Israel soldiers assault, take ‘selfie’ with Palestinian detainees

Israeli soldiers assaulted Palestinian prisoners after raiding their homes, then took a “selfie” with them, the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs said in a statement yesterday.

The organisation released testimony from brothers Tariq Baajeh, 26, and Ahmad Baajeh, 19, who were detained after their home in the Qalqiliya-area town of Jayyus in the northern occupied West Bank was raided around midnight on Sunday.

According to the brothers, soldiers handcuffed and blindfolded them before transferring them to a military zone near Qalqiliya in a military jeep.

“The Baajeh brothers were assaulted and insulted the entire time they were held at the military zone,” the statement said, adding that after the soldiers beat up the brothers, soldier took a “selfie” with the injured brothers.

The brothers were then transferred to the Huwwara detention centre near Nablus, and then to the Megiddo prison north of the West Bank, where they were strip searched.

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Israeli raids in Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps are a daily occurrence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

According to United Nations documentation, Israeli forces conducted 196 search and arrest operations across the West Bank, including nine children, between 10-23 October.

Human rights groups have widely documented the abuse of Palestinians by Israeli forces during night raids, and the harsh interrogation practices used to force their confessions, which has long been the target of criticism by the international community.

Defense for Children International – Palestine has said their research showed that almost two-thirds of Palestinian children detained in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces had endured physical violence after their arrest.