Latest news with #Arab48
Middle East Eye
4 days ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Gaza doctor Abu Safiya given 'two spoonfuls of rice a day' in Israeli jail
A lawyer representing Palestinian Dr Hussam Abu Safiya has raised concerns over his deteriorating health and routine torture in Israeli detention, where inmates are given only two spoonfuls of rice a day. In an interview with Arab48, publiched Thursday, lawyer Gheed Kassem said that the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, located north of the Gaza Strip, had faced severe physical assault that resulted in bruising to his head, neck, rib cage, and back. When Dr Abu Safiya requested medical assistance for complications stemming from the beatings, including an irregular heartbeat, his request was denied. Medical neglect and abuse in Israeli-run prisons have been well-documented, with such practices reportedly intensifying since the events of 7 October 2023. In early May, the Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs Commission said that sick Palestinian detainees faced "deliberate and systematic medical neglect," alongside hunger and torture negatively affecting their health conditions. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The statement came after the death of 60-year-old prisoner Mohyee al-Din Fahmi Najem, who suffered from chronic illnesses and was denied proper medical treatment during his detention. Abu Safya, who remains in solitary confinement at the Ofer military prison - which houses 450 detainees from the Gaza Strip - weighs no more than 60 kilograms, according to his lawyer. She said that since his detention in late December, the senior paediatrician and neonatologist had lost 40 kilograms, describing his body as "emaciated." Additionally, Dr Abu Safiya is held in an underground cell that is completely isolated and receives no natural light. "He knows nothing about the outside world, and he is still wearing winter clothes," Kassem explained. "Prisoners inside Ofer prison endure incredibly harsh and catastrophic conditions," she added. The lawyer described how Palestinians imprisoned there are allowed only two spoonfuls of rice a day, while both sugar and salt are completely banned "to prevent any rise in the happiness hormone, even a small one, from eating sugar". "This is in addition to the frequent cell raids, the torture, and the constant searches that prisoners are subjected to." The most recent case of torture and medical neglect in Israeli detention involves the death of 53-year-old Samir al-Rifai from Jenin. According to the Palestinian Prisoners' Affairs Commission, Rifai died seven days after his arrest, raising the death toll of Palestinian prisoners who have died under Israeli detention since the beginning of the war on Gaza to 74. The father of five had reportedly suffered from heart issues and needed intensive medical care. Sources suggest that his death resulted from ill-treatment and the severe conditions in prison, though no official reports have been released. Lack of rights Abu Safiya has been categorised as an "unlawful combatant" by Israeli authorities, despite him being a civilian doctor. This classification means there is no formal indictment against him. Iron bars, electric shocks, dogs and cigarette burns: How Palestinians are tortured in Israeli detention Read More » "The designation of an unlawful combatant renders a prisoner without rights," Kassem said. "Israeli law strips those with this designation of their natural human rights inside prisons." The Kassem added that prison authorities also create "successive obstacles for lawyers," with each visit needing to be scheduled four months in advance. Even then, it could be cancelled. Additionally, legal representatives are often left waiting for long stretches of time, and when their clients are finally brought in for the visit, they are often assaulted on the way as they are crawling on the ground in handcuffs. "The interview is conducted under a microscope, under the eyes and ears of the jailers. If the jailers feel that the visit has boosted the prisoner's morale, they assault him in revenge," she said. Detainees are also subjected to constant psychological torture, Kassem added, including being exposed to graphic images and depressing news as well as being told false information about the death of loved ones. "The first question every prisoner asks me is about their families and whether they are still alive," she said.
