In a concerning turn of events, reports have emerged detailing the assault and detention of Al-Jazeera Arabic reporter Ismail Al-Ghoul by Israeli soldiers during a raid on Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has expressed alarm over the incident and is calling for the immediate release of the journalists involved.
According to accounts provided by Al-Jazeera and multiple news outlets, on Monday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers assaulted Ismail Al-Ghoul while he was covering a new Israeli offensive at the hospital. Subsequently, Al-Ghoul and several other journalists were taken to an undisclosed location. During the violent arrests, the Israeli forces destroyed all broadcasting equipment.
The reports indicate that the IDF conducted a dawn raid on the hospital, resulting in the detention of approximately 80 individuals. The IDF claims to have taken control of Al-Shifa hospital, citing “concrete intelligence” suggesting that “senior Hamas terrorists” had sought refuge within the premises.
Al-Shifa Hospital has been a sanctuary for thousands of Palestinians displaced by the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Al-Jazeera TV reported that they have been unable to establish contact with Al-Ghoul since morning due to telecommunication disruptions in northern Gaza. Al-Ghoul was subjected to physical assault and forced to strip naked before being taken into custody by IDF soldiers.
Accounts from other journalists present at Al-Shifa Hospital said that they too faced intimidation and arrest by Israeli forces. Al-Jazeera reports that the IDF destroyed the broadcast vehicles used by journalists stationed outside the hospital.
CPJ’s Program Director, Carlos Martinez de la Serna, condemned the assault on Ismail Al-Ghoul and other journalists, urging the immediate release of the detained individuals. He emphasized the need for the IDF to ensure the safety of journalists covering the conflict. Over 100 journalists have been killed during the aggression in Gaza and 75% of all journalist deaths in 2023 were in Gaza.
In response to the incident, Al-Jazeera Media Network issued a statement demanding the release of Al-Ghoul and his colleagues, denouncing their arrest as an attempt to hinder reporting on Israeli military actions in Gaza.
The last reports from Ismail Al-Ghoul were filed on the night and morning before his arrest, covering humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza City and providing a live report from outside Al-Shifa hospital.
Journalists have faced numerous challenges, including power and telecommunication outages and violence from Israeli soldiers while reporting from the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital since the conflict began.
CPJ has documented numerous casualties among journalists covering the conflict, including the recent deaths of Al-Jazeera’s Samer Abu Daqqa, Hamza Al Dahdouh, and Mustafa Thuraya in drone strikes, as well as the severe injury of Ismail Abu Omar. The organization has called for independent investigations into these incidents.
Attempts to reach out to the IDF’s North America Desk for comment on the reported assaults and arrests have received no response.
