Ismail al-Ghoul, an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent who was beaten and detained by Israeli troops during their raid of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, has been freed after 12 hours in Israeli custody.
He told Al Jazeera after his release that Israeli forces stormed al-Shifa Hospital at dawn during intense fighting.
Israeli forces started by destroying media equipment and arresting journalists gathered in a room used by media teams, he said.
“The journalists were stripped of their clothes and were arrested and placed in a room inside the medical compound. We were forced to lie on our stomachs as we were blindfolded and our hands tied,” he said.
“Israeli soldiers would open fire to scare us if there was any movement,” al-Ghoul said.
He went on to say: “After about 12 hours, we were taken for interrogation. After waiting in line for investigation, an elderly man was released from inside the hospital and he needed help to leave the compound. I volunteered to help the man and was able to accompany him until we both left the compound.”
Earlier Al Jazeera correspondent Biesan Abu Kwaik has said that his colleague was severely beaten.
“He was stripped of his clothing, and then he was taken to an unknown location. Other journalists also were detained, and equipment, broadcast and corporate, was destroyed,” said Abu Kwaik.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that they “arrested 200 people during the operation in the hospital complex and killed 20 Palestinian fighters.”
UN says it “stands against” harassment of journalists after al-Ghoul’s arrest, as rights group Committee to Protect Journalists calls indicent “deliberate attempt” to cover up Israeli assault on al-Shifa Hospital.
At least 31,726 Palestinians have been killed and 73,792 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