Middle East Eye
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israeli forces arrest veteran Palestinian journalist in West Bank raid
Israeli forces arrested veteran Palestinian journalist Dr Nasser al-Lahham during a violent raid on his home in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem early Monday morning. Lahham, a 58-year-old journalist with over 30 years of experience reporting from Palestine, is the editor-in-chief of Ma'an News Agency and director of Al-Mayadeen TV's office in Palestine. The pre-dawn raid on his home in the village of al-Duha, west of Bethlehem, was described by Al-Mayadeen as 'brutal and repressive'. According to Ma'an, Israeli soldiers stormed the house, ransacked the property, destroyed personal belongings, and confiscated computers and mobile phones before detaining the journalist. Al-Mayadeen accused Israeli forces of spreading chaos and vandalising Lahham's home with total disregard for privacy. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'We are not surprised by the occupation's sadistic practices and its hostility toward journalists and press freedom,' the network said, calling for his immediate release. 'We are not surprised by the occupation's sadistic practices and its hostility toward journalists' - Al-Mayadeen TV The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs confirmed that Israeli authorities had extended Lahham's detention and referred him to Ofer Military Court until Thursday. The commission said the arrest is part of a broader policy of targeting journalists, particularly through the use of administrative detention. This controversial practice, routinely employed by Israeli forces against Palestinians, allows for indefinite detention without charge or trial, often based on undisclosed evidence. According to the commission, 22 of the 55 Palestinian journalists currently imprisoned are held under administrative detention orders. Most have not been formally charged, with accusations frequently linked to social media activity labelled as 'incitement'. Israeli crackdown on media The commission also reported that detained journalists face systematic abuse, including torture, beatings, starvation, medical neglect, and degrading treatment. How Israel's attack on Iran enabled an assault on press freedoms Read More » Accoding to Arab48 news outlet, more than 10,400 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including 47 women, over 440 children, 3,562 administrative detainees, and 2,214 detainees from Gaza classified by Israel as 'unlawful combatants.' Since 7 October 2023, conditions in Israeli prisons have sharply deteriorated, leading to the deaths of dozens of prisoners. Israeli violations against journalists and press freedom have also escalated significantly since the start of the war, with Palestinian journalists disproportionately targeted. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces have killed at least 228 journalists and media workers. Authorities have also banned Al Jazeera from reporting in Israel and the occupied West Bank, while barring international media from entering the besieged Gaza Strip.
Saba Yemen
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Israeli occupation authorities demolish at least 16 homes in unrecognized village of al-Sarra in Negev
Negev - Saba: Israeli occupation authorities demolished 16 homes in the unrecognized village of al-Sarra today, Monday, in the Negev, in the 1948 territories. Hundreds of police officers were deployed at the scene, surrounding the homes and preventing residents from approaching the site of the demolition. Suleiman al-Hawashla, Director General of the Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages, said, "The demolitions come after the Beersheba Court's decision last Thursday to demolish the village's homes and empty it of its residents." Al-Hawashla added to Arab48 that "the demolitions today target at least 16 homes, while some residents had previously demolished their homes themselves." Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Middle East Eye
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israeli military intensifies military campaign on remaining residential neighbourhoods in Gaza
The Israeli military increased heavy shelling and air strikes on Gaza's remaining residential neighbourhoods, destroying residential buildings in Rafah and killing and wounding dozens of civilians, Arab 48 reported on Monday.
Middle East Eye
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israeli forces again storm prominent Palestinian bookshop in Jerusalem
Israeli forces stormed the Educational Bookshop near the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday. Local reports said they detained Imad Muna, the Palestinian owner of the library situated in Salahuddin Street, close to Al-Aqsa Mosque, and took him for questioning. Nasser Awda, a lawyer representing Muna, told the Arab48 news outlet that Israeli forces caused significant damage to the library's contents, seized several books, took the premises' keys and shut the place down without any judicial order or legal justification. 'They also removed people who had gathered in front of the library after the raid," he said. This assault comes a month after the Israeli police's previous storming of two of the three branches of the Educational Bookshop, on 10 February. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters During that raid, two of the shops' owners, Mahmoud Muna and his nephew Ahmed, were arrested on charges of "selling inciting books" The court released them the following day, though the prosecution requested an extension of their detention for eight more days. At the time, the raid was condemned by the Palestinian National Library as a 'dangerous escalation targeting the Palestinian cultural and intellectual landscape'. Israel raids beloved Palestinian bookstores and detains owners Read More » The Educational Bookshop has been a significant cultural centre for almost 40 years, catering to diplomats, journalists, tourists and researchers alike. In 2011, it was recognised as the best library in Palestine. The Palestinian National Library said in February that the assault on the bookshop was 'part of a systematic policy aimed at destroying the Palestinian cultural and educational infrastructure in Jerusalem,' according to official news agency Wafa. The statement also highlighted that the Israeli aim was to enforce censorship on Palestinian intellectual output by criminalising the possession of books that represent Palestinian national identity, including children's books and historical references. 'It is an assault on the Palestinian right to knowledge and education,' said the statement. Several foreign governments also condemend the raid and arrests. The European Union delegation "expressed deep concern at the Israeli police raid [...] and the arrests" in a statement on X, while the French consulate in Jerusalem denounced "a blatant attack [...] against basic democratic values".
