Al Jazeera journalist had “no choice but to surrender” to IDF
On March 19th, Qatar-based Al Jazeera broadcaster Ismail Alghoul was released after being held captive by Israeli forces for twelve hours.
Alghoul was arrested and beaten on March 18th during a raid on Gaza’s largest hospital al-Shifa. He was captured alongside five others, including those in his camera crew, Al Jazeera shared in a statement.
“Al Jazeera Media Network demands the immediate release of its correspondent and the other journalists who were detained alongside him, and holds the occupation forces fully responsible for their safety,” the statement read.
“The Network emphasises that this targeting serves as an intimidation tactic against journalists to deter them from reporting the horrific crimes committed by the occupation forces against innocent civilians in Gaza,” the network wrote.
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Alghoul described his time held captive following his release, sharing that Israeli forces “bulldozed” the journalists tent using lasers, snipers and “all sorts of weapons.” He added that they “had no choice but to surrender.”
Alghoul and his fellow journalists were forced to strip and kneel to the ground with their hands behind their heads “for almost an hour in very cold weather,” he said. They were then blindfolded and handcuffed, he added.
A press release from Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that they had waited for the “most appropriate time to act” on al-Shifa. “Hamas terrorists, including field commanders, fled to the area of the hospital, are hiding there and turned it into a command centre from which they dispatched and managed terrorist operations and managed combat,” he wrote.
The United States National Security Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the US government, Israel’s close ally, “did not give the OK” for IDF forces to seize the hospital.
At a press briefing on March 18th, US Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel shared that the US was aware of Alghoul’s arrest and had requested more information from Israel. The IDF did not immediately respond to their request for comment.
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“In general, we have been very clear that journalists play a vital role and that no journalists should be targeted in order to silence their voices in this conflict or any other,” said Patel.
On January 10th, Al Jazeera accused Israel of systematically targeting Al Jazeera employees working in Gaza after two of the network’s journalists, Hamza Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya, were killed in a targeted strike on their car in Khan Younis.
Al Jazeera’s Gaza Bureau Chief Wael Dahdouh was also severely injured in an Israeli drone strike in December. His wife, son and daughter had also previously been killed by an Israeli bomb.
On February 15th, Jodie Ginsberg, President of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) told Al Jazeera that Palestinian victims account for nearly 75 percent of all journalists killed worldwide.
“This war is unprecedented in terms of the threat to journalists,” she said.
