Debate over photos of half-naked prisoners in Gaza erupts “Ruthless and chaotic” as prominent Brits defend asylum policy

According to senior Hamas representative Izzat El-Reshiq, it is a “heinous crime against innocent civilians.” Israel spoke on Friday about a measure against suspected terrorists: a photo shows that the Israeli army has killed a group of more than fifty forcibly captured Palestinians in the Palestinian territories. Gaza Strip to sit on the street with only their underwear on. There are Israeli soldiers standing around guarding the prisoners.

Another photo also shows men kneeling with only their underpants and their hands tied behind their backs. Lined up in a long line in the mud, they appear to be waiting to be packed tightly into the back of a van. Shoes and sandals are scattered wildly in the foreground of the photo.

In a third image, dozens of half-naked, blindfolded men are lined up in a sandbox. Israeli soldiers walk between the rows. For press ethics reasons, t-online has decided not to publish the images for the time being.

Photos of this and similar scenes spread across the internet this week. The treatment of the prisoners and especially the publication of the recordings resulted in strong criticism on social media and also from aid organizations. What’s behind it?

Red Cross: Images are worrying

A spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross described the images as worrying, according to the Reuters news agency. All prisoners must be treated with humanity and dignity, in accordance with international humanitarian law, she argues.

An Israeli army spokesman justified the action: the prisoners were men of military age who were in areas of Gaza that civilians had been forced to leave weeks ago. There are Hamas bases there. The capture took place in Beit Lahia, a suburb that the Israeli army has been besieging for weeks. The army had previously called on the civilian population of the Gaza Strip to leave the north of the region.

Military expert: Normal procedure for the Israeli army

Military expert John Spencer of the US Military Academy wrote further. This can be used to check whether they are carrying weapons or explosive belts, which is often the case, Spencer explains. However, his statements do not explain why the images were made public.

According to Hamas representative Reshig, the men were arrested at a school in Gaza that was used as a refugee shelter during weeks of bombing by the Israeli army. The radical Islamic Hamas spoke of “heinous crimes against innocent civilians”.

Doctors and journalists are said to be among the prisoners

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al Safadi said those arrested included doctors and journalists who had been “humiliated.” The Arabic-language newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed in London wrote that one of its correspondents was among the prisoners. Relatives of the prisoners also came forward. According to them, there are a number of young people among them who did not fight for Hamas. None of the statements could be independently verified.

The Israeli army is said to have now released a number of prisoners after they were found to be innocent. This writes ‘Spiegel’, with reference to a journalist from the news site ‘Al Jazeera’. (lak/t-online)

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