Israel targets journalists during West Bank raids

Shafaq News- Jerusalem

Israeli forces fired stun grenades toward journalists and severely beat a reporter covering a large-scale raid on the Qalandiya refugee camp north of Jerusalem on Wednesday, Palestinian media reported, as the operation left two Palestinians injured and triggered arrests and demolitions.

Troops entered before dawn with heavy reinforcements, searching homes, sealing several entrances, storming the Popular Committee headquarters, forcing one family to evacuate, preventing dawn prayers at local mosques, and demolishing a car wash on Airport Road. The Palestinian Red Crescent said a 53-year-old man was assaulted by Israeli soldiers during the raid, while another Palestinian sustained a gunshot wound to the foot near the Al-Dahiya checkpoint in Al-Ram.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), arrests of Palestinian journalists in the West Bank have surged since Oct. 7, 2023. Fifteen of the 19 journalists currently held by Israeli authorities in the territory were detained after that date, many under Israel’s administrative detention system, while three journalists from Gaza are also in Israeli custody.

Elsewhere in the West Bank, local media said Israeli forces demolished homes and other structures in Nahhalin and Al-Minya near Bethlehem, issued demolition notices for three tourist facilities in Arranah, east of Jenin, and conducted arrest raids in several cities, including Ramallah, Tubas, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Nablus.

The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission recorded 2,256 incidents involving Israeli forces and settlers across the West Bank in July, including 1,458 attributed to the military. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics says at least 1,168 Palestinians, including 210 children, have been killed there since October 2023, while the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society estimates that more than 21,000 Palestinians have been detained.

Related News
Hamas calls for “Total Mobilization” in West Bank following Israeli raids
Over 2,000 Israeli attacks on Palestinians in January: CWRC
Israel raids West Bank with helicopters and bulldozers
Israel raids on UNRWA compound, escalates demolitions in West Bank
Israel expands West Bank operations
Settler attacks accompany Israeli raids across West Bank