08 December 2023 , 21:36
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Stripped to their underwear, dozens of Palestinians were lined up after being captured by Israeli troops.
It came as UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
The Israel Defence Forces have rounded up scores of men, described in the Israeli media as Hamas fighters who had surrendered.
An Arabic language news outlet said the men were “subjected to invasive searches and humiliating treatment” before being moved to “undisclosed locations”.
The men are believed to have been arrested in Beit Lahia, in the north of Gaza. Some were later released. The IDF said the men had been stripped in case they were wearing suicide vests or carrying weapons.
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“We’ve lost enough of our soldiers,” said a spokesman.
Several clips and photos circulating on social media Thursday showed dozens of Palestinians rounded up by the Israel Defense ForcesAnother image of blindfolded men, kneeling in a pit of sand, could not be confirmed as being from Gaza.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said hundreds of terror suspects had been detained, adding: “Intelligence coming out of interrogations is utilised to continue the fighting.”
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy confirmed the men had been held in Jabalia and Shejaiya, described as Hamas strongholds. “We’re talking about military age men discovered in areas civilians were supposed to have evacuated weeks ago,” he said. The areas were where forces had engaged in “close-quarter combat” with Hamas.
News outlet al-Araby al-Jadeed said their journalist Diaa al-Kahlout has been identified among those being held, along with his brothers and “other civilians”, in Beit Lahia.
Figures suggest 63 journalists have died in Gaza since the October 7 attacks that killed around 1,200 Israelis and left 240 kidnapped. At least 138 remain captive, Israel says.
Palestinian citizens carry out search and rescue operations amid the destruction (Getty Images)Since the bombardment of Gaza, 17,170 Palestinians have died and 46,000 have been injured, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Images of the held men came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his strongest public criticism yet of Israel’s conduct, said there was a gap between the government’s declared intentions to protect civilians and casualties.
UN chief Antonio Guterres also warned of a “complete lack of safety” for his workforce in Gaza.
Some 130 UN staff members have been killed, many with their families, he said.
This represents the “largest single loss of life in the history of our organisation”.
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He warned that the situation is untenable and “conditions for the effective delivery of humanitarian aid no longer exist”.