, 854 Palestinians including "more than 6,150 children."

In addition, more than 36,000 people have been injured as a result of the bombardment.

The government media office of Gaza also announced that more than 207 doctors, nurses, and paramedics have been martyred since the beginning of the Israeli aggression.