Le Monde newspaper said that since the beginning of the war, Israeli forces have arrested 46 journalists in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and 34 of them are still detained, some of them under the administrative detention system, which allows the military administration to detain any individual without charging him for a period of 6 months, renewable indefinitely. .

In its report, the newspaper reviewed the case of journalist Diaa Al-Kahlot (38 years old), who was kidnapped from a street in Gaza on December 7, 2023. The army investigator told him, “You will not see the sun for 10 years,” but only 33 days had passed. He spent his time blindfolded, and was released on January 9, 2024, after losing 20 kilograms of weight.

On that day, Al-Kahlot - whose relatives identified him through a video clip filmed by soldiers and posted on social media - found himself in the street sitting in his underwear and handcuffed with dozens of his neighbors after the Israeli army stormed the Beit Lahia neighborhood, in the northern Gaza Strip.

36 prisoners died

This journalist says, “I was in my family’s home when the army asked those between the ages of 16 and 60 to surrender and leave.” The women, children, and the elderly went to Kamal Adwan Hospital, while the men were arrested and transferred to the Zikim military base, before being transferred to the Sde Timan site, where “ "I stayed throughout my detention."

This military base in the middle of the Negev desert is the main place of detention for the residents of Gaza, and no external observer was able to enter it, knowing that the International Committee of the Red Cross cannot access Israeli prisons. However, the Israeli army admitted to Haaretz newspaper that it is investigating the killing of dozens of prisoners there. An Israeli military source confirmed to Le Monde newspaper that 36 detainees had been killed.

Al-Kahlot continues, saying, "I spent 33 days in prison. I told the Israeli soldiers that I was a journalist, but they tore up my press card. After an initial investigation that included beatings and insults, they knew that I was really a journalist."

Kneeling 16 hours a day

Al-Kahlot added, "I said that I was a civilian and had no connection to the armed Palestinian factions. They closed my mouth and beat me." They replaced his name with the number 059889, and forced him to kneel for 16 hours a day. They did not allow him to communicate with his family or with a lawyer. He did not learn of his father's death until he left the hospital. Camp.

Al-Kahlot concludes, saying, "My health condition was like that of other prisoners. I suffered from the effects of beatings, the iron chains that tied my hands, and psychological humiliation."

He continued, "I was hoping to receive treatment. I still suffer from a vision problem due to covering my eyes for 33 days, and I suffer from the effects of the beatings."

The "ghost" torture method involves tying prisoners for a long period in a painful position, which may cause long-term disability.

Source: Le Monde +Aljazeera