The Israeli army broke into the house of Jerusalem of a member of Hamas released as part of an exchange of Israelis held hostage in Gaza, arresting a person and mistreating other people on Saturday evening, including a New York Times journalist who led Interviews on the scene.
A team of soldiers broke into a house on the outskirts of Jerusalem and interrupted an event that marked the early release of Ashraf Zughayer, a Hams member imprisoned in 2002 for led the terrorists on the places of their attacks. Among them was a suicide bomber who killed six civilians by blowing up a bus. According to the courts of the court, Mr. ZGHYER confessed the accusations.
Mr. Zughayer, 46, was released on Saturday afternoon with other 199 prisoners.
Under the supervision of a colonel, the soldiers entered the Zughayer family building with the rifles raised and attacked several people, including the father of Mr. Zughayer and a Times journalist who led interviews. The soldiers arrested the brother of Mr. Zughayer and expelled the journalists, and then leave about an hour later.
For years, Israeli security services have discouraged and often interrupted the family events that celebrated the release of the Palestinian militants, stating that the meetings cause disorders, idolize terrorists and inspire support for violence. Critics say that interventions increase Palestinian antipathy for Israel, prolonging a cycle of violence.
Israel was particularly determined to repress the celebrations for the prisoners issued on the basis of the terms of the ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli officials fear that they can contribute to strengthening Hamas’ popularity, which led the attack of October 7, 2023 against Israel who killed up to 1,200 people. Dozens of Palestinians released on Saturday were sent into exile in Egypt instead of being able to return home, in part for this reason.
The Israeli army said in a press release that she raided the Zughayer family house because “she received intelligence and video shooting information and incitement to terrorism in the area”. The declaration states that the soldiers had acted to “neutralize the threat of fire” and that they had aimed for weapons against “armed individuals”. An Israeli military officer said his brother had been arrested for exhibiting a Hamas flag.
That day, the videos circulating on social media showed Zughayer who wore a Hamas scarf and was made to the car for his neighborhood, surrounded by a group of other men who brought Hamas’ flags – an action prohibited in Israel.
When the New York Times journalists arrived in the neighborhood, several hours later, the situation was calm. They saw Mr. Zughayer briefly wear a thin Hamas scarf before a child ran away with it, about an hour before the raid. A second child who wore a cloak with the Hamas logo left the house more or less in the same period.
The other two dozens of participants, including several young children, wore clothes without writing and there were no flags on display. Nobody was armed and Mr. Zughayer’s brother did not show the Hamas flag, the journalists said.
The house is owned by Mr. Zughayer’s father, Munir Zughayer, who is a well -known community organizer. Munir Zughayer acts as a connection between the residents of the poor neighborhood and the municipal direction of Jerusalem, as well as between the families of the Palestinians in prison and the Israeli prison authorities. He said he wasn’t a Hamas member.
After breaking into the family complex around 17:30, the soldiers crossed the courtyard where the gathering took place, without stopping to evaluate the situation or people inside, the journalists said.
A soldier immediately used the sprint of his loaded shotgun to hit Aaron Boxerman, a Times journalist who was near the entrance to the courtyard. Before Mr. Boxerman had the opportunity to identify himself, the soldier struck him at the chest case, leaving him a big bruise.
A second reporter of the Times, Natan Odenheimer, then identified himself as a journalist, as shows the video recorded by the Times. The same soldier told Mr. Odenheimer that he didn’t care, using an imprecation to underline his point. The soldier then pointed out the loaded rifle against Mr. Odenheimer, shows the video.
The soldiers also pointed the rifles against the other participants. The video shows the participants who quickly obey the commands of the soldiers and do not seem to represent any threats. The soldiers shouted swear words to the relatives of Mr. Zughayer; And he pushed his father into his chest.
The army declared in a press release that regrets “any damage caused to journalists during the operational activity” and who does not aim to target “civilians not involved, or journalists as such”. He said He was investigating the accident.
A spokesman for the Times said he had presented a protest to the Israeli army for the attack on Mr. Boxerman.